It's June, and the rainy season is here again.
It's a tough time to plan training menus. On sunny days, I have Urara and the others run on the course. On cloudy days, they also run on the course. On rainy days, I have them swim in the pool, run on the treadmill at the gym, or do strength training... Sometimes, I even have them run in the rain on purpose.
Even so, it's gotten much easier since I started the team. When it was just me and Urara, we had fewer training options. We would do strength training under a roof or, again, run in the rain.
I really want to avoid having them run in the rain, as they might catch a cold. However, considering the possibility of rain on race day, it's a dilemma because I can't avoid having them run in the rain to get them used to it. Moreover, I don't know how hard it will rain on race day, so I had them run on the practice course many times on rainy days, being careful not to let them catch a cold, whether it was a light drizzle or a downpour.
During this season, the washer-dryer in the club room is a lifesaver for drying bath towels, Urara's gym clothes, and underwear. By the way, I got a second one to separate the washing and drying functions. I ordered an integrated unit with both functions from a local electronics store, and they delivered and set it up right away. This way, if one breaks down, we can get by with the other.
"I had a terrible time at the last race, so I hope it's sunny for the Takarazuka Kinen... No, I don't hate the rain, but..."
King murmured this to herself while looking out the window during a break from training at the gym today.
At the Spring Tenno Sho, the right side of her face was hit directly with mud, and she had to wear an eye patch over her right eye for a while... Incidentally, it seems Special Week and Seiun Sky doted on King in the classroom, thinking they were the ones who had done it.
King didn't mind because it happened during a race, but Special Week and Seiun Sky seemed to feel bad seeing King inconvenienced by the eye patch.
However, according to King, while Seiun Sky is one thing, Special Week has recently been muttering "Suzuka-san, Suzuka-san" whenever anything happens. Apparently, Silence Suzuka is considering going overseas, and Special Week, who is her roommate and very close to her, seems to be both supportive and sad.
"If Urara were to fly overseas, it might be the same for me," King commented. If it were just for one overseas race, I would probably go with her, but in Silence Suzuka's case, it seems she intends to be active overseas for a long time. If Urara were to go overseas for a long period, I probably couldn't go with her.
If I could, I would want to, but I have my job at Tracen Academy. In fact, it seems my senior from Team Spica is also staying behind.
Meanwhile, Urara is running on a treadmill in preparation for the Teio Sho. The scenery doesn't change on a treadmill, so the old Urara would get bored quickly, but the current Urara is running with a serious expression.
She's checking the treadmill's speed and distance, diligently working to increase her stamina.
As a side note, the treadmill is extremely durable since it's for uma musume. When Urara runs, the belt under her feet spins at an incredible speed, so I feel like I'd be flung off if I got on it.
And so, Urara and the others are training according to their respective physical abilities, running on treadmills and doing strength training. When I see a small girl like Rice easily lifting a barbell on the bench press, I'm reminded of how amazing uma musume are.
I also work out a fair bit, but I can't beat Urara and the others in physical ability, even though I'm clearly at a disadvantage in build. Their strength, explosive power, stamina, and everything else is superior. And they also have superior hearing and sense of smell, so all I can do is be amazed.
But that's because I have memories of my previous life. People born in this world don't question the physical abilities of uma musume at all. They even calmly accept that a baby born to two ordinary humans could be an uma musume.
Conversely, it seems that normal children can also be born from uma musume, so what's going on there is quite a mystery.
While I was thinking about the mysterious ecology of uma musume, King, who was on a break, headed to the treadmill. She's always serious and never takes it easy, even without me giving her instructions.
The Takarazuka Kinen is approaching, but also, her friend El Condor Pasa recently competed in an overseas race and finished in a high position, which has motivated King.
The race El Condor Pasa ran was the Prix d'Ispahan at the Longchamp Racecourse in France, and it was a G1 race. The Longchamp Racecourse is also where the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a famous race that even I had heard of in my previous life, is held.
El Condor Pasa finished second in her first overseas G1 race. Although anything but first place is a loss, this is very significant. When I watched the race video, she seemed to be doing well enough to win the next race.
