Chapter 97. Fulfilled Prophecy
After the interview session, William caught up with Trainer Shuta from behind.
"Hokuto Vega, you don't suggest her to participate in the Breeders Cup Classic? Her strength can definitely be showcased there."
"I already have a riding invitation for the Breeders Cup Classic."
Shuta shook his head.
"And I think you also know how big the difference is between male and female horses in dirt races. Hokuto Vega currently only has one G1 victory, the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. So, it's not yet time to whimsically pursue dreams."
"That's true."
William said this, but in his heart, he only considered it a special situation for Japanese horse racing.
If it were an American horse, after winning the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, Hokuto Vega would already be qualified for a stable retirement, and afterward, she would naturally aim for "dream chasing."
But for Horse Owner Mori Shigeru and Trainer Nakano Takayoshi, although an American G1 could raise Hokuto Vega's prestige to match Vega, one G1 was far from enough for accumulating honors.
Considering the importance of dirt races in the Japanese horse racing industry, Hokuto Vega would probably not catch up to Vega, who was almost destined to be an Undefeated Triple Tiara, without winning a double-digit number of G1 races.
It can be said that Hokuto Vega will have little room for chasing dreams for at least the next three years.
Shuta thought to himself while rubbing Hokuto Vega's nape.
Next, the Breeders Cup Distaff. She will finally face this year's American Triple Tiara mare. As long as she can defeat Sky Beauty, Hokuto Vega's prestige will definitely not be weaker than Vega's, and she will certainly be eligible to contend with Sky Beauty for this year's Eclipse Award here in America.
But before the Breeders Cup Series began, Shuta had to leave and return to Japan to start his long-awaited local riding work.
Waking up the next day, Shuta unsurprisingly found that he had not received any clue fragments this time.
Sure enough, you have to win a G1 race to get that thing. A G2 stakes race doesn't qualify.
The young man muttered. The first-star against the Overlord, I wonder what kind of Uma Musume she is.
"Overlord" was already implicitly T.M. Opera O of Team Rigil for Trainer Shuta. He had also observed this Uma Musume's training and could see that she had good talent, but that was about it. The young man always felt that T.M. Opera O's performance did not live up to a title like "Overlord" yet.
Maybe her growth will accelerate dramatically in the future?
This was the last reason he found to justify T.M. Opera O.
Of course, Shuta hadn't been paying attention to T.M. Opera O's situation recently. 90% of his thoughts were focused on Tokai Teio's preparations for the Kikuka Sho.
As the Kikuka Sho race day drew closer, Shuta's nerves became increasingly taut. To be honest, even for Mejiro Dober's Shuka Sho, Shuta hadn't been as nervous as he was recently.
Was father also this nervous before Secretariat challenged the Belmont Stakes?
Shuta thought to himself as he walked towards the clubroom after clocking in.
But when he saw Secretariat's performance, leaving all opponents behind, father's mood must have been even more exhilarated. That feeling of witnessing history firsthand—it's very difficult to experience just by watching live as an ordinary spectator.
The young man had also had a "youth version" of this experience, which was at Mejiro Dober's Yorkshire Oaks this year, but now it was different. Tokai Teio was clearly not the kind of Uma Musume who could leave the second-place finisher 30+ lengths behind in the Kikuka Sho.
As long as she can win.
So Shuta's current demands were not high at all—probably.
—
One week before the Kikuka Sho, the first G1 of the Autumn Twinkle Series, the Tenno Sho (Autumn), would be held at Tokyo Racecourse.
This year's big favorite was undoubtedly Mejiro McQueen of Team Spica.
If she won this race, she could achieve the feat of conquering both the Spring and Tenno Sho (Autumn), just like her senior Special Week from the same team.
Shuta, in his pre-race prediction column in "Twinkle" magazine, offered his views on the race's unfolding.
Mejiro McQueen is, as expected, the biggest favorite. It can be said that considering the high probability of a heavy or bad track at Tokyo Racecourse this weekend, Mejiro McQueen's advantage is almost infinitely amplified.
Although we all say that Tokyo Racecourse is a track that favors late-surger tactics, when the track becomes heavy, the disadvantage of front-running Uma Musumes decreases, and it becomes significantly harder for late-closing Uma Musumes to catch up.
Considering Mejiro McQueen, who will definitely be positioned at the front in this race, it can be said that the Uma Musume who excel at chase tactics will have a tough time.
However, Mejiro McQueen is not without flaws—
As he wrote this, Trainer Shuta recalled Yutaka Take's riding error in the Dream World and simply applied it to his article.
Because Mejiro McQueen's strength is evident, her positioning will definitely be particularly aggressive—
There's a saying, "too much of a good thing."
After seeing this column, Nishizaki Ryu took it seriously and also sent it to Mejiro McQueen. Mejiro McQueen glanced at it but did not understand what flaw Trainer Shuta was pointing out about her.
Nonsensical and mysterious.
She simply did not take the column to heart. She had seen too many predictions praising her strength, and Trainer Shuta's column did not leave a deep impression on Mejiro McQueen.
Instead, Mejiro Dober asked her lover via Line what flaw he saw in Mejiro McQueen.
I hope she considers the positions of her opponents during the race.
Shuta replied vaguely.
And when Sunday's race arrived, Shuta did not take the Uma Musume of Team Sadalsuud to watch it live at Yasugi Forest. Everyone watched the broadcast in the clubroom.
When Mejiro McQueen made a large diagonal move on the turn, interfering with several opponents behind her, Tokai Teio cried out.
Dangerous!
Mejiro Dober, who was staying up late in America to watch the live broadcast, also shivered at this scene, and her lover's response to her question flashed through her mind.
"What's wrong, Dober?"
Mejiro Ramonu's attention was entirely on the race, but she immediately noticed Mejiro Dober's unusual behavior.
"Nothing." Mejiro Dober pursed her lips and replied vaguely.
But how did Ann predict this!?
She was utterly bewildered.
Of course, in the end, just like in the Dream World, Mejiro McQueen's result was disqualified due to her diagonal move interfering with multiple Uma Musumes and nearly causing an accident.
Nishizaki Ryu consoled Mejiro McQueen while recalling his friend's pre-race column.
So, Ann-san, did he foresee that there would be a problem? He frowned, muttering to himself.