Chapter 10. Opponents of the Ranvet Stakes
Since the entry list for the Ranvet Stakes had already been made public, Shuta Ann naturally had no intention of sitting idle.
Over the following days, he continuously adjusted Mejiro Dober's training menu, carrying out targeted strengthening while simultaneously researching every opponent entered in the Ranvet Stakes.
In Shuta Ann's view, the overall level of this year's Ranvet Stakes was fairly good.
Among the six opponents, many possessed impressive records from the past, but those achievements all belonged to earlier years. Judging from their recent performances alone, none of them could truly be described as having strong competitiveness anymore.
"If Dober weren't running in this race, perhaps one of them might stage a miraculous resurgence," Shuta Ann murmured while clasping his hands together in front of the entry list. "But since Dober is participating in this Ranvet Stakes… then I'm sorry."
"I can't allow Dober to become your stepping stone. Please just obediently lose to her."
—
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was March 10th, three days before the Ranvet Stakes race day.
The NHK production team arrived in Australia once more.
Naturally, this time their focus was filming the preparations leading up to the race itself.
On the same day, Shuta Ann also completed his analysis of the other six participating Uma Musume, preparing to explain everything thoroughly to Mejiro Dober.
Although none of the opponents appeared especially formidable in his eyes, Shuta Ann still approached the preparations with complete seriousness. Even if Mejiro Dober herself did not relax because the Ranvet Stakes was merely a preparatory race, then as her Trainer, he absolutely could not afford mistakes in the fundamental work of race preparation.
"The film crew will be recording the process of me analyzing your opponents later," Shuta Ann said while sitting in the café, opening his laptop as he looked at Mejiro Dober seated across from him. "But Dober doesn't need to pay attention to them."
"I understand. I'll just treat them all as watermelons," Mejiro Dober replied calmly.
"Watermelons are too expensive. Treat them as cabbages instead,"
Shuta Ann quipped before the film crew entered the café.
Once the cameras were ready, Shuta Ann turned the laptop toward Mejiro Dober and spoke again.
"Let's start with Tie The Knot."
"Okay."
Mejiro Dober appeared exceptionally well-behaved in front of the camera. Although she was normally obedient around Shuta Ann already, the cold and distant aura she usually carried seemed to soften completely once the filming began. A warm gentleness naturally surfaced instead, brushing faintly across the young man's awareness.
"Tie The Knot currently holds five G1 victories," Shuta Ann began. "Her winning distances range from 1600 meters all the way to 3200 meters. Half a month ago, she won the Norton Stakes by defeating Forgotten Hero by half a horse length."
"Although the margin wasn't large, it still proves her burst of speed is excellent. At the same time, her victory in the 3200-meter Sydney Cup demonstrates very strong stamina. Overall, Tie The Knot is the biggest opponent Dober will face in this Ranvet Stakes."
"Tie The Knot usually prefers senko tactics, but she can also switch to a closing style when necessary. In terms of race tendencies, she's fairly similar to Dober."
After finishing that explanation, Shuta Ann paused briefly.
"What do you think, Dober?"
"I want to follow behind her," Mejiro Dober answered after frowning thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I can overtake her from behind."
"Rosehill Racecourse has a 408-meter final straight," Shuta Ann said while lightly raising a finger. "That's long enough for a late-surger to launch an attack. I don't object to Dober marking her, but you still need to pay attention to the pace."
"Now then, let's move on to the next opponent."
"Darazari," Shuta Ann continued, "is an Uma Musume who has never won a G1. Her most notable achievement was winning the French 2800-meter G2 Prix Niel. That was already three years ago."
"She re-registered in Australia during the second half of last year, most likely because remaining in Europe made it difficult for her to enter the Dream Trophy Series."
However, Shuta Ann showed no trace of contempt while speaking about her.
"Her condition this year has clearly improved. The Australian turf seems to suit her very well. Since Darazari prefers to lead from the front, I hope Dober doesn't intentionally pressure her during the race. Otherwise, forcing the pace into an ultra-high-speed stamina battle will only expose your weakness."
"I understand," Mejiro Dober replied seriously.
She even silently decided to minimize contact with Darazari before the race began, so as not to unintentionally pressure her psychologically.
Shuta Ann took a sip of his flat white to moisten his throat before continuing.
