"Hmm..." Night finally came. Takeda is alone in the team's office, currently reviewing the list of participants for Hopeful Stakes.
There are 16 runners in total, it's going to be a packed race. But with Astonishing's exceptional power, she wouldn't have a hard time overtaking her competitors, he only hope she can find the openings.
But there's one umamusume that caught his attention. None other than the End of the World itself.
.
World's End Opening race record (so far):
- OP Cosmos Sho: 1st
- OP Fuyo Stakes: 1st
- Pre-OP Shigiku Stakes: 1st
- Pre-OP Kigiko Sho: 1st
- Pre-OP Habotan Sho: 1st
.
For most people, her record is not really impressive, as she only participated and won Pre-Op and OP races. But five wins are still wins, a consecutive one that is. Not to mention that she won all five races with more than 8 lengths each.
But that's not all, her record included the Fuyo Stakes. It might just be an OP race, but it was a 2000m race in Nakayama. The same track and layout as the Hopeful Stakes.
In short, she already had an experience running in Nakayama 2000m, and she would use her familiarity with the track for her advantage.
Takeda tapped his pen against the desk. He pulled up a digital rendering of the Nakayama 2000m. The track was famous for its slope.
The question is, can Astonishing make her way to the front, and catches End's great escape on the slope? World's End Opening won over Astonishing in term of stamina, but in power, Astonishing wins. So, conquering the slope is her key to victory.
PING!
His thoughts were interrupted by a notification sound from his phone. He opened it up and saw the message is from his trainee.
.
Good night, Trainer.
Sorry if I contacted you
while you're busy.
A friend of mine is running
for the Hanshin Juvenile
Fillies. If it's okay,can I go
and watch it? You can
come too if you want.
.
Watching a race, huh? Until now, they did nothing but training. While training the body is important, training the mind is no less crucial. Perhaps watching this race could give her some insight for her own race.
.
Sure, I'll allow it. But you must
compensate for the skipped training
session.
No problem. Thank you, Trainer!
.
He pulled up the entry sheet for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Since they are coming, might as well look at the entry list.
"Where is she... ah, found it" he found the name Dorazora in the list. She must've been the person Astonishing mentioned.
.
Dorazora's race record (so far):
- OP Chukyo Junior Stakes: 1st
- G3 Sapporo Junior Stakes: 3rd
- G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup: 2nd
- G2 Daily Hai Junior Stakes: 2nd
.
"A G2 huh..." he murmured.
While World's End had been busy obliterating fields in lower-tier races, Dorazora had been testing her mettle against tougher competition. A 3rd place finish in the Sapporo Junior Stakes and two 2nd place in the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup and Daily Hai Junior Stakes meant she was no stranger to high-pressure competition of graded races.
Sure, they might be friends, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't fight each other in the future. For now, he listed her as 'potential threat'.
Watching the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies will gives him more information.
.
.
.
[Welcome to the Hanshin Racecourse! It's early December, and it's time for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies!]
The announcer's voice boomed over the stadium speakers, plus the roar of the massive G1 crowd. Takeda stood close to the guardrail to get the closest view possible. Besides him was Astonishing in her casual outfit with her arms wrapped around a mountain of foods.
A/N: Casual outfit description in chapter 7.
Takeda sighed. He might be good with numbers, but it seems he underestimated the cost of taking care an umamusume.
Fortunately, a trainer's salary in the central is pretty high. He can't imagine is she enrolled in a local school instead where the salary is much lower.
Takeda shook his head, returning his gaze to the turf.
[And here come our eighteen runners for today!]
One by one, they exited the tunnel into the track. There are too many names for Astonishing to remember them all. She only waited for Dora's turn.
[The runner up in Saudi Arabia Royal Cup, and Daily Hai Junior Stakes! Please give applause to No. 12, Dorazora!]
"There she is!" Astonishing cheered, her voice muffled by a mouthful of yakisoba.
Dorazora's racewear is consisted of cyan sleeveless jacket with purple patterns scattered along the jacket, and beneath that is a black underlayer, both revealed her belly slightly. Compensating for the sleeveless jacket, she wears a white fluffy fingerless arm sleeve (arm warmer?) with both ends in cyan. Her short white pants hover just above her knees.
Her shoes are colored in cyan and black, leaving the sole in white, combined with a socks that's high enough to cover her ankle.
A/N: I HAD ENOUGH OF DESIGNING CLOTHES
When she spotted them, she waved both of her hands up high, which many who held a camera quickly took a picture.
Talking about fanservice...
After a short introduction of every runners. They all proceeded to enter their respective gate. There are 12 runners in total, and Dora is in the outer gate. While the disadvantage is not as great as a front runner would experience, for Dora who utilize pace chasing strategy, it's still a problem. She'd have to fight for a clean line early or risk being pushed too wide on the outside before the corner.
"She's in a tough spot," Takeda muttered.
