It was the morning after Urara's third-place finish in the Champions Cup.
As usual, I was up early, reading the sports newspaper I'd bought from a convenience store while sipping my coffee.
(They put it on the front page, but they didn't dedicate multiple pages to it like they did with the Japan Cup…)
I couldn't help but think about the difference. It was a G1 race, so it had significant coverage, but it was just a single front-page article. The fact that Smart Falcon had won her third G1 on dirt was news, but it felt like it wasn't given the attention it deserved.
Was this also because of the difference in popularity between turf and dirt races? On the other hand, the headline for Urara's article was a sensationalist "Haru Urara Defeated, Finishes 3rd!"
While the article on Urara was naturally smaller than the one about Smart Falcon, I felt they should have just focused all the coverage on the winner, Smart Falcon.
The paper included an interview with a fan at the Chukyo Racecourse who said, "Thanks to Haru Urara, I was able to get out of my room! Even though she lost, it was the best feeling ever to see her run in person!" It sounded a bit like a sketchy ad. But if she really did inspire someone to overcome their reclusive habits, I'd be happy.
(Tazuna-san said Urara is popular in the dirt racing world, but Smart Falcon has a better track record… Hmm…)
Regarding Urara's merchandise, Tazuna-san told me with a beaming smile that pre-orders for her newly announced merchandise were already pouring in. The items were scheduled to be released by the end of the year, but they had already decided on a production increase.
(Smart Falcon, huh…)
Watching yesterday's race, I was reminded that her speed, stamina, and tenacity were exceptional, but even more so was her incredible willpower. Urara had gotten stronger, but so had Smart Falcon, naturally. I'd been training Urara to close the gap and surpass her, but how big was the difference now? We hadn't fallen further behind, but I couldn't say for sure that the gap had shrunk dramatically.
The other Classic-era girls were also improving. From now on, I couldn't just focus on a few strong contenders; I had to see everyone as a potential rival. I smiled wryly at the thought.
(There are no guarantees in racing, and Urara isn't the only one getting stronger. That's just how it is… The real question is how to make Urara even stronger.)
Urara had been able to run the full 1800 meters of the Champions Cup, even with the aggressive pace she adopted from the start and the long spurt at the end. Her stamina had definitely improved. She was exhausted right after the race, but this performance showed she could likely handle a 2000-meter race. However, more stamina is always better… but it would be difficult to improve it any further.
I pictured Urara's growth curve over the past few months in my mind. She used to grow beyond my expectations, but now her growth was within the predicted range—or, in terms of stamina, it was even falling short of my projections.
Her original distance aptitude was only for dirt sprints… or rather, she had so little stamina it wasn't even fair to call it an aptitude. But she had definitely gained stamina through her training. Still, expecting a dramatic improvement from now on seemed difficult.
The quality and quantity of her training had increased significantly compared to the old days. That had helped her build stamina, but she was fundamentally unsuited for middle distances and beyond. She had overcome this with training and sheer willpower, but how could we beat Smart Falcon, who could run middle distances without issue?
(Smart Falcon will likely improve even more…)
I needed to help Urara reduce wasted motion in her form, improve her race sense to conserve stamina, and hone her ability to read the race so she could save her strength without any issues. These things are easy to say but hard to do. Instead of simply increasing her stamina, I would have to focus on minimizing consumption... or so I thought. But we were already working on those things, and I wasn't sure what more we could do.
"...Hm?"
As I was thinking, a hesitant knock came at the door of the club room. I wondered who it was and opened the door to find Urara standing there in her school uniform.
"Urara? You're here awfully early… It's rare for you to be here this early in the morning."
I checked the clock; it was only 8:00 AM, nearly an hour before class started. It was also almost an hour before my official work hours, though I was just drinking coffee and reading the paper. I couldn't sleep last night because of the loss, and I thought it would be more productive to read the newspaper in the club room than to sit at home.
"Hehe… I was hoping you'd be here, Trainer."
Urara said this, but her horse ears were flattened against her head, and her tail hung listlessly. I let her in and reached for a mug for her.
"Did you eat breakfast?"
"Yeah… I ate a little early, but I did."
"Okay… good. I'll make you some hot cocoa. Sit and wait."
I made the cocoa and handed it to Urara. It was December, so the mornings and evenings were cold. I hadn't turned on the heat since I was the only one in the room, so it was a bit chilly. The sweet scent of the cocoa filled the air with steam.
"Thanks, Trainer."
Urara took the mug and blew on it to cool it down before taking a sip. Her face remained tense, so I sat on the sofa opposite her and quickly finished my coffee.
"Alright… so, what's on your mind, Urara?"
Even as I asked, the reason for her visit was obvious. I could tell what she was feeling just by looking at her expression, her horse ears, and the way her tail moved.
