A Saturday in early March. The weather was cloudy with a hint of rain, but the forecast said it would hold up.
I chose the Shoryu Stakes as Urara's second race in the Classics. To run Urara in this race, held at the Chukyo Racecourse in Aichi Prefecture, I borrowed a car owned by the Tracen Academy, loaded up Urara and Rice, and drove from the morning, flying down the highway to get to the venue.
If the race was on a Sunday, we could've arrived on Saturday and stayed overnight, but if Urara and the others had to move after their classes finished in the afternoon and then race the next day, it might throw off their rhythm.
So, we traveled by car from the morning, but since it takes nearly four hours even on the expressway, maybe the bullet train would've been a better idea. However, the car is more flexible, and considering we had to transport Urara's racing uniform and shoes, the car was still more convenient.
The Shoryu Stakes was the 10th race, with a start time of 2:50 PM. We arrived with plenty of time to spare, before noon, and I fed Urara some of Nagoya's famous miso katsu. I didn't say it was "to win" because I felt Symboli Rudolf might appear out of nowhere if I did.
"Big Brother... about this race..." Rice approached me nervously after we arrived at the Chukyo Racecourse and saw Urara off to the waiting room.
"Could it be... that you want Urara-chan to... lose?"
"It's not that I want her to lose. I think... yeah, she still has a 30% chance of winning this race."
I wasn't borrowing Tojo-san's words, but I felt her chances were about that high. However, from Rice's perspective, my actions must have seemed strange. After all, in the past, I would've said that I believed Urara would win.
The reason I decided to have Urara run in the Shoryu Stakes was because I expected Smart Falcon to be there. Or rather, since we avoided the Hyacinth Stakes last time, I felt she had no choice but to show up.
If Smart Falcon had also skipped the Shoryu Stakes, her next dirt race would be the Furyu Stakes in early April. If Smart Falcon was also good at turf races, it would be a different story, but from what I've seen, Smart Falcon is a dirt-only Umamusume, just like Urara.
It was understandable to avoid the Hyacinth Stakes because Oguri Cap was running, but if she skipped the Shoryu Stakes, the gap between races would be too long. Other trainers must have thought the same thing, as this open-class race had a full field of 16 runners.
Urara had been given a priority entry because she finished third in her last race, but even with the shallow talent pool in dirt racing, many Umamusume must have been left out in the draw.
Of course, there were probably also trainers who decided to skip the race, just like I did, thinking Smart Falcon would show up.
(But avoiding races doesn't make any sense... unless the trainer or the Umamusume, or both, have lost heart...)
There's also the option of a strong Umamusume aiming for graded stakes races and then competing in open-class races. The choice of which race to run in is up to the trainer and the Umamusume, and I have nothing to say about it.
If you're only thinking about winning one open-class race and not aiming for G1s, there's no need to rush into early races and clash with strong competitors.
However, the same could be said for Urara. If she just wants to run and participate in races, there's no need for her to challenge races where strong Umamusume are likely to appear.
But for me, I wanted Urara to feel something that would make her want to win.
From what I've observed, the Umamusume Haru Urara doesn't have a clear, specific goal.
She's happy just to be in a race, she enjoys running fast, and she's even happier when she can participate in the Winning Live. In fact, she's a girl who happily runs even when it's not related to a race.
In a way, you could say she has a strong Umamusume instinct, but while her instinct to run and get faster is strong, it seems she doesn't have the desire to beat someone.
In that respect, Rice has a truly strong Umamusume instinct. Rice had Mihono Bourbon, an "idol" and a wall she wanted to overcome. She wished to win, worked hard, and trained to the point where her body could have broken just to overcome that wall.
And after she overcame that wall, the hell of the booing at the Winning Live awaited her, but she wasn't the type of girl to be satisfied just by overcoming a wall.
As she demonstrated in the Arima Kinen, where she passed Mejiro Palmer with a long sprint, she has a very strong obsession with beating someone and finishing first.
While Urara finds joy just in being in a race, Rice finds joy in winning races. Although Rice usually seems timid, she exhibits an incredible fighting spirit in races, which probably stems from this.
"Urara-chan's desire to win is... a bit weak, isn't it? Big Brother, you want to fix that?"
"It looks that way to you too, huh?"
I let out a small sigh.
Urara's ability has steadily improved. She finished third in the Hyacinth Stakes, but she was able to have a close race with El Condor Pasa, so that must be right. Oguri Cap was... well, considering she was tired from a series of races, you could hardly call it a close race.
Urara, who I thought had improved in ability, still lacked the will to overcome a wall, like Rice did. The will to win no matter what.
And the troubling thing is, that will probably won't blossom just because it's forced by someone else. Even if I told Urara to beat someone or to have a will to win, she would probably just tilt her head.
