Thank you for your Patreonage~ Mr. Genesis-00
(I am sorry if some Jockey name didn't quite right to the our Real Life situation for this Autumn Tenno Sho, since I forgot to double check it. But for later G1 race, as long as there was a record I will try to match it.)
After dismounting, Trainer Fujisawa—who had arrived early at the waiting area—stepped forward with a relieved smile. "Shuta-kun truly exceeded my expectations. You worked hard out there."
"I'm probably getting a fine for that ride," Shuta An replied with an easy grin. He didn't seem troubled in the slightest.
The maiden race's winning purse was 5.2 million yen. As the jockey, he would receive over 250,000—losing 30,000 to a fine barely scratched the profit.
"In the future, if I have any strong horses whose owners haven't assigned a main jockey, I'll definitely contact you first." Trainer Fujisawa spoke with earnest conviction.
"Well… thank you, Trainer Fujisawa." Shuta An accepted the words, though he didn't think much of it. Fujisawa Kazuo was still only in his first year as a trainer—landing a powerful horse wasn't something that happened so easily.
And since Shuta An had another race coming up, he didn't linger. With a short nod, he hurried back toward the changing room to swap silks and run through the next race plan.
———
The third race at Tokyo Racecourse for the day was a new horse debut. Shuta An's next mount was a filly named Canadian Lady, the ride coming from Trainer Hongo Kazuhiko. However, Hongo's attitude toward him was—distant at best. During strategy discussions, he practically pushed all decision-making onto Shuta An, barely showing interest.
The only reason he'd invited Shuta An at all was because the real recommendation came from the horse's owner—Yoshida Zenya, the master of Shadai Farm.
Not long ago, on a rainy day at Kyoto Racecourse, Shuta had guided Yoshida's Dyna Creole through her maiden win, keeping her within the Central jurisdiction at the last moment and earning Yoshida a tidy bonus. That victory had forged a good connection.
Since then, Yoshida Zenya often entrusted him with horses bred on his farm—though their talent could only be described as average. After all, truly gifted horses already had their preferred jockeys. Yoshida understood the reality of the industry.
"In two years, the talented newcomers will certainly be entrusted to Shuta-kun," Yoshida mentioned once to Trainer Setoguchi. "For example, the daughter of Scarlet, born at our ranch last April."
In this new horse race, Canadian Lady was the top favorite. Right behind her stood the second favorite, It's Wonderful, ridden by the ever-unfortunate veteran Shibata Masato, who had chased the title of "Derby Jockey" for decades without success.
For the 1400-meter turf race, Shuta An knew the pace would be blistering. When the gates opened, he urged Canadian Lady forward to secure a position—but Shibata Masato was no novice. He shadowed her without hesitation. Up front, Shikato Yuichi led the formation.
Shuta followed into the final straight and pushed. But Canadian Lady's response was sluggish.
"Turf doesn't suit her?" he muttered, brows tightening. He gave a reminder whip passing the 400-meter pole.
She did accelerate—but not enough. Not fully. He could only watch as Shibata Masato overtook him and pulled away. After returning to the waiting area, Shuta dismounted and gave his assessment to Trainer Hongo.
"I think turf isn't suitable for Canadian Lady. Next race, dirt might work better."
Trainer Hongo's answer was cold. "I will discuss it with the owner myself. Thank you for your hard work, Shuta-kun."
He turned away immediately, leaving the cleanup to his stablehands. Shuta An quietly lowered the hand he had extended silently swallowing the disappointment.
In the next race, Shuta An was riding Hidakatsu Cross. Coincidentally, one of his opponents was Onward Hope—another horse trained by Hongo—and of course, it was ridden by Shibata Masato.
"What a coincidence," Shuta murmured, twirling his whip idly. The air split with a faint whistle.
After mounting in the saddling area, Shibata Masato guided Onward Hope beside him.
"I'll be leading this race too." The veteran dropped the words and walked off.
"That's basically a public strategy declaration," Shuta muttered. "Why does it feel like he's got something against me?"
