Chapter 12. Ranvet Stakes as a Warm Up Part 2
As Shuta An led the film crew down toward a position near the finish line stands, Mejiro Dober was already approaching the first turn. By now, InJoyment had completed roughly 500 meters and was practically "taking a walk" through the curve.
After stopping near the rail, Shuta An glanced up at the large screen overhead — and his expression immediately changed.
"The pace from 1800 to 1600 meters barely increased at all?" he blurted out in surprise.
"Is that a problem?" the director quickly asked beside him.
"The 1600 to 1400 meter section is on the bend, so naturally the split there should be slower than the previous section," Shuta An explained while staring intently at the screen. "But if even this segment doesn't slow much, then this race is very likely turning into an ultra-slow pace."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"In that case, Dober will need to move earlier than planned. I just hope she notices how abnormal this pace is today."
Although he said "hope" aloud, inwardly he was completely certain.
"This kind of pace will never deceive Dober. She'll realize the issue soon enough and begin advancing."
The young man silently calculated further possibilities.
"It'll probably alert the front group early as well. The race may turn directly into a final sprint showdown… If possible, I'd rather Dober simply crush their spirits outright and make them give up resisting."
Just as InJoyment exited the first turn, the next split appeared across the screen.
1600 ~ 1400 meters — 13.81 seconds.
"That's even slower than the opening 200 meters!" Shuta An exclaimed loudly. "Forty point three-two seconds for the first six hundred meters? Is InJoyment leading a race or jogging by herself?!"
Even the NHK crew members were visibly stunned.
Most of them were serious Twinkle Series fans themselves. Even for a slow-paced 2000-meter race, a 600-meter split exceeding forty seconds was bordering on absurdity.
"Is InJoyment seriously running this like a retirement parade?" Shuta An couldn't help muttering internally. "She's completely pretending to be a front-runner in this Ranvet Stakes!"
After entering the next bend and briefly reaching the short straight section, InJoyment continued maintaining her leisurely "crawl."
Neither the leading group behind her nor Dodge made any attempt whatsoever to pressure the pace.
For front-running Uma Musume like them, such an ultra-slow pace was practically heaven-sent. As long as they maintained their forward positioning, they could potentially neutralize Mejiro Dober's overwhelming explosive acceleration advantage.
"I'm seriously grateful to InJoyment right now," Tie The Knot thought inwardly. "If I somehow win today, I'll definitely thank her properly afterward."
Then, as they entered the long backstretch opposite the stands, InJoyment finally seemed to remember she was still inside a race and slightly increased her speed.
Although it was only a minor acceleration, because the previous pace had been so outrageously slow, even this tiny increase looked dramatic by comparison.
"This girl really is running entirely based on her mood…" both Shuta An and several NHK staff members sighed simultaneously.
The next split appeared:
1400 ~ 1200 meters — 12.85 seconds.
"Eight hundred meters in fifty-three point one-seven seconds," Shuta An calmly analyzed aloud. "If the first thousand meters lands somewhere between sixty-five and sixty-seven seconds, then even by Japanese standards this qualifies as an ultra-slow pace. Dober has absolutely nothing she can't handle under those conditions."
At this moment, he noticed the film crew members around him all looked rather tense, so he deliberately softened his tone slightly.
"To be honest… speaking selfishly, from the perspective of documentary ratings, all of us really hope Miss Mejiro Dober wins decisively," the director admitted quietly. "I don't think anyone wants to see another tragic story."
Shuta An naturally understood the implication hidden behind those words.
Last year's Arima Kinen still lingered painfully in the minds of countless Mejiro Dober fans.
"I can only promise that we'll do everything we can for the best possible result," the young man replied with a shrug.
"Nobody can guarantee one hundred percent victories in horse racing. Any Trainer capable of that should probably be investigated for illegal enhancement drugs."
Soon afterward, the next split appeared exactly as expected.
1200 ~ 1000 meters — 13.43 seconds.
The first 1000 meters of the Ranvet Stakes had therefore been completed in 66.6 seconds.
"Good. Dober should begin moving forward now," Shuta An declared with absolute certainty.
Almost immediately afterward, the race broadcast switched to a close-up of Mejiro Dober.
She lowered her center of gravity.
Her stride lengthened.
Then, little by little, she began accelerating.
