[In the fan voting for the Arima Kinen, Grass Wonder, following his dismal autumn results, ranked only 14th. It was arguably the worst voting performance for a member of the Golden Generation.]
[After all, Grass Wonder was already labeled an "early bloomer." This happens often, many horses that win the Japanese Derby are thought to have exhausted their lifetime's worth of luck, never to see a good result again.]
[At that point in time, both Special Week and Grass Wonder were under a heavy cloud of doubt.]
[Their experiences were quite similar.]
[But the one who bore the brunt of the vitriol and criticism was King Halo. "Shame of the noble bloodline," "Doesn't deserve to compete," "He should finally realize he isn't first-rate"... all sorts of cruel insults never ceased.]
[The King Halo team was also worried about this Arima Kinen. He had already shown an inability to adapt to long distances, in hindsight, many believed that sprints were his true calling.]
[In reality, there was a massive reason why the real-horse King Halo struggled so much at long distances, and it wasn't just genetics. The horse had a "difficult spirit." He was extremely hard to train for stamina and often threw tantrums or "quit" mid-session.]
[If King Halo's temperament had been even half as cooperative as Equinox or Kitasan Black, perhaps his results would have been different, and he wouldn't have left the regret of not switching to sprints sooner.]
[Furthermore, King Halo's "struggle" at middle-to-long distances simply meant he didn't get 1st place. He never actually had terrible results. Aside from that one 14th-place finish in the Derby (under Fukunaga's "god-tier" steering), he placed in the money for almost every other race, regardless of distance.]
[It's more accurate to say he wasn't a poor runner, but an excellent all-rounder who just hadn't reached the pinnacle yet. His bloodline was impeccable, he had defeated Seiun Sky and Special Week, he just hadn't seized the crown.]
[Thus, King Halo's strength was worthy of recognition. His refusal to give up on his desire for 1st place was truly admirable.]
[He entered this Arima Kinen with a "must-win" determination.]
[But he wasn't the only one. The 1998 Arima Kinen was a gathering of titans: Air Groove, Mejiro Bright, Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder... anyone who stepped onto this turf had their eyes on the greatest year-end festival: The G1 Arima Kinen trophy.]
[The top four in popularity were Seiun Sky, Air Groove, Mejiro Bright, and Grass Wonder. However, Grass Wonder's win odds were 14.5x, a massive gap from the top three (for instance, Mejiro Bright at 3rd popularity was 5.3x).]
[Soon, this much-anticipated Arima Kinen was about to begin.]
[However, before the 1998 Arima Kinen, a legendary scene occurred. During the entry, Air Groove first broke away from the lead horse, then performed a "crab walk" to try and buck off Yutaka Take.]
[As a result, she led the following horses— Mejiro Dober and Matikane Fukukitaru— into a sideways parade. At that moment, the camera cut to a perfectly calm Grass Wonder. The contrast was stark.]
[One can only say that compared to the cool and handsome Grass Wonder, these crab-walking horses looked a bit silly.]
[Grass Wonder's Inner Monologue: "What, are you guys performing a pre-race show for me?"]
[Air Groove's Inner Monologue: "1998, my first time doing freestyle dancing in Japan..."]
[Mejiro Dober's Inner Monologue: "Strange, it's such a ridiculous dance, yet I find myself interested..."]
Matikane Fukukitaru's Inner Monologue: "Is this a pre-race prayer dance?"]
[Yutaka Take's Inner Monologue: "Stop, please..."]
At this point, a group of people couldn't hold it back anymore.
Inside Spica, El Condor Pasa said in shock, "Grass-chan, you really are amazing! Is this the mindset from practicing calligraphy? Peaceful and steady. Maybe I should try writing some too?"
Special Week: "Truly, Grass-chan's calligraphy is so good. Every time I see it, I think it's incredible. I could never do that."
El Condor Pasa added: "Right? I think I can do it too. My calligraphy would definitely be superb. It fits my image as the world's number one Uma Musume."
Grass Wonder couldn't help but knock El on the head. "El, is there anyone who praises themselves like that?"
El Condor Pasa put her hands on her hips, grinning. "I can do it! Right, Buena Vista?"
Buena Vista froze, then said thoughtfully, "I can't imagine El Condor Pasa doing calligraphy. Your handwriting is usually terrible. I feel that only Special Week-senpai's handwriting is messier than yours."
"Eh?! That's so mean!"
Special Week's handwriting was indeed messy, a fact critiqued by everyone many times. Being mentioned again caused her heart to crumble.
She really did try to write neatly!
"Just telling the truth," Buena Vista said, giving her "father" zero face.
"Wait, Air Groove-senpai knows freestyle dancing?" Yaeno Muteki was present, and the mention of dancing woke her right up.
"Seems like they had a disagreement. But it's no big deal. Everyone is young and full of spirit, sometimes the fist does the talking. A fight settles everything," Bamboo Memory added without a hint of doubt.
She had practiced martial arts since childhood and felt combat was a way to sublimate emotions.
If Yutaka Take knew what Bamboo Memory was thinking, he'd surely say: "No, no, no... if you want me dead, just say so. Sublimating emotions? You're sublimating my soul straight to heaven!"
"It's clearly just a joke about Air Groove-senpai," Daiwa Scarlet said cleverly.
She knew Trainer Mizuki loved to mouth off and stir up trouble. Truthfully, she really wanted to see Air Groove's current expression, having such a moment exposed must be incredibly embarrassing for the Empress.
Indeed, many people were already teasing Air Groove. Who would have thought the usually elegant and ladylike Empress would do a ridiculous crab walk before a race? It was too funny.
A group of them even wanted to go find Air Groove just to see her face.
Twin Turbo suggested: "Hey, let's go find Air Groove-senpai right now and ask her how it felt!"
Marvelous Sunday's eyes lit up. "Marvelous! The world is so marvelous! But Turbo, do you really want to ask how she felt, or do you just want to see her looking embarrassed?"
Twin Turbo didn't even deny it, raising an eyebrow. "Hehe, don't you?"
"I do!" Marvelous Sunday replied without hesitation.
The thought of a blushing, shy Air Groove was simply... Marvelous.
Mayano Top Gun was pumped too. "I'm in, I'm in!"
In the President's Office:
"How could this happen? I crab-walked? This does not fit an Empress's image!"
