Chapter 119. Arima Kinen in the Dream World (Part 2)
Because he was assigned gate number 13, Tokai Teio's entry time into the starting gate was neither too early nor too late. Shuta An rode on his back, and with the assistance of the staff, guided Tokai Teio into the gate.
Tokai Teio was very cooperative. Although she had a lucid dream for the first time in a while after going to bed, the young man on her back had the same name and appearance as her Trainer, so there was nothing that would cause an adverse reaction.
"I told Trainer last night that I would definitely win the Arima Kinen for him next year, and then I enter a dream and immediately challenge the Arima Kinen. What a coincidence," she couldn't help but think.
Tokai Teio could feel the explosive power contained within this body, which shared her name. However, she also knew that she couldn't squander this ability at will.
"Anyway, let's see how the Trainer in this dream will instruct me," Tokai Teio muttered to herself, steadying herself inside the gate and surveying her opponents on both sides.
—
To her left was Hishi Masaru, and to her right was Movie Star.
Shuta An waited until Yutaka Take had adjusted his posture, then said, "The pace of the race today probably won't be slow. Take-san, pay attention as well, and don't have any problems on the final straight."
"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about the horse in gate 5." Yutaka Take gestured towards the inside lane.
"San-ei Thank You, a poor thing, raced frequently since July. Tahara Seiki thought she needed rest, but it angered her Horse Owner, and he was replaced."
(She is indeed Mare with the same name)
"I hope she'll be alright," Shuta An also glanced over.
"What if something happens?" Yutaka Take picked up the conversation, following the young man's words.
Shuta An pursed his lips: "I'd probably make some sarcastic remarks about the Horse Owner in front of reporters. I can't say more than that."
"It's already impressive that you can criticize their inhumane actions," Yutaka Take sighed. "I wouldn't dare to mention anything."
"Click!"
After all the horses were in the starting gate, it quickly opened smoothly. Tokai Teio immediately burst out of the starting gate without Shuta An's instruction.
Shuta An turned his head and glanced towards the inside lane—Mejiro Palmer from gate 3 and Daitaku Helios from gate 8 both swiftly rushed to the front of the pack, taking the lead.
"Daitaku Helios will definitely lose speed in the final stage. As for Mejiro Palmer, I saw his ability at this year's Takarazuka Kinen, and he might lead all the way,"
Shuta An thought to himself. "In that case, Tokai Teio might be pulled into a fast pace by Mejiro Palmer, and Daitaku Helios will probably follow along as before."
After all, when Daitaku Helios and Mejiro Palmer appear in the same Racecourse, the pace of the Classic Race often becomes very fast.
"It's a pity Teio hates fast-paced races the most," Shuta An's mood wasn't relaxed, even though he had anticipated Mejiro Palmer's plan.
"In any case, Tokai Teio still needs to move forward. Mejiro Palmer's strength isn't enough to employ a full-speed leading tactic like Suzuka, so the pace will definitely slow down later," Shuta An decided.
In the opening stage, because of the fast start into a downhill turn, Mejiro Palmer and Daitaku Helios set a very fast pace, covering the first 300 meters in less than 20 seconds.
"This pace is within my expectations," Shuta An positioned Tokai Teio behind Legacy World, his expression serious.
"Let's see what pace Mejiro Palmer sets after turning into the straight before the grandstand."
For the young man, he wanted to see Mejiro Palmer enter a deceleration and recovery mode after 1000 meters, so Tokai Teio could also catch her breath.
Meanwhile, Yutaka Take, who was in the mid-pack, secretly grumbled.
"Ann-san told me to be careful of a fast pace, but then he let Tokai Teio push forward. He even tried to trick me before the Classic Race?"
—
In the grandstand, Matsumoto Shoichi was not surprised by Shuta An's positioning: "He chose a Senko tactics—It seems Shuta-kun is really confident in Teio's growth."
"The Undefeated Triple Crown Tokai Teio is behind Legacy World, in fifth place. Can the Undefeated Triple Crown, who defeated world powerhouses in the previous Japan Cup, continue his dominance in middle-to-long distance Turf G1 races today?!" the commentator voiced his doubts.
After entering the straight before the grandstand, Shuta An did not let Tokai Teio accelerate but maintained a cruising state. Yet, despite this, the young man still noticed that Mejiro Palmer's lead had shortened.
