"I... I finally became an Arima Kinen champion!"
Inari One shouted with excitement, nearly grabbing Twin Turbo for a kiss. She was thrilled because this race was truly vital to her.
She started as a regional horse from Ohi, nurtured by her teachers before coming to the Central circuit.
She missed the Japanese Derby, so to make Ohi's name ring out, she had to win the year-end Arima Kinen.
Facing Oguri Cap and Super Creek, she finally completed her counterattack and stood at the summit.
"My real-life self, you were amazing! You became the hero of Ohi. Now it's my turn! I wonder if my mentors back home are happy? Someone must have told them by now."
Inari One's heart was pounding, but she didn't let it go to her head.
Seeing her other-self win gave her joy, but she wouldn't treat those records as her own and rest easy. She had to keep studying, win more G1s, and strive to surpass her real-life counterpart.
Meanwhile, at Tracen Academy, everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Umas from France.
Treve, Solemia, Workforce— these top Uma Musume were coming with immense momentum.
Treve, as the spokesperson for French racing, was set for a peak confrontation with Japan's Orfevre.
Japan held the home-field advantage, but facing a world-class powerhouse like Treve, Chairwoman Akikawa, Miss Tazuna, and President Rudolf clearly felt the pressure.
If Inari One was a JRA legend, then Orfevre was a world-class legend, and Treve was in the conversation for Horse of the Year.
Inari One wanted to grow stronger to add to Tracen's elite combat power.
However, she saw that Trainer Mizuki said her "glory ended there."
She had three more races... could she really not move forward?
She checked her phone.
'Wait, did my mentors not see this part? Why are they calling me?'
At Ohi:
"She won... Big Sis Inari really won."
A little Uma Musume from Ohi jumped for joy, nearly in tears. She saw Inari One's journey through 8 races and 3 G1 wins.
Though the log only spent a few lines on it, she knew success wasn't just words, it was built on countless hours of grueling practice.
"That girl... it was worth me nagging her for six months to go to the JRA. I knew she'd shine. Her power and potential are beyond anyone else. That's our Ohi secret weapon! Hahaha!"
The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He wanted to go to Tracen and find Inari right now. He believed that although Inari had just arrived, her first G1 victory wasn't far off.
Elsewhere:
Super Creek saw her 1989 performance. She won the Autumn Tenno Sho, her second G1.
But in subsequent races, her light was eclipsed by others. She had always wanted the Spring Tenno Sho because injuries had kept her out previously.
Would she have a chance in 1990?
She knew her strengths were her stamina and resilience. She already won the Kikuka Sho, and now she wanted the trophy that suited her best— the Tenno Sho Shield.
There is a saying in the JRA: The winner of the Spring race is never a fluke. The horse that wins the Spring Tenno Sho is hailed as the strongest.
She smiled: "Tama-chan was the first horse in JRA history to win the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho back-to-back, right? Can I be the first to do it in reverse? I'll work hard toward that goal."
She planned to train today, starting with the corners.
Indeed, Super Creek's skill is a "God-tier" skill in the game: Swinging Maestro. She had discussed cornering with Kitasan Black, another master of corner skills.
They concluded that stamina is key to cornering, maintaining breathing and controlling pace in the bend preserves the most energy while ensuring they aren't passed.
In another part of Tracen:
"Absurd! What was Oguri Cap's team thinking? In the second half of 1989, they ran her in the Autumn Tenno Sho, Japan Cup, Mile Championship, and Arima Kinen— four G1sin two months?! That's 8,500 meters of racing! No Uma can handle that schedule."
Air Groove looked at the schedule with fury in her eyes.
If it weren't in the log, she would have thought it was a fairy tale.
'Oguri's owner... were they trying to run her to death?'
Air Groove's anger was palpable. She remembered Oguri had three owners, the third must have just wanted to squeeze every penny out of her.
How irresponsible.
Yet, she noticed something startling: In those two months across four major races, Oguri got one win, two seconds, and a fifth.
