Yaeno Muteki was also astonished after reading:
"I didn't expect that in the 1988 Satsuki Sho, Oguri Cap wouldn't be able to compete. Even worse, everyone thought that if she had, she would have been the ultimate champion..."
"So that was the situation? How ironic. I used to think of myself as a proud G1 Satsuki Sho winner, but now it seems that wasn't the whole story."
"But this is good too. Let us have a fair and square duel here. In our Tracen, there are no such restrictive rules. Everyone can compete— Oguri Cap and Ardan alike."
"Ardan should be fine now, right? After all, with the training rewards, her legs have mostly recovered. She won't miss the Satsuki Sho or the Kikuka-sho this time. We can all compete together."
"Just thinking about it makes my blood boil! With all of you there, our generation will shine even brighter— maybe even surpass the Golden Generation!"
Yaeno Muteki was aggressive in her outlook, possessing a fierce competitive spirit.
Although she was volatile and quick to anger as a child, she had become much more composed after grasping the essence of martial arts, though her underlying ambition remained.
A typical Uma Musume might feel regret knowing her Satsuki Sho win was "asterisked," but Yaeno Muteki was different. She was a born warrior who wanted everyone in the fray.
"In our Tracen Academy, they say the fastest Uma wins the Satsuki Sho. I will prove that as long as I step on that track, I will be the first to cross the finish line."
"I will surely bring glory to my grandparents and the martial arts they taught me."
Mejiro Ardan nodded happily upon hearing this. She touched her ankle, confirming that the issue was no longer a major concern.
To her, being able to run was everything. She would rather be scorched by the sun and run with everyone until she couldn't move than stay inside her hospital room like she previous had.
In fact, Mejiro Ardan had a dream: She wanted to run across all of Japan.
She also had a great fondness for China and wanted to run on the Great Wall— even run across the entirety of China.
She actually cared quite a bit about Invincible. If they went to Japan, she could go find her.
To be honest, Yaeno Muteki and Sakura Chiyono O were terrified when they first heard Mejiro Ardan talk about running from Tokyo to Kyoto, then to Osaka, and then across all of Japan and China in one go.
Sakura Chiyono O's tail even stood on end from the shock. She told Ardan-san that even if her legs were better, she shouldn't run wild like that, as it was easy to get injured.
She felt that Ardan had just been cooped up for too long and wanted to run to her heart's content.
Yaeno Muteki thought it was a fine idea, adding: "Ardan does run very smoothly and has great stamina. Maybe she could win a 3200m race like the Spring Tenno Sho in the future."
Indeed, the Mejiro family specialized in long distances, and Ardan had great potential there.
"So, Oguri Cap will be my rival too... She and Maruzensky-senpai are both called 'Phantom Triple Crown Horses.'"
"Can I... can I really beat Oguri Cap?"
Sakura Chiyono O's heart was pounding. The Uma Musume she admired most was Maruzensky, and since Oguri Cap received the same legendary evaluation, her strength was clearly at an elite level.
She wondered how she'd feel if her opponent was Oguri Cap, the Uma ranked alongside Maruzensky as a Phantom Derby winner.
Would her resolve waver?
"No... I can't back down now. Sakura Chiyono O, have you forgotten your promise to Maruzensky-senpai?"
"Even if the enemy is Oguri Cap... no, even if the enemy were truly Maruzensky-senpai herself, I must run with a mindset of being willing to die to defeat her."
"I've decided, Yaeno Muteki-san! From today on, I'm increasing my training by another 20% on top of my current regimen."
"This time, I don't want to just aim for Maruzensky-senpai's back. I want to... I want to surpass her!"
There was a glimmer of tears in Chiyono O's eyes, representing her resolve. She had promised Maruzensky-senpai she would win the Japanese Derby to complete their shared dream.
She realized her old mindset was just one of following her senpai's footsteps.
But now, for the first time, she wanted to leap past her.
Maruzensky's eyes flickered for a moment when she heard Chiyono O's words, but then a smile played on her lips. This was exactly what she wanted.
"That's so cool, Sakura Chiyono O. The coolest thing a person can do in their life is undoubtedly to surpass themselves."
"When your inner fear can no longer stop you, and you break through that barrier to the next level, the sky is the limit."
