Chapter 3. The Mejiro Family's Plan
In this Maiden Race, Vega drew gate 8, a fairly balanced central position. Having already gained a thorough understanding of Vega's temperament during training, Shuta An did not receive any tactical instructions from Trainer Matsuda Hiroshi before the race. Because of that, he decided to continue employing a front-running strategy in this race as well.
Although the dirt track at Kyoto Racecourse had been listed as heavy, the turf condition remained good. As such, Shuta An was not overly concerned about Vega consuming additional stamina while fighting for the lead position.
"As long as the gate break is clean, that will be enough—"
Shuta An narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Still, after the performances in the previous two races, some of them will probably force the pace early if I take the lead again. If that happens, I'll need to pay close attention to Vega's condition and make sure she doesn't get worked up by them."
After entering the gate, Shuta An calmly observed the runners positioned on both sides of him. In gate 7 were High Roller, ridden by Minai Katsumi, and Mighty Dash, ridden by Kusunoki. The two racehorse were the 5th and 15th favorites respectively, both categorized as long shots.
Strictly speaking, calling the 5th favorite a long shot sounded somewhat unreasonable. However, with odds approaching twenty times, denying it would have been little more than self-deception.
And the reason for such absurd odds was painfully simple.
Because of Shuta An's early promotion, Vega had already become the overwhelming favorite in the eyes of the fans, carrying terrifying 1.1x odds. Even PrincessMail, the second favorite, had been pushed all the way to eleven times odds.
That level of dominance was enough to make the entire race feel suffocating.
"Under the weight of expectations attached to those odds—losing simply isn't an option."
The thoughts in his mind settled instantly.
Shuta An subtly tightened the reins while shifting his center of gravity backward, preparing himself for the explosive moment the gates opened.
Then—
The instant the gates flew open, Shuta An drove his body forward in one smooth motion, pushing both arms out as the tightly restrained reins loosened at once.
The three movements connected with almost terrifying precision.
And Vega exploded out of the gates.
In merely the blink of an eye, she had already secured nearly a full horse-length advantage over the rest of the field.
"What an absurd gate break!"
Yutaka Take's eyes widened immediately.
"How did Ann-san pull that off?! If I get the chance later, I absolutely have to learn it!"
Taking full advantage of the explosive start, Shuta An immediately guided Vega diagonally inward, hugging the rail tightly while decisively cutting off any possibility for the inner runners to challenge for the lead through pure gate speed alone.
However, Yutaka Take, who had started from gate 12, clearly had no intention of surrendering so easily.
"If I let Ann-san take the lead comfortably, then this race will already be over before it even begins!"
Having a deeper understanding of Shuta An's abilities than almost anyone present, Yutaka Take made his decision instantly.
Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he would force pressure onto his friend.
Thus, he immediately urged Crown Forest forward aggressively, attempting to challenge Shuta An head-on for control of the lead.
The moment he noticed Crown Forest accelerating alongside him, Shuta An immediately understood Yutaka Take's intentions.
"You really are troublesome sometimes, Take-san"
Despite the helpless amusement in his thoughts, Shuta An showed no signs of panic.
Even after Crown Forest caught up, he continued maintaining Vega's pace calmly and steadily, ensuring that roughly a single horse-length gap remained between them.
Then, just before entering Yodo Slope—
Shuta An slightly restrained Vega.
At the same time, he deliberately opened a path.
Naturally, Yutaka Take immediately seized it.
Seeing the opening appear before him, he struck Crown Forest with the whip without hesitation, urging the horse forward explosively as it surged into the vacant space and forcefully stole the lead position away from Vega.
"Got it!"
The exact same thought flashed through the minds of both Yutaka Take and Shuta An simultaneously.
After surrendering the lead, Shuta An allowed Vega to settle directly behind CrownForest.
The reason was simple.
He wanted Crown Forest use Vega's slipstream while climbing Yodo Slope, reducing unnecessary stamina consumption as much as possible.
At the same time, he intended to conserve Vega's strength here in preparation for the downhill section and the decisive battle waiting in the final straight.
Naturally, Yutaka Take also understood this possibility.
But Crown Forest had been an underdog from the very beginning.
The moment the opportunity to seize the lead appeared before him, he simply had no room to refuse it.
Even if Shuta An had intentionally prepared a trap for him—
Yutaka Take still had no choice but to step directly into it.
After passing through Yodo Slope, Shuta An gently guided Vega outward, creating enough space to begin moving once more.
And this time—
He intended to reclaim the lead position he had personally handed away moments earlier.
Yutaka Take naturally resisted.
Unfortunately, the earlier struggle for the lead had already drained too much of Crown Forest's stamina. Even as they gradually entered the downhill section, the horse no longer possessed the strength necessary to continue resisting Vega's pressure.