In the Japan Cup, she even broke the world record. Her strength was terrifying.
"If her schedule had been better planned, she would have had far more than two G1s."
Air Groove reached this conclusion. At Tracen, they would never let Oguri be reckless.
Then she thought of her grandson, Duramente, who was also gifted but defeated by injury.
She felt a surge of emotion, unsure how she should face Duramente.
Being a grandmother for the first time made her nervous. She finally understood why Duramente did the "Goose Step" to relieve tension, she kind of wanted to do it too.
Worse yet was facing Titleholder, Liberty Island, and Stars on Earth. She had great-grandchildren. It was more than she could wrap her head around.
As she was reflecting, she remembered something.
'Didn't Trainer Mizuki say that Pilsudski, who came from Ireland, once "brandished his "Little Pilsudski" and chased me in the Japan Cup?'
'Wait... "Little Pilsudski"... surely that doesn't mean what I thinks it means?'
(T/N: Yet again, this is an example of the Author forgetting what they had previously written. As far as I can tell, Mizuki never wrote about Pilsudski in her diary, it was only mentioned outside of the diary.)
"B-b-bastard! Pilsudski, you pervert, what did you do to my real-life self?!"
"If you ever act up again, don't blame me for snapping that so-called 'long spear' of yours! No... wait, that sounds wrong..."
"Don't force me to ask Trainer Mizuki to send you to Hong Kong!"
Air Groove's face was beet red. She first thought of snapping it, then realized she'd have to touch it.
No, Pilsudski needed a lesson— it was better to just drag her to Hong Kong to be gelded.
But then she thought it was impossible. The Japan Cup is watched by over 100,000 people.
Pilsudski couldn't have been that perverted, right?
"Hmph. Fine Motion's brother is Pilsudski. I'll give her a call and demand an explanation."
Air Groove had a plan, but she was still stomping her feet in shame. This Pilsudski was too much.
In Ireland:
Pilsudski suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She wondered if she needed to wear heavier clothes.
She had no idea this was the manifestation of Air Groove's resentment.
She was still fuming on behalf of her other-self: 'You damn Pilsudski, think hard about what filthy deeds you did to me during the Japan Cup! Pervert, bastard, just go die!'
In the Tracen world, Pilsudski actually liked Air Groove quite a bit. If she knew she was this angry, she'd probably be grinning.
This Irish pony was quite thick-skinned— truly the nemesis of the Empress.
Of course, Pilsudski hadn't realized the truth yet. She was Fine Motion's "Big Brother," and since Fine Motion was a bit "silly", how smart could her brother be?
At another corner of Tracen Academy.
T.M. Opera O, seeing Oguri Cap's schedule, was genuinely stunned. She remarked:
"Oguri Cap-san, you truly are like the protagonist of a story. Poor lineage, humble beginnings, exploited by owners, and a hellish racing schedule..."
"And yet despite being burdened with so much, you managed to power through four G1 races in those final two months of 1989 and still came away with a stellar record."
"Incredible! Truly amazing!"
Opera O was speechless. Oguri Cap's story was just as "shonen-like" and hot-blooded as Tamamo Cross's.
Moreover, Oguri Cap proved his absolute versatility. From 1,600m miles to the 2,000m Autumn Tenno Sho, the 2,400m Japan Cup, the 2,500m Arima Kinen, and the 3,200m Spring Tenno Sho— he covered almost every distance.
He was the ultimate all-rounder.
It was hard to imagine any other horse in the history of the JRA possessing all the traits found in Oguri Cap. Even though Opera O had a heavy schedule in his early days, he was never exploited to such an extreme.
In fact, Opera O believed Oguri Cap's legend didn't end there. He was indeed considering retirement, but perhaps in 1990, he would deliver an even more shocking performance?
'What kind of conviction did Oguri Cap-senpai run with?'
Oguri Cap watched the screen with her usual blank, stoic expression.