Nahayan, positioned directly ahead of her, was overtaken almost instantly in a single smooth advance.
"Why is she accelerating here already?" Nahayan thought in surprise. "Is it just because she looked at her Trainer a few extra times before the race? Moving this early means she doesn't even want me seeing her back anymore?"
Naturally, Mejiro Dober had no idea what Nahayan was thinking.
But if she did know, she probably would have acknowledged it proudly.
"That's right. I specifically want someone like you to understand the difference between us."
Just as InJoyment casually passed through the final corner and entered the homestretch, Mejiro Dober exploded outward from the far outside lane.
Tie The Knot and Dodge were instantly left behind.
Her target became InJoyment alone.
Originally, Shuta An expected InJoyment would at least symbolically resist for a brief moment.
Instead, something even more astonishing occurred.
The instant InJoyment noticed Mejiro Dober's presence entering her peripheral vision, she chose the most humiliating option possible:
She surrendered.
Without even attempting a proper response, InJoyment slightly slowed her pace and willingly relinquished the lead.
Mejiro Dober showed no hesitation whatsoever.
Maintaining her accelerating momentum, she did not even bother cutting inward to secure the rail after overtaking.
She merely glanced once toward InJoyment.
Then her eyes returned forward.
Toward the finish line.
Toward victory.
Toward the blessings of the goddess of triumph herself.
Her speed continued increasing relentlessly.
There was no sign of stamina loss despite the early move.
Meanwhile, the distance separating Mejiro Dober from the field behind her widened continuously with every stride.
When she was still one hundred meters away from the finish line, the Australian commentator suddenly stood up from his seat.
With microphone in one hand and hat removed in the other, he shouted passionately:
"This is Japan's Triple Crown genius! Upon Rosehill's autumn turf, she crushes aside every opponent standing in her path! Unreachable! Unstoppable! Witness it clearly — the greatest favorite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes stands right here!"
And when only fifty meters remained before the finish line—
Shuta An suddenly turned around toward the stands behind him.
He raised both arms high.
A confident smile appeared on his face.
He did not scream wildly.
Nor did he hug the nearby NHK staff members in celebration.
Instead, he merely clenched his fists silently, gave a small victorious wave toward the crowd, and then calmly strode away from the stands altogether.
He was already heading toward the underground passage exit to welcome Mejiro Dober—
Before the undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume had even fully crossed the finish line.
In this Race, Mejiro Dober recorded a finishing time of 2:00.1—a very standard result for a 2000-meter Race. However, when compared to second-place Tie The Knot's 2:01.91, a margin of a full 1.81 seconds, Mejiro Dober's victory became extraordinarily dazzling.
By the time Shuta An arrived at the underground passage exit with the film crew, Mejiro Dober had already completed her bow to the spectators and waved toward the stands.
She trotted briskly toward the underground passage, her heart overflowing with joy, because she knew that if her Trainer was nowhere to be seen in the stands, then he would definitely be waiting for her at the exit.
This was one of the tacit understandings the two had accumulated over the past two years.
The moment she reached the underground passage exit, Mejiro Dober immediately saw the young man standing there with a warm smile.
Without slowing down, the undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume threw herself into Shuta An's arms.
"Trainer! I did it!"
The young man felt the warmth of the Uma Musume breathing against him and instantly judged that her exertion in this Race had not been significant at all. Only then did he truly relax.
"I watched the entire Race from the stands," Shuta An said softly. "Dober's performance today was excellent. You can properly rest for the next week."
"Mm-hmm!"
Because Shuta An's body blocked the cameras behind him, Mejiro Dober boldly rubbed against him for a moment before lifting her head.
"Trainer, you have to praise me more later!"
"Alright." The young man agreed without hesitation.
Although he still didn't fully understand why Mejiro Dober had become increasingly proactive recently, in Shuta An's eyes, this was still far better than her former state of treating all interaction with the opposite sex like an allergic reaction.
After finally stepping out of her Trainer's embrace, Mejiro Dober adjusted the hair near her temples.
"I'm going back to the lounge to prepare for Winning Live."
"Go ahead." Shuta An smiled and waved his hand lightly. "I still need to deal with the reporters."
After watching Mejiro Dober disappear into the underground passage, Shuta An headed toward the media area.
Behind him followed the NHK documentary crew, while in front of him stood a dense crowd of reporters. Being sandwiched between the two groups gave the young man a strangely novel feeling.