"Nahayan. Last year's New Zealand 1000 Guineas runner-up. She later challenged the New Zealand Derby and finished third. A 2000-meter distance is not an issue for her, but her overall ability is limited."
"Dober, don't stay behind her during the race. Otherwise, your acceleration line may get blocked."
"Yes!"
Mejiro Dober's response suddenly became noticeably more spirited, causing the young man to blink in slight confusion.
"Why did she suddenly become enthusiastic?" he wondered inwardly.
Only Mejiro Dober herself understood the reason.
"That Uma Musume named Nahayan…" she thought silently. "I saw her once during an evening walk. She kept staring at Trainer. And now it seems the Trainer doesn't even have her in his mind at all."
"Next is Dodge," Shuta Ann continued. "She's an old acquaintance of mine. She faced Suzuka in last year's Cox Plate, and her strength is fairly decent."
"However, over the past six months, her results have mostly been second and third places. Dober only needs to pay moderate attention to her."
"Bluebird The Word. Last year's Queensland Derby third-place finisher. She lost to Dodge there, and her recent form has also been inferior to Dodge's, so there's no need to focus on her too much."
"And finally, InJoyment," Shuta Ann said with a shrug. "Last year's Australian Metropolitan Handicap winner. After that, however, her form collapsed completely."
"If I had to choose an Uma Musume who declined immediately after winning a G1, I'd definitely vote for InJoyment. She's basically just waiting for retirement now. She barely trains anymore and only participates in races perfunctorily. Even her Trainer also—"
Realizing midway that the cameras were still filming, Shuta Ann stopped himself and merely shrugged.
"I won't become that kind of Uma Musume."
Mejiro Dober's voice softened slightly as she looked directly at the young man.
"I won't become lazy just because of past achievements."
Shuta Ann smiled faintly and nodded.
"I believe in Dober. After all, Dober's aspirations are much higher than that, aren't they?"
Mejiro Dober's ears twitched slightly. Her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily.
"Did Trainer know all along?" she wondered silently. "Have I been too obvious recently?"
After the analysis session concluded, Shuta An rose from his seat, and the film crew likewise finished filming.
"Please make sure to handle the audio appropriately during post-production,"
Shuta An instructed as he walked over to the director.
"Although what I said today wasn't much different from my usual analysis, there are still some comments regarding other Uma Musume that aren't suitable for public release."
"I understand," the director replied immediately, nodding repeatedly. "We'll definitely process any sensitive remarks carefully."
"That's good." Shuta An nodded in satisfaction. "Tomorrow morning will be Dober's final official training session before the race. Everyone can simply follow along and film then."
"Yes!" the director answered promptly.
"After that, we'll capture some footage around the track during the Ranvet Stakes itself, and the first phase of filming will be complete."
"If Dober wins, we can also film the celebration afterward," Shuta An suggested casually. "After that, we'll transfer to a hotel near Randwick Racecourse, so don't forget to arrange the hotel change for the next filming phase."
"Naturally."
Although NHK and Team Sadalsuud were collaborating for the documentary, Shuta An clearly held the dominant position throughout the process, leaving the director with little choice but to obediently agree to every reminder.
"The Ranvet Stakes is only an ordinary G1 in Australia," Shuta An continued while turning his head to watch Mejiro Dober leave the café. "I think the real highlight of Dober's segment in this documentary will be next month's Queen Elizabeth Stakes."
"As for Teio's segment, the climax should be the Japanese Derby at the end of May."
"You may follow Dober closely like this," he added, his gaze shifting back toward the director, "but when it comes to Teio, there are situations where I'll need everyone to keep their distance."
"Because Teio's goal is the Undefeated Triple Crown. We do not have room for even a single mistake."
His calm tone carried an overwhelming pressure that caused the director to instinctively stiffen.
"Yes! Understood!" the director answered immediately, standing straight before bowing deeply.
That afternoon, the film crew remained with Shuta An and Mejiro Dober in the hotel lobby, waiting for the Australia URA Association to deliver the gate draw results for this year's Ranvet Stakes.
Since the Ranvet Stakes was merely a standard turf G1, the Australia URA Association did not organize a formal draw ceremony. Instead, the gates were assigned through a computerized lottery before being directly delivered to the participating Uma Musume.