Yet, it was this very girl who had written a chapter that moved countless people. As for what conviction she ran with, even she didn't completely know.
From the moment she stepped onto the turf, she was simply driven by the impulse for victory.
Elsewhere.
Silence Suzuka spoke with deep respect: "Spe-chan, what do you think of Oguri Cap-senpai?"
Special Week, looking a bit dazed with sparkling eyes, kept repeating: "Amazing. Really amazing. Basically, she's just really, really, really amazing."
El Condor Pasa chimed in: "I feel like Spe is even more of a broken record than Mambo."
Twin Turbo's commentary was even sharper: "Oguri Cap-senpai is amazing! She's a bumpkin who started out malnourished and disabled, yet ended up beating the city elites so hard they grew afraid of her!"
King Halo was floored: "That description is a bit too crude, isn't it?"
Nice Nature gave a thumbs up: "Her words are rough, but the logic is sound."
Seiun Sky put her hands behind her head and smiled: "I admire everyone in the Heisei Trio, but if I had to pick one I like the most, it would be Oguri Cap-senpai."
"She shattered the law that racing depends on pedigree and bloodline. She showed everyone in Central that even an Uma from the regional circuits can reign over an era. What a thrilling story."
"It's just... it's a pity that she couldn't win that Arima Kinen, and now she's going to retire..."
Seiun Sky spoke from a place of genuine admiration. Like Oguri, she was a gray horse, and her bloodline wasn't highly regarded either.
However, in her era, gray horses were no longer looked down upon, thanks to the path blazed by Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap.
Ever since they arrived, no one dared say gray horses were slow.
To be honest, Seiun Sky wanted to see Oguri keep running and hoped for a better ending. The curtain call of their own Golden Generation was filled with regrets and even a tinge of desolation.
In the 2001 Spring Tenno Sho, amidst heavy rain, Seiun participated in the final race of the Golden Generation.
He watched the "Overlord of the Century's End," T.M. Opera O, cross the finish line.
It took a full 16 seconds before Seiun Sky, dragging his aged and heavy legs, crossed the line in 12th place. He was dead last.
He had looked up in the rain, as if seeing the most brilliant day of his career when the sky was a vast, clear blue.
But in the end, it turned into a cold drizzle hitting his face, announcing the end of their era.
When Seiun Sky first learned that the Golden Generation ended in such a somber way, she didn't say it out loud, but she felt a deep sorrow.
She often wondered if she could have written a more perfect ending for them.
Seeing Oguri Cap facing retirement, a 5th place finish was actually decent— much better than her own last-place finish— but she still yearned for a beautiful end like Tokai Teio.
A perfect period to mark their dazzling gray era, so it would never be forgotten.
However, Seiun Sky shook her head and sighed to herself:
"Nya-ha-ha, Seiun-chan is being too selfish. My imagination is beautiful, but where are there so many perfect endings?"
"5th in the Arima Kinen... that's the curtain call of the Gray Era. It's actually quite good, right?"
Seiun Sky forced a smile.
Little did she know that a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life was about to appear.
She was about to understand that this era wasn't just named the "Gray Era"— it was named "Oguri Cap's Era."
This was a legend that spanned from the regions to the Central circuit, from insignificance to the peak. As later generations would evaluate:
"God exists!"
Mizuki's log continued. Everyone wanted to see how the story of the Heisei Trio would conclude, and they were dying to know why Northern Taste and Sunday Silence were called the foundations of modern Japanese racing.
Especially the students of Tracen, since Northern Taste was actually Chairwoman Yayoi Akikawa.
The log resumed:
[After the 1989 Arima Kinen, Oguri Cap originally planned to retire. However, the JRA actively lobbied his owner.]
[After some hesitation, the team decided to keep competing, feeling that only 2 G1s didn't do justice to his absolute strength.]
[So, in 1990, after a long period of rest, the team decided to return for the G1 Yasuda Kinen in May. Upon his return, Oguri was the 1st favorite. The 2nd favorite was Osaichi George, 3rd was Bamboo Memory, and 4th was Yaeno Muteki.]