Thus, Yutaka Take could only watch helplessly as Vega surged past once more.
The difference was obvious.
Compared to Crown Forest, who had wasted precious stamina fighting for position, Vega had successfully recovered while sheltered behind the leader during Yodo Slope.
"So it really was a trap—"
Yutaka Take could not help grinding his teeth inwardly.
"But at that moment, I genuinely didn't think Ann-san would retake the lead this early."
In truth, it was not only Yutaka Take who failed to predict Shuta An's decision.
—
Inside the jockey waiting room, the top Japanese jockeys watching the race all believed Shuta An would continue suppressing Vega's speed until the final straight before launching his attack.
"The first 1000 meters was run in 61.1 seconds. Shuta-kun could have waited a little longer and allowed Take-kun to continue leading."
Shibata Masato shook his head slowly.
"I honestly can't understand why he's rushing things here."
"That's only natural." Yukio Okabe pursed his lips slightly. "For jockeys of our generation understanding what Shuta An is thinking is probably impossible to begin with."
After entering the final straight, Shuta An still showed no intention of immediately unleashing Vega's finishing speed.
Instead, he maintained a stable cruising rhythm while calmly glancing backward to assess the condition of the runners chasing behind him.
"It looks like only Princess Mail still has a chance of catching up—"
A faint ripple appeared in Shuta An's eyes before he turned his gaze forward once more.
Then—
At the 200-meter mark, the thunderous sound of hooves surged forward from behind once again.
And at that exact moment, Shuta An finally increased the intensity of his urging.
The next instant—
The world seemed to lose every sound except Vega's galloping footsteps.
"She's pulling away! As expected of the champion jockey's designated favorite! Vega accelerates again! Princess Mail can't keep up at all! Three lengths—four lengths!"
Shuta An never used the whip even once.
Yet Vega still completed her debut victory with an astonishing time of 1:48.3, defeating the second-place PrincessMail by four and a half lengths.
"Too strong"
Matsuda Hiroshi stared blankly at the track as those words escaped his mouth almost unconsciously.
Whether his shock was directed toward Vega, toward Shuta An, or toward the combination of both—
Even he himself probably could not tell anymore.
After winning the Maiden Race, Shuta An rode Vega toward the underground passage with a faint smile still lingering on his face. Once there, he dismounted cleanly before shaking hands with Yoshida Katsumi and Matsuda Hiroshi.
"I didn't disappoint your expectations."
"Vega is far too incredible," Yoshida Katsumi said while laughing helplessly and shaking his head. "Later, the Shadai Racehorse Club members are definitely going to bombard me with complaints about why a horse like her wasn't included in the recruitment list."
"Vega had leg issues when she was young. If we explain that properly to the members, they should understand."
Shuta An shrugged lightly before turning his gaze toward Vega once more.
"But now—it really does feel like she possesses Triple Tiara-level potential."
"I'll take that as a good omen."
The joy on Yoshida Katsumi's face was impossible to conceal.
"I genuinely hope Vega can become Shuta-kun's partner on the Triple Tiara route over the next few years."
"I believe she can."
As he spoke, Shuta An raised his hand and gently rubbed Vega's head.
However, Vega clearly seemed to dislike physical contact from others. She immediately shook her head before pushing Shuta An's hand away with her nose in visible dissatisfaction.
Seeing that reaction, Shuta An could only laugh.
"It looks like I still have a very long way to go before Vega truly warms up to me."
"If Shuta-kun continues riding Vega personally during training from now on, your relationship with her will definitely improve."
Matsuda Hiroshi replied in a tone that sounded half-joking and half-serious.
"I'll try my best."
Shuta An shrugged again.
"Still, if I end up going overseas, I definitely won't be able to participate in her training consistently."
"If it's truly for an overseas expedition with Tokai Teio, then that naturally takes priority."
Yoshida Katsumi immediately voiced his stance.
"Regardless, Shuta-kun has already seen it for himself. Vega absolutely possesses the talent necessary for the Triple Tiara stage."
"That's true." Shuta An nodded slowly in agreement. "My intuition tells me she's capable of producing extraordinary results on the highest stage."
"Finally, I have the chance to challenge the Triple Crown together with Shuta-kun while holding the position of the overwhelming favorite."
Yoshida Katsumi tilted his head back slightly before looking toward the young man once more.
"This time…let's aim for the second undefeated Triple Tiara."
"We will win."
Shuta An's answer came without the slightest hesitation.
Although he still had not officially raced alongside Hokuto Vega, he already possessed a vague intuition—
Hokuto Vega and Vega were probably not the same type of racehorse at all.
