Chapter 87. Super Slow Pace
(Sorry guys, still short chapter in most)
The second race at Paris Longchamp Racecourse that day was the Grand Critérium, the oldest and most prestigious G1 race for two-year-old racehorses in France.
Shuta An's partner for this race was Signe Divin. Just as André Fabre had said, Signe Divin was the two-year-old he held in the highest regard that year. Although Shuta An had never ridden the colt during morning work, the moment he swung into the saddle in front of the parade ring, he immediately sensed the horse's extraordinary quality.
"Its physical development doesn't resemble that of an ordinary two-year-old at all," the young man thought to himself.
While such precocious development often meant a horse would struggle to improve significantly the following season, that was not something Shuta An needed to concern himself with. His attention was fixed solely on today—on this single race.
"Drawing the widest gate isn't a problem. As long as I can bring him out in the final 300 meters, that'll be enough."
Considering the heavy conditions at Longchamp Racecourse, Shuta An immediately settled on a senko strategy for Signe Divin.
Matsumoto Shoichi and Uchimura Masanori had also come to Longchamp Racecourse to watch the day's racing.
"To be honest, if Shuta-kun can win even one race today, I'll feel much more confident about tomorrow,"
Uchimura Masanori said quietly to Matsumoto Shoichi after all the runners in the Grand Critérium had entered the starting gates.
"Then let's hope Shuta-kun wins this one right away," Matsumoto Shoichi replied with a shrug.
Things unfolded exactly as he had hoped.
With 300 meters remaining, Shuta An raised his whip. He asked for everything in the final drive, and Signe Divin responded magnificently, surging clear of the field with authority. The entire race unfolded exactly according to plan, allowing the young man to secure his first major stakes victory of the day.
"Shuta's magical performance continues!" the live commentator shouted excitedly.
"Now you can finally relax, Mr. Uchimura?" Matsumoto Shoichi asked with a smile.
"Indeed... I can breathe a little easier now," Uchimura Masanori answered.
Even so, the pressure weighing on his heart had not diminished in the slightest.
Japan had not yet reached the almost obsessive fascination with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe that it would develop several years later, but the race's prestige had always been unquestionable. The mere thought that his racehorse had a genuine opportunity to win the Arc—even after seeing how outstanding tomorrow's saddle conditions appeared—still left Uchimura Masanori unable to calm his nerves.
As for the upcoming Prix du Cadran, Iizuka Yoshitsugu was unable to attend because of family matters, while Rice Shower's owner was occupied with an important business transaction. As a result, only Rice Shower's groom and several stable assistants had come to cheer for Shuta An and his partner.
"This is only Rice Shower's third race of the year. Honestly, he's raced very lightly, and now he's jumping straight into a major race at Longchamp. If he simply avoids finishing last today, I'd already consider that a success."
That was the shared opinion of every assistant present.
Iizuka Yoshitsugu and Rice Shower's owner thought much the same. One glance at Longchamp's heavy turf was enough to understand just how demanding today's conditions would be.
Shuta An, however, viewed the situation differently.
He believed that not every European racehorse possessed outstanding adaptability to Longchamp's heavy track. Under such conditions, the differences in track suitability between competitors would be significantly reduced.
"Besides, Rice Shower drew Gate 3. That's an excellent post position. He won't have to waste stamina fighting for position or constantly changing his rhythm after the break."
This consideration was especially important because European staying races were run at astonishingly slow early paces—far slower than anything seen in Japan.
Had Rice Shower drawn an outside gate, he would have been forced to expend energy early simply to secure a favorable position, only to restrain himself immediately afterward rather than opening up a clear lead.
That repeated cycle of accelerating and checking momentum would have been particularly disadvantageous for a horse whose adaptability to the course remained uncertain.
"This race is only meant to sharpen Rice Shower before the Melbourne Cup. If he can finish in the top five today, I'll already consider the preparation a success."
With that thought, Shuta An climbed aboard Rice Shower for the first time in quite a while.
To his surprise, Rice Shower showed none of the sluggishness usually associated with a horse returning from an extended break. Instead, he felt like a blade that had spent months being painstakingly sharpened, finally ready to leave its mark.
"Excellent spirit... but I still need to keep him under control in the early stages."
Shuta An gathered the reins slightly, quietly reminding his partner not to become overexcited and recklessly challenge the leader too soon.
"Slow races require their own methods."