[However, Oguri's jockey was changed to Yutaka Take. This caused some controversy since Take had always been Oguri's rival, but everyone was curious to see what this pairing could achieve.]
[The race began. Oguri burst from the gate and had a perfectly smooth run. On the home straight, he quickly shook off Yaeno Muteki and the favorite Osaichi George, sprinting forward.]
[People were stunned. His ability in the mile was so overwhelming that his terrifying explosive power suppressed all the other G1 horses. He crossed the line a full length ahead of Yaeno Muteki.]
[After the race, Yutaka Take expressed shock at his performance. He said: "I felt like I won without doing anything. When Oguri sprinted, it was as if all the horses behind him simply disappeared."]
[The crowd cheered for the "Resurrection of Oguri Cap." He had finally secured his 3rd G1 title.]
[What was even more ridiculous was the composition of her three G1s: one 2,500m Arima Kinen and two 1,600m Mile titles.]
[This was almost unheard of. Usually, milers lack the stamina for the 2,500m Arima Kinen, and stayers lack the explosive power for the mile.]
[For instance, it's hard to imagine Daitaku Helios, Taiki Shuttle, or Twin Turbo running the Arima Kinen, so it's standard for milers to avoid it.]
[Conversely, horses like Rice Shower, Mejiro Bright, or Nice Nature would struggle in a mile.]
[But Oguri Cap showed universal range. From 1,000m to 2,500m, he was omnipotent. In this 1990 Yasuda Kinen, he not only won the race, but he also smashed the record.]
[His time was 1:32.4, which remained the fastest record until the Tokyo Racecourse renovation in 2003.]
[It was the only time a horse ran under 1:33 before the track was turned into a "highway." The record was only broken later by Agnes Digital at 1:32.1.]
[To put his speed in perspective, even the "Empress" Vodka, who won consecutive Yasuda Kinens in 2008 and 2009, couldn't beat Oguri's record. Her fastest time was 1:32.7.]
[After this race, Oguri Cap earned a new nickname: The Mile King. If his camp had focused purely on miles, he would have had far more than 3 G1s. In the mile, he remains undefeated!]
Inside Tracen Academy, everyone was speechless.
"Oguri Cap... this girl can really run everything. Calling her a 'Gray Monster' is an understatement."
"I can't find the words to describe it," Air Shakur said, gritting her teeth.
She clenched her fist. She had calculated her own data and found she was only 7cm away from winning.
But if she had Oguri's versatility, those 7cm wouldn't even matter. She even believed that if Oguri had run the 3,200m Spring Tenno Sho, she would have had a chance to win that too.
Oguri had broken records at 1,600m, 2,000m, and 2,200m. Her Yasuda Kinen record was the fastest pre-renovation, and she broke the 2,400m world record in the Japan Cup.
She was a powerhouse across all distances.
Shakur felt a profound shock.
'How did a place like Kasamatsu produce a racer like this?'
She decided to study Oguri's data later to calculate the gap between them.
Elsewhere.
"Dammit! I specialize in one distance and still can't win, but she wins at every distance?! I don't accept this! I don't accept this!"
Twin Turbo was reeling. But a moment later, her fighting spirit returned.
She wondered if the reason she couldn't win was because she only did one distance. If she ran everything from short to long like Oguri, would she succeed?
Turbo slapped her thigh.
'I'm a genius!'
She decided she would go and blast a 3,200m run later.
Nice Nature, seeing the smirk on Turbo's face, knew nothing good was coming. She decided she'd better keep an eye on her.
However, Nature was also feeling a bit hurt. She wondered how she would fare against Oguri.
Catching her seemed impossible, but she didn't lose heart. Her most important task was to surpass her current self.
She no longer wanted to be stuck in the shadow of "Third Place."
"Wait, if I my past self is stuck at third place, and I move past them... what place would I be in ?"
"Isn't that still third?"
