Chapter 37. Prix Ganay Part 2
After switching the whip to his right hand, Shuta Ann chose a backhand grip. This was primarily because he hadn't yet reached his planned acceleration point, and the backhand grip prevented him from accidentally urging Tokai Teio too early.
However, after rounding the 200-meter-long false straight, Shuta Ann flicked the whip upward against the wind. Using the momentum, he caught the handle between his index and middle fingers, gripping it at the base of his thumb in a posture like holding a calligraphy brush.
Then, with a fluid motion using the index and middle fingers as an axis, he let the whip rotate clockwise. He gripped the handle with his index, ring, and pinky fingers simultaneously, and finally, with a flick of his index finger, his entire hand grasped the handle, transitioning the backhand grip into a forehand grip.
This smooth transition was captured entirely by the cameras. "Oh! What a beautiful technique," the live commentators and the audience couldn't help but exclaim.
—
Shuta Ann couldn't hear the commentators' praise at the moment. After switching to the forehand grip, he looked up to observe his opponents' positioning—Art Bleu was clearly losing speed. He hadn't entered this race to win, but to set a comfortable pace for his stablemate, Pistolet Bleu. The Wildenstein family, owners of both horses, were a world-renowned family of art dealers from France, and they were determined to win this Prix Ganay.
However, although Art Bleu I set a comfortable pace for the main contender Pistolet Bleu, this rhythm was also great for Tokai Teio, Subotica, and Suave Dancer.
On Art Bleu I, Aubert realized his mission was complete. Since his lead horse, Pistolet Bleu, was to his right-rear, he chose not to hug the rail. Instead, he drifted outward to try and block other rivals while opening up room for Pistolet Bleu to accelerate.
But in Pistolet Bleu's saddle, Dominique Boeuf, the Wildenstein family's chief jockey, was now knitting his brows. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't speak, he would definitely have cursed Aubert out by now.
Aubert couldn't see it, but Boeuf noticed that Tokai Teio, hugging the rail, had already arrived behind them. As soon as Aubert opened up space, Pistolet Bleu could certainly charge forward, but Tokai Teio would also find it very easy to sprint through.
"Before the race, Trainer Lellouche said not to give Tokai Teio a chance to pull out! I even passed those words on to Aubert, but this guy has completely forgotten! Damn it! I have to be the one to block Shuta Ann!"
Boeuf switched the whip to his left hand and gave Pistolet Bleu a crack, guiding his partner toward the rail, preparing to shut down Tokai Teio's path forward.
—
On the other side, Suave Dancer was flying forward on the far outside, its rank continuously climbing as it overtook several opponents.
"Very good, very good, just like that!" Cash Asmussen's eyes lit up. He felt as though the victory of this Prix Ganay was already within his grasp.
But at the moment Suave Dancer was about to catch up to him and Subotica, Thierry Jarnet flicked the whip three times in quick succession, and his driving force suddenly increased significantly.
"When Tokai Teio provoked us earlier, although I made Subotica endure it, that anger hasn't disappeared. I'll use Suave Dancer to fully ignite this fury! Let's see if last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion can withstand Subotica's wrath!"
Jarnet muttered to himself while driving with all his might, wishing Subotica could grow wings.
But just as Subotica and Suave Dancer began their fierce struggle, Dominique Boeuf's attention was not on the outside at all. He had originally thought that by pulling Pistolet Bleu to the inner rail and coordinating with the pack on the outside, he could trap Tokai Teio in a "pocket."
But what the four-time French champion jockey Dominique Boeuf didn't expect was that as Pistolet Bleu neared the rail, Shuta Ann did not just sit idly by; instead, he let Tokai Teio shift outward two steps.
It was only two steps. If it had been a few seconds ago, Boeuf could have completely intercepted Tokai Teio with Pistolet Bleu. However, having just moved Pistolet Bleu against the rail, he now had no way to fight inertia; he could only watch helplessly as Tokai Teio accelerated and surged up from his left side.
Seeing this, Boeuf quickly switched the whip to his right hand and applied it several times to let Pistolet Bleu continue accelerating.
"I can't let Tokai Teio overtake us!"
Shuta Ann also swung his right-hand whip. However, compared to Boeuf's, his whipping was even more powerful.
"Sorry, I'll go back and buy you a month's worth of the best apples once the race is over,"
Shuta Ann apologized in his heart, but his hands didn't slow down in the slightest.
The effect of maintaining high-intensity driving earlier also began to show; compared to his opponents, Tokai Teio had conserved more stamina in the earlier stages. With just a series of windmills with the whip, Tokai Teio broke free from Pistolet Bleu and successfully pulled out from the pack.
"Damn it! Why isn't Pistolet Bleu as fast as him!" Boeuf gritted his teeth, attempting to drive even harder.