—Rice and King were with her yesterday, weren't they?
Even though she finished third in the Champions Cup, Urara had smiled and danced during the victory live, and she was cheerful on the way home. Still, I knew what she was feeling. She had praised Smart Falcon and Slayne with a smile, saying how amazing they were, but I had known her for long enough to know that she was feeling more than that.
Perhaps she couldn't say what she really felt while Rice and King were with her. King was also in her dorm. It would have been better if we could have talked last night, but after the race and the victory live, we had to hurry back, and they barely made it before the dorm's curfew.
Urara's eyes darted around at my question. But it was just the two of us here. She seemed to realize this and eventually spoke in a whisper.
"...I lost."
With that, Urara hugged her knees while sitting on the sofa. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and her voice trembled.
"I… I lost to Falco-chan again…"
This was her third loss to Smart Falcon, following the Sho-Ryu Stakes and the Japan Dirt Derby. She had only beaten her once, at the Unicorn Stakes, her first major race.
However, during that race, when Urara and Smart Falcon crossed the finish line side by side and waited for the official results, I saw something in Smart Falcon's expression that made me reconsider a thought I had dismissed.
Urara was exhausted from the close race, while Smart Falcon still had energy left. At the time, I thought it was her pride as an idol, not wanting to show a messy, exhausted side to her audience. But another thought occurred to me.
—Did she deliberately let Urara win to build momentum for dirt racing?
I hadn't confirmed this with Smart Falcon herself. It was just a suspicion based on her expression and gestures after the finish line. That's why I hadn't said anything to Urara. Maybe my suspicions were unfounded, and Smart Falcon had given it her all. That had to be it.
I had believed that this time, Urara could beat Smart Falcon in the Champions Cup. I had trained her hard enough to think that. Yet, it wasn't enough. When I saw Smart Falcon in the paddock, I realized how truly strong she was.
And Urara must have felt the same. She buried her face in her knees, as if to hide her crying face, and whispered.
"Before the race, when I saw Falco-chan in the paddock… I thought she looked really strong, and I thought… I might not be able to win…"
"…"
I remained silent. I felt that Urara just needed to vent her feelings and didn't want any words of comfort right now.
"Falco-chan was so fast… I thought I had to move up or I would lose, but… it wasn't enough…"
Her decision to move up early wasn't a mistake. I could say that with certainty. If she had tried to save her energy and catch up at the end as she usually did, she wouldn't have been able to get within two lengths of Smart Falcon. Urara's judgment wasn't wrong. But it wasn't enough to beat Smart Falcon.
Urara had learned about frustration when she lost to Oguri Cap at the Hyacinth Stakes and to Smart Falcon at the Sho-Ryu Stakes. She then set a goal to get her own racing uniform, win a G1, and stand in the center during the victory live.
To be in the center meant to win first place. I also wanted to train Urara so she wouldn't lose to anyone.
I got up from the sofa and sat down next to Urara. The sofa sank, and I put my arm around her shoulder to keep her from tumbling over. This time, unlike before, I gently placed my hand on her head and stroked it.
"Hey, Urara."
"...Mm."
"Remember what I said after the Sho-Ryu Stakes? I said that a strong desire not to lose can decide the victory in the end. Do you remember?"
Urara gave a small nod, her face still buried in her knees.
"Yesterday, you said you wanted to beat Smart Falcon in the paddock, right? I'm happy you've come to feel that way. But how strong was that feeling?"
I recalled Urara's words from yesterday.
—I'll have fun running and not get hurt! And I want to beat Falco-chan!
That's what Urara said before the race. It was a very "Urara-like" thing to say. Just the fact that she said she wanted to beat Smart Falcon showed how much she had grown.
However, a time has come where that is no longer enough.
"Half and half… maybe?"
Urara answered hesitantly. She wanted to have fun and not get hurt. And she wanted to beat Smart Falcon with the same intensity. Just as she said, it was about a 50/50 split.
On the other hand, Smart Falcon was clear yesterday. Her aura said, "I want to beat Urara, I want to beat everyone, I want to win this race." She had not only trained her body to perfection but also her mind.
In that regard, there was a difference between Urara and Smart Falcon. It wasn't just about skill; it was about the feelings and intensity they put into the race. And this was still Urara's weakness, even though it had improved a lot.
For example, Rice would decide who she wanted to beat in the paddock before a race. This was also part of her tactical approach, but she would fixate on the strongest girl—the one who would surely win if Rice wasn't there—and only focus on beating her.
For King, a simple "Go win!" was enough, as it was during the Mile Championship. Her personality made her a sore loser, and her defiance towards her mother made her obsessed with winning. Of course, I would also tell them to have fun and not get hurt, just like Urara. But for them, "having fun" meant running with a sense of ease, without unnecessary tension. If they could enjoy themselves, they wouldn't exert themselves and would be less likely to get injured.