Holding his whip in reverse, he glanced toward Sought Out.
"I just hope John Reid can establish a comfortable, measured tempo today—not one that's so painfully slow that the horses behind lose their patience."
The starting point of the Prix du Cadran lay at the end of the auxiliary course.
The instant the gates sprang open, Shuta An applied a subtle cue through the reins, and Rice Shower burst cleanly from the stalls.
Because the turf retained so much moisture, clumps of mud kicked up by the horses ahead occasionally splattered across his silks and face. Still, he was equally certain that every rider around him was suffering from the same conditions.
"Thankfully, Groom Kawashima anticipated the weather forecast and suggested fitting Rice Shower with blinkers earlier this week. Otherwise, today could have been much more troublesome."
Silently, Shuta An expressed his gratitude toward the experienced groom.
The field gradually merged from the auxiliary course onto the first false straight.
Roughly 200 meters after the start, Shuta An estimated that Sought Out had covered the opening section in approximately seventeen seconds.
"The pace isn't fast. If this rhythm can continue for the first three thousand meters or so, I'll be eternally grateful."
He smiled inwardly while allowing Rice Shower to settle comfortably against the rail in third place, neither pressing forward nor conceding ground to those following behind.
By the time they entered Longchamp's famous final straight for the first time, roughly 700 meters had elapsed since the start.
Shuta An made another quick calculation.
"Around fifty-one seconds. I've said it before, but the pace of European staying races is unbelievably slow. You'd never see anything like this in Japan."
Narrowing his eyes, he continued to let Rice Shower cruise steadily in third, refusing either to challenge the leaders or allow the horses behind to improve their positions.
As the field galloped down the straight, waves of cheers rolled over the course from the grandstands.
Fortunately, Rice Shower was already a racehorse thoroughly accustomed to performing before massive crowds, and he maintained his rhythm without the slightest hesitation. Several of his rivals, however, appeared noticeably affected by the atmosphere.
"When it comes to crowd noise, Japanese racecourses are still far more overwhelming than those in Europe."
While quietly making that comparison, Shuta An continued calculating the pace.
"Seventy seconds for the opening kilometer—A tempo like this simply doesn't exist in Japanese racing."
Passing the finish line at Longchamp Racecourse for the first time, Shuta An had no time to glance toward the grandstands.
His full attention remained fixed on Sought Out's hindquarters as he gently soothed the increasingly restless Rice Shower beneath him. At the same time, he turned his head slightly, catching sight of Double Blash and D. Bouef, who had been carefully observing him from behind.
"Long-distance races truly test a jockey's ability more than anything else."
Once again, the young man recalled the words Yutaka Take had once told him.
"If that's the case—then I'll simply be the best jockey in this race."
With that thought, Shuta An guided Rice Shower smoothly into the next bend.
—
The home straight at Longchamp Racecourse was exceptionally long. Even after crossing the finish line, the field still galloped nearly another 200 meters before reaching the next turn.
It was on this bend that Double Blash, who had been closely shadowing Rice Shower, responded to D. Bouef's urging and accelerated forward, beginning to apply pressure.
Shuta An, however, remained completely unruffled.
He gathered the reins slightly, keeping Rice Shower comfortably restrained while calmly watching Double Blash draw closer.
"If you want to overtake here, then go ahead. I'll simply pass you again on the final straight—with proper respect. Perhaps—I'll even get that opportunity sooner than I expect."
Naturally, D. Bouef had no idea what was going through Shuta An's mind.
Seeing no resistance from the Japanese jockey, he confidently allowed Double Blash to slip ahead, crossing in front of Rice Shower and blocking Shuta An's direct view of Sought Out.
Shuta An felt no irritation whatsoever.
"I've been staring at Reid and Sought Out's backside long enough. A change of scenery isn't bad."
The thought amused him enough that he nearly laughed.
As the field crossed the enormous straight where the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe traditionally begins, Sought Out still had 2,350 meters remaining.
"The pace is unbelievably slow. At this rate, I could probably take a nap on Rice Shower's back, wake up before the finish, and still have time to ask him for one final effort."
The exaggeration perfectly reflected his opinion of the race's tempo.
When the field completed the familiar U-shaped bend, 1,800 meters had already been covered.
The race clock beside the giant screen displayed 2:03.1.
Such a time would already be considered slow over 2,000 meters in Japan.
For today's Prix du Cadran, however, it fit the leisurely pace perfectly.