[All umamusumes has entered the gate]
The racecourse went silent for a moment.
...
...
...
CLANG!
[And they're off!]
"Ah!" Both Takeda and Astonishing were felt if time just stopped for a second.
Dorazora had a late start, in the most outer gate, in a mile race. She was really really unlucky.
"Aggghh!" she let out a frustrated scream.
Unable to go to the front in time, she's forced to run further back.
"'Why this must happen here in my first G1 race?!' she creamed internally.
"She missed the jump," Takeda hissed, "n a 1600m G1, that's a nightmare."
Beside him, Astonishing went silent. She stopped eating entirely, her eyes now focused only on the race.
In the middle of the pack, the wall was forming. eleven Umamusumes were jostling for the inner rail. Because Dorazora was far back and on the outside, she was forced to run longer distance.
"She's losing meters on every turn," he noted.
As they rounded the fourth corner and spilled into the long Hanshin straight, the crowd's roar reached a deafening crescendo.
[And here come the straight! Only 450 meters into the finish line, who's going to bring home this G1 title?!]
"There!" Astonishing pointed.
Charging from the back is Dorazora, her face was set in pure desperation. She swung to the absolute outside, taking advantage of the still good surface.
[No. 11, and No. 3 is fighting for the lead! No. 5 is also about to make her move, can she pull it off?]
[Wait-! On the outside is No.12! She's climbing up fast! She's already in 4th!]
[300 meters to go! Dorazora has moved into 3rd! She's chasing down the leaders! Can she maintain this freakish pace?!]
She could, she has enough stamina to maintain her pace, and power to overtake others. But, she simply doesn't have the speed to catch up. Not to mention the slope she had to fight.
"Dora!" Astonishing yelled, her one hand gripping the guardrail so hard the metal creaked.
Dorazora's teeth were bared. She could see the leader's back, just two lengths away. She could feel her stamina holding up, but her legs simply couldn't find another gear. It's like a car hitting the speed limiter.
She ran out of time. She gave it her last effort to overtake the second place.
[A photo finish for second! But the winner is undisputed! A masterful run by No. 11!]
Takeda clicked his stopwatch, he has it ticking since the start.
He take a look at it.
"Numerically, she was the fastest girl on the track," Takeda murmured, tapping his pen against his chin. "But that late start cost her too much time."
Beside him, Astonishing finally let go of the guardrail. The metal was visibly dented where her fingers had gripped it. "She lost..." Astonishing whispered
As the crowd began to filter out toward the exits, Astonishing turned towards her trainer.
"Trainer, I'm glad I came. Seeing Dora fight like that... it made me realize that 'good' isn't enough for a G1. You can be the fastest, but sometimes luck isn't on your side"
Takeda allowed a small, satisfied smile. "Spoken like a true champion. Now, why don't you go find your friend. She'll need a lot of comfort"
"I'll buy her a crepe," Astonishing said.
Takeda watched Astonishing leave, and then he pulled his notebook.
"Hmm..." he begun summarize the data he collected.
"If she hadn't missed the jump, she would have won by two lengths." he whispered. "If the race was 200 meters longer, there might be a chance"
.
.
.
A few minutes has passed and he decided to look for his trainee. So, he went to the prep hall.
The problem is, which of these door is the correct one?
He's not to enter the room, of course. He just want to pick Astonishing up, Dora's matter is her trainer responsibility.
A few moments later, one of the door creaked open, Astonishing stepped out with an unfinished crepe in her hand, and spotted him.
"How is she?" Takeda asked, pushing off the wall.
"Still a bit down," Astonishing sighed, "but the sugar helped. Her trainer is with her now"
"I see" Takeda replied. He motioned toward the exit. "Let's get moving. We have a training to catch up"
She nodded and catches up beside him.
The Hopeful Stakes is in a matter of days...
.
.
.
-Late December, Junior Year-
The muffled roar of the Nakayama crowd seeped through the walls as Astonishing fastened the last button on her racewear.
She turned away from the mirror, and strike a pose. "What do you think, Trainer?"
Takeda looked up from his notes, his eyes sweeping over the ensemble. "It really suits you"
"You think so?" She scratched her chin. "Well, I know I'm a good artist"
The muffled roar swelled again, rattling faintly through the prep room walls.
She took a deep breath "Let's not keep them waiting."
He nodded "Go out there and win"
She let out a little laugh. "That's why I'm here"
.
.
.
She feels like the tunnel were longer than usual. Was it really because of the design, or it's just her?
The sound of her shoes is the only thing echoing through the tunnel.
Right, her shoes.
Unlike the lower grade races, in a G1, the rules about equipment are less strict. Other than custom racewear, they are also allowed to wear custom shoes as long as it doesn't give them any advantage over other racers.
Which mean... She could finally wear the shoes her father gave to her.
She suddenly stopped just before the tunnel exit. The sun outside is already blinding her even from here.
She took a deep breath.
And exited the tunnel.