Showing that race video to King motivated her. She's always been stoic, and she's not one to not get fired up when she sees her friend and rival doing their best.
Urara is also just as motivated, if not more, than King. She's always serious about training and is enthusiastically working hard for the Teio Sho.
And when those two seem like they're overdoing it, Rice subtly stops them. As an elder and the team leader of Team Kitalpha, she takes good care of them. Because of her, Urara and King stop their training and show a relaxed side of themselves, smiling or giving a wry smile.
(Yeah... they're in good shape.)
During the rainy season, other teams and trainers also have similar training plans. In that case, the difference will come down to the individuals' motivation and their surrounding environment.
I thought this as I checked on Urara and King's readiness.
And then, in the latter half of June... or rather, three days before the Takarazuka Kinen.
After school, I was opening an envelope in the club room. Inside was the list of runners for the Takarazuka Kinen, and my heart always races when I check it.
(Okay, what's King's gate number...?)
For certain G1 races, the list of uma musume running and their gate numbers are announced all at once three days before the race. The announcement time varies by race, sometimes on the day before the race, at 2 PM, or at 4 PM, but for the Takarazuka Kinen, it's announced at 2 PM on Thursday.
For races like the Takarazuka Kinen or the Arima Kinen, which are decided by fan vote, you have a general idea of which uma musume will run, but you don't know for sure until the list is revealed. Although what I'm opening is an envelope, not a lid.
"Hmm... hmm?"
I couldn't help but let out a sound like that after opening the envelope and checking its contents.
The Takarazuka Kinen is a G1 race with a full gate of 18 runners. It's a festival of uma musume racing in the first half of the year, alongside the Arima Kinen in the second half of the year.
The prize money for first place is 150 million yen, which is half of the Arima Kinen's 300 million yen, but that doesn't mean its popularity is also half.
Rice ran last year, and the Takarazuka Kinen held at Hanshin Racecourse was a huge success. As is the case with G1 races, it's broadcast live on TV and streamed online.
It's a race so popular that if it's shown on a huge screen on the street, people walking by will stop in their tracks and not move at all. Even cars on the road might stop. Even the police cars that are supposed to be regulating traffic stop.
However, the number of runners for this year's Takarazuka Kinen is 12, even fewer than last year. Last year, when Rice ran, there were 14, and since it doesn't always have a full gate, I guess I shouldn't worry about it...
(King is... 7th gate, number 10...)
It's meaningless to compare, but it's probably better than Rice's 8th gate, number 14, which was the outermost gate last year. Still, it's an outer gate.
Besides King's gate number, another thing that bothered me was how many of my predictions about the list of runners were wrong.
(Meek is in it... and so is Grass Wonder, just as I expected. But Seiun Sky isn't here, and neither is Winning Ticket... Has she still not recovered? I thought Narita Brian might run, but I guess she's sitting it out...)
I thought Meek's chances of running were 50/50, but it seems she's in. And Grass Wonder, who I heard had recovered, is also running.
On the other hand, I heard Winning Ticket wasn't in good form, so that makes sense, but Seiun Sky is also not running. I haven't heard that she's injured, so is she, like Winning Ticket, not in good shape?
And Narita Brian, who I thought might run, isn't. Did she sit it out because Grass Wonder from the same team is running, or did she decide it would be too tough and set her sights on winning the last of the Classic Triple Crown, the Kikuka Sho?
(Even if she sits out the Takarazuka Kinen, she'll probably run in the Arima Kinen...)
By the time of the Arima Kinen, uma musume in the Classic class are pretty much the same as those in the Senior class. Narita Brian is already strong enough to crush average Senior class uma musume, so how much stronger will she be by then?
Well, for now, the focus is on the upcoming Takarazuka Kinen, not the Arima Kinen at the end of the year. I informed King and the others about the list of runners for the Takarazuka Kinen, and they immediately started training to make the most of the remaining short training period.
And then, on the day of the Takarazuka Kinen.
