Chapter 21. QES 1999 Aus Part 3
As Darazari stormed toward the exit of the final turn and prepared to enter the decisive sprint stage, the race clock had already ticked past 1:26.09.
"The final 400 meters!" the live commentator roared. "Darazari is still leading the pack! But Horizon is rapidly closing in from behind! Sky Heights on the outside is beginning to move as well! LeaseI has already launched her sprint! Can Darazari hold on until the end?!"
Yet before the commentator could even catch his breath, his voice abruptly rose again.
"Mejiro Dober! Mejiro Dober has effortlessly overtaken LeaseI!"
After sweeping past LeaseI, Mejiro Dober showed no intention of slowing her momentum. Her strides continued to lengthen as she chased directly toward Horizon. Although Randwick Racecourse possessed a 410-meter final straight, she had no intention of waiting until the final 200 meters before making her decisive move.
Because today, Mejiro Dober carried something she had never revealed during the Ranvet Stakes.
A hidden weapon.
The moment she overtook Horizon and Darazari, she intended to unveil it completely.
"I have to show everyone supporting me just how much stronger I've become."
That single thought burned quietly within her chest.
At this point, Horizon's entire concentration was locked onto Darazari ahead. She never noticed Mejiro Dober rapidly closing the gap from behind. Relying on her superior acceleration, Horizon finally overtook Darazari entering the straight, but before the slightest joy could even surface—
Mejiro Dober was already beside her.
"Damn it—!"
Horizon grit her teeth and forcefully accelerated again.
"There's no way I'll let you pass me here!"
Her resolve was fierce.
But with just over 300 meters remaining, Miss Mejiro Dober still surged past Horizon from the outside with overwhelming ease, taking the very front of the pack alone.
"Mejiro Dober has reached the lead!!" Green Channel's commentator nearly shouted himself hoarse. "Horizon can no longer keep up with Miss Mejiro Dober's speed! And Mejiro Dober still isn't slowing down! Even the uphill section of Randwick Racecourse cannot stop her advance!"
By the stands, Shuta An's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Mejiro Dober's running form.
Because he sensed it immediately.
A far clearer and more complete "Zone" aura than before.
"She's activating it here?" the young man murmured inwardly. "The pressure from Horizon shouldn't have been enough to force that out…"
After her defeat in last year's Arima Kinen, Mejiro Dober had spent an extraordinarily long time reflecting upon herself. Among the conclusions she reached, one remained engraved deepest in her heart—
She needed to master her own "Zone."
And the partner she chose for that training was Oguri Cap.
Although the training period had not been especially long, the feel Mejiro Dober sensed during the Arima Kinen, combined with Oguri Cap's guidance, allowed her to gradually understand how to stabilize that state.
Because of that, Mejiro Dober now possessed absolute confidence.
If she could return to the Arima Kinen of last year as she was now—
Then neither Grass Wonder-senpai nor Special Week-senpai would catch up to her in the final strecth.
"There was no need to use it during the Ranvet Stakes," Mejiro Dober thought calmly as she fixed her gaze on the finish line ahead. "But today is different."
"For absolute certainty…I have to use it here."
Her legs exploded with even greater force.
"No matter whether you are Horizon, Folkqueen, Ellerslie Pride, or any other powerful Uma Musume from the Southern Hemisphere—"
The "Zone" continuously amplified every movement of her body.
"I will win this Queen Elizabeth Stakes beautifully."
The instant Mejiro Dober fully released her "Zone," Horizon's expression froze.
Although she could not understand what exactly had changed, she could clearly feel an indescribable pressure radiating from Mejiro Dober's body.
A presence she had never encountered before.
By the stands, Horizon's Trainer subconsciously glanced toward the calm-faced Shuta An.
"So this was Mejiro Dober's hidden weapon…"
His scalp tingled.
"You deliberately held it back last year… held it back during the Ranvet Stakes… and only allowed her to reveal it today?"
A bitter smile surfaced on his face.
"How many things are you still hiding, Shuta An?"
"If I had known Mejiro Dober could enter this state, I would never have let Horizon stay directly behind the front runners today."
But the frustration quickly faded from his expression.
Complaining now had no meaning.
After this race, Horizon needed rest.
Real rest.
And proper reflection.
—
Meanwhile, Shuta An himself showed almost no visible reaction after Mejiro Dober unleashed her "Zone."