"This time at Tracen, I want to witness you fulfilling our shared dream, winning the Japanese Derby again, and reaching the pinnacle of the generation."
Maruzensky was inspired. She also decided to challenge her own weakness: She would sit in the passenger seat of a car for an entire month without using any motion sickness patches.
Super Creek, as the 1988 Kikuka-sho winner, chuckled: "It seems if I want to win the Kikuka-sho this time, I'll have to overcome a powerful opponent."
Super Creek looked at Oguri Cap. She was indeed a gentle Uma Musume, but she was full of competitive spirit regarding races.
She turned to look at Oguri again— that cute face hid an incredibly intense pressure.
She had researched Oguri Cap. She was usually reserved, but when running, she exploded with energy.
White hair, blue eyes, and that low-slung, ultra-high-speed posture... if she had entered the 1988 Kikuka-sho, what kind of shocking performance would she have given?
The timeline of Tracen had shifted quietly. Their future was full of infinite possibilities. Furthermore, Super Creek remembered a sentence Trainer Mizuki had written:
"God exists."
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked forward with unstoppable anticipation.
In their era, who was the Uma Musume referred to as "God"?
Symboli Rudolf and Mejiro Ramonu also saw the account of Sirius Symboli's plight.
"So Sirius Symboli went through that... having her fate decided by others. If her real-life counterpart had stayed in Japan, perhaps she truly would have achieved better results."
Mejiro Ramonu was clever. She was childhood friends with Rudolf and Sirius, and seeing them debut in 1985, she deduced she was also an Uma Musume from around that same year.
'Trainer Mizuki said she would eventually write a log for powerful mares... would I be in it?'
Sirius Symboli said flatly:
"Arbitrarily changing someone else's fate is a wicked thing. Everyone has their own personality, thoughts, goals, and things they stand for."
"The parents I hate most are those who want to turn their child into a second version of themselves— who want their child to be a tool for fulfilling their own dreams."
"Heh. Regardless, this time I will give my all to give my real-life counterpart a chance to choose her life again."
"If she still wants to go to Europe or France, she goes. If she wants to stay in Japan and race, she stays."
In the Tracen world, Sirius Symboli had actually encountered something similar. She was gifted as a child and believed nothing could stop her, she could crush any mountain under her feet. But then she met Symboli Rudolf.
She found that no matter how much she followed the coach's methods, she couldn't beat Rudolf. She began to blame the coach, blame others, and even blame Rudolf— her heart became as fragile as paper.
She later realized that wasn't working. Blaming others was useless.
So she decided to make her own decisions and train her own way based on her own situation.
Taking advice from others is fine to an extent, but she only listens to the advice of those with strong convictions. She wants to be the master of her own fate.
That way, even if she loses, at least she won't have regrets.
Actually, some of Sirius Symboli's words were quite extreme, and her thinking was aggressive and narrow.
If she were the President of Tracen, it would be total chaos— but her words still held a certain truth.
Tanino Gimlet said, "Sirius, I didn't expect you to have gone through such a thing. It fills me with grief and indignation. I'm going to go kick two fence rails to calm down."
"Gimlet, if you're going to kick rails, just kick them. Leave me out of it."
K S Miracle: "Stop kicking. That's damaging public property."
Gold Ship: "Man, this girl's a real criminal, isn't she? Someone should lock her up."
Tap Dance City: "I thought Gold Ship was weird enough, but this Tanino Gimlet is even more ridiculous..."
Tanino Gimlet: "Hey, compared to Gold Ship, I'm perfectly normal, okay?"
Vodka: "Ahem... as someone who has lived with both of you for a long time, you're both cut from the same cloth. Don't call the kettle black."
Gold Ship: "Waaaah! I can't believe you think of me that way. Little Gold Ship is crying, waaaaah!"
Mejiro McQueen: "Disgusting. Tone it down, Gold Ship."
Orfevre said:
"But Sirius Symboli, I didn't expect you to have so many issues before your debut. As a horse that could dominate a generation, you should be like me and strive to make zero mistakes in training and racing."
Gold Ship, hearing this, reached out and touched Orfevre's head in shock:
"Your head isn't burning up with fever, is it? How do you have the nerve to lecture Sirius Symboli?"