Air Groove's inner defenses were shattered. Looking at the log entries about her races, she felt Trainer Mizuki was targeting her.
No, it wasn't a feeling, Mizuki had to be targeting her.
First, she wrote about her losing the Japan Cup to Pilsudski, then her loss to El Condor Pasa, and now the crab walk at the Arima Kinen.
Hardly a single good word has been written about Air Groove.
She didn't mind the losing parts as much, but the crab walk... what did that even mean?! She huffed inwardly.
'Trainer Mizuki, you and I have officially started a feud today.'
She felt it was truly necessary to drag her to the basement for a "heart-to-heart." Couldn't she write something good about her for once?
Symboli Rudolf, seeing Air Groove blushing and biting her lip, thought the scene was quite cute and was laughing internally.
But she knew Air Groove had skin thinner than paper when it came to stuff like this, so she'd be very upset.
Rudolf thought: 'It's okay. If worst comes to worst, I'll just do a crab walk myself. If the President of Tracen does it, everyone will stop paying attention to Air Groove.'
However, just as she had that thought, she heard a commotion at the door. The group of mischievous youngsters had arrived.
Air Groove panicked and bolted for the door. "President Rudolf, I... I suddenly remembered something! I'm leaving!"
"I'll leave the paperwork for later— no matter how much there is, I'll finish it today!"
With that, Air Groove leaped out, showing the true speed of an Empress.
"Whoa, isn't that Air Groove-senpai? Hey! Air Groove-senpai~~~!" Mayano Top Gun chased after her for a few steps.
She never expected that the roles would be reversed today— usually, she was the one being chased by the Empress.
Being the chaser feels so fresh and fun!
Rudolf couldn't call her back. She leaned her head in her hand.
'They got here too fast...'
At that moment, the log continued.
[Soon, after the pre-race antics, all the horses were in the gates. Under the eyes of the world, this Arima Kinen finally began.]
[First, all eyes were on Seiun Sky. He was the 1st favorite, and everyone knew he would use an Escape strategy. However, unexpectedly, Seiun Sky made a massive strategic error in this race.]
[He tried to use his Escape style while avoiding the crowded inner rails, but by taking the wide route, he disrupted his own leading rhythm, leaving him with no power for the final stretch.]
[Grass Wonder, meanwhile, hovered around 7th or 8th place at the start. He maintained a perfect rhythm.]
[This was also the retirement race for the Empress, Air Groove. She had reached the pinnacle shortly after her debut and had always wanted to conquer the world as a mare. But after El Condor Pasa appeared in the Japan Cup, her ambitions were shattered.]
[So, in this final battle, she wanted to defend her honor.]
[Seiun Sky, King Halo, Grass Wonder, Air Groove— every horse came with their own dreams and bore their own pressures as they sprinted forward.]
[But in this Arima Kinen, Air Groove's luck was simply terrible. During the race, she threw a shoe, which significantly hindered her performance in her final curtain call.]
[The siblings Mejiro Bright and Mejiro Dober were also sprinting, carrying the last glory of the Mejiro family, hoping to revitalize their golden years by winning the Arima Kinen.]
[As the race reached its climax, Grass Wonder was the first to accelerate. To everyone's shock, he completed a miraculous resurrection.]
[His incredible tenacity amazed the crowd, and his speed allowed him to instantly overtake the JRA's top-tier G1 horses, charging straight for 1st place.]
[Empress Air Groove's finishing kick was as sharp as ever, but the erosion of time meant she could no longer hold on until the end. She could no longer withstand the onslaught of the Golden Generation.]
[No matter how unwilling she was, the era of the Empress had come to an end.]
[At the 200m mark of the final straight, Grass Wonder had seized the lead. But the suspense remained. Just as he pulled ahead, Mejiro Bright came charging from the extreme outside, overtaking several opponents to hunt down Grass.]
[In the back, King Halo also began to accelerate, but at 2500m, his stamina failed him, and he couldn't break out of the pack.]
[In the final moments, it became a duel to the death between Mejiro Bright and Grass Wonder.]
[Ultimately, Grass Wonder held off the pressure. He won this G1 Arima Kinen by half a length. It was undoubtedly a miracle!]
[The Phoenix rises from the ashes!]
[The horse that reached the pinnacle at three years old was still as strong at four years old!]
[The horse that stood at the peak as a junior remained just as strong as a senior!]
[This is the Golden Generation. They began winning against senior horses in their classic year, and once they reached their senior year, they dominated every single G1 event.]
[Special Week, Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder, and El Condor Pasa swept all the G1 titles they entered.]
[In the end, Grass Wonder took 1st, Mejiro Bright 2nd, Seiun Sky 4th, Air Groove 5th, King Halo 6th, and Mejiro Dober 9th.]
[This result was a massive surprise to many.]
[Especially Grass Wonder's resurrection, no one saw it coming, including his owner.]
[He said: "I never dreamed that Grass Wonder could be resurrected at the Arima Kinen."]
["To be honest, I felt a lot of pressure when El Condor Pasa won the Japan Cup."]
["If winning the G1 Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes with a four-race win streak was the first part of his life, then winning the Arima Kinen marks the start of the second part."]
[Grass Wonder's victory shattered the expectations of many experts. They thought he should specialize in the 1600m mile route, but he proved he could run 2500m just fine.]
[At the same time, several records were set: He was the first foreign-bred horse to win the Arima Kinen, and he set a record for winning it with the fewest career starts (only 7 starts including the Arima Kinen).]
[Later, his record would be tied by Blast Onepiece and Efforia, and finally broken in 2022 by the genius boy named Equinox, who won the Arima Kinen in just 6 races, surpassing Grass-san's record.]
Inside Tracen, everyone was staring wide-eyed.
"The Phoenix, Grass Wonder... that nickname is so cool! And congrats, Grass-chan! I knew you could do it."
"This is the Arima Kinen championship! If I hadn't gone to the world stage, we might have met at the Arima," El Condor Pasa said with a straight back and a proud smile.
She was incredibly proud to be part of the Golden Generation that swept the senior titles.
However, El was a bit confused. She felt the nickname "Phoenix" suited her better— after all, Grass isn't a bird, but a Condor is.
El's CPU was starting to smoke again from the confusion.
"By the way, what does 'age three' and 'age four' mean? It's impossible for Grass-chan to be running at age three, that's too young. Maybe it refers to the grade in Tracen Academy?"