Hidakatsu Cross's stable attendant chimed in with a nervous smile. "So, Shuta-kun—what strategy will you use?"
"Well, since senior is planning to lead—"Shuta grinned sharply. "Then I'll just have to keep up."
He leaned forward, gently patting Hidakatsu Cross's neck. "We're going to lead too. It's just a matter of who's more determined."
For the New Racehorse Race, Hidakatsu Cross drew gate 9 out of 11—an outer slot.
When the gates snapped open, Shuta reacted instantly. He drove Hidakatsu Cross forward with explosive force, then swung his whip near the right side of her head to guide her inward.
Onward Hope, starting from gate 5, also broke sharply, but Shibata Masato's urging lacked the same ruthless momentum. Their acceleration simply couldn't match Hidakatsu Cross's.
By the first turn, Shuta had seized the lead—three full lengths ahead of Onward Hope.
Since it was a 1400-meter turf race, there was no room to slow the pace. Shuta kept Hidakatsu Cross cruising at a steady, relentless rhythm.
"In a sprint race, there's no such thing as mid-race slowdown magic," he reminded himself coolly. Though he hadn't said it aloud, Trainer Hongo's attitude still lingered like an unpleasant aftertaste.
Winning—cleanly and decisively—against the horses Hongo trained would be the clearest rebuttal.
Entering the final straight, they didn't need to create separation—they had already done that the entire race. With a single left-handed whip, Hidakatsu Cross surged on instinct.
"Are they going to lead from start to finish again?!" The commentator's incredulous cry echoed through the stands. The memory of Shuta's earlier upset was still fresh—and now he was doing it again.
Shuta's answer was simple.
Yes.
Without giving the chasing pack even a shadow of opportunity, Shuta An and Hidakatsu Cross blazed past the finish—winning by a comfortable three-length margin.
———
In the waiting area of the underground passage, Shuta An dismounted and deliberately waited for Trainer Hongo. When the trainer finally arrived, Shuta walked past him toward Shibata Masato.
"Thank you for the hint, senior. Leading really does win races."
He lifted an eyebrow at Trainer Hongo in passing. Then he turned away, leaving without a backward glance.
For some reason—Trainer Hongo felt his teeth itch.
In the next two races, Shuta An finished fifth and third. Not exactly a streak of victories—yet he never left the board. He earned prize money in every race, which meant steady profit inside this Dream World. But whether today would end as a huge gain, a mild success, or a painful loss—all of it rested on the Autumn Tenno Sho.
"Oguri must win."
Back in the jockeys' lounge, Shuta An splashed water on his face in the restroom, clearing his mind. Then he sat on the bench, closed his eyes, and sank into quiet focus.
"Yutaka Take isn't in Tokyo today—tch. I don't even know who to tease." He muttered under his breath. Even after so long in Central, Yutaka Take was still the only jockey he could talk to at length.
As for the rest? Two words summed it up well— not familiar.
———
In the saddling area, Shuta An mounted Oguri Cap with Assistant Ikee's help.
"I wish Shuta-kun good luck in battle!" As someone who directly benefited from victory, Assistant Ikee cheered with sincere enthusiasm—if Oguri won, both of them would receive the same amount of prize money.
"I'll give it my all," Shuta answered firmly. "Oguri Cap is my first partner. And this is our first G1 challenge together—I want to win more than anyone."
"I believe Shuta-kun can do it." Assistant Ikee straightened his posture, his voice serious. "Show the bond between you and Oguri Cap today at Tokyo Racecourse!"
"Trainer Setoguchi should be in the VIP section, right?" Shuta narrowed his eyes toward the distant stands, sunlight brushing across his gaze.
"Yes. He's probably with the owner and the other trainers and owners now."
Assistant Ikee wiped sweat from his forehead. "I should head out too. I'll be cheering for you from the underground passage!"
"Leave it to me!" Shuta leaned forward and patted his shoulder with a confident smile. "I'll bring back the victory."
———
For the Autumn Tenno Sho, Oguri Cap was assigned to gate 1—just like the real world. The gate positions of the other contenders also matched reality.