"If I didn't know you, I would have been fooled. You're more ridiculous than anyone else, alright?"
Orfevre swiped Gold Ship's hand away and said, "Noisy. Too noisy. I don't deign to explain such matters to losers like you."
However, everyone began to wonder:
Could it be that in 1985, Kenichi Ikezoe hadn't debuted yet? Otherwise, Sirius Symboli would definitely have ended up with him.
He was the classic "victim" for temperamental horses with difficult personalities.
Vivlos remarked, "But speaking of which, I remember Mejiro Ramonu and President Rudolf are from the same era. In the real horse world, I'd have to call Mejiro Ramonu, who debuted in 1985, Auntie— "
Vivlos intended to say "Auntie Ramonu," but her eyes happened to meet Ramonu's at that exact moment.
She felt a surge of terrifying, cold killing intent.
The word "Auntie" was instantly swallowed back down. Whether it was an illusion or not, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
Her strong survival instinct screamed at her: 'Do not say the word Auntie, or the consequences will be unimaginable.'
Vivlos immediately corrected herself: "Ahem! Even in the real horse world, Ramonu-san back then must have looked like a cool onee-san! Very, very beautiful, and very, very young."
Cheval Grand was at a loss for words.
'Vivlos, what an incredible will to survive.'
She suddenly felt that being socially anxious was fine, if you don't speak, you don't make mistakes.
'I'd rather do nothing than do something wrong.'
Oguri Cap said, "So, Tama and I are about to have our first race? The 1988 Tenno Sho Autumn... wait, if I remember correctly..."
Silence Suzuka added, "Yes. The 'cuse' in the Tenno Sho Autumn— it started that year, didn't it? Which means whoever was the 1st favorite was essentially handed a pre-announced defeat."
"And I remember Trainer Mizuki saying that Oguri Cap fell victim to the curse."
Cesario noted, "Another thing: Tamamo Cross was the first horse to complete the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho double. Since she won the 1988 Spring Tenn Sho, it's highly likely the 1988 Autumn champion was also Tamamo Cross-senpai."
Matikane Fukukitaru whispered, "So... could it be that the curse started with Oguri Cap?"
Oguri Cap now felt that was very likely. But she didn't lose heart, even if her real-life counterpart lost, she wanted to win it back.
She continued reading.
[From March 6, 1988, until the Tenno Sho Autumn on October 30, 1988, Oguri Cap had already secured 6 graded stakes titles in a 6-race winning streak, 3 G3 and 3 G2 races.]
[Meanwhile, Tamamo Cross, after his sudden awakening in a conditional race on October 17, 1987, had achieved 4 consecutive graded wins by the Hanshin Daishoten on March 13, 1988.]
[Between March 13 and the Tenno Sho Autumn in October, he participated in two more G1 events.]
[On April 29, 1988, Tamamo Cross entered the Tenno Sho Spring as the 1st favorite. The 2nd favorite was the Mejiro family's Mejiro Durren, while Running Free was the 3rd favorite.]
[Before this Spring shield, Jockey Minai was incredibly nervous. Since his debut, he hadn't won a single G1. He was on a 50-race losing streak in the 'Eight Major Races' and a 40-race losing streak in G1 events overall.]
[He knew that riding Tamamo Cross was his best chance at a G1 trophy.]
[Furthermore, the Tenno Sho Spring is known as the 'Spring Shield' of Japan— a race of immense prestige. It was a title his father had longed for but never achieved in his lifetime.]
[It meant everything to him, and for Tamamo Cross, it was his first-ever G1. The stakes were monumental for both.]
[They took this race with extreme seriousness.]
[Soon, as the horses finished their parade and entered the gates, the race officially began at Kyoto Racecourse under the gaze of over a hundred thousand spectators.]
[In an instant, Tamamo Cross burst from the gate along with the others.]
[They stuck to their original strategy of staying at the back and waiting for an opening. Meisho Eikan led the pack, just as in the Naruo Kinen.]
[However, Eikan's jockey, having learned from being left 6 lengths behind by Tamamo Cross previously, set a faster pace to try and disrupt the rhythm. The pack passed the first 1600m at a relatively high speed.]