Only then did Shuta An begin to truly relax.
"Everyone's struggling with today's heavy ground. Rice Shower isn't perfectly adapted either... but compared to everyone else, he's adapting well enough."
With a mindset of comparing who was suffering the least, he quietly observed the other runners.
Several racehorses had already begun stumbling intermittently—a telltale sign that their stamina reserves were being depleted far earlier than expected.
"Looks like Rice Shower's condition today is actually excellent."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, the young man couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Trainer Iizuka and the owner really picked an unfortunate day to be absent. They're going to miss Rice Shower's first overseas G1 victory."
While silently lamenting the absence of her trainer and owner, Shuta An gently urged Rice Shower forward as they entered the final bend once again.
Having already negotiated this corner once after the start, Rice Shower had thoroughly adapted to handling the centrifugal force through the turn.
Behind them, the other contenders also began preparing their own moves.
With 1,350 meters remaining, every jockey still harboring hopes of victory had already entered a state of readiness.
Shuta An, however, had absolutely no intention of making his move on the bend.
Unlike many of his rivals, Rice Shower had secured an ideal forward position almost effortlessly. There was no reason to waste that advantage by accelerating prematurely.
"The greatest taboo at Longchamp is moving too early."
"If they start sprinting now, they'll all begin decelerating before they even reach the real finishing straight."
Keeping that in mind, Shuta An quietly listened to Rice Shower's breathing rhythm.
"Perfect. He's still carrying plenty of stamina."
His confidence grew even stronger.
By the time they entered the false straight once again, the race clock had reached 3:30.1.
Such a time would have made winning Japan's Tenno Sho (Spring) utterly impossible.
At that point, the field had covered exactly 3,120 meters.
Although Shuta An had spent the entire race suppressing Rice Shower's eagerness—he could now clearly feel that her fighting spirit could no longer be restrained.
"Then there's no reason to hold you back any longer."
The young man loosened the reins ever so slightly.
Receiving the signal, Rice Shower immediately lengthened his stride.
In only a few powerful bounds, he swept past Double Blash.
Being someone who believed in proper courtesy, after overtaking, Shuta An deliberately turned his head toward D. Bouef and raised an eyebrow.
Fortunately, D. Bouef failed to notice the tiny gesture. Otherwise, in a moment of frustration, he might very well have struck the young man with the whip in his hand.
As they entered the true home straight, Shuta An finally unleashed his most committed drive of the entire race.
Sought Out no longer possessed the strength to resist.
Neither could the challengers behind close the gap.
After covering 4,000 meters over Longchamp's heavy turf, any horse still capable of maintaining a balanced stride in the closing stages deserved to be called a genuine stamina monster.
Rice Shower, however, was not such a monster.
With only 200 meters remaining, his speed visibly began to decline, no matter how hard Shuta An urged his forward.
He understood that wildly swinging the whip would accomplish nothing.
So he never reached for it.
Instead, relying entirely on his outstanding pushing technique, he continued helping Rice Shower conserve every remaining ounce of energy while extracting every bit of speed she still possessed.
"Watch Shuta An's pushing technique carefully," André Fabre quietly said to the jockey beside him. "It's absolutely worth studying."
"Could it be..."
Rice Shower's groom and the stable assistants standing near the rail had already embraced one another, unconsciously finishing each other's sentences in unison.
Far away in Hokkaido, Iizuka Yoshitsugu, who had been listening to the live radio broadcast, abruptly rose from his chair the moment he heard the commentator shout:
"Rice Shower is still desperately holding onto the lead!"
Meanwhile, Rice Shower's owner, who had been reviewing business proposals, was hurriedly called into the living room by his family to witness the final moments of the race.
"4:38.1! Rice Shower holds on all the way to the finish! Assessor falls just ten meters short of completing the comeback!" the commentator roared.
"Shuta An has claimed his first European G1 victory over a marathon distance! Today marks the moment!"
"Outstanding!"
(Actually, there are many popular jockeys in this race; like Thierry, Asmussen. It just the horse are lacking and didn't particularly outstanding. Sought Out was 1992 Cadran's Winner, while Asessor was the true winner in 1993; it just, Assessor was a chaser)
Although the race had unfolded at such a leisurely pace that it had often felt more like a training gallop than a championship event—the instant he crossed the finish line first in the Prix du Cadran, an unmistakable surge of exhilaration still welled up from the depths of Shuta An's heart.
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