But Shuta Ann's attention was no longer on Boeuf and Pistolet Bleu. Because after pulling out from the pack, he noticed Subotica and Suave Dancer were in a "one-on-one" duel on the far outside.
"Interesting~"
Without a second thought, Shuta Ann simply let Tokai Teio drift a few steps toward Subotica—he was concerned that Subotica and Suave Dancer would mutually ignite each other's competitive spirit and burst forth with a speed faster than Tokai Teio. By moving closer, Thierry Jarnet's attention wouldn't be focused here, and Tokai Teio's own fighting spirit could be further stimulated.
"For us, this is all gain and no harm."
The young man stopped whipping and switched from single-handed driving to two-handed driving. Perhaps because Suave Dancer's side didn't notice Tokai Teio, Shuta Ann could feel that his body's balance improved significantly after Tokai Teio moved closer.
"Ah, it's 'Exhilaration' triggering." He instantly understood the reason.
—
With only the final 100 meters remaining until the finish line, Suave Dancer's speed suddenly dropped—even the swing of his limbs seemed difficult, a clear sign of insufficient stamina.
While Cash Asmussen was left in a daze, Tokai Teio and Subotica pulled away together, making it a true "one-on-one." Shuta Ann and Thierry Jarnet exchanged a glance, and then, as if by mutual agreement, both gave up whipping and chose to drive with all their might using both hands.
But compared to Jarnet, Shuta Ann added a technique he had used before during the driving process—tightening the reins before beginning to drive. Ordinary driving only involves about half of the horse's running motion, but by adding this step, Shuta Ann could distribute his own stamina throughout the entire duration of Tokai Teio's stride.
At this critical moment, this technique learned from Tabara Seiki produced miraculous results.
"Oh! Tokai Teio has overtaken Subotica!" The live commentator's eyes widened as he shouted, "Incredible! The final 50 meters! Tokai Teio has the advantage!"
"Charge! Charge!" The commentator for the Japanese broadcast stood up at this moment. "The unwilling legacy of Sirius Symboli from five years ago! The despair of Mejiro Musashi from twenty years ago! The anguish of Symboli Rudolf from almost ten years ago! Please, let it all be shattered today!"
Shuta Ann poured in even more focus than he had during the Belmont Stakes; only the concept of "driving" remained in his mind.
"Charge with me!" Like a man possessed, the young man used every ounce of his strength to drive Tokai Teio forward.
Finally, just before Shuta Ann reached a state of near-total exhaustion, his peripheral vision noticed himself and Tokai Teio crossing the finish line. Unsure if he and Tokai Teio had actually won, the young man turned his head to look at Thierry Jarnet. At this moment, Jarnet's head was bowed in dejection.
Realizing the result of the race, Shuta Ann excitedly straightened his back. Looking toward the stands, he threw his whip into the air, pointed at his partner, and shouted his name:
"TOKAI TEIO!"
"HE! IS MY PARTNER!"
He shouted. After that, he threw a punch toward the stands in celebration.
Responding to Shuta Ann were the screams and cheers from the spectators.
—
While tightening the reins, Shuta Ann glanced at the scoreboard, which displayed Tokai Teio's winning time for the race—2:09.2.
Tokai Teio had crossed the line half a horse-length ahead of Subotica, making the win quite a difficult one. As Tokai Teio slowed down, Shuta Ann carefully reflected on his riding during the race.
"I feel like I should have been more proactive in taking a forward position; I was almost pinned to the inner rail by Dominique Boeuf." The young man wiped away some sweat. "If that had really happened, an apology at a press conference after returning home wouldn't even be enough."
However, there was no longer any need to worry about "ifs." Shuta Ann turned Tokai Teio around toward the stands. "Come on, let's go to the front of the stands and greet the audience."
—
Coming before the stands, the Longchamp Racecourse—capable of holding 50,000 spectators—was at full capacity today. As they approached, Shuta Ann tightened the reins, fearing Tokai Teio might be startled.
"The pressure coming from this crowd doesn't feel any less than during the Kikuka Sho," Shuta Ann thought. "Back then, Hanshin Racecourse was packed with 80,000 people."
The spectators in the stands cheered the names of Tokai Teio and Shuta Ann. Before the race, few people had high hopes for this pair from the Far East—on one hand, Japanese racehorses on European expeditions had currently only won jump races; on the other hand, the American Triple Crown jockey in the saddle was making his debut at a European racecourse today in this Prix Ganay.
But faced with the achievement of defeating last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and last year's Grand Prix de Paris winner, even the most reserved spectators had to applaud the young jockey standing before the stands raising an index finger and the horse that had obediently lowered its head.
