Chapter 42. Desperate Japanese Oaks Part 1
When the afternoon arrived, it was time for entry into the Japanese Oaks. Considering the number of spectators outside was somewhat terrifying, Shuta Ann ultimately decided to stay in the VIP box with Tokai Teio and Kurofune to watch the race.
"There are too many people; I'm not quite confident I can look after both of you," the young man explained.
"It's no problem!" Tokai Teio said, aiming to put her trainer's mind at ease.
"Kurofune and I can stay here in the box; Trainer, you should go to the stands by yourself to watch the race. Putting myself in her shoes, I think Dober-senpai would also really hope to see her trainer's figure as soon as possible after crossing the finish line, wouldn't she?"
"..." Shuta Ann was stunned; he hadn't expected Tokai Teio to say something like that.
"I have no problem with that either," Kurofune chimed in. She applied what Tokai Teio said to her own feelings and felt it made perfect sense.
"Alright," Shuta Ann paused. "Then I'll go down once the parade segment is over. When it's time to prepare for the winning live, I'll come back up to get you."
"Mhm!" Both Uma Musumes nodded together. Just like him, they both believed that Mejiro Dober could win this Japanese Oaks.
—
In fact, the spectators and experts favoring Mejiro Dober were overwhelmingly numerous. After Mejiro Dober powerfully chased down and overtook Kyoei March's lead to win the Oka Sho, she had remained the top favorite for the Japanese Oaks.
While fans of Kyoei March or other Uma Musumes hoped their favorites could snatch the crown of the Oaks Queen, no one could deny that Mejiro Dober was the absolute favorite.
"In this race, Mejiro Dober drew the far outside Gate 16. To be honest, this gate is absolutely not considered a good position in the history of the Japanese Oaks, but many experts and reporters still felt this wouldn't be a problem for Mejiro Dober after the draw results came out," the live commentator chatted before the Uma Musumes even appeared.
"The far outside gate is an extremely obvious disadvantage for Front-Runners and Pace-chasers, but for a Uma Musume like Mejiro Dober who can adopt a Late-surger or End chaser strategy, it isn't too uncomfortable. Moreover, today's Tokyo Racecourse is officially listed as a Heavy track; generally speaking, the pace of the race will also not be too fast. Under these circumstances, Mejiro Dober will have ample time to adjust her positioning."
The guest commentator, Ryuu Nishizaki—trainer of Team Spica, where last year's Derby Uma Musume Special Week originated—paused before continuing,
"But we also know that Kyoei March is a Uma Musume capable of setting a super-fast pace. If Kyoei March decides in this race to brave the anxiety over her distance aptitude and pushes a fast pace anyway, well, we all know that in a 2,400-meter race at Tokyo, a fast pace is highly advantageous for Uma Musumes using sashi tactics. Therefore, I believe that whether the pace is fast or slow, being drawn into the far outside gate is not a negative factor for Mejiro Dober."
"Thank you for your analysis, Nishizaki-kun." The live commentator nodded.
"So, Nishizaki-kun thinks Mejiro Dober will use a Late-surger strategy for this race, right?"
"Yes. Based on my understanding of Shuta-kun, he will definitely play it safe here and have Mejiro Dober use the tactic with the highest odds of winning," Ryuu Nishizaki shrugged.
"Then does Nishizaki-kun think Mejiro Dober has a chance to become the first-ever undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume in history?" the commentator continued.
Ryuu Nishizaki pursed his lips with a conflicted expression but chose to speak the truth.
"I think Shuta-kun might not care about this achievement."
"Eh?" the commentator surprisedly cried out.
This was a viewpoint no one had mentioned before. Since Mejiro Dober was still undefeated, everyone assumed a win at the Japanese Oaks would put the undefeated Triple Tiara within her grasp, adding to the Mejiro family's glory.
"Because after the Oka Sho, Shuta-kun specifically mentioned that if she won the Japanese Oaks, she would go on to challenge the Yorkshire Oaks." Ryuu Nishizaki waited for the commentator to recall this before continuing.