"Ahem... I'd better just aim to surpass first place. Surpass my 'dear nephew' Tokai Teio. Ni-shi-shi."
Nature was clever and quickly pivoted, mimicking Teio's signature pose with hands on hips, full of energy.
Tokai Teio looked exhausted, she still couldn't accept that Nature was her uncle.
The most shocked person, however, was Vodka.
"Even on a track where I had every advantage, I still couldn't beat Oguri Cap-senpai? This girl is a monster. If I faced her, the pressure would be immense."
Vodka smiled bitterly. She knew that as eras progressed, conditions, training, and experience only improved.
Since she raced in 2008, she had an 18-year lead in technology and experience over Oguri. That gap should be insurmountable.
Yet, even with those advantages and running on a "highway" track, her times couldn't beat Oguri's.
"The Empress? Hahaha... I was so proud when I first heard that name. But now... I need to discard that pride and stay alert."
"But don't think something like this will break me! I won't be a pathetic Uma Musume. I only have one goal: To be faster . Faster than anyone!"
There was no confusion in Vodka's eyes, only a yearning for the future. She wanted to be faster— so fast that Daiwa Scarlet could never catch her.
Taiki Shuttle added: "Oguri Cap, the Mile King? I really want to race her!"
Taiki was full of drive.
On the mile turf, she feared no one, not even a god. She had absolute confidence in the mile and welcomed the challenge.
Oguri Cap, watching the screen, felt her body tremble.
It was the "warrior's shiver."
She too wanted to race Taiki Shuttle. As an Uma Musume, she never felt fear, only the excitement of facing the strong.
Victory on the turf set her heart and her footsteps racing.
But then, Oguri's smile turned into a pout. She rubbed her stomach.
"You're not hungry again, are you?!" Tamamo Cross sharply noticed the expression and immediately started yelling at her.
Oguri nodded stoically with a cute smile.
'Tamamo-chan really knows me best.'
"Hey! Why are you smiling? I wasn't praising you!" Tamamo was exasperated.
'Is there no one in this Academy who can control her?!'
The log continued:
[In early 1990, Super Creek's goal was the Spring Tenno Sho. His team wanted him to become the first horse to achieve a win in one year's Autumn Tenno Sho and the next year's Spring Tenno Sho.]
[Oguri Cap did not participate due to rest, so Super Creek's rival was Inari One. Super Creek won the G2 Sankei Osaka Hai as a lead-up, while Inari One ran the G2 Hanshin Daishoten but failed again, finishing 5th.]
[In the April 1990 Spring Tenno Sho, Super Creek was the favorite over Inari One. For once, Super Creek didn't take the lead but was boxed in.]
[However, he showed incredible stamina, navigating the corners smoothly like a Professor of Curviture.]
[Midway through, he moved to 4th, showing great momentum. Inari One began his move too, sticking to Super Creek's shadow at the 4th bend like a blade ready to strike.]
[Super Creek sensed the chilling presence behind him and knew a showdown was inevitable.]
[On the straight, Super Creek broke away first. Inari followed, trying to turn it into a contest of explosive power. But today's Super Creek was different from the Arima Kinen.]
[His true essence as a Stayer flourished over the 3,200m distance.]
[He beat Inari One by 0.5 lengths, securing his 3rd G1 and becoming the first in JRA history to win the Autumn and Spring Tenno Sho consecutively.]
[This is different from Tamamo Cross's feat of winning the Spring Tenno Sho first, then the Autumn Tenno Sho later in the year.]
[Super Creek's team planned for the Takarazuka Kinen against Oguri, then the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. However, his muscle pain flared up again.]
[His dreams of the Arc vanished.]
[After recovering and winning the G2 Kyoto Daishoten in the fall, he— like Mejiro McQueen— was diagnosed with suspensory ligamentitis in his left front leg.]
[He bypassed the Autumn Tenno Sho and announced his retirement at the end of 1990.]
[Meanwhile, Oguri Cap and Inari One entered the 1990 Takarazuka Kinen— Inari's final JRA race.]