"The turf adaptability at Longchamp is quite good." Shuta Ann felt that a major gain from this trip was confirming that Tokai Teio could indeed handle European turf.
—
Returning to the paddock, Shuta Ann hopped down from Tokai Teio's saddle with the help of the groom. After landing lightly, he bowed to the spectators gathered around to see Tokai Teio.
"Too strong! Shuta-kun! It's simply like a dream! We actually managed to win a European G1!" Tokai Teio's groom excitedly grabbed Shuta Ann's arms.
"Good heavens—once I return to Japan, I'll definitely have to tell stories about this to my children!"
"In less than a month, thank you, Shuta-kun, for helping us realize a daydream." A trainer's assistant chimed in from the side. "I imagine Trainer Matsuyama is also incredibly excited right now."
"To be able to achieve such a wonderful result is inseparable from the hard work of all the staff." Shuta Ann placed his right hand over his heart and bowed once more to the two staff members.
"This honor belongs to everyone in Tokai Teio's camp."
After the young man straightened up, Masanori Uchimura had already rushed to the paddock. As the owner, he could naturally enter directly. Running with long strides and panting for breath, Uchimura reached Shuta Ann and grasped the young man's hand.
"Thank you, Shuta-kun! It's unbelievable that I can actually become a part of history!"
"When Teio became the undefeated Triple Crown winner last year, you were already a part of horse racing history, Mr. Uchimura." Shuta Ann shook his head with a smile.
"Let's continue to fight in Europe!" Although the prize money for the Prix Ganay converted to a meager 26 million yen, the exhilarating feeling of winning made Masanori Uchimura feel as if he had downed a glass of ice-cold mint water in the summer. He was eager to taste this wonderful flavor again.
"I think it's better to return home."
Although Shuta Ann didn't think racing in Europe was a bad idea, he was soberly aware that for Tokai Teio, there was still unfinished business in Japan.
"Why?"
Uchimura was full of confusion. As the party paying the bills, he was willing to lose money to keep Tokai Teio in Europe to challenge more G1 races, yet Shuta Ann—who had originally advocated for this expedition—now held a different opinion.
"Because Teio still has opponents in Japan that he hasn't conquered." Shuta Ann rubbed the nose of his beloved horse—Tokai Teio took the opportunity to let out a snort, nuzzling against the young man's palm.
"Shuta-kun, you mean—the Takarazuka Kinen?"
Uchimura immediately understood. If there was an opponent Tokai Teio absolutely had to defeat in Japan right now, even ignoring Shuta Ann's rift with the Mejiro family, Mejiro McQueen—who had won the Tenno Sho (Spring) and successfully achieved a back-to-back victory—was definitely a target Tokai Teio had to overcome.
"That's right, the Takarazuka Kinen. We have to have a showdown with Mejiro McQueen." Shuta Ann's expression was firm.
"I want to prove that my choice wasn't a mistake at all."
"No problem."
Uchimura agreed very readily—the winning prize for the Takarazuka Kinen was now 150 million yen, which was nearly equal to the winning prize of six Prix Ganays. Naturally, the horse owner had no reason to be unhappy.
—
After wrapping up his conversation with the owner, Shuta Ann walked toward the media area. Just as the reporters were worrying about whether he could fluently use the local language, the young man took the initiative to greet them in French.
"I didn't expect Mr. Ann to speak French," a local French reporter said, quite surprised.
"Because I've had the idea of coming to Europe to study for a long time, I did some extra studying—" Shuta Ann told a little lie—in reality, his mother had taught him French.
After the reporters asked a few simple questions, one reporter suddenly inquired.
"Tokai Teio's performance in this Prix Ganay was quite outstanding. I'd like to know if there are any plans to enter her in this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?"
Shuta Ann shrugged, looking helpless.
"I'm just the jockey. Tokai Teio's future plans will ultimately be decided by her owner. However, personally, I think it's highly unlikely we'll return to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
"Eh?"
The reporters were all taken aback. Shuta Ann had shot down the possibility of Tokai Teio participating in the Arc himself, which seemed to contradict the ambitious tone of his earlier remarks.
Seeing the astonished expressions on the reporters' faces, the young man plainly explained.
"Because in the second half of the year, Tokai Teio must definitely defend the honor of the Japan Cup. This is his responsibility as an undefeated Triple Crown horse. When formidable overseas rivals come to challenge, a Triple Crown horse cannot shy away from the battle. Doing so would be tantamount to trampling the glory of his entire generation underfoot."
Shuta Ann clenched his fists and added in a low voice.
"Besides, since Oguri Cap, I haven't won the Japan Cup again."
Although it had only been two years since Oguri Cap's retirement, at this moment, the young man deeply missed his very first partner in the dream world.
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