What this phenomenon meant was self-evident. Shuta An sensed it.
"Interesting, he's starting to decelerate and recover so early, and Daitaku Helios also shows no intention of taking over the lead. It's almost as if they planned it beforehand," the young man's mouth curved upwards.
"Though it's useless, I've already prepared my contingency plan."
Since Mejiro Palmer decelerated, Shuta An also slightly pulled the reins, letting Tokai Teio decelerate as well, trying to maintain a five-length gap with Mejiro Palmer.
"This distance is just right. The final straight is 310 meters. Under normal circumstances, Teio chasing six lengths is absolutely not a problem. Now, I even have a one-length margin."
Tokai Teio, though confused, obeyed the signal from the saddle to decelerate.
"Why are we slowing down here? The Classic Race is still at such an early stage. My stamina is still very abundant,"
Tokai Teio was very puzzled. "Is it because the leader in front slowed down? Well, with my ability, I could totally go up and lead myself right here."
Although she had her own thoughts, Tokai Teio considered that her partner had a face identical to her Trainer—no, he was her Trainer—so she maintained the decelerated cruising state.
Even as opponents behind gradually caught up, Tokai Teio did not become agitated but continued to remain calm.
"Truly amazing," Shuta An lowered his head, staring at Tokai Teio's hindquarters. "Teio's personality has matured today; he hasn't become anxious because of the opponents' actions."
After all, in the young man's opinion, the opponents trying to catch up behind them would not truly catch up. No one wanted to be targeted by Tokai Teio and ignite the fighting spirit of this Triple Crown horse.
"But if pressure was applied, the old Teio would definitely get a bit anxious, and I'd have to calm him down. Today, however, it's completely unnecessary," Shuta An was very satisfied with Tokai Teio's performance at this moment
Drifting along, they reached the straight opposite the grandstand, and Tokai Teio remained in fifth place without change. Shuta An merely pushed him along uneventfully, with no intention of trying any fancy maneuvers here.
When riding a Racehorse of Tokai Teio's caliber in a Classic Race, Shuta An felt there was no need to employ any special tactics. As long as Tokai Teio's abilities were calmly guided, a good result in the Classic Race would be achieved.
Tahara Seiki strongly agreed with this.
He believed that no existence understood better how to run than the racehorse itself; the jockey's role was simply not to hinder the horse's decisions—although his thoughts weren't entirely the same as Shuta An's, the point about avoiding excessive manipulation was consistent.
For Tokai Teio right now, it was truly difficult to suppress the urge to accelerate and overtake all opponents in front of her, and to maintain a slow cruising speed.
However, she trusted her partner's instructions.
"Trainer will definitely be fine!"
Tokai Teio thought this while trying to conserve her leg strength.
"I'll convert this impatient feeling into motivation for the sprint later; I absolutely have to burst forward!"
"Tokai Teio is still in fifth place. Shuta An seems to have chosen a relatively aggressive positioning for this Classic Race." The live commentator paused here to glance at the big screen.
"The first 1000 meters in 63.2 seconds. It seems Mejiro Palmer, after grabbing the lead, didn't maintain a big lead but chose to control the pace."
"In that case, Tokai Teio moving forward to position himself makes perfect sense," the guest commentator interjected.
"Could it be that Shuta An anticipated that this Classic Race would enter a slow pace?"
"It must be," Trainer Iizuka Yoshitsugu shook his head and mumbled. Rice Shower also participated in this Arima Kinen, starting from the outermost gate. Jockey Matoba Hitoshi was brought in for the saddle, which was a clear "consumption downgrade."
"I feel like we should have avoided this Classic Race," Trainer Iizuka Yoshitsugu regretted a bit when he drew gate 16. "The outermost gate has not produced a single top-five finisher since the Arima Kinen was founded."
"However, the agreement to go on an expedition to Australia with Tokai Teio next year has already been made, so there's no need to worry about not being able to get Shuta-kun back on Rice Shower's saddle later due to this change."
Iizuka Yoshitsugu decided that regardless of the outcome of this Arima Kinen, Rice Shower would have to return to the ranch for a good rest.