[Osaichi George won, Oguri took 2nd, and Inari 4th.]
[Inari One suffered a leg injury in September and retired. His ceremony was held at the 1990 Arima Kinen.]
[This 1990 Arima Kinen would also be Oguri Cap's final battle. It would be the final dance of the Heisei Trio and the final chapter of the '85 Gray Generation's story.]
[But problems mounted. After the June Takarazuka Kinen, Oguri entered another recovery period. His form plummeted.]
[He developed periostitis in the fall and planned to skip the Autumn Tenno Sho, but the team decided to participate anyway.]
[Because TV stations were aggressive in their coverage, filming Oguri nearly 24/7 for a week to hype the race, his rest was severely disrupted. Worse, none of the film crew understood horses.]
[They caused compounding damage to a horse that had already bumped his leg earlier that month. By the time the stable hands realized how bad the situation was, it was too late.]
[Exhausted and burdened by the filming, Oguri finished 6th in the Autumn Tenno Sho, which was the first time in his life he fell out of the top 5.]
[The following Japan Cup was an even greater disaster, finishing 11th.]
[Calls for his retirement grew loud. The owner even received threat letters: "If you don't retire Oguri Cap, we will plant bombs at your house and the racecourse."]
[The final decision was made: Oguri Cap would retire after the year-end Arima Kinen.]
At this moment, as they read through the logs, the expressions of countless people in Tracen Academy shifted continuously.
They changed from excitement about seeing the final battle between Inari One and Super Creek, to regret and grief of their forced retirements, and finally to fury surrounding Oguri Cap's treatment.
"Super Creek-senpai's ending is quite similar to mine. It's such a pity," Mejiro McQueen remarked.
"If I hadn't been injured back then, I would have had the chance for a second showdown with Teio."
McQueen had also been plagued by suspensory ligamentitis, which was incurable for horses at the time.
However, in this era, Uma Musume no longer faced such dire fates, medicine was constantly advancing, and every girl was better protected.
"It's okay, McQueen. Now that we know, we can be careful. After you withdrew back then, I was the one who took the win."
"This time, let's have a fair fight and let the winds of freedom blow," Yamanin Zephyr said with a smile.
She crossed her arms, an unconscious gesture that highlighted her impressively curvaceous figure.
Silence Suzuka, standing right next to her, immediately became a stark contrast.
Suzuka seemed to notice. Usually, she didn't mind, but after reading the logs, she felt a twinge of jealousy.
What could she even say? She could only lament the unfairness of the heavens.
King Halo said sorrowfully: "Such an ending is truly regrettable. Everyone was so brilliant before, yet because of injuries, they had to leave the stage like that."
King remembered her own final race. A least she had finished on her feet. Even in defeat, there were no regrets.
She thought of Seiun Sky giving her all in the rain during that Spring Tenno Sho.
People love stories of miracles and "beautiful endings," but reality is often cruel.
Oguri Cap-senpai had finished 6th, and then 11th in the Japan Cup. Perhaps the final ending of the Heisei Trio— the final ending of the Gray Generation— wasn't meant to be satisfying.
Seiun Sky sighed as well, but regardless, her heart remained full of endless admiration for Oguri Cap.
Deep down, she still hoped for a miracle— perhaps out of her own unwillingness to accept defeat, or her own regrets regarding her final run.
Did their era have to end as desolately as the Golden Generation's?
Beside Oguri Cap, Super Creek, Tamamo Cross, and Inari One all stood together by unspoken agreement. No words were needed.
Like four friends who encouraged each other and four rivals who pushed each other, they drew close with perfect understanding, ready to watch their generation's curtain call.
Their era was ending. And the final run... who would have thought it would be Oguri's?
What kind of period would she put on their story?
The four of them smiled happily. It was as if their era wasn't reaching its end, but was only just beginning.
Indeed... what kind of ending would this Arima Kinen bring?
They were all incredibly expectant.