Chapter 131. Slow Pace
Mejiro Dober and Kikousazan, like Sabuno Hana Park, were assigned to gate 3.
It was not an easy position for her to handle, but Mejiro Dober remained calm, because Shuta An had already explained how to deal with this start the previous afternoon.
In general, there are only two ways to handle an inner gate: either accelerate immediately and fight for the lead, or stay relaxed, drop back into the pack, and then decide whether to begin an early move or unleash a powerful final sprint from the far outside depending on the race situation.
But the method Shuta An proposed this time was neither of those.
"I hope Dober can directly and decisively move to a central position."
Yesterday, the undefeated Triple Tiara winner was startled when she heard her lover's blunt instruction.
"If you move in from the inside, going to a central position will definitely mean getting boxed in," she reminded him. "Isn't that bad?"
"The Hong Kong Cup is only 2000 meters. Being boxed in for a short while isn't a big problem," Shuta An judged. "Besides, there are only two opponents who can completely block Dober throughout this race: Vivlos and Sarrafan."
"And those two Uma Musume are both in gate 1 and gate 2. Don't forget, their preferred tactics are both to chasers and launch late. What does that mean?"
He paused on purpose.
"It means that as long as I don't fall all the way to the back, they won't be able to box me in at all."
Mejiro Dober immediately understood why Shuta An did not want her to drift too far back.
He did not want to give Vivlos and Sarrafan a chance to block her.
"If they choose to move forward and force their way in front of Dober, that's fine."
The young man shook a finger.
"It's not that I'm underestimating Vivlos and the others, but the turf at Sha Tin isn't slow. If the pace picks up, she and Sarrafan may not be able to handle it."
"But Dober, you're different."
He looked toward Sha Tin Racecourse in the distance.
"The turf here won't make you uncomfortable, and a fast pace suits you better."
—
After entering the starting gate, Mejiro Dober mainly observed Indian Creek, who was in gate 4 to her left. This Uma Musume, who had finished second to Vivlos in this year's Prince of Wales's Stakes, was also very capable.
"But she also a chaser," Mejiro Dober muttered to herself. "I keep feeling like this race won't be very fast."
When the bell rang, the gates opened in unison, and more than a dozen Uma Musume burst out together.
Mejiro Dober noticed that all the opponents on both sides had chosen to hold back, and she could not help but marvel at how accurate her lover's tactics were.
"If I also chose to use late-surge, the middle pack would get very crowded, and I could be sandwiched from both sides. Now, even though I'm not fighting for the lead, I can still block Vivlos and the others from a central position. If Vivlos wants to go wide, I can also make a late surge and keep the race limited to just a few of us, fully seizing the initiative."
Nine seconds after the start, Opportunity Unlimited, who was leading at the front, crossed the first marker.
When Mejiro Dober crossed it right behind her, she was in sixth place.
There were five Uma Musume ahead of her, but only Opportunity Unlimited, Danish Flag, and Naughty could truly hinder Mejiro Dober's surge. The other two were blocked by those three on the outside and could not affect her.
"Good start."
Shuta An murmured to himself.
He stood alone behind the railing and did not let Kitahara or Tojo Hana follow him. He had not accompanied them during the Sprint Stakes or the Mile Stakes, so there was no need for them to accompany him now.
Shuta An was not the only one in this restricted area.
Vivlos's Trainer, Sule, and Sarrafan's Trainer, Neil Drysdale, were also present.
Neither of them was a stranger to Shuta An, in more than one sense.
The former's trained Uma Musume, Garbo and Silence Suzuka, had competed in Hong Kong before. The latter's trained Uma Musume had not yet faced Sadalsuud Team's runners, but Shuta An, riding Hokuto Vega, had defeated his Hollywood Wildcat in the Dream World.
"I didn't expect Mejiro Dober not to use her usual late-surge tactic. It seems Shuta An arranged a central-position strategy," Sule muttered. "Vivlos should have a chance to unleash a final sprint and overtake from behind, provided the pace gets a little faster."