"Hmm... if that's the case, it makes sense. The first two years as training years, the third as the Classic year, and the fourth as the Senior year. It's reasonable," Biwa Hayahide said, pushing up her glasses.
She suddenly noticed the frames were damaged and expanded more than they should.
'The quality of these frames is poor. It has nothing to do with my head being big, it's definitely the glasses.'
She wiped them and put them back on, pretending not to care while smoothing her long silver hair to make her face look smaller and more refined.
"True, running at three is too crazy. There's no way," Winning Ticket agreed.
It wasn't that she was being stubborn, it just sounded too outrageous.
"I lost, I lost. That's Grass-chan for you— not just her looks, but her aura is second to none. More importantly, her racing ability. Senior Grass still showed dominance, while Sei-chan failed," Seiun Sky said with her usual high EQ.
She praised Grass Wonder, making her blush. Being told you have great aura and looks naturally makes a girl happy.
Internally, Seiun Sky was at peace. She knew her talent gap compared to Grass and the others was large, the Kikuka Sho would likely be her last title.
But she hadn't given up, she'd keep looking for a way.
"Mejiro Bright and Mejiro Dober-san were also amazing. The glory of the Mejiro family is something we protect together," Mejiro McQueen said, pumping a small fist.
She felt like becoming a cheerleader for the Mejiros.
If she actually did it, she'd be a beautiful sight. Een if she was a bit chonky, she was elegant and pretty.
"But Air Groove-senpai's luck was really bad. She didn't get a perfect ending. Losing a shoe is such a shame, otherwise, she might have had a great result," Special Week sighed.
At the same time, she thought about a question.
'The end of Air Groove's era meant the era of the Golden Generation would eventually end too. Who would take the baton from them?'
Special Week's eyes suddenly lit up. If she remembered correctly, it was T.M. Opera O, right? But she didn't know which race would be the final curtain call for the Golden Generation.
Lastly, Special Week looked at King Halo. In the current Golden Generation, only King Halo hadn't won a G1 yet. She wanted to say something encouraging, but didn't know how to start.
However, King Halo showed no sign of dejection. She had seen those stinging comments.
'Accept the reality that you aren't first-rate? Impossible to achieve any results?'
If she were truly affected by such words, then she would be the one who was truly laughable. She believed in her own heart, for this was her first-rate path.
No matter how much she was criticized or ridiculed, she would forever declare herself as "The First-Rate King Halo."
A King does not take a single step back, and she would never bow in submission. It was with this very resolve that she came to Tracen Academy.
No matter how much she endured, she would prove it to everyone. She would take the championship, she would earn everyone's recognition.
At that moment, El Condor Pasa was stunned by the expression on King Halo's face. It was a look of unwavering determination, unyielding and noble, that brooked no desecration.
El was struck by a thought: In her eyes, King Halo was a first-class Uma Musume at this very moment, worthy of her deepest respect.
El had won many races, but if she were to fail one day, would she have the courage to start over?
She committed King Halo's expression to memory.
True "first-rate" status meant the noble posture of remaining steadfast and moving forward in the face of failure, never bowing down.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, China:
"Invincible, I think I'll like this Tracen Academy you mentioned. Everyone in it has so much personality," River Verdon said briskly.
She was stunning, possessing the charm of a 1990s Hong Kong star. While Invincible was certainly beautiful, she seemed a bit too youthful standing next to a mature "Big Sister" like the long-legged River Verdon.
"Our racecourses in China have began construction. I believe our own Golden Generation will emerge soon."
"Recently, the China Racing Monthly published the progress on the Wenzhou Racecourse project, and from what they've said, construction is going great."
"It's only a few hours by plane from here to Wenzhou. I believe racecourses will eventually be built in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou."
She believed that Chinese Uma Musume would one day be world-famous. Her intuition was always sharp.
Since ancient times, Chinese people have had a high passion for horses, such competitions suited the local palate perfectly and even had universal appeal.
Golden Sixty listened and offered a small smile. Wearing her hair in a high ponytail, she looked up at the sky, wondering what her real-horse counterpart was like.
She knew her real-horse was a stallion, but what would they talk about when they met?
However, Golden Sixty didn't know that most Hong Kong racehorses are actually geldings— meaning they've been castrated. While this wasn't an issue in the Tracen world, it was a major detail in the real-horse world.
But for now, with Mizuki's logs exposed, they were all feeling a second wind of vitality.
Mizuki's Log continues:
[Soon, time arrived at the end of the 20th century. Special Week, Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, and King Halo entered a brand-new year and began a new journey.]
[At the start of 1999, Special Week entered the Senior circuit. Her first race was the G2 American Jockey Club Cup on January 24th.]
[Before the race, jockey Olivier Peslier looked at Special Week's poor training form and doubted: "Is this really a Derby winner?"]
[However, the final result— a 3-length victory— erased the doubts of both Peslier and those around him.]
[Two months later, in the G2 Hanshin Daishoten, Yutaka Take returned to the saddle. Although Special Week lost the popularity poll to last year's winner, Mejiro Bright, taking 2nd favorite, he remained ahead of Bright throughout the race.]
[He won by 3/4 of a length, proving his strength over the 3000m long distance.]
[Soon, the date became May 2, 1999. Any fan of Special Week knows what day this is. It's Spe-chan's birthday.]
[On this very day, Special Week faced a crucial battle: One of the Eight Major Races, the G1 Tenno Sho Spring. Over the grueling 3200m distance, Special Week, Kikuka Sho winner Seiun Sky, and Mejiro Bright swept the top three popularity spots. The race was a powder keg waiting to explode.]
[As for Seiun Sky in 1999, he had completed his resurrection in her first race of the year, the Nikkei Sho, winning by a massive 5 lengths.]
[He then entered the Tenno Sho Spring, intending to settle scores with Special Week and Mejiro Bright.]
[As for why Grass Wonder didn't participate: First, foreign-bred horses were not eligible for the Tenno Sho Spring at the time. Second, even if he had been eligible, it wouldn't have mattered, because Grass-san was, once again, injured.]
[In early 1999, Grass Wonder's trainer, Ogata, stated in an interview that their strategy differed from El Condor Pasa's. They announced that Grass Wonder would focus on domestic races and had no plans for overseas campaigns for now.]
