Chapter 76. Envious
On the first day of training, Shuta An did not have Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka begin their warm-up exercises right away. Instead, he borrowed a whiteboard from the hotel and carefully sketched out the layout of Gulfstream Park Racecourse's turf track in advance.
"Is this the turf course at Gulfstream Park Racecourse?" Oguri Cap asked after a single glance.
"That's right." The young man nodded. "Before training starts, I want both of you to clearly understand the kind of track you'll be facing in a month."
At his words, both Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka straightened instinctively. During last month's-vacation, neither of them had visited Gulfstream Park Racecourse, and they knew almost nothing about its actual conditions.
"The turf track at Gulfstream Park Racecourse has a circumference of just over 1400 meters—not very long." Shuta An shrugged lightly. "For comparison, Belmont Park's turf track is 2400 meters per lap."
He tapped the board again.
"But this doesn't really affect Oguri. You'll be running the Turf Mile, which means on this track you'll pass the finishing straight twice after leaving the gate. As for you, Suzuka, your starting point is on the straight opposite the grandstand—and you'll also pass the final stretch twice."
He paused, giving them time to absorb the information.
"And the most distinctive feature of Gulfstream's turf track isn't its short circumference." Shuta An's voice slowed deliberately. "It's the width."
"Width?"
Both Uma Musume froze for a moment. "Is that…really a feature?"
"Of course, it is." Shuta An tapped the whiteboard with the marker. "After renovation, Gulfstream Park's turf track is 51.8 meters wide. Tokyo Racecourse's turf track is 41 meters."
"More than ten meters wider?!"
Both Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka widened their eyes.
Other Uma Musume might not have grasped the significance, but these two had both raced at Tokyo Racecourse. Even there, the final stretch was so wide that it overwhelmed one's field of vision during a full sprint.
A track even wider than that—Neither of them could easily picture it.
"This is Gulfstream Park Racecourse's pride—the 'world's widest turf track.'" Shuta An's words pulled them back to reality. "So tell me—what does a wide track emphasize?"
The two Uma Musume fell silent, thinking.
"Explosive power."
While Silence Suzuka was still pondering, the more experienced Oguri Cap answered decisively.
"Exactly."
Shuta An looked at her, nodded gently, and showed a faint look of approval. "Oguri, your racing experience is already sufficient to grasp this kind of requirement. Honestly, if you didn't plan on continuing to race in the future, you could even consider obtaining a Trainer's license."
"No."
Oguri Cap muttered softly, almost to herself. "Once the Dream Trophy is over, I don't plan to have anything to do with racing anymore."
Her voice was too quiet. Shuta An didn't hear it, and Silence Suzuka only caught fragments. By then, Suzuka's attention had already returned to Shuta An—she wanted to know why burst power mattered so much.
"To be blunt," Shuta An continued, "Gulfstream's turf track is built in a very contradictory way. The short circumference makes it a small-turn course, which favors front-runners. But the excessive width strongly favors late closers."
He paused.
"I compiled data from last month's turf races here. The conclusion is simple: for races of 1600 meters or longer, late closers still hold the advantage."
Hearing this, Silence Suzuka's eyes dimmed slightly—then lit up again.
"If it's a small-turn track," she asked quickly, "doesn't that mean the race pace is likely to be fast?"
If the pace was fast, then perhaps—Perhaps she could attempt another Great Escape at Gulfstream Park Racecourse.
"The final straight is only 210 meters." Shuta An shook his head. "Even if you push the pace, Suzuka, the runners behind you won't give you the kind of gap you created in the Secretariat Stakes."
He looked at her seriously.
"And I don't want you using the Great Escape tactic in this race. Your specialization progress isn't sufficient yet, and repeatedly using Great Escape puts too much strain on your body. To be honest—if I weren't worried about how sensitive you are—I wouldn't have even entered you in this Breeders' Cup. I'd rather have you rest longer."
"I've rested enough!" Silence Suzuka puffed her cheeks. "But—if I can't use Great Escape, then fine. I can still lead normally, right?"
"A normal lead and a Great Escape are completely different things," Shuta An said gently, reassuring her.
—
After explaining several more key points, he clapped his hands together.
"That's all for now. Oguri, Suzuka—start with your warm-up, then move into recovery training."
The two Uma Musume nodded silently and headed toward the training grounds.
After watching them leave, Shuta An wiped the whiteboard clean himself and prepared to return it to the hotel.
—
At the same time, Berno Light had just woken up.
"Haa—"
She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock hanging across from the bed.
"Wha—?!"
It was already past ten. Realizing she'd overslept, Berno Light hurriedly scrambled out of bed and rushed to wash up. But the moment she dashed out of her room—
Thump.
She collided head-on with Shuta An, who had just finished returning the whiteboard.
"Awake?" The young man smiled, already intending to head back to his own room.
"I—just woke up. I overslept…"
Berno Light's gaze drifted away, avoiding his eyes. Being this close made her recall last night far too clearly.
"Oguri and Suzuka have already started training," Shuta An said calmly. "After breakfast, go supervise them."
He handed the responsibility over to Berno Light.
As for himself, he intended to rest for a while. Sleeping late and waking early had taken its toll, and maintaining a composed, energetic front for the two Uma Musume had consumed more energy than expected.
"Okaaay~" Berno Light replied sweetly. "I'll grab a sandwich and head straight there. It wouldn't be good if no one's around when they finish training."
"Thanks, Berno."
Shuta An ruffled her head lightly as he passed her and entered his room. "Call me when it's time for lunch."