"To be honest, that is a European G1 race. Even if Mejiro Dober becomes an undefeated Double Tiara winner, whether everything will go smoothly at York is still an unknown. If Shuta-kun really wanted to ensure Mejiro Dober could become an undefeated Triple Tiara winner, then the challenge at the Yorkshire Oaks could completely wait until next year."
"So, I think it's possible that both Shuta-kun and Mejiro Dober don't care about the so-called 'undefeated' status,"
Ryuu Nishizaki concluded.
—
Every word of this analysis reached Shuta Ann's ears.
"It really is like that," the young man's lips curled upward. "While an 'undefeated Triple Tiara' is an unprecedented glory for a Uma Musume, Dober doesn't value the 'undefeated' title."
"And who's to say Dober will definitely lose at York?" Shuta Ann thought secretly.
"As long as planning is done well, York Racecourse is not an insurmountable venue for Japanese Uma Musumes."
Just then, the parade segment officially began. Shuta Ann watched as Mejiro Dober, calm and composed, was the last to emerge from the underground tunnel. Although the VIP box was far away, he could see her very clearly.
On her left ear, she wore a green and white patterned butterfly bow symbolizing the Mejiro family. She was dressed in her G1 victory outfit, wearing brand-new white stockings and specialized heavy-track racing shoes Shuta Ann had specifically chosen for her yesterday.
This year's "Queen of Oka Sho" looked indifferent to the cheers from the stands. Following behind Fumino Paradise, she stepped onto the turf.
—
"Although Tokyo Racecourse's drainage has always been quite good, today's 'Heavy' track is truly the real deal."
Feeling the grass cling slightly to her feet with her very first step, Mejiro Dober couldn't help but mutter in her heart.
"It's a good thing the trainer specifically prepared these shoes for me; the horseshoes have also been changed to a type that doesn't easily stick to mud."
She continued walking toward the exhibition area, but her gaze involuntarily shifted to the top level of the stands—where the VIP boxes were located. Having been there many times, Mejiro Dober immediately found the location of the box owned by Team Sadalsuud.
"Trainer, Teio, and Kurofune must be watching me from there,"
Mejiro Dober thought, clenching her right hand into a fist and placing it on her chest.
"Please watch me closely," she whispered to herself with her eyes closed.
As the Uma Musume who drew the far outside gate, Mejiro Dober was the last to enter the starting gate. Being the closest to the stands, she took one last look at the crowd before entering—this simple movement was met with deafening cheers.
Fumino Paradise, positioned in Gate 15, reached out with both hands to cover her ears. For someone whose highest achievement was winning a listed race, cheers as overwhelming as a mountain's roar or a tsunami were entirely unprecedented.
Even compared to the Oka Sho, the cheers at Tokyo Racecourse now clearly surpassed those at Hanshin Racecourse, providing a glimpse into the superior status of the Japanese Oaks.
"How terrifying—is this the popularity of the 'Oka Sho's Queen'?" Fumino Paradise couldn't help but murmur to herself in her heart. "It's truly enviable..."
Mejiro Dober waved toward the stands and then, prompted by the staff, began her entry into the gate.
Once inside, she took a deep breath. Despite feeling Fumino Paradise's gaze from her left, Dober chose not to look back. Although Fumino Paradise had won the Anemone Stakes (the trial race before the Oka Sho), she had only managed sixth place in the Oka Sho itself and a dismal eighth in the Flora Stakes. In Shuta Ann's pre-race analysis, Fumino Paradise posed absolutely no threat.
"Honestly, she's probably only running the Oaks because her trainer didn't know what else to sign her up for," Shuta Ann had complained during their strategy session.
"With her distance aptitude, they should really be considering shortening her race distances further, yet here she is for the Japanese Oaks—Anyway, Dober, stay away from her when the time comes. Don't let her loss of speed interfere with your acceleration path."
"I understand!" Mejiro Dober suddenly blurted out as she recalled his words.
