Once the final lineup for the Coronation Cup was officially announced, the race immediately exploded in popularity.
Racing fans were thrilled at the prospect of a second clash between Offside Trap and Dolce. In the Japan Cup, Offside Trap had held home-ground advantage, and many of Dolce's fans—as well as European racing fans in general—had never truly accepted that result.
It was not that they refused to acknowledge Offside Trap's strength. They simply believed that while she had already reached first-rate level, she was still some distance away from the very top. In an era like this one, Offside Trap was not yet the kind of runner who could rule absolutely.
So amid that fierce debate, the popularity of both Offside Trap and Dolce kept climbing. Even Good Dream—who had announced that her recovery and conditioning were complete—and Royal Anthem, who was in excellent form and also enjoyed plenty of public support, could not catch up to those two in backing.
Dolce, who had first burst into prominence during the Classic campaign two years ago. Offside Trap, who had dazzled on last year's autumn Triple Crown stage. Compared to those two, Good Dream—winner of both the French and Irish Derby, but underwhelming afterward—and Royal Anthem, who still had not fully proven herself on the G1 stage, simply lacked the same aura that made people believe they could truly conquer this Coronation Cup.
Looking at the popularity board, where she was ranked fourth and her support rate had climbed past nine percent, nearly reaching ten, Good Dream pouted in dissatisfaction.
"So in their eyes, I'm really that incapable of beating either of you?"
At her frustration, Dolce did not even lift her head.
"The fact that you're still under ten percent is already them being generous."
"Generous?"
"Yes. Royal Anthem is already over five percent. If her supporters had pushed just a little harder, you'd already be in the double digits."
Good Dream felt that Dolce was looking down on her a little too much for a reigning Horse Girl of the Year, and was just about to argue back when she caught sight of the seriousness on Dolce's profile and swallowed the words again.
Then she turned toward Offside Trap.
The Japanese horse girl froze for a second, then pointed at her own ear.
Sorry. She did not understand French.
That reaction made Good Dream's momentum evaporate at once. Slumping back into her seat, she folded her arms and fell silent.
She had thought that after her period of rest, she would return and amaze everyone, that the fans' confidence in her would surge again. Instead, in her very first race back, she had been hit head-on.
"So annoying! Ahhh!"
She kicked her legs in irritation.
She was completely different here from how she had been in Japan. It seemed she was much more uninhibited at home. Shinji could tell that she depended on her trainer quite a bit; as long as he was by her side, she could afford to be a little more "unrestrained."
Bally only smiled and patted Good Dream lightly on the back. As her trainer, he was certainly angry at himself and displeased that the fans seemed to have lost confidence in his girl, but years of experience had also taught him to take a broader view.
In the end, only victory mattered. Popularity and support rates meant very little to an actual competitor.
He had trained plenty of French Derby-winning horse girls. In a race that embodied dreams like this one, if you let your attention be dragged away by peripheral things, there was no way to achieve complete focus. And if you wanted to win a truly important race, both trainer and horse girl needed that absolute concentration.
Bally's gaze shifted to Shinji Terumi.
This very young trainer had earned his respect not only through his skill in training horse girls, but also through a linguistic talent that genuinely astonished him.
Judging by Shinji's calm and composed demeanor, he not only had absolute faith in his horse girl, but also showed that he himself was a deeply confident trainer.
Both master and student faced racing with exactly the same attitude and mentality. Was that why they seemed destined to stand at the summit of the world? Bally could not say for sure. It was simply the feeling he had.
"Oh, right. So what are we eating tonight?"
Good Dream asked it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Over the past few days, Dolce had basically been following Good Dream's lead for all three meals. Since her trainer had already arrived, then naturally she would just go along with whatever they did.
Dolce was probably the sort who disliked trouble. Or rather, she preferred to devote all her energy to what she considered truly important. Food, naturally, was not one of those things. Of course diet mattered greatly to a horse girl—but Dolce understood that for all top-tier runners, nutritional balance could already be handled properly. In the end, what separated the strong from the weak was absolutely not something as simple as what they ate.
No wonder she had become a top-class horse girl. Dolce understood with great clarity what it took to win a race, and Shinji found himself unable not to marvel once again. Leaving Japan really had broadened his horizons.
He had met many trainers of remarkable ability and insight, and many horse girls with both talent and strength.
"Let's just keep dinner simple."
Bally was clearly feeling lazy. He might as well have said, Let's just grab something nearby and call it a night. Dolce lifted her head, a trace of helplessness in her expression.
"Why not eat with Royal Anthem? Weren't she and her trainer already here? This is their home ground, so they'll definitely know the place better than us. If there's good food around, they can recommend it."
"Cecil doesn't care that much about whether food tastes good," Bally objected immediately. "Eating with them would be worse than just eating by ourselves."
Bally had suffered through one of Cecil's work meals before, and it had left a very deep impression on him.
Those meals had a little in common with how Shinji Terumi used to be: when it came to arranging food for his horse girls, Cecil cared only about nutrition and similar considerations.
As for flavor—so long as it was edible, and did not make anyone throw up on the spot, that was apparently enough.
Good Dream's suggestion was shot down again, and she visibly deflated.
By contrast, Shinji suddenly found himself intrigued, because he had just heard a very famous name.
"Cecil?"
"Yeah, that British champion trainer!"
Good Dream had been momentarily puzzled by Shinji's question, but then answered it.
Yet another very famous trainer.
Shinji licked his lips, finding the whole thing more and more interesting.
While Good Dream and Bally were still arguing over what to have for dinner, and Dolce's brows were already starting to show unmistakable impatience, Shinji suddenly turned to Offside Trap.
"Little Yue, you haven't missed a single one of Royal Anthem's race videos, right?"
"I haven't."
Offside Trap's gaze was completely serious, and only then did Shinji relax.
"Good. Then tonight, watch a few more races from the other runners who'll be lining up in this Coronation Cup."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
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The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I'm Definitely Not the King of 60
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I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 20
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