Only after she completely widened the gap from Horizon did he slowly turn around toward the stands and the camera behind him.
The cameraman originally expected Shuta An to raise his arms high in celebration like before, or perhaps even shout in excitement.
After all, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Ranvet Stakes were both G1 races in name alone—the difference in prestige between them was overwhelming.
Yet Shuta An did neither.
He simply removed the top hat from his head, stepped backward slightly, and performed a perfectly formal knight's bow toward the cheering audience filling the stands.
The elegant gesture instantly froze countless spectators in place.
After straightening himself once more, Shuta An turned back toward the track, a faint smile resting quietly upon his lips as he awaited Mejiro Dober's final charge.
Behind him—
Miss Mejiro Dober continued advancing toward the finish line.
Step after step.
Stride after stride.
The opponents behind her had already fallen into complete despair. Even if they could somehow catch Horizon, none of them could even touch Mejiro Dober's shadow anymore.
"The 'me' inside this documentary…"
Mejiro Dober lowered her center of gravity further, slicing through the wind like an arrow of silver light.
"must receive a perfect ending."
The roaring cheers of the audience were drowned out by the violent wind rushing past her ears.
But Mejiro Dober knew.
At this very moment—
Her Trainer's eyes were focused entirely on her alone.
"With this victory—I'll pass the baton to Teio."
The instant she crossed the finish line, Mejiro Dober raised a single index finger toward the stands.
"A prediction from one month ago becomes reality!! Mejiro Dober has conquered Randwick Racecourse and defeated every opponent before her!! Consecutive G1 victories!!"
"2:01.19!! A new course record!!"
"0.03 seconds faster than the course record Intergaze established two years ago!! Mejiro Dober didn't merely defeat Intergaze today—she shattered the very record Intergaze once left behind!!"
"This is complete domination!!"
"If Mejiro Dober returns for the Caulfield Cup or the Cox Plate later this year—then every Uma Musume in Australia and New Zealand had better prepare themselves!"
"Because this… is the strongest opponent the Southern Hemisphere has ever faced!!"
After Mejiro Dober crossed the finish line, Shuta An quietly left the stands together with the NHK film crew.
"Are you going for the post-race interview?" the director asked while following behind him.
"No." Shuta An denied it without hesitation.
The director originally wanted to ask where he was heading instead, but before he could speak, he noticed the young man already striding quickly toward the entrance of the underground passage.
Passing through the restricted area and briefly showing his staff pass to security personnel, Shuta An descended the stairs almost without slowing down. In only a few moments, he reached the exit of the underground tunnel.
Then he stopped.
Silent.
He did not say a single word, yet everyone from the film crew immediately understood what he was waiting for.
He was waiting for Mejiro Dober.
—
Meanwhile, after gradually slowing down on the track, Mejiro Dober did not immediately head toward the underground passage. Instead, she first turned around and walked toward Intergaze, who had finished second, and Sky Heights, who had taken third.
Compared to before, Mejiro Dober's spoken English had improved considerably after consecutive expeditions to English-speaking countries. Although her pronunciation still carried traces of awkwardness, normal communication was no longer difficult.
"I'm truly impressed," Intergaze said first, proactively extending her hand. "Will you come challenge the Cox Plate or the Caulfield Cup later this year?"
"That depends on how my Trainer arranges my schedule," Mejiro Dober replied honestly while shaking her hand. "I follow Trainer's decisions."
"You and your Trainer really have a good relationship," Intergaze casually remarked.
Instantly, a faint blush spread across Mejiro Dober's cheeks.
Sky Heights, who had walked over by then, happened to hear the entire exchange. A teasing smile immediately surfaced on her face as she lightly patted Mejiro Dober's shoulder.
"Since today's your celebration day," Sky Heights said with deliberate seriousness, "then making a few unreasonable requests should be fine, right? Surely your Trainer would agree too. For example—"
Before she could even finish speaking, Mejiro Dober's face had already reddened completely. She hurriedly stepped backward as though fleeing from danger itself.
"W-Wait—!"
Watching her almost escape outright, Intergaze shot Sky Heights a helpless look.
"You can't say things like that to someone you barely know."
"But she greeted us first," Sky Heights muttered with a pout. "I thought she'd be more outgoing."