[However, the path was rocky. His first race was supposed to be the Nakayama Kinen in March, but he suffered muscle pain in his right shoulder during training and had to withdraw, pivoting to the Osaka Hai in April.]
[On the eve of the Osaka Hai, Grass Wonder was found with a laceration under his left eye accompanied by bleeding. Under general anesthesia, he required 40 stitches. Fortunately, her recovery was excellent.]
[The staff checked his stable thoroughly, as he wasn't a violent horse, but found nothing. How his eye was injured remains an unsolved mystery.]
[The camp eventually shifted his debut to the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup, a precursor to the G1 Yasuda Kinen.]
[During his recovery, Grass Wonder trained aggressively to avoid becoming "Grass Fat-der" again.]
[Then again, "Special Fat" and "Grass Fat-der" sounds like a great pair of couple names.]
[These two horses really are a goldmine for memes.]
Inside Tracen Academy, Spica Clubroom:
"Grass... Grass Fat-der..."
Grass Wonder heard the nickname and lost her composure.
'Trainer Mizuki, you really know how to name people...'
No girl would be happy with a nickname like that. She was annoyed, but she had to maintain her smile.
However, she vowed that if she ever got injured again, she wouldn't just eat and eat. To maintain her ladylike image, she'd have to force herself to move around and lose weight.
She also decided that the next time she met Trainer Mizuki, she'd have to "arrange" something for her...
But when she saw Special Week's nickname, "Special Fat", she completely lost it and burst out laughing.
Special Week looked piteous and determined to maintain her figure. But she was also worried about Grass.
'Why did the usually steady Grass-chan keep getting into accidents and injuries?'
Thankfully the logs exposed it, but the thought of 40 stitches made her head hurt.
Tokai Teio was terrified too. Getting shots are one of her biggest fears, and she can't imagine how terrifying it'd be to need forty stiches.
Mizuki's Log continues:
[Meanwhile, the King Halo team also made adjustments in 1999.]
[Having witnessed his repeated defeats in long-distance races, his camp chose to pivot to the Mile circuit. King Halo did not disappoint, winning the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and the Nakayama Kinen by large margins under Yoshitomi Shibata, achieving a back-to-back graded stakes victory.]
[As for El Condor Pasa, he was confirmed to head to France in 1999, targeting the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.]
[On April 15, 1999, El officially arrived in France and moved into the Chantilly Training Center. However, in the first few months, he struggled. Unaccustomed to European turf, even light training made him easily exhausted.]
[His first race was set for May 23: the 1850m G1 Prix d'Ispahan. This was the first time a Japanese horse had ever entered this race.]
[So, while Spe-chan and Seiun Sky were clashing, Grass Wonder was recovering, and King Halo was moving to miles, El Condor Pasa was in France preparing for a G1.]
[Back to the Tenno Sho Spring clash.]
[On May 2, 1999, the gates opened at Kyoto Racecourse. Special Week chose a forward position, while Seiun Sky stuck to his Escape strategy.]
[This time, Sky's rhythm was excellent, avoiding his Arima Kinen mistakes. Mejiro Bright also maintained a steady pace.]
[But at the final straight, just as Seiun Sky was fighting to hold his lead, Special Week launched his attack from behind. At the 200m mark, Sky hadn't lost speed and was a step away from another crown.]
[However, he couldn't withstand Special Week's powerful final kick. In the last 100m, Special Week overtook the long-time leader, held off Mejiro Bright's charge, and won by half a length.]
[Special Week won himself the best possible birthday present: A Tenno Sho title.]
[At this point, many believed that the era of Special Week has arrived.]
[In this race, Special Week was 1st, Mejiro Bright 2nd, and Seiun Sky 3rd.]
[Thinking about it, Mejiro Bright was quite consistant at being 2nd. He lost to Grass Wonder by half a length in the Arima Kinen to take 2nd, and lost to Special Week by half a length here to take 2nd again.]
[At this time, another big announcement came out. Special Week's camp announced he would retire within the year. Initially, they planned to send him to the Arc as well, choosing the July 11th Takarazuka Kinen as his send-off race.]
[As for Seiun Sky, after the Tenno Sho, he planned to rest until the Sapporo Kinen in August.]
[During this time, El Condor Pasa had his first race in France.]
[On May 23rd, the G1 Prix d'Ispahan began. El, as the first Japanese entry, was the 1st favorite. He ran on the outside in 6th, gradually climbing to 3rd. In the final sprint, El, Gold Away, and Kabool formed a three-horse line, with El briefly gaining a one-length lead.]
[However, the winner of the G1 Prix Lupin, Croco Rouge, found a gap, switched to the outside, and burst through in the final 150m. El Condor Pasa finished 2nd.]
[However, he clearly wasn't at 100%. As his team said, he made rapid progress with every race. After this, he was much better adapted to foreign turf.]
[After the Ispahan, his training improved rapidly. His team could have chosen the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G2) or the Eclipse Stakes (G1), but trainer Yoshitaka Ninomiya ruled them out after checking the tracks, deciding on the 2400m Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) on July 4th.]
[Because of its prestige in French middle-distance racing, this race is often called "The French Takarazuka Kinen" in Japan.]
[El was the 2nd favorite, behind the German King of Horses, Tiger Hill. The field included Sagamix, German Derby winner Borgia, and French Derby winner Dream Well.]
[Besides the rivals, El faced a challenge of endurance. While the distance was the same as the Japan Cup, the turf was different, and he was asked to carry a 61kg top weight— something he had never done. Jockey Masayoshi Ebina worried if he could last the distance.]
[This race was an unprecedented challenge: Legendary rivals, an unfamiliar track, and a massive weight.]
[Fould the world-class El Condor Pasa, known to "Always finish 1st or 2nd, withstand the pressure? This was widely debated abroad at the time.]
[While El was preparing, amazing races were happening back in Japan.]
[First was Grass Wonder's comeback in the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup. His performance was considered even more exciting than many G1 races.]
[Before the race, even his own camp didn't favor him because the distance was 1100m shorter than his last race, the Arima Kinen.]
[Jockey Hitoshi Matoba said bluntly: "I don't think I can win."]
[Despite this, Grass Wonder pulled to the far outside and swept past the leaders in one breath, defeating the major rival Air Jihad. Though the margin was only 3/4 of a length, he ran a final three-furlong time of 33.3 seconds, which was extremely powerful for the time.]