With the assistance of the Rosehill Racecourse staff, the media area was quickly organized. Shuta An took the microphone and calmly spoke:
"One question per person. That's always been my rule for post-Race interviews. Everyone will get a turn, so please don't interrupt."
After saying that, he directly called on the Australian reporter standing closest to him.
"Mr. Shuta, what are your impressions of Rosehill Racecourse?"
"Very good."
Shuta An replied simply.
"The facilities are modern, the venue is very clean, the turf condition is excellent, and although the track structure differs somewhat from Japan's, it's also very interesting. Overall, I have an excellent impression of this place."
The next reporter immediately followed up.
"Today's Ranvet Stakes victory marks Mejiro Dober's eighth G1 title. What is her next goal?"
"There's nothing to hide there. I already announced it publicly back in Japan."
Shuta An shrugged.
"The Queen Elizabeth Stakes. That has been Dober's main objective for this Australian expedition from the very beginning."
"How would Mr. Shuta evaluate Miss Mejiro Dober's performance today?"
This was an extremely standard question.
"Before the Race, Dober's condition was probably around eighty percent," Shuta An answered after a brief pause.
"Considering her actual performance during the Race, I'd give it an eight and a half out of ten."
"Only eighty percent condition?"
The reporter's eyes widened slightly.
"She already performed so brilliantly today. Then what condition do you expect her to be in for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes?"
"One hundred percent."
This time, Shuta An answered without hesitation.
"After all, that's the real target. I don't intend to fail there."
Another reporter raised his hand.
"As far as we know, Team Sadalsuud also has Tokai Teio this year, who remains in Japan to challenge the Classic Triple Crown. Will she also attempt overseas expeditions this year like Mejiro Dober did previously? Perhaps the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup, or Melbourne Cup?"
"No."
Shuta An directly dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.
"Teio's objective this year is to focus entirely on domestic competition."
After finishing the final interview question, Shuta An finally left the media area.
The moment he returned to the Box, he opened the refrigerator, grabbed another can of sparkling water, and drank it down in one breath.
Only after exhaling deeply did the young man finally feel the tension in his body gradually loosen.
However, he didn't remain in the Box for long.
After taking another unopened can of sparkling water with him, Shuta An immediately turned around and headed back out again, because Mejiro Dober's Winning Live was about to begin.
Compared to watching through the distant floor-to-ceiling windows of the Box, he preferred standing near the stage himself.
While walking toward the stage, the documentary director proactively asked:
"What does Shuta Trainer usually think about while watching Winning Live after a Race?"
"Nothing."
Shuta An's answer sounded somewhat perfunctory, but it was also entirely sincere.
Because after all the tension of preparation, strategy, and spectating had finally ended with a successful result, his mind truly didn't feel inclined to think about anything else.
The director noticed the faint exhaustion on Shuta An's face and tactfully chose not to continue pressing him with more questions.
Although they were in Australia this time, Mejiro Dober still chose to perform her own solo song, "1 Billion Things? I? V?", completely unconcerned with whether the Australian audience could understand the lyrics.
Yet as she watched the passionate cheers from the audience below the stage, Mejiro Dober quietly thought to herself,
"Even if they don't understand the words, music itself is a language that transcends nationality. So everyone can still enjoy it."
Below the stage, Shuta An held two glow sticks in his hands, silently waving them along with the rhythm of the song.
Meanwhile, the NHK documentary crew surprisingly focused far less on Mejiro Dober's dazzling performance onstage than on the unusually quiet Trainer standing among the audience.
The cameraman vaguely felt that this scene would become one of the documentary's defining moments.
Everyone's attention naturally gravitated toward the brilliant and radiant Uma Musume standing beneath the spotlight onstage.
Yet at the same time, the Trainer standing below the stage had quietly returned to being just another fan among the crowd.
At that moment, Shuta An's identity no longer differed from any ordinary Twinkle Series supporter.
As fans, they often became furious when Trainers made foolish scheduling decisions, mishandled strategies, or watched their partnered Uma Musume suffer through accidents and setbacks.
But at this moment, the cameraman once again realized something very simple.
Trainers themselves had always been fans of the Uma Musume too.
"People like Shuta Trainer…" the cameraman thought silently while holding the camera steady, "…are ultimately just like us."