Neil Drysdale, however, was not very nervous.
In his mind, although Sarrafan was considered one of the top three favorites by local experts, she was not truly a championship contender. The reason he had her use a late-surger tactic in this race was simple: to unleash a final sprint on the straight and overtake as many runners as possible. If she could finish in the top five, that would already be a great success.
After all, although Sarrafan was also a Grade 1 champion, Neil Drysdale himself knew how much dilution existed in American turf Grade 1 races. Only a few Turf Classic Grade 1 races had real quality; as for the rest, he could only say that Shuta An was simply too good at picking races to rack up wins.
When they entered the first bend, Shuta An felt even more relieved and let out a long breath.
On the bend, the pack stretched out even further and formed only two layers. Mejiro Dober's concern about being boxed in before the race had simply not materialized.
Now, if Mejiro Dober wanted to, she could easily move to the outside of the pack.
But she did not act yet.
Mejiro Dober continued galloping close to the rail. She knew there was no need to move to the outside so early.
"Just bear with it a little longer," she told herself.
Halfway through the bend, the big screen displayed the first 400-meter time: 27.34 seconds.
"This pace is a bit slow," Shuta An muttered.
Neil Drysdale squinted, somewhat regretting having Sarrafan hold back. This slow pace was very unfavorable for Sarrafan.
Meanwhile, Sule frowned, wondering whether Vivlos would dare to accelerate early and move forward without his reminder.
The Trainers of the top three favorites each had their own thoughts, but all of them were staring intently at the big screen, hoping their trained Uma Musume would deliver their best performance.
Upon entering the straight opposite the grandstand, with 1400 meters remaining to the finish line, Shuta An glanced at the timer beside the big screen. It showed the first 600 meters had been run in 40.14 seconds.
"It still seems to be a rather slow pace."
Shuta An looked at the pack, whose positions had barely changed since the start, and remained completely calm.
Inside the restricted box, Kitahara and Tojo Hana stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the racecourse.
"Do you want Mejiro Dober to win?" Tojo Hana asked first. "Let me say this in advance, I definitely want Mejiro Dober to win."
"Of course, I want Mejiro Dober to win," Kitahara replied without hesitation. "Even though I didn't win myself, I still wouldn't wish for Ann-san to lose because of that."
"After all, without him, I wouldn't have had the idea of moving to Central," he continued. "So of course, I should be rooting for Ann-san."
Tojo Hana placed her hand against the glass and felt its faint coolness.
"As long as a Sadalsuud team Uma Musume makes her debut, she's basically destined to dominate her generation. Honestly, when I think about it, that's terrifying."
"Aren't Rigil Team's Uma Musume also very strong?" Kitahara raised an eyebrow. "Unlike my side, where there's only quantity."
"The pressure is huge," Tojo Hana replied vaguely. "Air Groove doesn't have the slightest confidence in racing against Mejiro Dober right now. If Mejiro Dober wins so convincingly in this race, her pressure will probably only increase."
"But they'll have to face each other eventually. Will Air Groove avoid the fight then?" Kitahara teased. "I don't think Air Groove would choose that."
"..."
Tojo Hana closed her eyes.
She also felt that Air Groove probably wouldn't do that, but whether she herself would choose the same path, she was honestly a little uncertain.
As they were about to enter the final straight, with 1000 meters remaining, the first 1000 meters had been covered in 64.02 seconds.
Taking into account the timing differences between Japan and Hong Kong, the pace of the race was still considered a little slow.
"Not choosing to hold back was absolutely the right decision."
Shuta An confirmed that once more.
At the same time, Mejiro Dober moved slightly outward in preparation for the bend, creating room to accelerate.
The runners behind her all noticed the move, but there was nothing they could do. Once they entered the bend, no one could directly unleash full power and charge forward to box her in.
Not to mention whether that would even be judged a foul afterward, but accelerating with 1000 meters still remaining meant no one could guarantee they'd be able to sustain top speed all the way to the finish.