As they were about to enter the final turn, Tokai Teio glanced to her left, confirming that Let's Go Tarquin to her left-rear had no intention of accelerating early to block her outward diagonal route. So, she couldn't help but want to pull out to the outer lane prematurely.
"Even if it wastes a bit of effort, at least it avoids being boxed in. Trainer, quickly agree with me!" Tokai Teio muttered to herself.
Shuta An noticed Tokai Teio's head had just tilted slightly.
"Is he looking to his left-rear? Worried about being blocked later?" The young man raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
"Has Teio's mind grown too much? Does he even have this kind of awareness now?"
If it were another jockey, they would never have thought in this direction, but Shuta An was young after all, with a richer imagination, so he dared to think this way.
"But don't rush," he continued to control Tokai Teio's reins. "Now is not the time to accelerate, and even if Let's Go Tarquin accelerates early, he can't block us."
Because as long as Shuta An looked up, he could instantly find several routes to accelerate and pull out of the pack. There was no need to worry about the tragedy of being "boxed in."
"Ann-san's position looks very good,"
Yutaka Take also didn't think Let's Go Tarquin would go up to block Tokai Teio.
"Whether it's Let's Go Tarquin or jockey Osaki-kun on the saddle, their strength is a tier lower than Teio. Ann-san will handle it very easily."
Thinking this, Yutaka Take applied a little more force with his hands, pushing Hishi Masaru to accelerate.
"I'm not considering rushing to the front immediately, but I still need to get Hishi Masaru to the very front of the mid-pack," Yutaka Take thought, his hand movements never stopping.
Shuta An learned the "breathing" technique from Yutaka Take, and Yutaka Take also learned an efficient pushing method from Shuta An. Now, he could be said to be a cut above other local jockey.
Before turning into the final straight, Shuta An did not use the whip but patted Tokai Teio's right side of the neck with his hand. Tokai Teio immediately understood, took a few steps to the left, and diagonally pulled out of the pack the moment Let's Go Tarquin just started to pick up speed.
It neither interfered with Let's Go Tarquin nor did it 'bully' the one behind it with its own aura.
"The last 300 meters, it's time to accelerate, isn't it?!"
Tokai Teio hummed softly in her heart, while vigorously moving her legs. Although completely different from the real world, when Tokai Teio controlled this body, it was as if she was running in the real world.
She didn't wonder why; after receiving the acceleration command, she immediately burst out of the pack like a gust of wind and began to chase Mejiro Palmer.
Yamada Taisei, on Mejiro Palmer's saddle, began to whip after entering the final straight, but Tokai Teio was unstoppable.
"Yamada Taisei is whipping! But Tokai Teio is invincible!" the live commentator shouted, "He's just pushing! Shuta An is just pushing, the whip is motionless! Tokai Teio has already caught up! Legacy World! Nice Nature! Osumi Roch! No one can stop Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio is still accelerating, still accelerating, still accelerating! This is the Undefeated Triple Crown!"
When stepping onto the Slope Road of the Nakayama Racecourse's final straight, all horses were forced to slow down, but the powerful Tokai Teio's deceleration was significantly less than his opponents.
"Teio's talent is fully displayed here." As he thought this, Tokai Teio's figure flashed past the 100-meter marker, also surpassing Mejiro Palmer.
"Rice Shower and Hishi Masaru can't catch up! Legacy World and Nice Nature have caught up! But they still can't catch Mejiro Palmer! The one in front is still Tokai Teio! The Undefeated Triple Crown's hidden power! The dignity of a king cannot be challenged!"
Matoba Hitoshi, realizing Rice Shower couldn't catch up, simply gave up whipping. He knew Rice Shower had plans for an overseas expedition next year and didn't want to add extra strain here. And Yutaka Take pushed hard, but Hishi Masaru only reached ninth place and couldn't advance further.
Nice Nature finally overtook Legacy World to claim third place but still couldn't catch Mejiro Palmer, who had conserved a lot of stamina ahead.
In the end, only the pre-race favorite, Tokai Teio, with odds of 1.1, fulfilled the expectations of the racing fans.
"The world, look carefully! This is the Japan's strongest!" After Shuta An habitually flung his whip, he and Tokai Teio heard the live commentator's shout.
"Japan's strongest... hehe~~"
Tokai Teio was quite satisfied with her performance in the dream.