Chapter 79. An Unknown Surprise
When Shuta An followed Berno Light back to the hotel, he found Secretariat, Miss Miesque, Oguri Cap, and Silence Suzuka already gathered in his room—exactly as he had expected.
"Long time no see," Secretariat said. She turned her head and smiled when she noticed Shuta An entering. "You didn't compete in last year's Breeders' Cup Series at Santa Anita Park Racecourse, yet a year later, here you are—running it at Gulfstream Park Racecourse."
"Last year, Oguri and I were busy defending our titles in Japan," Shuta An replied calmly. "This year, there's no need for that, so we decided to come and challenge the Breeders' Cup instead. It's not that I'm unwilling to cooperate with you, Miss Secretariat."
"I'm not here to argue about that," Secretariat said, clearly uninterested in the explanation. She puffed out her cheeks slightly. "So—what are your chances in these two races? Do you need my help?"
"Even if the chances were zero, I wouldn't accept it," Shuta An answered without hesitation. "If you get involved, even a victory would turn into trouble. The reporters would swarm us endlessly—and that would be a nuisance for the West Coast. I've already experienced how irritating the East Coast media can be."
"I don't care about those people," Secretariat replied, her gaze shifting briefly toward Silence Suzuka. "But you might. Fine, forget it."
She straightened up. "Miss Miesque invited me to serve as a presenter for tomorrow's Breeders' Cup Classic, so I came today to take a look."
"In that case, you should be even more cautious," the corner of Shuta An's mouth twitched. "A presenter meeting participant the day before the race—If we were entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the reporters alone would make tomorrow unbearable."
"If the East Coast reporters annoy you that much, just ignore them," Secretariat said, already turning to leave. "You don't work in the U.S. anyway—you don't need to get along with them."
She paused at the door. "I've finished talking with Oguri and Suzuka. I'm leaving."
"Safe travels, Miss Secretariat," Shuta An stepped aside to let her pass.
Secretariat didn't reply. After exiting the room, she released a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible.
'He's becoming more and more like her Trainer' she muttered silently.
Miss Miesque left as well, following Secretariat. Before doing so, she turned to Oguri Cap and said with a smile, "If you win tomorrow, I've prepared a surprise."
Shuta An was curious about what that surprise might be, but he knew better than to ask. Miss Miesque would never reveal it now.
Once the two had departed, Shuta An retrieved a can of coffee from the mini-fridge, sat down on the sofa, and asked, "So—what were you talking about? Berno dragged me back the moment the races ended."
"Miss Miesque asked whether I was confident about tomorrow's race and similar things," Oguri Cap answered. She didn't go into detail. Secretariat's questions had been mostly directed at Silence Suzuka, and Oguri Cap felt that it wasn't her place to explain.
"Senior Secretariat asked me about my past experiences, and how I felt after joining the team," Silence Suzuka continued smoothly, taking over. "She asked a few other things as well—and in the end, encouraged me to do my best tomorrow."
Shuta An was curious about those "other things," but seeing the faint flush on Silence Suzuka's cheeks, he decided not to press the issue in front of the others.
Pretending not to notice, he finished the coffee in one go and stood up. "It's about time for dinner. Should we go downstairs—or order room service?"
"Let's go downstairs," Oguri Cap suggested. "Suzuka and I have been in the room all day. A change of scenery would be nice."
"Mhm," Silence Suzuka agreed.
With both main racers in agreement, Shuta An and Berno Light naturally had no objections. With the race approaching, Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka's condition took absolute priority.
After dinner, for safety reasons, Shuta An didn't allow them to go out for a walk. Instead, the two Uma Musume went up to the hotel's rooftop observation deck, chatting casually while taking in the night view of Hallandale Beach—doing their best to relax.
Shuta An did not accompany them. He returned alone to his room.
"Tomorrow is race day…" he murmured.
Lying on the bed, he pressed his right hand against his chest and stared up at the ceiling. Although he had maintained a calm front in front of the team, for someone born and raised here, the Kentucky Derby was a childhood memory etched deep into his heart. And the Breeders' Cup Series—established during his youth—had quickly become known among his peers as the greatest festival of the American Twinkle Series.
The former remained beyond his reach with his current team.
As for the latter—tomorrow, he would challenge two of its races alongside his Uma Musume.
Shuta had always pursued an elite team, but he had never dreamed of conquering the entire Breeders' Cup Series. In his mind, only four races truly mattered—the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Breeders' Cup Turf, the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and the Breeders' Cup Mile.
"Looking at it that way," he chuckled softly, "I really do have a rather American mindset."
His expression turned thoughtful.
"If Silence Suzuka can fully realize her potential—maybe next year—no, the year after—we can challenge it again."
As for Oguri Cap's Turf Mile, although this would be her first Mile race in two years, Shuta An—who possessed the ability to view attributes—knew her adaptability was exceptional. Even before formally beginning as a Uma Musume in training, she had already held an A rating. After receiving guidance from Miss Miesque in Paris, that rating had risen to A+.
Despite the two-year gap, he was certain of one thing.
Oguri Cap would not yield victory to anyone.
"Even Royal Academy," Shuta An clenched his fists, his gaze firm, "the current undefeated Mile queen of Europe—won't take this win away from Oguri Cap and me."
The second—and most important—day of the Breeders' Cup Series saw a massive crowd gathering early, spectators streaming toward the entrances long before the races began.