Compared to those two, it was hard to get Urara to feel that competitive drive to beat a rival. There was a world of difference between her now and when I first met her… but compared to Rice and King, her desire to win was still underdeveloped.
Keeping her from getting hurt was my policy, and "having fun" was Urara's original feeling towards racing. "I want to win first place" and "I want to stand in the center of the victory live" were also her original feelings, but they had always been weak. And "I want to beat someone" was a feeling I had newly instilled in her.
So far, these feelings had been in balance, but from now on, we had to take another step forward. If not, Urara would only stagnate.
"Smart Falcon probably ran on the feeling of 'I want to beat Urara' and 'I don't want to lose to Urara.' Though in her case, those feelings might be a little different from other girls."
"...Did I lose because of my feelings?"
Urara looked up and asked me. Her eyes were red, and I took a handkerchief from my pocket.
"I'd say… you might have also lost to Slayne because of your feelings."
I said this while wiping Urara's tears. I had to be careful not to rub her eyes too much, or they'd get even redder.
Well, it was also a trainer's job to instill the feeling of not wanting to lose. Of course, it had to come from the girl herself, but subtly stoking a sense of rivalry was also part of a trainer's skill. However, I didn't think such a fierce, burning emotion suited Urara. The overwhelming intensity that Smart Falcon radiated yesterday was one path, but it wasn't the right one for Urara. That's why I always told her to have fun and not get hurt, and then go win…
(Maybe I haven't done enough mental training… This is my fault.)
Urara had learned about frustration. She had learned what it was like to want to win a race. So, the next goal was clear. It wasn't just "I want to win," or "I want to be first," or "I want to stand in the center of the victory live."
—It was "I want to beat Smart Falcon."
I thought that maybe Urara needed that kind of obsession, too. But the problem was that these feelings weren't something you could just acquire overnight. They were either innate or developed over a long time by fixating on a rival.
For example, Rice and King were the latter type. Rice trained and fought to win against her rival, Mihono Bourbon. King struggled to win in order to get back at her mother.
They both trained hard and fought to win in their races. Urara, on the other hand, was neither of these types. It all depended on what happened from now on.
Of course, some things in the world can't be solved just with determination. However, I was confident that I had trained Urara to a level where she could compete with—and even beat—Smart Falcon.
The middle distance was still tough, but she had a chance in yesterday's Champions Cup.
"Urara… do you want to beat Smart Falcon?"
"Yes… I want to beat Falco-chan! I don't want to lose anymore!"
Urara pleaded. She didn't want to lose, she wanted to beat Smart Falcon, and she wanted to win next time. I believed that this desire would be the key to defeating Smart Falcon.
Next Steps
I believed in her, but the question was when the next race would be.
I'll tell them Urara is late due to a physical check-up.
Just as classes were about to start, I got a message on my phone from King. That girl probably came near the club room because Urara wasn't in her usual spot. I bet she used her excellent hearing to listen to our conversation.
With that in mind, I started talking to Urara about her future race schedule.
"There's no way we'll be ready for the Tokyo Daishoten at the end of the year, so I want to say we'll get our revenge at the February Stakes next year… but that might not be possible."
The winner of the Champions Cup gets priority entry into the Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia. I didn't know if Smart Falcon would race there, but if she did, our next G1 rematch wouldn't be until the Teio Sho in late June. The Teio Sho is a 2000-meter race for Senior-era girls only. The February Stakes is 1600 meters, so we'd have a better chance there.
Considering G1 races, our next opportunity would be the JBC Sprint, JBC Ladies' Classic, or JBC Classic in the fall, or the Champions Cup and Tokyo Daishoten in December.
If we included G2 and G3 races, there would be more opportunities, but I couldn't guarantee Smart Falcon would be there… no, if I challenged her to a race, she might accept. We could also race in open events, but Smart Falcon had already won three G1s, and Urara had won one. I'm sure other trainers would complain if we entered an open event. At the very least, I know I would if I were in their position.
"I could talk to Smart Falcon directly. The problem is whether she'd agree… but I think she will."
However, if we were to race in the February Stakes, time would be a bit tight. Even though Urara's growth had slowed, I still wanted her to gain as much stamina as possible.
And if I didn't help Urara grow even more, she might get swallowed up by the other girls in the Senior-era races. Not only was Urara's growth slowing, but I felt the other girls who specialized in dirt were improving much faster. I couldn't let it get to a point where we couldn't even get revenge on Smart Falcon.
This meant that what we needed to do hadn't changed at all.
"Without getting hurt, we will gain strength and beat Smart Falcon… That's all there is to it."
"Yes!"
It wasn't just "to win a race." For Urara, it was about beating her rival, Smart Falcon. With that, Urara and I renewed our determination.
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