[In reality, for a late-charger like Tamamo Cross, a fast pace is actually beneficial, provided he doesn't let it force him out of his own rhythm.]
[Tamamo Cross maintained a position around 11th place. After passing the 1600m mark, he began to move forward gradually. Avoiding the front-runners who were losing steam, he entered the final sprint in 5th place.]
[Dashing to the inside, Tamamo Cross, Mejiro Dylan, and Running Free ran side-by-side in a fierce final exchange. But this time, Tamamo Cross clocked a field-best 3F of 34.9s, pulling away from the second-place Running Free by a full 3 lengths to cross the finish line.]
[Even at the G1 level, Tamamo Cross was second to none.]
[As the 1st favorite, he joyfully claimed his career-first G1 victory!]
[At that moment, the public was electrified. Tamamo Cross's winning streak had finally reached the G1 stage.]
[In 1988, after Tamamo Cross won the Tenno Sho, the general sentiment in the JRA shifted.]
[Initially, people always said: "Gray horses can't run fast."]
[Until they realized with shock that there was a gray horse from Kanto named Tamamo Cross who had carried his streak all the way to a G1 stage.]
[This "Secret Weapon of Kanto" had struck down all the horses deemed the most elite in the JRA.]
[At this point, some still thought Tamamo Cross was an anomaly.]
[But in another corner, Oguri Cap was dominating his generation, standing at the brightest point of his peers with an equally staggering presence.]
[Within the JRA, voices regarding gray horses began to change. Just how far could they go?]
[Time would soon provide the answer.]
Back at Tracen Academy:
"Tamamo Cross-senpai is indeed amazing. Even against the best of the Mejiro family, she was composed, beating the runner-up by three lengths."
"The gap to the others must have been even bigger," Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi remarked.
"Even though my sister was defeated, I still thank Tamamo Cross-senpai for proving the worth of gray horses. I will be the one to reclaim the glory of the Spring shield," Mejiro McQueen said seriously.
"Exactly! You're so cool, Tamamo Cross-san. You're the hero who cleared the name of all gray horses. I must express my gratitude properly," Gold Ship said with a grin.
Taiki Shuttle puffed out her chest. "Grass and I are both chestnuts. Actually, I thought Oguri Cap was a chestnut at first, since her name has 'Oguri' (chestnut) in it!"
Tosho Boy: "My name has 'Boy' in it, but aren't I still a cute girl just like Ten Point?"
Ten Point: "You sure know how to give a compliment while including yourself. But remember, our real-life counterparts were all boys."
Cesario added, "I'm a true black. My coat is different from Kitasan Black-san's dark bay. Mine is pure black, whereas yours is more like a 'multi-colored black.'"
Twin Turbo: "That's the first time I've heard that description."
Kitasan Black: "Multi-colored black... I see."
Biko Pegasus: "I know about gray Umas. Their hair start out black and white, but as time passes, the white hair increases. It's almost like a transformation."
Biko Pegasus loved the idea of transformation, she was a fan of the show Carrot Rider.
Meanwhile, Tamamo Cross was very happy, feeling a bit light-headed from the praise.
Oguri Cap said, "It seems there's a high probability I lost to Tama in the Autumn Tenno Sho. Her growth rate is so fast that 'exaggerated' doesn't even feel like enough of a word for it."
"But it's exactly because Tama is this strong that winning against her has meaning."
Oguri's heart was filled with fighting spirit. She was now looking at it from the perspective of a loss, she was calm, not discouraged, but looking for her own flaws.
'I wouldn't lose by a landslide, right? I hope I can make it worth Tamamo Cross's while...'
Soon, the log continued.
[Following that, Tamamo Cross participated in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen on June 12, 1988.]
[He faced Nippo Teio, the winner of the previous year's Tenno Sho Autumn and Mile Championship, and that year's Yasuda Kinen.]
[This time, Tamamo Cross wasn't the 1st favorite. Nippo Teio held that spot, while he was the 2nd favorite.]
Haru Urara blinked when she saw the name Nippo Teio. She hadn't expected Nippo Teio-senpai to have faced Tamamo Cross.
'She's so strong, truly one of my idols.'
It made sense for Urara to admire Nippo Teio, as in reality, Nippo Teio was her father.
