The fanfare blared as the gates opened at Chukyo Racecourse.
"The Champions Cup, the ultimate battle for dirt supremacy! This year's race lives up to its name, with last year's dirt world champion, Unbridled, storming Japan, drawing unprecedented crowds. Facing her is Japan's elite, led by the undefeated dual-surface titan, Mejiro Rampage!"
Even Lady Saber, third favorite after her Tenno Sho (Autumn) performance, felt overshadowed. The stakes were too high.
"Second favorite, No. 16 Unbridled in gate 8, her Breeders' Cup Classic-winning legs ready to dominate! Top favorite, undefeated 12-time G1 champion, No. 1 Mejiro Rampage in gate 1! Can she claim victory on both turf and dirt internationals?"
"All Uma Musume are in! They're off!"
The gates clanged open, launching the Champions Cup. Rampage surged ahead, followed by Amazing Dyna, Narita Eagle, and Lady Saber. Dirt races favored early leads, and Rampage set a blistering pace.
"Rampage is on fire today!" Turbo gasped.
"More than usual!" Rice added.
"Mejiro Rampage leads, already breaking away! Eight lengths back, Lady Saber, Amazing Dyna, and Narita Eagle follow."
Rampage's intensity was palpable, her pace relentless, shaking off even the frontrunning Ladies. She wasn't fleeing or waiting—she was daring someone to challenge her.
"Provoking me, huh?" Unbridled muttered, trailing at the rear, biding her time as a closer. The gap to Rampage? Over 15 lengths.
"That's too much, even for her…" Nature said.
"She needs to move soon," Ikuno agreed.
A closer's strategy required a mid-race surge, but against Rampage—world-record holder at 2400m—could it work?
"She won the Breeders' Cup Classic. She can do it," Minamisaka murmured, eyes fixed on the race. She knew Unbridled's data, her pre-debut training. She was certain: Unbridled would strike.
Rampage held her lead into the backstretch, her Japan Cup-like, breakneck pace stunning the field.
"What a pace!" Lady Saber gasped.
"No breather—she's going all out!" Dyna said.
"She can sustain this?!" Eagle marveled.
Because she's the stubborn tyrant, Minamisaka thought.
At the third-to-fourth corner, a gasp erupted. Unbridled, last moments ago, had sliced through the inside, now fifth.
"She's caught up! Unbridled's in fifth! How?! It's like magic! She's passing three more, now second, closing on Mejiro Rampage!"
Unbridled unleashed her stored power, skimming the rail with mere centimeters to spare, her run otherworldly. As the fourth corner neared, the world champion's fangs closed in on the tyrant.
"Caught! Only two lengths separate Rampage and Unbridled! Will the former world champ prove the world's wall, or will Japan's tyrant soar? 400m left, up the slope!"
Chukyo's 3.4m incline, third steepest after Nakayama and Kyoto, favored closers. Yet, with 200m to go—
"Took you long enough," Rampage taunted.
"Thanks for waiting," Unbridled shot back. "Let's race!"
Unbridled surged, her final burst aiming to overtake. This was the run that conquered the world. She drew level with Rampage—then stalled.
"No… she's not stopping!" someone shouted.
Rampage matched her, accelerating in sync. "Don't underestimate me! You don't know how much I've trained, what Minami-chan taught me!"
Her eyes blazed, blood pumping, every gear locked in—smooth, flawless. Her feet gripped the dirt, Shinzan iron forged from beach runs powering each stride. She absorbed Unbridled's fighting spirit, turning it into her own.
"Who cares what you are to Minami-chan? I'm not yielding!"
Lost souls, let's rampage together.
Rampage lowered her stance, her run transformed, flattening the slope like it was nothing. Unbridled, a champion mentored by Minamisaka, refused to yield either.
"Rampage pulls ahead! One length, two—Unbridled clings on! The slope's cleared! Rampage stretches her lead! What a run! She's leaving the world champ behind, rewriting history! Mejiro Rampage takes the crown!"
The crowd of 180,000 roared, shaking Chukyo. Rampage crossed first, dominating the dirt world champ.
"Her 13th G1 win! Mejiro Rampage achieves the unprecedented—turf and dirt international victories! And a record time of 1:46.1! This is Japan's tyrant, Mejiro Rampage!"
"How's that, world's strongest?" Rampage panted.
"Haha… total defeat," Unbridled laughed, clasping her hand. She understood: Rampage, shaped longer by Minamisaka, was a cut above. Yet, she was content with the race.
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