[Matoba later said that when he looked at the front pack, he was confused: "Why do they look like they've stopped?"]
[Because of this, the magazine Yushun called this race "An Otherworldly Run."]
[One can only say that Grass-san is truly formidable.]
[Then came a race that captured everyone's attention: The G1 Yasuda Kinen on June 13, 1999.]
[This wasn't the duel between Special Week and Seiun Sky from the Tenno Sho. It was a duel between Grass Wonder— fresh off his Keio Hai victory— and King Halo, who had won back-to-back mile graded stakes.]
[With powerful milers like Air Jihad in the mix, the hype was unprecedented.]
[On race day, Grass Wonder was the 1st favorite with 1.3 odds. King Halo was 2nd, just behind him.]
[Grass's camp was full of confidence, and many expected King Halo to follow in Taiki Shuttle's footsteps and shine on the mile circuit.]
[But the result exceeded all expectations.]
[Grass Wonder used his usual style, advancing from the back. At the final straight, he led by several lengths, making victory seem certain. But in the final stretch, the unexpected happened.]
[Grass Wonder was caught by Air Jihad coming from the outside and lost by a nose.]
[The trainer and jockey were devastated. Ogata told reporters: "A nose is the same as a length, a loss is a loss, a win is a win. That's horse racing. Having said that, I am extremely disappointed."]
[Matoba later said at the 400m mark, he tried to avoid a horse whose jockey had nearly fallen. Grass Wonder might have mistaken his movement as a signal to accelerate and exerted his power too early, running out of stamina at the very end.]
[Additionally, the weather in June 1999 was abnormally hot, "The Big Yellow Cow" might not be heat-tolerant. Ogata considered this a factor and was cautious about entering the upcoming Takarazuka Kinen.]
[However, the symptoms subsided two weeks before the race, so the camp decided to enter the July 11th Takarazuka Kinen to have a head-on clash with Special Week.]
[Grass Wonder wasn't the only upset in the Yasuda Kinen. King Halo was even more surprising— despite being 2nd favorite, he finished 11th, a crushing defeat to Air Jihad.]
[But the King Halo camp also planned to enter the Takarazuka Kinen.]
[Actually, for the 1999 Takarazuka Kinen, most people only remember Special Week vs. Grass Wonder, The General of Japan vs. The Resurrected Phoenix.]
[But people forget... our King Halo was there, too.]
Many Uma Musume were staring wide-eyed, hearts racing. The content of the Golden Generation was so rich and thrilling, it felt as if they were right there.
In France:
"Truly wonderful. Special Week vs. Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder vs. King Halo... it's a pity Grass and King don't participate in world-class events, otherwise I'd want to run with them. And the same for El Condor Pasa," Treve remarked.
She was dressed beautifully. She had pink hair, a small dress hat, white gloves, a blue silk scarf, and black tights under her uniform, looking like the quintessential girl-next-door.
Her eyes shone with longing for the Arc.
She wondered: 'If the one in that Arc hadn't been Montjeu, but her, could she have defeated the "Always 1st or 2nd" world-class El Condor Pasa?'
"Yes, she's a respectable opponent. But I won't lose. Whether it's the me of the real-horse world or the me of Tracen, I stand here ready for any challenge," Montjeu declared with unshakable confidence.
She respected El, but only off the track. On stage, she would show no mercy.
"Always 1st or 2nd" was strong, but for her, there was only one position: The top.
Inside Spica:
"El really works that hard abroad? If it were me, I'd find a place to play first," Gold Ship mused.
'Travel equals fun, right?'
But thinking of her own Arc record, Gold Ship felt a twinge of regret. She decided she would go to the Arc one more time.
This time, she would take back everything she lost. No more "travel is fun"— it was going to be "fighting is fun!" She would reclaim her glory.
Special Week was happy to see she won the Tenno Sho Spring, but her heart started pounding again when she saw the upcoming duel with Grass Wonder.
And would she really retire in 1999?
She felt a deep reluctance, she wanted to run for a few more years so her mother could watch her.
She decided to win as much as possible before retirement. She noted Grass Wonder's regret in the Yasuda Kinen— losing by just a nose. Such a tiny margin was heartbreaking.
She whispered to herself: "If I ever got into a desperate sprint for the finish, I'll stretch my head forward as much as possible. A win is a win!"
However, Spe-chan didn't know yet that while her idea was great, the actual execution might turn out a little... different.
Silence Suzuka saw this and nodded silently. When crossing the line, one must work hard, the view ahead must never be surrendered.
Suzuka also realized that from 1999 onwards, there were no records of her racing.
Her real-horse counterpart had died during the 1998 Tenno Sho Autumn.
But it didn't matter, she would work hard to win and rewrite that fate.
However, Suzuka turned her head and caught a glimpse of Taiki Shuttle's chest. She imagined if she and Taiki Shuttle crossed the finish line at the exact same time... well, Taiki's physique clearly offered a biological advantage.
Suzuka looked at her own figure. She hadn't expected to find a disadvantage here.
'Unfair, it's unfair!'
Then she reconsidered. Taiki Shuttle carried more "weight" than she did. Those extra few centimeters didn't really matter.
Suzuka shook her head quickly.
'No, no, why am I thinking about such nonsense? I should see who wins between Spe-chan and Grass Wonder.'
Furthermore, Suzuka hoped that at the final moment, King Halo could pull off a miracle. She was a member of the Golden Generation, and her strength was undeniable.
Suzuka had run against King Halo before and believed she could take a championship.
King Halo herself clenched her teeth. She wasn't just a supporting character for the Golden Generation.
Next time... next time she would win! She would get back up right where she fell.
Little did King Halo know, the future awaiting her was incredibly tragic.
El Condor Pasa was now silently reading the log. She knew her opponent was Montjeu, and she knew the result of the Arc. But she didn't have time for sorrow, she wanted to know more details.
She had to seize this opportunity, change her training, and win the rematch against Montjeu.
Before, El might have cried in frustration, but remembering King Halo's resolute expression gave her strength.
Indeed, it's hard to improve alone. That is the very reason Tracen exists. Everyone competes, everyone works hard, and together they construct a Golden Generation.
It was because of this that El Condor Pasa could spread her wings and fly high. She kept her eyes wide, curiously reading the following content.