[The Nippo Teio team knew Tamamo Cross was their biggest threat and was very wary. They led from the start, trying to pull away while conserving as much stamina as possible for the final sprint.]
[However, Tamamo Cross was now unstoppable. As the race entered the final sprint, Tamamo Cross burst through the center of the pack and applied power on the final straight, directly overtaking the leading Nippo Teio to win by 2 and a half lengths.]
[At this point, Tamamo Cross had achieved a 7-race winning streak, 6 consecutive graded wins, and 2 consecutive G1 wins.]
[And his greatest rival— the country-born but brilliant Oguri Cap— was finally set to meet and challenge him in the Tenno Sho Autumn.]
[At this time, Oguri Cap held a record of 9 regional wins plus 6 central wins. By the time of the Tenno Sho Autumn on October 30, 1988, the hype had reached unprecedented levels.]
[The media dubbed this battle the "Clash of Gray Titans."]
[The media described it as such: One was the "White Lightning" Tamamo Cross, who was riding a wave of successive victories, the other was the "Gray Monster" Oguri Cap, who had climbed up step by step from Kasamatsu regional racing with his own raw talent and whose limits were unknown.]
[No one could definitively predict the winner. Until the day of the race, everything was uncertain.]
[Then, the Tenno Sho Autumn began.]
[In this race, Oguri Cap took the 1st favorite spot, with Tamamo Cross as the 2nd favorite. The odds between them were neck-and-neck.]
[However, after the start, Tamamo Cross made the first move. He used a strategy different from his usual style and charged straight toward the leading horse to run side-by-side with it.]
[Oguri Cap, waiting in the middle of the pack, sensed something was wrong and gave chase. However, he was still suppressed by Tamamo Cross by 1 and 1/4 lengths. In the end, Tamamo Cross won, while Oguri Cap settled for second, ending his winning streak.]
[This loss for Oguri Cap marked the beginning of the famous "Tenno Sho Autumn Curse," which would victimize Oguri two more times and claim 9 more horses after him.]
[After winning this race, Tamamo Cross became the first horse in JRA history to win the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho in the same year. Both camps then announced they would participate in the G1 Japan Cup on November 27, 1988.]
[However, for the Japan Cup, Tamamo Cross was the 1st favorite, edging out the famous Irish horse Tony Bin. Oguri Cap was the 3rd favorite.]
[The 1988 Japan Cup lineup was incredibly prestigious. Tony Bin was the 1988 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner. There was also the American horse Pay the Butler, as well as various elite horses from Europe and Australia.]
[It was called a "Four-Way Battle."]
[But Tamamo Cross still took the 1st favorite spot, showing how much everyone recognized his strength. After all, he had just beaten Oguri Cap by a length.]
[But the result of this race surprised everyone.]
[After the start, Oguri Cap took a forward position while Tamamo Cross stayed in the back-middle at 12th place. As the pack shifted, Oguri Cap was forced back, while Tamamo Cross held his 12th position.]
[Entering the final straight, Tamamo Cross and Pay the Butler charged together from the far outside. At the 300m mark, they even briefly snatched the lead.]
[The glory of a Japan Cup win and 4 G1 victories was right in front of them.]
[However, Pay the Butler drifted inward at the very end, winning by half a length over Tamamo Cross.]
[Oguri Cap finished 3rd, once again behind by 1 and 1/4 lengths.]
[Oguri Cap had lost to Tamamo Cross once more, and Tamamo Cross's runner-up finish broke his winning streak.]
[The Irish star Tony Bin finished 5th, but was found to have a fracture after the race and announced his retirement.]
Mizuki wrote this and suddenly remembered who Tony Bin was. After retiring, he was bought by Japan's Shadai Stallion Station and went on to sire many famous horses, including Air Groove, Winning Ticket, and Jungle Pocket.
[Actually, Tamamo Cross's loss in this race was quite frustrating. Pay the Butler's inward drift only resulted in a warning. Pay the Butler's jockey even stated after the race that if the horse hadn't drifted, they wouldn't have beaten Tamamo Cross.]
[In 1988, if Tamamo Cross had won the Japan Cup, that would have been 4 G1s— enough to enter the Hall of Fame. His earnings would have skyrocketed.]
