On weekday evenings and holidays, my life was consumed by training Rice and Urara. Every other waking moment was spent buried in a mountain of data. But compared to the speed at which the days flew by, my progress in organizing that information felt sluggish at best.
I had finally managed to scrape together a baseline of data, but the rush job left me gnawed by anxiety. Was I missing something? Had I overlooked a crucial detail? Still, seeing the chaos finally take some sort of shape brought a small sense of relief.
Today was no different. After finishing the session with Urara and Rice, I retreated to the trainers' communal workspace to do battle with my laptop. As I reviewed the compiled files, I could only sink my head into my hands.
I knew this already, but still... if Rice is going to compete in the graded stakes, the level of competition is staggering. We aren't just talking about numbers; we're talking about monsters. Some are G1 winners; others might not have the title yet, but they're placing in the top ranks like it's second nature.
"Ugh... gah..."
A pained groan escaped my throat as I rolled my neck. It had locked up from hours of staring at the screen, and the resulting cracks sounded like a handful of gravel being crushed.
In terms of career records, many outclassed Rice. Despite her brilliant victory at the Kikuka-sho, her overall history was far from consistent.
Rice Shower.
She took first in her debut, only to crumble to 11th in the Niigata Junior Stakes. She bounced back with a win at the Fuyou Stakes, only for a fracture to be discovered immediately after, forcing her into three months of rehabilitation.
Her comeback in the G2 Spring Stakes saw her take 4th. Then came the start of the Triple Crown—the G1 Satsuki-sho and the NHK Mile Cup—where she finished a lackluster 8th in both.
But then, Rice changed. She took 2nd in the Tokyo Yushun (the Japan Derby), 2nd in the St. Lite Kinen, and 2nd in the Kyoto Shimbun Hai. In two of those races, she was beaten by Mihono Bourbon—the very rival she finally overcame at the Kikuka-sho.
On paper, her record stood at: one G1 win, one G1 second-place; two G2 seconds, and one fourth-place. Toss in a debut win and an Open-class victory, and that was the sum of her career.
Ten starts, three wins. In the grand scheme of the Tracen Academy, that wasn't exactly a legendary resume. You could find plenty of girls with a couple of wins under their belts. However, the sheer weight of that single "1st Place" at the Kikuka-sho changed everything. It changed how the world saw her.
And now, I was the one responsible for her. Looking at the list of girls Rice might face next, the word "brutal" didn't even begin to cover it.
While the field of potential rivals was vast, six names stood out as genuine threats.
Tokai Teio.
A member of Team Spica. Including her debut, she tore through a seven-race winning streak. Her first four were Open class, but her fifth was the Satsuki-sho and her sixth was the Japan Derby. Her talent is terrifying. However, a fracture discovered after the Derby forced her into a long hiatus. Even so, she took 1st in the G1 Osaka Hai immediately upon her return. That's just madness. She placed 5th in the Spring Tenno-sho after another injury, and while she was 7th in the Autumn Tenno-sho, her form looked like it was almost back to its peak.
The G1 Japan Cup is less than a week away. I caught a glimpse of her training, and she looks polished. She could easily take the whole thing. She can handle distance, but her true essence is that of a middle-distance specialist. Her "Pre-front" running style—accelerating in a sudden, explosive burst on the final straight—is nothing short of a miracle.
Mejiro McQueen.
Also of Team Spica, and a daughter of the prestigious Mejiro family. She is a pure stayer and the rival Rice is most likely to collide with. From her race footage, she seems equally deadly at middle distances. With 17 starts and 9 wins, she almost always places in the money. Her 18th-place finish at the Autumn Tenno-sho was only due to a disqualification; she actually crossed the finish line first. With a Kikuka-sho win and two consecutive Spring Tenno-sho titles, she is a titan of the big stage. Like Rice, she favors a "Leading" style. If she enters the gate, she's the one to beat.
...Though, fortunately for us, she's currently sidelined with an injury.
Nice Nature.
Team Canopus. A "Betweener" who covers middle to long distances. While she lacks a G1 trophy, she has two G2 wins and a G3 win. With 6 wins in 15 starts, she is—like McQueen—a model of consistency. She's an odd one; she gets injured frequently, yet once ran twice in a single month and won both. I can't tell if she's fragile or made of iron. Looking at her record, she's arguably a higher-tier opponent than Rice.
Wait, she's been on a long break since last year's Arima Kinen and only just returned last month. Seriously, is she fragile or tough? Also... she seems to get 3rd place an awful lot.
Ikuno Dictus.
Also Team Canopus. A "Leader" type who can stretch from Mile to the edge of Long distance. While her raw stats might be lower than Nature's, her record is what catches my eye. She has only 8 wins, but she has competed in thirty-nine races. The sheer experience she's gained from that volume of competition makes her someone I cannot afford to ignore.
Machikane Tannhauser.
Another Canopus girl. She debuted around the same time as Rice and fought for the lead against her and Bourbon at the Kikuka-sho. Two wins in 11 starts, but look at the progression: 7th in the Satsuki-sho, 4th in the Derby, 3rd in the Kikuka-sho. She's getting better every time she touches the turf. High-level stability.
Mejiro Palmer.
Another Mejiro. 7 wins in 29 starts, including a G1 win at the Takarazuka Kinen. She is a pure "Runner"—all or nothing. She used to do sprints and miles, but lately, she's moved into middle and long distance. She's unpredictable; she took 17th at the Autumn Tenno-sho, but if the rhythm is right, she has the aura of someone who could slip away and never be caught.
Those were the six I was watching. Then there was Daitaku Helios—likely for the Arima Kinen. 10 wins in 33 starts, two-time Mile Cup winner. A classic miler who, for some reason, keeps showing up in long-distance races. Rice should be able to out-sprint her at distance, but 30 races of experience is nothing to sneeze at.
"Phew..."
I let out a long sigh as I closed the files. It wasn't just their talent that made this hard; it was the injuries. You never knew who would actually show up at the starting gate until the last minute.