Mizuki's Log continues:
[July 11, Takarazuka Kinen. In the fan vote, Special Week ranked 1st, while Grass Wonder, the G1 winner of the Arima Kinen and Asahi Hai Sansai Stakes, ranked 2nd.]
[Due to JRA rules at the time, foreign-bred horses could not participate in the Classic Triple Crown. Therefore, this was the first head-to-head duel between Grass Wonder and Special Week.]
[However, because Grass Wonder had recently lost the Yasuda Kinen to Air Jihad, and rumors of him being an "early bloomer" persisted alongside his health issues, many favored Special Week. Before the race, Special Week was pushed to 1st favorite.]
[Grass Wonder was the 2nd favorite, once again overshadowed by Special Week in popularity.]
[Soon, the Takarazuka Kinen began. This race, billed as a "Clash of the Titans," was intense from the start.]
[The gates opened. Special Week held 4th or 5th place, with Grass Wonder slightly behind, staying tight to the pack around 6th.]
[Grass Wonder's jockey, Hitoshi Matoba, unleashed his signature "Marking" strategy, staying exactly 2 to 3 lengths behind Special Week the entire way.]
[Entering the final curve, Special Week was the first to exert power, briefly pulling away from Grass Wonder.]
[But then, something that shocked everyone happened. Grass Wonder began his late-stage acceleration. With a field-topping 3F time of 35.1s, he overtook Special Week at the 200m mark and won by 3 lengths.]
[By the way, the 3rd place finisher, Stay Gold, was a full 7 lengths behind Special Week— meaning Grass Wonder surpassed him by 10 lengths. That shows the incredible caliber of this race.]
[The dust settled. The duel ended in Grass Wonder's victory.]
[This result created one of the most famous lines in the Uma Musume world: "Today's Spe-chan was no match for me."]
[At that time, a "Ranking" appeared among Japanese fans: El Condor Pasa > Grass Wonder > Special Week. Rumors that domestic-bred horses were inferior to foreign-bred ones were rampant.]
[After losing the Takarazuka Kinen, Special Week's plan to enter the Arc was scrapped. Instead, he set his sights on the Autumn Triple Crown: the Tenno Sho Autumn, Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen.]
[It's clear that the G1 Takarazuka Kinen is the litmus test for the Arc. Much like T.M. Opera O and Special Week, many canceled their French plans after losing here.]
[Conversely, Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa both won the Takarazuka Kinen and went straight to the Arc, and many others still chose to go regardless.]
[In this race, King Halo once again performed poorly, finishing 11th. Many experts concluded he would never win a G1.]
[While Special Week chose the Autumn Triple Crown path, Grass Wonder and King Halo set their sights on the next Graded Race, the Mainichi Okan. Grass had suffered a major 5th-place defeat there the previous year and wanted his revenge.]
[Grass Wonder entered the Mainichi Okan because, under the rules of the time, he was barred from the Tenno Sho Autumn. El Condor Pasa's owner, Watanabe, had asked if he could enter the Tenno Sho, but the JRA flatly refused.]
[This dissatisfaction contributed to El's early retirement.]
[Speaking of El Condor Pasa, let's go back a week to July 4, 1999. The 2400m G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud— called the "French Takarazuka Kinen" by the Japanese— began.]
[Despite internal and external pressures, El showed incredible strength. He held 4th place until the final straight.]
[In the sprint, El pulled to the outside and bested Tiger Hill in a battle of final kicks, winning by 2 and 1/2 lengths.]
[This victory was the third G1 win for a Japanese horse in France, and it remains the only middle-to-long distance G1 win by a Japanese horse in France to this day. This proves El Condor Pasa's elite status.]
[Trainer Yuji Ito remarked: "The victory at Saint-Cloud is of high value because European horses usually dominate at this distance."]
[However, El was found to be injured after the race. Initially thought to be minor, it developed into symptoms similar to tendonitis, requiring rest until August.]
[Trainer Ninomiya suggested following the route of 1996 Arc winner Helissio by entering the 1600m G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, but Watanabe and others felt that was "too non-mainstream."]
[They ultimately decided on the G2 Prix Foy, which shares the same distance and track as the Arc and is considered the premier prep race.]
[In August, the G2 Sapporo Kinen began. Seiun Sky's jockey, Norihiro Yokoyama, gave no instructions, letting Sky run entirely at his own pace.]
[The unguided Seiun Sky waited at the back and burst out in the final straight, defeating the 1998 Double Tiara winner, Phalaenopsis, to take the win.]
[With a record of two wins and one 3rd place in three starts, people believed Seiun Sky had resurrected and was starting a new chapter. He set his target on the Tenno Sho Autumn.]
[Thus, in the Golden Generation, Special Week and Seiun Sky would meet again in the Tenno Sho Autumn, while King Halo and Grass Wonder would clash in the Mainichi Okan. Two great battles were imminent.]
[Meanwhile, El Condor Pasa stood alone in France, walking the path to the world stage.]
[To be honest, writing this makes me a bit emotional. If you only watch the Uma Musume anime, the content shown in each episode is so little that racing feels very simplified.]
[In reality, every decision, every race, the training, and the discussions behind them are extensive. The joy of victory is incredibly real.]
[The El Condor Pasa camp planned, revised, and prepared over and over for the Arc. Special Week, Grass Wonder, Seiun Sky, King Halo, and the others did the same.]
[The anime has its limitations, but Cygames did their best to let more people understand Uma Musume and racing.]
[The JRA story moves to October, but everyone's attention was on El's Arc.]
[In August, the G2 Prix Foy was about to begin. Before the race, Sagamix withdrew due to the track conditions, leaving only three runners: El Condor Pasa, Croco Rouge (who had previously beaten him), and Borgia.]
[All three of these horses were incredibly strong.]
[El took the lead from the start and held it until the final curve. Borgia briefly led, but El re-accelerated from the inside and won by a head. Revenge was complete.]
[After the Prix Foy, El had a brief period of maladjustment, but with the full support of the Lamorlaye Training Center, he quickly improved. His team was amazing. He was granted priority, allowing him to ignore the schedule and always be the first to use the best training tracks.]
[Finally, on October 3rd, the eyes of the world were on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.]
[The track conditions were terrible. Heavy rain in Paris had created the softest ground since 1972. This was good for El Condor Pasa, who adapted well to soft ground. However, the team was worried because the opponent, Montjeu, was also a master of heavy ground.]