"Luckily we got up even earlier," Shuta An complained quietly to Berno Light as he watched Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka head toward the lounge. "This time, Gulfstream Park Racecourse is far better than Arlington. At least they prepared a lounge for us."
"It is the biggest festival of the Twinkle Series held once a year," Berno Light replied. "If they hadn't even arranged something like this, then Miss Miesque and her team would've made a serious miscalculation."
For the two of them, watching from reserved seating was infinitely more comfortable than being squeezed among the general audience below. It wasn't that Shuta An and Berno Light were socially anxious—rather, their identities meant that a careless remark could easily draw attention, leading to unnecessary trouble.
Only within reserved areas could they speak freely.
This time, Gulfstream Park Racecourse had prepared not only reserved seats, but private boxes specifically for Trainers and teammates of participating Uma Musume. That alone was welcome news.
"Phew—it's great not having to endure the heat outside all day," Shuta An said, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. He hung his suit jacket on the hanger, leaving only his shirt on. After turning on the air conditioning, he took the far-right seat on the sofa—the position closest to the floor-to-ceiling window, from which he could overlook the entire racecourse at any moment.
Berno Light followed, hanging her trench coat neatly. She walked to the mini-fridge, hesitated briefly, then took out two cans of juice. After opening one for herself, she sat beside Shuta An and handed him the other.
"Thanks, Berno." Shuta An accepted it but didn't open it, placing it on the coffee table instead. His attention shifted to the television screen. There was still over an hour before the day's first race, and the broadcast was filled with pre-race promotions.
"Should I say this is America, as expected?" Berno Light complained while looking over the program. "Every G1 today has a corporate sponsor—completely different from Japan."
"The Turf Mile and Turf Classic are both sponsored by Longines," she continued. "Some earlier races were even sponsored by hospitals—including maternity hospitals. And the Sprint G1 is sponsored by a sports shoe company. That one's actually pretty interesting."
"Japan's G1 naming isn't centered on sponsorship," Shuta An interjected. "It's mostly magazines, academies, or—at a higher level—government departments."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The highest level, of course, is races named after Uma Musume themselves—like the Harvest Moment Memorial Common News Cup. Or races like the Divine Praise Memorial G3 at the start of the year."
"Speaking of that—" Berno Light suddenly realized something. "Miss Rudolf doesn't have a race named after her."
"I asked Teio about that before," Shuta An replied. "She was curious too, so she asked Miss Rudolf directly. Miss Rudolf said that since she's currently the Student Council President and works closely with the URA Association, having a race named after her could lead to accusations of abusing authority for personal gain."
"So when the URA once proposed a Symboli Rudolf Memorial, she refused it herself."
"Why bother caring about those rumors?" Berno Light pouted. "Even without that, there are still people who slander Miss Rudolf anyway."
"Given her position, even if it's meaningless, she still has to maintain appearances," Shuta An said calmly. He understood Symboli Rudolf's decision very well.
However—once she steps down, the URA Association probably won't raise the idea again, he thought silently. Saying it aloud would only make Berno Light feel worse.
The first race of the day was the Breeders' Cup F&M Sprint, restricted to Uma Musume on the Triple Tiara route. While its intensity naturally fell short of the Breeders' Cup Sprint, as a dirt race, the overall level of competition was still high enough to eclipse Japan's dirt scene by several tiers.
"Even the lowest-ranked Uma Musume here," Berno Light said with emotion, "would probably become an undefeated war god if she raced in Kasamatsu, right?"
"That depends on the Trainer," Shuta An disagreed. "If they race nonstop for a week without properly managing fatigue, even the strongest Uma Musume will eventually collapse."
"That's true," Berno Light nodded vigorously. "No Uma Musume—no matter how strong—can survive a completely incompetent Trainer."
"Still, Japan's overall dirt level really is lacking—" Shuta An sighed. "It's probably a selection issue. Uma Musume who don't perform well on turf end up switching to dirt."
"And Uma Musume who do perform well on dirt end up moving to turf," Berno Light shot him a glance. "Just like Oguri."
Hit by his own boomerang, Shuta An could only smile awkwardly. "Well—if I meet a suitable Uma Musume in the future, I definitely won't force her onto turf. I'm the type of Trainer who teaches according to aptitude."
"So in Ann's eyes," Berno Light tilted her head, "Oguri is stronger on turf than on dirt? I've heard plenty of people say that Oguri is so strong that her dirt performance must surpass her turf performance."
"Heh." Shuta An sneered, turned toward her, lifted both hands, and pinched her cheeks—
"Ow, ow, ow!" Berno Light shoved him away and pouted. "Why did you suddenly pinch my face?!"
"Do you really think there's anyone in this world who understands Oguri's body better than I do?" Shuta An rolled his eyes. "How could outsiders possibly know what suits her better?"
"That's…true." Berno Light nodded after a moment of thought. "Ann does make sense."
"So stop worrying about pointless speculation." Shuta An leaned back beside her. "The path I arranged for Oguri is the one I believe suits her best."
"If she wins this Turf Mile," Berno Light asked, changing the subject, "will Oguri become Japan's strongest Mile Uma Musume in history?"
"Not necessarily," Shuta An replied. "She hasn't run a single Mile race domestically."
Then his tone shifted, and he smiled.
"But no one else would dare to call themselves Japan's strongest Mile Uma Musume either."
He grinned faintly.
"What kind of strongest could you be without winning a top-tier international Mile race?"
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