Chapter 112.
For Shuta An, an entire day spent watching races — banquet included — still wasn't as draining as the few hours that followed, once Dober dragged him back to the bedroom at Laurel Way 1460. The soundproofing was solid, but he still found himself grateful Secretariat and Miesque had swept Ramonu off for an afternoon of shopping. Even good soundproofing might not have been enough on its own.
In the end, Dober simply couldn't outlast him. He looked down at her, already deep asleep, and let the thought settle with quiet amusement —
Funny how it turned out to be her who needed the preparation, not me.
Though tonight, in the Dream World, I really do need to be ready. Three G1s on the card — I should be walking away with at least one of them.
Santa Anita was running eight races that night in the Dream World. Shuta An had mounts in three of them — the fourth on Hokuto Vega, the seventh on Fraise, and the finale on Arcangues.
Horse Owner Mori Shigeru and Trainer Nakano Takayoshi had both made the trip to America for the occasion, and the full teams behind Arcangues and Fraise had come along with them to Santa Anita.
With no mount to prepare for through the first two races, Shuta An spent the time with the three teams, talking racing.
"I'd say Shuta-kun could've made a career out of just about anything, jockey or not."
Nakano Takayoshi watched, visibly impressed, as the young man broke down the field for him and Mori Shigeru in Japanese one moment, then slid effortlessly into French with André Fabre the next, then into easy English with Mott right after.
"How many languages does he even speak? He's a working jockey — his daily training schedule alone should leave him exhausted. Where did he find the time to learn all of that?"
Mori Shigeru couldn't hide the envy in his voice. At his own age, picking up anything new already felt like climbing a mountain.
"That's exactly why people call him a genius."
Nakano Takayoshi let out a sigh.
As the third race approached, Shuta An excused himself and hurried off to the jockeys' room to change and go through the pre-race checks.
By the time he'd finished, the third race had wrapped up ten minutes earlier. He skipped even a sip of water and went straight out to greet Hokuto Vega.
This is our first meeting with SkyBeauty — and probably our last.
The thought crossed his mind on the way over. It wasn't that Hokuto Vega had no future trips to America planned; it was Sky Beauty herself, America's Triple Crown mare, who looked set to retire once this year's campaign wrapped.
All the more reason to make this one count. I have to beat her today — if I lose here, there might not be a second chance.
—
With Fujii the stableman's help, Shuta An settled steadily into Hokuto Vega's saddle. She'd drawn gate 9 — the outermost post — for this race. With only nine horses entered, the outside draw carried some disadvantage, but not a crippling one.
Get a fast break out of the gate. Push straight to the front of the pack. Even if we can't take the lead outright, second or third is the floor — anything further back and this race turns into a real fight.
Sweeping wide from the outside in American dirt racing was brutally difficult under the best of circumstances, and Shuta An didn't think he, Vega, or the rest of the field lined up favorably enough to pull it off today.
Simplest plan is the honest one — just run it straight.
He gave the reins a slight tightening turn, and a wilder idea flickered through his mind uninvited.
What about a whip at the break?
By the time they'd loaded into the gate, he'd already talked himself out of it. Whipping right out of the gate was a trick reserved for smaller local Japanese races — stimulating the horse that early would blunt the whip's effect badly by the time the real sprint arrived. He doubted Vega could seal the win in the closing stretch without that reserve intact, so the idea died there.
Vega loaded last into the gate. As she settled in, Shuta An glanced across at Supah Gem in gate 8, Solis already in the saddle.
He'll probably go for the same plan I have — quick break, push for position early.
Shuta An turned the thought over.
Though Supah Gem's ability is only middling at best. If she grabs the early pace, she'll pay for it later. So if Vega and I end up sitting behind her, I need to be ready to slip past the moment she fades.
Meanwhile, Mike E. Smith, aboard Sky Beauty, glanced back over his shoulder at Shuta An.
Hokuto Vega... the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes wasn't much of a headline race, but she ran impressively there, and she followed it with a clean G2 win on this exact track. She's the real threat today. Shuta's going to push forward early, which means this pace is going to run hot.
Smith wasn't especially worried, though — not with Sky Beauty breaking from gate 1. When it came to securing position, nothing beat the inside rail.
That much he was certain of, and with Dispute in gate 2 looking noticeably flat today, Sky Beauty's odds felt like they were only climbing higher by the minute.
"Hokuto Vega's looking sharp. Her training numbers have picked up recently too — she's clearly settling into the American tracks." Nakano Takayoshi turned to Mori Shigeru. "Honestly, part of me's starting to worry she won't transition back to turf smoothly once we're home."
Mori Shigeru waved the concern off easily. "If turf doesn't suit her, it doesn't suit her. She can keep running dirt."
"Everyone still rates turf well above dirt, though — that hasn't changed," Nakano Takayoshi reminded him.
"I know that. But if she can build real success on dirt, why keep burning time chasing turf races she's not suited for?"
Mori Shigeru held his gaze steadily.
"And if she wins here, American ranches will be lining up to buy her eventually, won't they? That beats sitting out her days on some ranch back in Japan."
It wasn't the peak of Japan's economic boom anymore — the country had quietly relearned, once again, just where America stood above it.