Take an aggressive position! Shuta reminded himself as he entered the gate.
The moment the doors flew open, that instruction kicked into instinct. A single push sent Oguri Cap bursting forward—activating "Concentration" instantly. He slipped past the inside group like a streak of wind, avoiding the death trap of getting boxed in.
Meanwhile, on Tamamo Cross, jockey Minai Katsumi stiffened in shock. He and Trainer Ohara Isa had plotted carefully before the race. They had decided to use front-running tactics—something they hadn't deployed at all this year—to counter Oguri Cap.
There's no way this was leaked… so why is Shuta An suddenly taking a forward position?!
The situation was changing too quickly. Minai gritted his teeth, unable to hesitate, and executed their pre-decided strategy.
"Oguri Cap has uncharacteristically taken a very forward position—she's practically right behind Legend Teio (Road Royal)! And Tamamo Cross is following! Could it be that the two star Racehorse aren't competing with burst power today but with grit?" The commentator's voice cracked with surprise.
In the VIP section, Setoguchi Tsutomu frowned at first when he saw Shuta taking such an aggressive position. But when Tamamo Cross also moved forward, he exhaled in relief.
"As expected of Shuta-kun." He turned to the owner with confidence. "He predicted Tamamo Cross's tactics and took position immediately. That completely blocked their plan."
Across the VIP zone, Trainer Ohara Isa frowned.
"There's no way Setoguchi Tsutomu predicted this" His voice dropped. "This must be Shuta An's own judgment."
He sighed softly. "If that's the case… everything depends on whether Minai-kun can hold Tamamo Cross together without wasting stamina."
Entering the turn, Shuta stuck to the strategy he'd set in the morning. He allowed Oguri Cap to settle and control her pace, falling back gradually to fifth place. But he didn't simply drop back—while doing so, he shifted Oguri Cap slightly outward, preventing her from getting boxed in behind other horses.
Maintaining that calculated position, Shuta An and Oguri Cap shot into the final straight in fifth.
The instant they straightened, Shuta activated "Head-to-Head Duel" without hesitation. With a left-handed whip, Oguri Cap exploded forward—a silver gale tearing down the track.
"Now Oguri Cap looks more like 'White Lightning' than Tamamo Cross!" The commentator's voice shook in awe as Oguri Cap surged ahead, slicing through the pack.
But Shuta heard none of it. His world had narrowed to a single point—catch up to Tamamo Cross and pass her. Oguri Cap's acceleration was flawless. She needed only one prompting whip before Shuta transitioned into full pushing.
But this pushing—this technique—was nothing like his earlier races. Typical pushing relied on the "push": applying power forward on the horse's neck to help her accelerate with minimal stamina loss.
But Shuta's push didn't stop there—he applied force during the push and pulled hard the moment Oguri raised her head. It was a brutally demanding technique.Everything Oguri gave, he doubled with his own strength.
Under that punishing rhythm, Oguri Cap devoured the distance separating her from Tamamo Cross. Minai Katsumi could hear the pounding hooves behind him growing louder—closer.
"Damn it! I can't let Oguri Cap catch up like this!" He threw the rules aside, whipping fiercely.
But Shuta's upper-body strength wasn't something Central jockeys could casually match.
Even with only pushing against Minai's whipping, Oguri Cap was still closing the gap.
"It's a sure win." Setoguchi Tsutomu made his judgment instantly—experience speaking through him.
Not far away, Ohara Isa closed his eyes.
"Is this the difference in the saddle?" He murmured. "With Tamamo Cross's ability—it shouldn't be like this."
Just as his doubts whispered through the air—
Shuta An overtook Minai Katsumi. Then he delivered another decisive whip.
"I'll take the victory of this Autumn Tenno Sho!"
Meanwhile, far away in the jockey lounge at Kyoto Racecourse, Yutaka Take was staring at the broadcasted image.
"G1 conquest—" He bit his lip hard. "I need to win a G1 quickly too—starting with next month's Kikuka Sho!"
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