[But there are no 'ifs.' Sometimes winning isn't just about strength, it's about luck. You need both.]
[Take Pay the Butler, for example. He fought with everything he had to secure the first G1 win of his career, because only then would he have any chance of attracting quality mares. Otherwise, he'd have nothing.]
[However, Pay the Butler's luck was also poor. Born in America, he lived in a world of dirt racing, yet his talent was for turf. After finally achieving his dream with the 1988 Japan Cup victory, he passed away the following year.]
[But that's a story for later.]
[At this point, the Tamamo Cross camp announced a major decision after the Japan Cup.]
[Tamamo Cross would have his retirement race at the Arima Kinen on December 15, 1988.]
[Oguri Cap's team knew this was the last chance to defeat Tamamo Cross. They took it extremely seriously, as they knew if Oguri Cap couldn't win, he would forever be overshadowed by Tamamo Cross.]
[It's like how Special Week could never beat Grass Wonder, or how Kitasan Black could never beat Duramente. They were overshadowed for a lifetime.]
[Meisho Doto was overshadowed by T.M. Opera O for his whole life, but at least he managed to win one race against him.]
Meanwhile, in the United States:
"Awesome! Pay the Butler, I didn't expect you to make Tamamo Cross, Oguri Cap, and Tony Bin all eat dust. You're incredible!"
Secretariat was overjoyed.
"Me... me?"
Pay the Butler had struggled to win in America and never thought she could win, but a miracle really happened.
However, looking at what came next, she realized the focus wasn't her victory, but the fact that she died a year later.
That was bad news!
"Secretariat... I... I haven't much time left," Pay the Butler said, her face turning pale.
"It's okay! Just for the sake of winning this race for us, I'll throw you a grand send-off. I'll make sure you have the most luxurious funeral!"
Secretariat nodded seriously.
"A... funeral? The most luxurious... thanks? Wait, no! Is that the point?! Shouldn't you be trying to save me?!"
Pay the Butler was panicking.
"Pay the Butler, as the saying goes: Every championship destiny grants you is already marked with a secret price. Pay the Butler, for this G1 Japan Cup victory, the price you paid might have been your life. Did you sign a contract with a devil?"
Seabiscuit had also picked up some mischief, walking over to pat Pay the Butler on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Pay the Butler. Don't be afraid that your funeral will be boring. I, Flightline, am a professional mourner. I'll wail louder than anyone when the time comes."
"If I lose my rhythm, you can report me."
Flightline was already getting into character, starting to let out little mourning whimpers.
"Eh?!!!"
Pay the Butler was panicking like crazy. What on earth was happening? Had it already come to this? Was everyone already lining up to perform at her funeral?
"No! I don't want something like that to happen!"
In the distance, a group of American Uma Musume watched the scene, completely at a loss.
"Pay the Butler is already such a ditz, why are they teasing her like that? We should be finding a way to save her! She's going to pass away just one year after the 1988 Japan Cup. This is a matter of life and death!"
"Blame it on Pay the Butler being too cute."
"Sigh, watching her get teased by Seabiscuit, Skyline, and Secretariat in turns... it feels like rich kids bullying a silly farm girl."
"Tell me about it."
"Should we go bully her a little too?"
"Let's go."
"Let's go."
"Let's go."
"...."
At that moment, "American Bullying" began once again.
Meanwhile, at Tracen Academy:
"Tony Bin... among all the Irish horses I know, she's the coolest Uma Musume."
Air Groove began to praise her own "father."
As a tsundere mare, she was quite direct in expressing her affection for her biological sire.
Though the real horse Air Groove was known for being a bit of a pampered spoiled brat who loved to act clingy, she didn't have any bad intentions, she just wanted to boss her trainer around so they'd rub and pet her more.
"But seriously, where did this Pay the Butler come from?"
Tamamo Cross was also curious. Regarding the "inward drifting" incident, she actually felt it was fine. A loss was a loss.
Since the rules didn't declare it a foul, there was no need to complain.
She would only blame herself.
'Did I not run well enough?'
In reality, Tamamo Cross was incredibly strong at the time. During the Japan Cup period, his condition wasn't at its absolute peak, but that wasn't a primary excuse.