Fumino Paradise couldn't help but glance again at her powerful opponent, who had just seemingly blurted out a random sentence without context. "What is going on?" she wondered, bewildered.
But in the next second, the "clack" of the gates opening sounded. Fumino Paradise quickly snapped her head forward, hurriedly attempting to start her run.
—
Unlike Fumino Paradise, Mejiro Dober was perfectly prepared. The moment the gates opened, she lunged forward instantly, smoothly pulling ahead of Fumino Paradise.
"Eh? With this kind of momentum, could Mejiro Dober be going for a 'Pace-chaser' strategy?" the commentator asked, sounding quite surprised. This observation contradicted Ryuu Nishizaki's pre-race analysis.
"No,"
Ryuu Nishizaki replied, staring intently at Mejiro Dober's figure as he dismissed the commentator's guess.
"This is only the opening stage. The actual positioning won't be certain until they enter the first corner at the earliest."
"That's true," the commentator immediately pivoted, attempting to save face for Nishizaki.
Meanwhile, Kyoei March, starting from Gate 14, immediately seized the lead as soon as the gates opened. Although Tokyo Racecourse is officially listed as a Heavy Track today, Kyoei March has no intention of controlling her pace.
"A heavy track gets me even more excited than a firm one!"
With that thought, she fiercely broke away from the pack and surged to the very front, opening a gap of nearly three body lengths over the second-place horse, Idol Maximum. They were only 200 meters into the start, which made it clear just how firm Kyoei March's determination was to set a fast pace.
—
Noticing Kyoei March's movements, Mejiro Dober remained completely unhurried.
"Just as the trainer judged," she thought. "Kyoei March still chose to set a fast pace—but given the turf conditions at Tokyo today, she couldn't even hold on until the end of a heavy 1600-meter race at Hanshin. How long can you last here, Kyoei March?"
As Mejiro Dober thought this, she slowly adjusted her positioning. Because her initial start was very fast, she had originally occupied a position near the front of the Pace-chaser group. However, after observing Kyoei March's determination, Dober slowly retreated through the pack, gradually dropping out of the lead group.
"We are about to enter the first corner. Kyoei March is still widening the gap between herself and Idol Maximum, while the 'Quenn of Oka Sho' Mejiro Dober has actually dropped back several spots," the live commentator noted, highlighting the contrasting strategies of the two favorites.
The commentator continued announcing the names of the Uma Musumes according to their current rankings—
"Three body lengths behind Kyoei March, Idol Maximum and Spark Arrow are running almost neck and neck. Following them is Hanano Megami, with Promotion and Yamanin Xanadu trailing half a body length behind her."
"Leading the Late-surger group is Air Wings. To her rear flank is Fumino Paradise, who suffered an unfavorable start. Orange Peel has taken a posture as if to overtake Fumino Paradise, but she likely won't launch an attack while still on the corner section of the track."
"Eishin Kachita, Spring Diana, and Nanayo Wing are running abreast. It appears they are all wary of one another; none seem willing to risk accelerating early to challenge the opponents in the lead group."
"Next is the unhurried Mejiro Dober, and positioned to her left, closer to the rail, is She's Princess."
Before the commentator could mention the girls further back, Ryuu Nishizaki spoke up:
"As expected, Mejiro Dober has indeed chosen a Late-surger strategy, and her position is relatively far back. It seems she definitely took notice of Kyoei March's aggressive performance."
"It seems you really understand Shuta-kun, Nishizaki-kun," the live commentator remarked admiringly. "In that case, the development of this race is looking very favorable for Mejiro Dober."
In another VIP box, Kyoei March's trainer listened to the commentator's remarks and bit her lip tightly.
"That's not how it is at all!" she thought, filled with indignation.
"If it's Kyoei March, she can definitely maintain the lead all the way to the finish this time! We spent an entire month working specifically on her cardiopulmonary capacity training!"
As Kyoei March's trainer, she possessed absolute confidence in her partner.
"This time, we will definitely avenge our loss at the Oka Sho!"
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