She sighed exaggeratedly.
"So reserved after all."
"I think it's because you're the strange one," Intergaze replied calmly before glancing back toward the departing Mejiro Dober.
Then her expression gradually softened.
"I honestly hope she doesn't come back to Australia in spring."
Sky Heights blinked.
"You don't want a rematch?"
Intergaze slowly rubbed her sore thighs.
"Today's track condition was excellent. Under normal circumstances, my finishing time should've been enough to win this race in most years."
(Yup she was the winner in the real race)
Yet she still lost badly.
Very badly.
"If she comes for the Cox Plate—" Intergaze exhaled quietly, "then even if Mighty returns, I don't think she'll be able to stop her."
"Mighty?" SkyHeights laughed softly. "She lost even worse against Silence Suzuka last year than I lost today."
Then she folded her arms behind her head.
"You'd be better off hoping Horizon finishes her second transformation properly."
—
After leaving Intergaze and Sky Heights behind, Mejiro Dober still did not immediately return underground.
Because she remembered something important.
As the winner of today's main event, she still had to thank the spectators who came to support the race.
Whether watching from the stands, television broadcasts, or radios, the audience formed the foundation of every Twinkle Series event. Without them, no race could continue to exist.
And as an overseas challenger, Mejiro Dober could clearly feel the overwhelming support directed toward her today—support no weaker than what local Uma Musumes received.
When she raised her head toward the stands, she even spotted fans holding a massive tifo bearing both her name and a manga illustration of herself.
Although—
"The drawing style is a little strange—" Mejiro Dober muttered inwardly.
Still, warmth quietly spread through her chest.
She stopped in place.
Then bowed deeply toward the audience.
After straightening herself again, Mejiro Dober revealed a gentle smile and waved toward the cheering stands before finally turning around and hurrying toward the underground passage.
The winning live performance still awaited her.
But before entering—
The young lady of the Mejiro Family saw the person she had been thinking about standing quietly at the tunnel exit, waiting for her.
"Trainer!"
Mejiro Dober immediately rushed forward in several quick strides and threw herself directly into Shuta An's arms.
"Thank you! I did it!"
Because the surrounding staff members were still present, Shuta An restrained himself and simply placed both hands upon her shoulders, gently pushing her back slightly.
"The most important reason is Dober's own hard work," he said softly. "Everything you achieved today came from your own effort."
Then his tone relaxed slightly.
"Now rest properly for a month. Whether the next race is the Yasuda Kinen or the Takarazuka Kinen, it won't be until June anyway."
Noticing the NHK staff still nearby, Mejiro Dober reluctantly suppressed the emotions she wanted to express further.
"Okay."
She nodded obediently.
"I'm going to prepare for the winning live performance."
"Go ahead." Shuta An smiled and withdrew his hands. "We're leaving Australia tonight, so I still need to greet the Australia URA Association officials first."
Mejiro Dober glanced at him one final time before finally turning and heading deeper into the tunnel.
Her footsteps were noticeably lighter than before.
—
Afterward, Shuta An found Matt Granos, president of the Australia URA Association.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Shuta, for choosing the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as Miss Mejiro Dober's expedition targets," Matt Granos said immediately upon meeting him. "This year's Autumn Carnival revenue far exceeded our expectations."
"It's because the Australia URA Association arranged the schedule very well," Shuta An replied while shaking his hand. "And the Queen Elizabeth Stakes prize money is also very generous."
Then he continued calmly:
"I actually came here to say goodbye. Dober and I will return to Japan tonight."
"Tonight?" President Matt's eyes widened in surprise. "But the Autumn Carnival closing banquet is tonight. Both you and Miss Mejiro Dober will absolutely become the center of attention there."
Shuta An shook his head apologetically.
"I still have another Uma Musume racing in Japan tomorrow."
"Ah!" Matt instantly understood. "Miss Tokai Teio?"
The name clearly carried considerable recognition overseas already.
"I remember many American media outlets praised her heavily before."
Then Matt smiled curiously.
"Does Mr. Shuta have any plans to let Tokai Teio challenge races in Australia someday?"
"Perhaps in the future, if the opportunity arises," Shuta An replied ambiguously.
After all, although the Queen Elizabeth Stakes already represented the highest-level race under the Australia URA Association—
The truly world-famous Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate belonged to entirely different organizers.