"Mhm!"
Berno Light nodded repeatedly.
After closing the door, Shuta An didn't change into his pajamas and go straight to bed. Instead, he reached for the phone on the bedside table. According to their conversation over the past two days, Mr. Kitahara was scheduled to view houses today.
"He should be done by now—nothing unexpected, right?" Shuta An muttered to himself. "I'll ask for the details."
Just as he opened Line, a message from Mr. Kitahara arrived.
"I'm back at the dorm."
"Good work," Shuta An replied. "How was it?"
"I have to say—Ann-san is really wealthy," Mr. Kitahara didn't answer directly, instead letting out a sigh. "That house perfectly meets all of Ann-san's requirements. It's just that the price is really—"
"I've already seen the price," Shuta An replied calmly. "That detached house is worth exactly six Japan Cups in prize money."
"That's right." Mr. Kitahara sent a voice message. "Let's talk over voice."
"Okay."
Since he was alone in his room, Shuta An accepted the voice call without hesitation.
"I had a feeling it wouldn't be cheap the moment I arrived," Mr. Kitahara said. "But when I actually heard the price—even though it wasn't my money, my legs still felt weak."
He laughed dryly.
"I've also thought that after coming to Central, I couldn't keep living in the academy dorm forever. I even considered buying a house myself. But I never imagined that even after dropping so much, housing prices in central Tokyo would still be this outrageous."
"Mr. Kitahara's team is just getting started," Shuta An said with a chuckle. "Win a few G1 races in the future and you'll have income from ownership shares."
He continued lightly, "Look at it this way—Japan's Twinkle Series prize money is already among the highest in the world. Here in America, Oguri's Arlington Million win converts to less than 80 million yen. That's still lower than the Japan Cup, and it's already the highest-prize turf G1 in the U.S."
"I heard that Miss Symboli Rudolf proposed gradually increasing Twinkle Series prize money," Mr. Kitahara added. "The goal is to expand its influence, encourage more Uma Musume to race, and stimulate the economy."
He paused, clearly gauging Shuta An's reaction.
"That's a good idea," Shuta An replied without hesitation. "But with the economy heading into a cold phase, how much budget the URA can actually secure is questionable. Unless they plan to develop new revenue streams."
"I wouldn't know." Mr. Kitahara pouted slightly. "That kind of information is beyond a Trainer at my level."
He sighed.
"Other than having more Uma Musume than you, Ann-san, everything else about me feels inferior."
"After Oguri retires, we'll be colleagues by next March," Shuta An said, lying back and staring at the ceiling. "How many friends have you made at Central so far?"
"Only two," Mr. Kitahara replied. "One is Miss Tojo—we met because of you. The other is Nishizaki Ryu, Miss Tojo's classmate. He's also a Trainer who joined Central at the same time as me."
"And?" Shuta An prompted.
"He's worse off than I am," Mr. Kitahara said helplessly. "He doesn't have a single active Uma Musume in the Twinkle Series right now."
"How did that happen?" Shuta An raised an eyebrow. "Don't Central Trainers need at least one active Uma Musume to form a team?"
"He took over as an assistant Trainer after a senior retired," Mr. Kitahara explained. "Unfortunately, the Uma Musume in that team didn't trust his ability and all applied for transfers."
"And how many transferred to your team?" Shuta An asked with interest.
"How could that happen?" Mr. Kitahara rolled his eyes. "If they didn't trust Nishizaki Ryu, why would they trust me? Not a single one applied."
"Haha." Shuta An laughed. "It doesn't matter. Once you achieve success, they'll regret it endlessly."
"Thank you for the encouragement, Ann-san," Mr. Kitahara said, then brought the topic back. "So—have you decided to buy the house? The agent seems very eager. I feel the price might still drop."
"It's rare to find a house that meets all my conditions," Shuta An replied calmly. "Even if the price drops later, it won't matter if someone else buys it first. Since it's a necessity, there's no reason to hesitate."
He paused, then added, "But I won't trouble you further with this. You still have your own Uma Musume to train, don't you?"
"I'll contact Miss Rudolf directly and ask her to accompany Tokai Teio."
"Alright, alright." Mr. Kitahara yawned. "I also have two Uma Musume preparing for their debuts. I'll be busy too."
"Good night," Shuta An said, yawning as well. "I'm planning to take a nap. I wish your team a smooth debut."
After ending the call, Shuta An didn't immediately sleep. Instead, he sent messages to Tokai Teio and Symboli Rudolf.
Tokai Teio was still awake, chatting with her roommate about the day's events.
When her phone chimed, she instantly sat upright—because the notification tone was one she had specifically set for her Trainer.
"What's wrong?" Mayano Top Gun asked, startled by her sudden movement.
"The Trainer messaged me at this hour!" Tokai Teio replied, unlocking her phone.
The moment she read the message—
"Whoa—" Her eyes sparkled.
Mayano Top Gun felt a chill down her spine at that tone, as if she had just been targeted by a predator.
"The Trainer wants me to act as his agent to buy a house!" Tokai Teio beamed, waving her phone proudly. "Since I'm underage, the President has to be involved—but he didn't contact her directly. He asked me first! That means he really trusts me!"
"Buying a house…" Mayano Top Gun's thoughts began to drift. "Living together… and then…"
Her cheeks flushed. Thankfully, the lights were already off, sparing her from being noticed.
Tokai Teio, however, had no attention to spare for her roommate. Her mind was already racing, filled with anticipation of going out with the President the next day.
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