Since it's being held at Hanshin Racecourse in Hyogo Prefecture, we stayed overnight from Saturday. We checked on King's condition in the morning, had an early lunch, and headed to the racecourse.
The weather today is honestly a bit iffy. It's not raining, but thick clouds are floating in the sky, and it feels like it could start raining at any moment. For now, it's just barely not raining, so I hope it holds up.
Lately, it's been raining and stopping repeatedly, so the track condition probably isn't "good." But it probably won't be "bad" either, and hopefully it's just "slightly heavy"... I hope.
King's condition is excellent. I've been gradually changing her training to lighter exercises over the past few days to help her recover from fatigue, and yesterday, she only trained in the morning and then rested leisurely after arriving at the venue.
The condition check we did this morning was also a light one, just to loosen up her body. Urara and Rice helped her with stretches, and the three of them ran around Takarazuka City together.
After getting everything ready, we got a taxi and headed to Hanshin Racecourse, but...
"Wow... there are a lot of people again today..."
Hanshin Racecourse has a capacity of just under 100,000, but the crowd overflowing in the surrounding area clearly exceeded that capacity.
This probably means around 5 to 6 times the maximum capacity of 100,000 people have gathered. It feels like people are still getting off at the nearby stations, but nobody's moving at all... Oh, that's right. I heard that it was easy to get a reservation at the hotel Tracen Academy is affiliated with for our overnight stay, but all the other places were fully booked.
In fact, it seems the hotel affiliated with Tracen Academy only secured the minimum number of rooms necessary for trainers and uma musume, and the rest were for general reservations. In the worst-case scenario, if there was a mistake and not enough rooms were available, I might have to sleep in the same room as Urara and the others... Well, in that case, I'd just sleep in the hotel lobby or wander around outside for the night.
So, we arrived at Hanshin Racecourse and made our way through the crowd. When I said, "Excuse me, sorry, team Kitalpha coming through," people happily made way for us.
Some people jumped out of our way so fast it made a "thud" sound... I wonder what that was about? Afterward, one of them extended his right hand, so I shook his hand and we parted ways with a smile.
"Whew... we finally made it inside..."
I always try to arrive at the racecourse with plenty of time to spare, but today was especially difficult. So, we're not exactly in a rush, but we don't have a whole lot of extra time either.
So, I sent King to the waiting room and headed toward the paddock. The path was also crowded, so Urara and Rice held hands so they wouldn't get separated.
I walked in front, making a path, and I guess Urara and Rice were too famous for the die-hard uma musume fans who come to the racecourse. When they saw the two of them walking hand-in-hand, they got a smile that's hard to describe and quietly made a path for them.
Some people asked to take pictures, but since we were short on time today, I politely declined and kept moving. We finally reached the paddock, but it would take even more time to get to the front row.
"Excuse me, coming through, King Halo's trainer here," I said as I somehow made my way to the front row, just in time for the uma musume to appear in the paddock.
"Gate 1, Number 1, Twin Turbo!"
I didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief that we had made it just in time before Twin Turbo appeared. Twin Turbo had her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out, and was laughing with her mouth wide open.
"I'm gonna beat Teio and Rice today! ...No, that's wrong. Um... I'm gonna beat King Halo and Special Week!"
Why King and Special Week? I thought, but King is like Rice's top disciple, and Special Week is an uma musume from Team Spica, which includes Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen. If she wants to beat them after Rice and Tokai Teio, it's not wrong... No, shouldn't she be trying to beat the actual people? Twin Turbo is very popular, so I feel like she could run in the Dream Series if she wanted to.
By the way, Twin Turbo seemed to be in her usual condition. In other words, everything will be decided by whether her engine holds up or not. Even I, who has seen Twin Turbo's races live many times, have no idea.
"Gate 2, Number 2, Nice Nature!"
Following Twin Turbo, Nice Nature appeared with a wry smile. The wry smile wasn't because she was in bad shape... but because she had probably heard Twin Turbo's voice.
She finished in 3rd place in both the Osaka Hai and the Spring Tenno Sho this year, and she seems to have been thoroughly prepared this time as well. Twin Turbo's engine is like a gamble, but Nice Nature consistently demonstrates high ability, so she's the bigger threat.