Normally, most Uma Musume can sprint at full speed for about 400 meters. Mejiro Dober was no exception. Tokai Teio, however, could sustain a near-full-speed sprint for almost 500 meters.
That, too, was a kind of talent, and it was difficult to change much through training.
By the time Dober fully entered the final straight, she was already fully prepared to accelerate. Standing right on the boundary between the final bend and the straight, she was like an arrow released from a bow, surging forward in an instant.
Behind her, Vivlos and Sarrafan also began their sprints, but Miss Mejiro Dober had a positional advantage, and her burst of speed was no weaker than theirs—perhaps even stronger.
So although the three Uma Musume were all overtaking other runners, the gap between them did not widen.
Meanwhile, Opportunity Unlimited, who had led for the previous 1600 meters, was overtaken by Danish Flag. But she didn't have time to feel discouraged, because the wind stirred up by Miss Mejiro Dober swept across her face.
She saw with her own eyes how, in just a few dozen meters, the cool-looking Triple Crown winner caught up to and passed Danish Flag, then without the slightest hesitation moved to the very front of the pack.
Danish Flag had not even had time to enjoy the lead before being overtaken by Miss Mejiro Dober, and her expression immediately fell.
Mejiro Dober moved alone to the front, leaving all her rivals behind her.
At the side of the racecourse, Shuta An clenched his fists and stared at his lover's figure, now growing clearer and clearer.
"Keep this pace up, charge!"
He cheered for her silently in his heart.
Neil Drysdale noticed that Saraphine's surge was better than he had expected, but he still did not look relieved.
"Miss Mejiro Dober's acceleration is too fast. Even if Sarrafan runs faster, she still can't make up that gap," he muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Sule already had both hands clasped over his head.
Unlike Saraphine, Vivlos had accelerated briefly, but now he could not break free from the pack and was submerged within it. It was obvious that Kikousazan no longer had a chance to win.
"Damn it!!! The track in Singapore was fine, but it doesn't work at Sha Tin?"
Sule could not understand why this was happening. In his understanding, the difference between Singapore's Turf Classic track and Hong Kong's turf structure was very small. If Vivlos could win a Grade 1 in Singapore, there was no reason he should fail to perform at Sha Tin.
"Unless—"
His expression turned grim.
He thought of a possibility: Vivlos might be injured.
"If he's injured, I hope you stop immediately, even if it means giving up this race,"
Sule bit his lip, praying for the Uma Musume he had trained.
In the final 200 meters, Mejiro Dober had pulled three lengths ahead of the runner in second, Sarrafan.
And Sarrafan could not devote all her attention to chasing Mejiro Dober, because to her right rear, Danish Flag was lurking threateningly.
"MISS MEJIRO DOBER'S MOMENTUM IS INCREDIBLE! BEHIND HER, DANISH FLAG AND SARRAFAN ARE LOCKED IN A FIERCE BATTLE, BUT AS THEY APPROACH THE FINISH, MISS MEJIRO DOBER IS ABOUT TO WIN THIS HONG KONG CUP WITH EASE!" the live commentator shouted.
"AS EXPECTED, THE UMA MUSUME OF TEAM SADALSUUD MAINTAIN STABLE RESULTS WHEN RACING ABROAD OUTSIDE JAPAN."
Seeing that victory was certain, Shuta An smiled and turned around, preparing to exchange brief pleasantries with his colleagues in the VIP box area.
And the Green Channel commentator in Japanese TV, seeing Miss Mejiro Dober cross the finish line, roared,
"MISS MEJIRO DOBER IS SEVEN FOR SEVEN THIS YEAR! JUDGES FOR THE UMA MUSUME OF THE YEAR VOTE, DON'T JUST LOOK AT TOKAI TEIO FROM TEAM SADALSUUD! MISS MEJIRO DOBER OVERSEAS IS ABSOLUTELY NO WORSE THAN HER JUNIOR!"
After crossing the finish line, Mejiro Dober turned her head to look at her lover, who was exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
Sarrafan, who finished second in the race and was about to come over to greet her, muttered to herself, "I lost to someone who's head over heels in love."