After waking from the Dream World, Shuta An stretched his body lightly before opening the attribute viewer, preparing to check the rewards he had gained from the previous night.
"Ah~ as expected from just a Maiden Race."
Seeing the familiar money reward appear once again, the young man could not help revealing a somewhat disappointed expression.
"The rewards really are mediocre."
—
Today was Thursday.
Unlike yesterday, the Central URA Association would not be holding any Twinkle Series races today.
Which also meant—
Shuta An was returning to work.
After arriving early at Central Tracen Academy, the young man clocked in as usual. Sitting at his desk afterward, he picked up the training plans he had already prepared beforehand before distributing them to the Uma Musume of Team Sadalsuud one by one.
After receiving their updated plans, Kurofune and Rice Shower quickly adjusted their morning training schedules accordingly and immediately began training under the new arrangements.
The two Uma Musume still knew nothing about their maturation progress.
Because of that, all they could do was continue training diligently.
For Shuta An, however, the first major race demanding his full attention this year was not Tokai Teio's upcoming Satsuki Sho.
Instead—
It was Miss Mejiro Dober's first race this year.
Even though it was already the sixth day of the new year, the young lady of the Mejiro Family still had not fully decided whether she would follow Silence Suzuka's path by treating the Dubai Turf as the opening race of her senior year, or instead head toward Australia to enjoy the Southern Hemisphere's winter while helping her Trainer prove once again that Japanese Uma Musume were no longer inferior in middle-distance races on the world stage.
"I wonder what Dober is still hesitating about—"
Shuta An leaned slightly against the back of his chair.
"I'll have to find an opportunity to ask after she returns from the Mejiro Family ancestral home."
Fortunately, he was no longer worried about the Mejiro Family attempting anything unnecessary behind the scenes.
The results of the discussions held on Arima Kinen race day had already been conveyed personally to Mejiro Ramonu by Shuta An himself.
Now, anyone foolish enough to continue scheming over the future inheritance of the Mejiro Family right under Mejiro Ramonu's eyes would quickly discover one thing—
The speed at which Mejiro Ramonu turned hostile was absolutely no slower than the speed at which she ran on the racetrack.
After spending an entire day practically idling away time inside the club room, Shuta received a Line message from Mejiro Dober just as he was preparing to clock out.
"Trainer, I've decided! I'm aiming for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes!"
"So you've chosen the route of the Ranvet Stakes followed by the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, then?"
Shuta An immediately reconfirmed her decision.
"That's right!"
Mejiro Dober's reply arrived almost instantly.
"That's the route I want! I want to prove myself in middle-distance races! If my goal was only a mile-distance G1 Twinkle Series race, then there would've been no need to go overseas in the first place."
Shuta An immediately understood the implication hidden within her words.
"Alright. I'll complete Dober's Australian race registrations right now."
Without wasting any time, Shuta An directly copied Mejiro Dober's information onto the registration form he had already prepared beforehand before sending it straight to the Australia URA Association.
"I was still wondering this morning whether Dober was struggling to make a decision—"
After confirming the successful submission of the registration form, Shuta An laughed softly while shaking his head.
"And yet she ended up sending me her answer this very afternoon."
Meanwhile, on the other side—
After sending the Line message, Mejiro Dober turned toward Mejiro Nagasaki with visible hesitation still lingering in her expression.
"Is Australia really more suitable than the UAE?"
"Before we depart for Australia, we'll naturally prepare a proper plan for you."
Mejiro Nagasaki gently patted Miss Mejiro Dober's shoulder.
"Since Dober is leaving the Mejiro Family temporarily, someone naturally has to take responsibility for looking after you, right?"
"Even so…"
Miss Mejiro Dober still sounded hesitant.
"If Dober truly dislikes the arrangement, then we can simply forget about it."
Mejiro Goethe smiled faintly as she looked toward the future successor of the Mejiro Family.
"What does Dober think?"
"I never said I was unwilling…"
Miss Mejiro Dober immediately turned her gaze away while muttering quietly under her breath.
"There, you see?"
The corners of Mejiro Nagasaki's lips curled upward slightly.
"As long as Dober follows the plan we prepare for her, nothing will go wrong."
Countless fragmented images flashed rapidly through Miss Mejiro Dober's mind.
In the end, she silently steeled her resolve.
"I'll work hard."
Mejiro Bodhisattva immediately flicked Miss Mejiro Dober's forehead lightly.
"This isn't merely about effort. This is preparation for Dober's future."
"First things first—"
Mejiro Nagasaki looked toward Miss Mejiro Dober before calmly assigning her very first task.
"Dober needs to figure out exactly when you'll be departing for Australia."