"Gate 3, Number 3, Oishii Parfait!"
And this girl is also here, following the Osaka Hai and Spring Tenno Sho. Her performance in the last two races must have captivated the audience, as she was also ranked quite high in the fan vote.
As for her condition... I wonder? Lately, she seems like a "chaser" version of Twin Turbo, so I feel like her condition doesn't really matter.
From the looks of it, she seems to be in good shape, but...
"Gate 4, Number 4, Happy Meek!"
Next to appear was Meek. Her condition seems to be... so-so. Her body looks to be in good shape.
Meek has won G1 races in short-distance and mile races, and if she wins this race, she will have three G1 wins and be one step closer to winning a G1 in every distance.
...Huh? Come to think of it, is Kiryuin-san aiming for the same goal as King? Or is it a coincidence?
"Gate 5, Number 5, Grass Wonder!"
Next to appear was the returning Grass Wonder. It's the first time I've seen her in her race uniform in a while, but...
(Whoa... well now...)
Did she really have a long-term recovery period? Her body looks to be in such good shape that I can't help but wonder. Also, I feel a very sharp atmosphere from her. She has the air of a drawn sword, as if to say, "come near and I'll cut you down."
And yet, she's smiling calmly on the surface, and I can also see her excitement and anticipation for her first race in a long time.
"Gate 6, Number 8, Biwa Hayahide!"
In this race... no, in the races of the Spring Senior Triple Crown, this is the one to be most cautious of. She seemed to be in good shape in the Osaka Hai and the Spring Tenno Sho as well, but today, Biwa Hayahide is exceptional.
Looking at the muscles in her legs, I can see that she's in very good shape. Her expression is also lively, so she must be in peak condition.
(She's going to be a tough opponent today... No, today as well.)
I couldn't help but think that after checking on Biwa Hayahide.
"Gate 7, Number 9, Special Week!"
Next to appear was Special Week. Although she hasn't won a G1 title since last year's Japan Derby, her finishing kick is incredibly powerful. She's not an opponent to be taken lightly... but...
(Hmm... she seems to lack spirit, or she's distracted by something else...)
Her body is in good shape. But she seems preoccupied, or not focused.
"Gate 7, Number 10, King Halo!"
The one who appeared after Special Week was King. She's wearing her race uniform properly, as always, and she's showing off her dignified posture to the audience.
"Lately, King Halo's gotten so much more dignified..."
"I know. Even if you didn't know her record, you could tell she's strong, right?"
I heard the audience's conversation and nodded my head with my arms crossed. That's right, she's King, so she's strong. She's King, after all.
"Gate 8, Number 11, Matikanetanhoi!"
As I was nodding in agreement, Matikanetanhoi appeared next.
She also has the ability to continue running in G1 races, so she's not an opponent to be taken lightly. In G1 races, no one is an opponent to be taken lightly.
Her condition... doesn't seem bad. Her body is in good shape, but... Also, did Team Canopus really enter three runners in a G1 again?
The senior from Canopus hasn't scouted any new students this year either. Maybe she didn't find anyone she liked, or...
"Trainer."
While I was lost in my thoughts, King approached me from behind the paddock fence. I looked at her directly.
"King... Biwa Hayahide and Grass Wonder are scary today."
"I know. I can feel it too."
King said this and looked at Biwa Hayahide and Grass Wonder.
Biwa Hayahide seems to be talking to another uma musume over the paddock fence... Oh, isn't that Narita Brian? Narita Brian is lightly patting Biwa Hayahide's back, and Biwa Hayahide is smiling wryly.
And Grass Wonder... oh, crap. We made eye contact. No, I thought "crap" for a second, but there's nothing wrong... she's got a ve-ry nice smile on her face.
"Hehe, Grass-san... Yes. I was looking forward to this too."
Seeing Grass Wonder's smile, King smiled back fearlessly.
It's King's first Takarazuka Kinen.
And now, the curtain rises on my second Takarazuka Kinen.
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