[The final field of 14 included 8 G1 winners, many of whom were legends in international racing history. It was a star-studded lineup.]
[El's team took an unexpected gamble. They chose a Front Runner strategy— something he never tried before. They believed that even though he hadn't done it, his talent and rhythm control would make it work.]
[It was their all-in move for victory.]
[But the race was unpredictable. The horse expected to lead, Genghis Khan, stayed in 2nd, leaving El alone in front. The team originally wanted to mark Genghis Khan from 2nd, but now, they were being marked by him. Regardless, El led fearlessly, holding a 2-length lead until the final sprint.]
[However, Montjeu, who had been running on the inside in 5th or 6th, broke out to the outside at the 400m mark and began a fierce pursuit. At the 100m mark, the two horses were neck-and-neck.]
[In the end, Montjeu's brilliance won out, he overtook El from the left and won by a narrow 1/2 length.]
[El Condor Pasa took 2nd, a staggering 6 lengths ahead of the 3rd place Croco Rouge.]
[In reality, Montjeu's performance was perfect. El was incredible, but Montjeu literally squeezed his way out of the pack to overtake him. El was defeated by half a length, a gap that felt impossible to overcome.]
[That was the despairing reality.]
[Montjeu lived up to his nickname: The Century-Defining Genius. Had his footwork been even slightly off, he would have been trapped. He forced a path through the pack and won fairly. El's team lost with full respect for the victor.]
[The world is cruel. El Condor Pasa was just one step away. This tragic ambition became a famous line in Uma Musume: "I was... just a little bit away from the world."]
[Despite the loss, Japanese fans and those present gave El high praise. Montjeu's trainer, John Hammond, told the media: "If the ground were firmer, we might not have won. Though the ground favored Montjeu today, this race had two winners. They practically crossed the line together."]
[El returned to Japan on October 11th. At the airport, he was welcomed by a banner: "Congratulations, World Stayer, El Condor Pasa."]
[The JRA and Shadai Farm requested he stay in active service for the Japan Cup. But due to the restrictions on foreign-bred horses and the previous refusal regarding the Tenno Sho, owner Takashi Watanabe decided to retire him. He considered the Breeders' Cup Turf in the US but chose retirement instead.]
[In a documentary, he said: "Thinking it over... no injuries, and a 100% 'always 1st or 2nd' rate... that's enough, isn't it?"]
[On November 28, 1999, during the lunch break before the Japan Cup, El Condor Pasa held his retirement ceremony at Tokyo Racecourse. He wore his Arc saddle cloth and ran from the fourth curve to the finish, showing the fans his final run.]
[Watanabe said: "We know everyone wanted him to run in the Japan Cup or Arima Kinen, but I believe one day, you will all understand our decision to let him retire."]
[Jockey Masayoshi Ebina said: "El Condor Pasa is a great horse in Japanese racing history. I wanted to keep riding him, so I feel a bit lonely... I hope one day I can challenge the world's G1 races again on one of his foals."]
[El Condor Pasa became the first of the Golden Generation to retire, with a 100% 1st or 2nd rate. People realized then that the brilliance of the Golden Generation was beginning its slow fade.]
[But the baton was being passed. 1999 saw T.M. Opera O, Admire Vega, and Narita Top Road split the Triple Crown. Their story was about to begin. But for now, the Golden Generation's light was still at its most brilliant.]
Inside Tracen Academy:
"The Takarazuka Kinen... I lost to Grass-chan? Defeated by three lengths? How..."
Special Week was stunned. She hadn't expected to lose so badly.
Was the gap between her and Grass really that large?
In reality, Grass Wonder's record was technically superior since Special Week never managed to beat him head-to-head. But if they had raced ten times, they likely would have been neck-and-neck.
Both, however, were still slightly behind El Condor Pasa. Even years later when Equinox appeared, the JRA only hoped he could match El's level.
It took European rankings to finally place Equinox as Japan's #1.
Special Week knew she still had the Arima Kinen and Japan Cup ahead. She had a chance for revenge. She wanted to know: 'Can I beat Grass-chan?'
"Whoa, Grass-chan, those words are so arrogant! It sounds so cool! I knew you weren't simple, hahaha!" El Condor Pasa laughed.
She thought if someone beat her and then said "Today's El was no match for me," she'd be so mad she couldn't sleep.
"Ahem, which line?" Grass Wonder asked, secretly happy about the win.
"Today's Spe-chan was no match for me!" El Condor Pasa mimicked Grass's tone and expression perfectly— it looked incredibly punchable.
Grass Wonder kept her smile, but a vein popped on her forehead.
'Was that really my tone?'
"Can you do it again? I want to see," El grinned.
"El..." Grass Wonder simply smiled, covering her delicate face with her hand. She looked elegant and noble, yet an invisible aura emanated from her that terrified El Condor Pasa.
'A chill! A demon! Terrifying!'
However, El remained very serious as she read about the Arc de Triomphe. She felt she still had a chance. The reason she could be so relaxed now was largely because she already knew the fact of her defeat at the Arc beforehand.
Now, what she had to do was the same as King Halo: Get back up right where she fell.
"Ah— hahahaha~~" T.M. Opera O let out a laugh. She knew that after 1999, it would be her era. She was about to meet Admire Vega and Narita Top Road, wasn't she?
The Golden Generation was truly magnificent, but her own generation would be just as brilliant. After all, it featured her, the "Overlord of the Century's End."
Beside her, Meisho Doto tried her best to puff out her chest.
She... for the time being, she was the "Vice-Overlord of the Century's End," and she would work hard too.
"Oh... whoops..." Just as Meisho Doto tried to strike a pose, she lost her footing and tripped. Covering her face, she felt too embarrassed to show herself.
She really couldn't stay cool for more than three seconds, it was simply too humiliating.
"Our generation is still going, but it's fast approaching its curtain call. Witnessing one's own beginning and end with one's own eyes... it's a truly subtle feeling," Seiun Sky said, clasping her hands behind her head.
She was curious about her results in the Tenno Sho Autumn, but she hoped she wasn't the 1st favorite.
She remembered there was a jinx around that race. If you were the 1st favorite, it was supposedly impossible to win the race.
It wasn't until T.M. Opera O appeared that the curse was broken.