At exactly three o'clock, the Association's messenger arrived at the hotel.
Shuta An proactively stood up to greet him, while the film crew—already prepared in advance—immediately entered filming mode.
Mejiro Dober followed behind Shuta An as the two approached the messenger together.
The young man accepted the envelope directly and opened it on the spot. From another angle, the cameraman immediately zoomed in on the letter inside.
Only a single number was printed there.
"7."
"The outermost gate." Shuta An smiled faintly and shook his head. "It doesn't really matter. Rosehill Racecourse's 2000-meter course has a very long run-up after the start, so the outside gate won't have too much impact."
"Of course, historically speaking, the inside gates do still hold a higher win rate."
As he spoke, he turned toward Mejiro Dober.
"But it doesn't matter. After all, Dober is the strongest Uma Musume in this race. As the stronger side, challenging difficulties and overcoming them is our privilege."
"Indeed." Mejiro Dober's smile was equally gentle. "I'll overcome the challenge of the outermost gate for Trainer and for the fans to see."
—
Although she said that, Shuta An still carefully planned the pace distribution and positional strategy for the opening stages of the race.
"The gate assignments for the other Uma Musume are already available on the Australia URA Association's website," Shuta An explained while reviewing the chart. "Looking at it now, although we drew the outermost gate, the situation honestly isn't bad."
"We can cleanly mark Tie The Knot from this position. Meanwhile, directly to our inside is InJoyment, who will definitely move toward the front early. Bluebird The Word from gate five will probably also race near the lead."
"So InJoyment likely won't waste too much stamina fighting for pace. The race should naturally settle into a slower tempo before turning into a final-leg speed battle."
"I won't lose."
That was Mejiro Dober's immediate response.
"I know Dober won't lose either." Shuta An reached out and lightly ruffled her hair. "There's no need to reassure me like that."
"Because I trust Dober's finishing burst. We've specifically strengthened that aspect throughout training, haven't we?"
That evening, Shuta An lay in bed while sorting through unread messages on Line before going to sleep.
After finishing his earlier conversations with Oguri Cap and the others, the final message waiting for him came from Tokai Teio.
"Trainer, all the rivals from my generation have already stepped onto the major race stage. I'm getting so excited! I really want to compete against them in the Satsuki Sho!"
Shuta An lowered his gaze and typed back calmly.
"Teio will surpass all of them. Before that, focus on training properly. In mid-April, let everyone at Nakayama Racecourse understand that the protagonist of this generation has already been decided."
Tokai Teio's reply arrived almost instantly.
"But I don't want to become merely the protagonist of one generation. I want to become a new Emperor who surpasses the previous Emperor!"
"Alright, alright, you definitely can," Shuta An replied helplessly. "For now, just make sure your condition stays healthy. Don't push your daily training intensity too high."
"We'll properly increase the workload after I finish the Ranvet Stakes."
"Understood!" Tokai Teio responded immediately.
After putting down his phone, Shuta An rubbed his temples tiredly.
"Once the Ranvet Stakes ends, I'll have to return to Japan for half a month, arrange Teio's pre-Satsuki Sho training, and then fly back to Australia to continue accompanying Dober's preparation."
"This schedule is seriously exhausting."
For a brief moment, the young man even regretted arranging Mejiro Dober's expedition during this period.
Without the ability to split himself in two, he was forced to personally manage both sides at once.
"Thankfully, the time difference between Australia and Japan is minimal," Shuta An thought silently. "Otherwise my physical condition would definitely start collapsing."
At the same moment, back at Central Tracen Academy—
Tokai Teio placed her phone against her chest, the corners of her lips lifting into a satisfied smile.
"Even while he's all the way in Australia, Trainer is still worrying about my condition."
"If only he could come back and personally supervise my training…" she sighed softly. "After all, it's the Satsuki Sho."
"I really want him to stand in the grandstands at Nakayama Racecourse and personally watch me become the undefeated Satsuki Sho-winning Uma Musume."
"Sigh~ Teio is complaining about her Trainer again."
Under another blanket nearby, Mayano Top Gun muttered quietly while continuing to play her game.
"I really hope her Trainer comes back soon. Otherwise Teio has been sighing nonstop these past few days, and it's becoming contagious—"
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