Pay the Butler had his own troubles, having just flown over from America.
Seeing her own retirement battle, Tamamo Cross felt a bit flustered. She felt she could still run a bit more.
'Had the debts for the ranch even been paid off yet?'
In fact, what Tamamo Cross didn't know was that while she had fought with everything she had, the ranch owner hadn't been able to hold on until the final moment.
No matter how many races he won, the ranch where he was born wouldn't receive a single cent.
But his efforts weren't in vain. He proved his ranch owner's ambition. They truly had bred a world-class racehorse.
To be number one in a popular global field— how cool is that?
Gold City glanced at Tamamo Cross's figure.
It turned out she had received a call from her talent agency looking for someone to endorse children's clothing. Tamamo Cross was obviously the perfect candidate.
In Gold City's eyes, Tamamo Cross was extremely suited for children's clothes— and then there was Inari One, too.
She planned to try them both out.
"Hey! I'm an adult too!" Tamamo Cross protested vehemently. "What are you guys trying to do? Do I have to jump up and kick your knees? I might be short, but I can jump two meters high if I have to!"
Oguri Cap said, "So after this is Tama-chan's final battle? Tama-chan, this time, I definitely won't lose."
Tamamo Cross laughed. "You must be dreaming if you think ya got a chance, Oguri!"
At that moment, Mizuki's log continued.
[At the end of 1988, this Arima Kinen was Oguri Cap's last chance to defeat Tamamo Cross.]
[However, an interlude occurred on the eve of the race. Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross both went to the Miho Training Center to prepare. At the strong request of the owner, Oguri Cap's jockey was changed from Hiroshi Kawachi to Yukio Okabe.]
[Interestingly, before the Arima Kinen, Tamamo Cross's training assistant, Junichi Iitaka, visited Oguri Cap's stable after the Autumn Tenno Sho. He discovered that the food in his bucket contained ingredients that made horses put on weight unnecessarily.]
[He said to Oguri's assistant, Tsujimoto: "If he keeps eating this stuff, Oguri Cap will never beat Tamamo Cross."]
[Subsequently, Tsujimoto stopped the practice.]
[As for the relationship between Iitaka and Tsujimoto? They were actually close friends, often played Mahjong together. It was a strange twist of fate.]
[Soon, on December 15, 1988, the 33rd Arima Kinen began. The top three favorites were Tamamo Cross, Oguri Cap, and Soccer Boy, who had won the Mile Championship that year.]
[Also in this race was Super Creek, who had recently recovered from an injury earlier in the half-year. His Kikuka-sho story will be mentioned later.]
[Once the race began, Oguri Cap's team was determined to win. Shortly after the gates opened, Legend Teio took an explosive lead.]
[Oguri Cap was in 7th, while Tamamo Cross and Soccer Boy held positions around 12th.]
[Before the final bend, Tamamo Cross slowly caught up to Legend Teio. Jockey Minai, in the irons, locked his sights on Oguri Cap, who was ahead on the inside.]
[However, this time, Oguri Cap— who had been building up his strength for a long time— didn't give Tamamo Cross a chance to overtake.]
[Ultimately, Oguri Cap won, defeating Tamamo Cross by half a length. Soccer Boy finished 3rd, two lengths behind.]
[In reality, Super Creek actually finished 3rd in this race, but he result was disqualified due to a foul.]
[This was referenced in the first season of the Uma Musume anime during the eating contest hosted by Inari One. Super Creek flipped her hand and dumped all her food into Oguri Cap's bowl.]
[Having Inari One host it was a classic 'Cygames detail.']
[You could say Cygames pays attention to detail, yet they'll throw El Condor Pasa and Special Week into the same Japan Derby just to mess around.]
[But then you look closer and see easter eggs everywhere. From Season 1 to Season 3, there are countless hidden gems.]
[f you know the real horse history and then watch the anime, you'll find many things you never noticed before.]
[The 1988 Arima Kinen is considered by the JRA to be a legendary matchup, the most exciting race of 1988.]
[After Tamamo Cross's retirement race, Junichi Iitaka remarked that he really wanted to slap himself. He joked: "I reminded the Oguri Cap team to improve his diet. In the end, I basically delivered supplies to the enemy!"]