So, if she was the favorite, she might as well announce her exit early.
King Halo felt the same. She hadn't expected to place 11th twice. Truth be told, her heart could only take so much. Seeing these results, it was impossible not to feel sad.
But she continued to read. Her brilliance would surely arrive eventually.
In France:
"Montjeu, I didn't expect you to win so beautifully, literally forcing a path open," the adorable Treve said, looking up at Montjeu.
"There was an element of luck. I happened to be good on soft ground. If the ground had been a bit firmer, everything would be uncertain," Montjeu said modestly.
"I don't think so. Your performance on firm ground is quite good too. Besides, luck is a part of strength, isn't it?"
"Sigh, I really don't know when she'll write about me. Seriously, Trainer Mizuki, get to me quickly, okay?!"
Treve actually wanted to go to Japan to find Mizuki. She felt that if she showed up in front of her every day to build presence, she would definitely write about her.
Unfortunately, she had to train, or she would have left already.
She continued to read.
Mizuki's Log continues:
[After El Condor Pasa announced his retirement following the Arc, everyone's eyes returned to the JRA.]
[The first battle of October: Grass Wonder and King Halo met in the G2 Mainichi Okan. Grass Wonder was the 1st favorite, but his performance wasn't perfect. At the final 200m, although he gradually pushed forward to take the lead, the 4th favorite, Meisho Odo, hung on tenaciously.]
[After a photo finish, it was determined that Grass Wonder won by a 3cm nose.]
[Jockey Matoba stated after the race: "I thought we could have won more beautifully."]
[This narrow victory made the camp worry about Grass Wonder's aptitude for counter-clockwise tracks.]
[His previous losses had all been on the counter-clockwise track at Tokyo Racecourse, and the Mainichi Okan used that same layout. Winning with such difficulty against Meisho Odo, who hadn't won a single graded stakes at the time, was indeed cause for concern.]
[After all, the next race, the Japan Cup, was also at Tokyo. Special Week would be there, and it looked to be the stage for a rematch between Grass and Special.]
[Unfortunately, while preparing for the Japan Cup, Grass Wonder suffered muscle pain again and was forced to withdraw, shifting his goal to the year-end Arima Kinen.]
[To be honest, if Grass Wonder had run the Japan Cup, the probability of Special Week winning would have been very high.]
[But unfortunately for Spe-chan, Grass-san was injured again.]
[Conversely, Silence Suzuka was an expert on counter-clockwise tracks. I'd suggest Grass Wonder and Silence Suzuka go run in circles together and become close friends, leaving Spe-chan to cry out: "What about me?"]
[That's truly a path that hasn't been imagined before.]
[Joking aside, in that Mainichi Okan, King Halo finished 5th, once again a supporting runner to Grass Wonder. However, King Halo could still participate in the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn, so he began his preparations.]
[Meanwhile, Special Week's journey had a few hiccups. On October 10th, in the G2 Kyoto Daishoten, the 1st favorite Special Week got off to a bad start. After passing the final curve in 2nd place, he suddenly lost speed and finished a disastrous 7th. The winner was Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi.]
[As I wrote before, this was the first and last time in his life he finished outside the top three. Many fans wondered: Has Special Week suffered a major setback?]
[There was another victim in this race: T.M. Opera O, helmed by Ryuji Wada.]
[Because Wada adopted a "marking" strategy on Special Week, he didn't realize until the very end: "Wait, why is Special Week back in 7th or 8th? What's going on?"]
[Despite Opera O showing incredible final speed, he only managed 3rd.]
[You could say Uncle Wada was inexperienced here, but he also had a bit of bad luck. Generally, marking Special Week is the safest bet because he was so consistent. He basically never missed the top three in his career.]
[Wada chose the stable route, only for Special Week to have his one off day. Who can you even complain to about that?]
[Wada was likely still dazed by the Classics— accelerating too early in the Derby and too late in the Kikuka Sho. He was stunned, but T.M. Opera O was even more so, basically telling him: "Wada, stop trying to lead, let me carry you."]
[Due to this, Special Week was only the 4th favorite for the October 31st Tenno Sho Autumn. The top three favorites were Seiun Sky, Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, and Mejiro Bright.]
[Looking at this, I wonder if Special Week had some secret master advisor. Everyone thought his 7th place finish was a blunder, but was it actually a 4D chess move?]
[Think about it: The "curse" around the race meant the 1st favorite almost always failed. In 1998, it led to the "Silent Sunday" tragedy for Silence Suzuka.]
[If Special Week had won the Kyoto Daishoten, he would have definitely been the favorite. Even with Seiun Sky's great record, he wouldn't have surpassed Spe-chan in popularity.]
[So Special Week basically said: "1st favorite? No thanks, someone else take it."]
[Thus, the "Fisherman" Seiun Sky, who calculated everything, ended up getting caught by the curse, he became the 1st favorite.]
[Of course, this is just a joke, every horse at that level runs for the win and doesn't fear any "curse", intending to dispell them personally. But it must be noted: They all failed.]
[Before the 1999 Tenno Sho, the famous names who fell to the curse included Oguri Cap, Mejiro McQueen, Tokai Teio, Rice Shower, Biwa Hayahide, Narita Brian, and Silence Suzuka.]
[So, many wanted to see if Seiun Sky could break the curse as the favorite. And could King Halo achieve a resurrection? The race on October 31, 1999, began under this heavy atmosphere.]
[Before the start, Seiun Sky suffered a setback: He had another conflict with other horses while entering the gate, which affected him to some extent.]
[When the gates finally opened, Sky's start was decent, and he took the lead. Meanwhile, Special Week returned to the Late Surger strategy he hadn't used since the previous year's Kikuka Sho, running very steadily.]
[Mejiro Bright marked Special Week right up to the final straight.]
[In the last 200m, Special Week exerted his full power, overtaking the leaders. Seiun Sky performed poorly this time and was quickly passed.]
[Surprisingly, the one battling Special Week at the very end was Stay Gold.]
[But Special Week stood firm, crossing the line a neck ahead of Stay Gold. With a time of 1:58.0, he set a new race record and became the second horse after Tamamo Cross to achieve the Tenno Sho sweep.]
[Special Week, in a way, made up for Silence Suzuka's regret. Honestly, if nothing had happened to Suzuka, he and Special Week would have been competing on the same stage here.]