On September 7th, Zhou Tai'an took Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine to Kasamatsu Racecourse.
Although there were also races at Nagoya Racecourse today, the Twinkle Series fans in the Tokai region all had their eyes on Kasamatsu. The attendance at Nagoya today was abysmally low. A small part of the reason was that the highest-level race today was only B-class. The main reason was Oguri Cap.
As the highest-status race among the debut-year limited Graded Races at Monbetsu, the winner of the Hokkaido Yushun Championship was usually dubbed "the young king of the locals" by the media in previous years.
Although the various Tracen Academies in South Kanto were not happy about it, they had never refuted it. After all, the Monbetsu horse girls were indeed outstanding in local races.
But this year was different... The winner of the Hokkaido Yushun was not a horse girl from Monbetsu, but Oguri Cap from Kasamatsu. While the South Kanto media held their noses and reported it according to the usual standards, they also raised their own question—"Is Oguri Cap's performance a flash in the pan? Will we see her on the stage of the All Japan Nisai Yushun at the end of the year?"
In fact, it wasn't just the media and fans in South Kanto who thought this way. Even in the Tokai region, some fans had been calling for her to challenge the All Japan Nisai Yushun during this period.
But his thoughts, as he had told the chairwoman a few days ago, had never wavered—
"Compared to proving something that is completely unimportant to her at the All Japan Nisai Yushun, it's better to save energy for next year's Central Graded Race challenge."
The young trainer guessed that if he hadn't made an agreement with the chairwoman and fulfilled it in advance, the chairwoman would be sounding him out right now, hoping for her to challenge the All Japan Nisai Yushun.
As he was lost in thought, he followed her into the inner grounds of Kasamatsu Racecourse.
Although there were no races at Kasamatsu today, it was still packed. The tickets for this celebration, held to commemorate her victory in the Hokkaido Yushun, had been sold out a few days ago.
"Should I say Kasamatsu Racecourse and the academy are good at making money? I wonder if she can get a cut of the ticket sales," he grumbled to himself as he followed her. "I'll definitely have to ask about that later."
Although she had known a few days ago that the academy and the racecourse were going to hold a celebration for her, she really hadn't expected it to be this grand.
"It's even more lively than when I was racing at Monbetsu..." she said to herself.
Although Monbetsu Racecourse was larger than Kasamatsu, it was pouring rain on race day, which was much worse than today's sunny weather.
She stood on the temporary stage, her trainer to her left, her friend on the other side of him, and the host of today's celebration to her right.
After the one person and two horse girls of the team had all taken their positions, the celebration officially began.
She, dressed in her academy uniform, had thought she would have to say something first, but the big screen behind her suddenly made a sound, startling her.
"Oguri! Oguri! Oguri!" he turned his head. The big screen was playing a recording of her sprint on the final straight at Monbetsu. The commentary was completely different from the live broadcast, but he could tell it was the voice of the Kasamatsu Racecourse commentator.
"I wonder if it was the live broadcast at the time, or a re-recording," he complained to himself.
"Overtake her! As long as you overtake her! You will make history! Go, Oguri Cap! Show those guys in Hokkaido the spirit of a Kasamatsu horse girl!"
"Oguri Cap! Shakes off all her opponents! The hero of Kasamatsu runs towards her throne!"
"Oguri Cap crosses the line! The first national local exchange Graded Race winner for Kasamatsu in over 50 years!"
With the end of the commentator's roar, the big screen went dark again.
…
The host handed the microphone to Oguri Cap. After taking it, she hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say.
The audience in the stands gave her their utmost tolerance and even applauded in unison to encourage her.
Faced with the encouragement of the crowd, the gray-coated horse girl turned to look at her trainer—he smiled and gave a slight nod.
She turned back to face the stands, took a deep breath, then raised the microphone and slowly began to speak, "If someone had told me before I came to Kasamatsu, 'You will become a Graded Race horse girl,' I would have thought they were joking. After all, my legs were very stiff when I was little. It was my mother's persistent massages that made them better."
"Last year, I hadn't even thought about becoming a horse girl. It was a teacher at the academy who suggested to my mother that I apply to a Tracen Academy," at this, she pursed her lips. "Becoming a horse girl is a glorious thing, and it can also provide a better life for my mother—but the tuition fees at the academy back home were really..."
"So I chose to travel all the way from Hokkaido to Kasamatsu. Because here, I was given the chance to become a horse girl."
She switched the microphone to her right hand, turned her head, and with her free left hand, she took his hand. In the young man's shocked gaze, she decisively raised it and declared to the audience in the stands, "And it also allowed me to meet the trainer who sculpted me into a Graded Race horse girl, the trainer I will be forever grateful to."
"Winning the Hokkaido Yushun Championship is just the beginning. I will continue to work hard in the future and climb to a higher stage with my trainer," she let go of his hand and also ended her speech.
Next to speak was the young trainer.
He took the microphone, still warm from her touch, from her hand, gathered his thoughts, and then began to speak, "She has already said everything that needs to be said. As a trainer, I will continue to challenge higher stages with her in the future, while ensuring her health."
"But that will not be this year," he scanned the stands. "I've heard recently that many of her fans hope she can represent the Tokai region in the All Japan Nisai Yushun in November. Here, I would like to make a personal statement: she will not be competing in that race."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kasamatsu Racecourse became noisy. No one had expected him to publicly state an idea that was at odds with the fans on such an occasion.
"What is he doing?" Kitahara, who had come to watch the celebration with Fujimasa March, noticed the increasingly heated emotions of the surrounding audience and couldn't help but worry for his friend on stage.
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