It won't work unless Urara herself truly, from the bottom of her heart, wishes to win.
When she lost the maiden race, she wondered why other Umamusume would aim for victory even if it meant getting injured. And maybe influenced by our conversations, she started to want to aim for first place—or so I thought.
And then she won her maiden race and learned the joy of winning. That's why I thought Urara would become much, much stronger.
After seeing Rice win the Arima Kinen, she also said she wanted to run in a G1. However, to run in a G1, you have to win against other Umamusume.
But just because she's gotten stronger, will she be able to win through? If she runs into a wall like Oguri Cap, she won't be able to overcome it.
Also, there was another issue I saw for Urara in this race, besides Smart Falcon and Taiki Shuttle. I told Rice her chances of winning were 30%, but depending on the situation right after the start...
"Smart Falcon-san, was it? Is she really that strong? Rice doesn't know much about her..."
"Ah... she's not as unique as Oguri Cap, and she's not on a famous team like El Condor Pasa. So that's understandable."
I stopped my train of thought and walked with Rice towards the paddock, exchanging words.
"Well... my prediction is that she's a really bad match for Urara. Smart Falcon herself is a good Umamusume, too."
I remember researching strong Umamusume who might clash with Urara on the dirt course before, and I thought that Smart Falcon would be tough to beat in a race, depending on her future growth.
That's because after studying her race footage, I judged that Smart Falcon's preferred racing style was to lead. Urara's finishing kick can catch an average Umamusume that's leading, but what would happen if a strong Umamusume leads from start to finish?
And the Shoryu Stakes is a short 1400 meters. Urara is good at short distances, but for an Umamusume who excels at leading, 1400 meters is the perfect distance.
From what I've seen, Smart Falcon's running style is more suited for mile distances than short distances, but Rice has already proven that even a shorter distance than their specialty can still result in a win.
And the other one to be wary of, Taiki Shuttle. This girl excels at running from the front, and though she can run on dirt, it looked like she would be heading for the turf mile route, but...
(From what I've seen by scouting her recent training, does she have some anxiety with her legs...? Did she register for this race thinking that dirt would be less of a burden than turf? Since she's able to run in the race, it doesn't seem to be an injury...)
It wasn't a simple injury or a broken bone, but I got the impression that she just hadn't matured enough yet. And the reason I didn't want her to be in this race was because she's simply strong.
Even when I researched her before, she had 6 wins in 7 races, but she's now extended her winning streak to 8 wins in 9 races. She has a top-class amount of experience among Umamusume in Urara's year, and she's strong. She's like a grown-up Oguri Cap, to give a comparison. Well, Oguri Cap had a certain unknown fear to her, though.
I secured a spot at the front of the paddock with Rice and went back to talking about Smart Falcon.
"I'm wary of Smart Falcon not just because she's strong. How do I put this... she has the air of someone who could become a monster."
I added that it was just a rookie's intuition, so it might not be accurate, and laughed.
"Her record so far is 3 wins in 6 races, with 2 wins on dirt and 1 on turf. That's enough to be wary of her, but her running style is suited for dirt. Rice might get angry, but I think she could become a Mihono Bourbon-level leader on the dirt in short distances or miles."
"...Big Brother, you think very highly of her, don't you?"
I had used the phrase "Mihono Bourbon-level Umamusume" in front of Rice, but she didn't seem angry. But wait a minute, Rice's tail is grabbing my thigh.
"That's just a possibility. But that's how highly I think of her."
I said this while gently gripping Rice's tail to untangle it, and Rice shivered a little. Was she ticklish?
Before long, it was time for the paddock show.
"Lane 1, No. 1, Smart Falcon."
With that announcement, an Umamusume appeared in the paddock—but.
"It's Smart Falcon! You can call me Falco!"
She was wearing a gym uniform since it was an open-class race, but an Umamusume with light chestnut hair tied in twin tails with ribbons struck a pose and shouted that. She seemed energetic in a different way than Urara.
But for some reason, she was holding a microphone... Where did she get that from?
"Big Brother... is that really her?"
"Yeah... apparently, she's aiming to be a 'Uma-Idol.' An idol of Umamusume."
"Uma-Idol..."
Rice mumbled in a daze, but I was more concerned with something else than the Uma-Idol thing.
(I knew from the race card, but Lane 1, No. 1... our luck is bad this time.)
In dirt short-distance races where the inner lanes are advantageous, an inner lane, especially No. 1, is an extremely favorable factor for a leader.
"Lane 1, No. 2, Taiki Shuttle."
At the next name announced, I leaned forward and paid attention.
Following Smart Falcon, Taiki Shuttle appeared. An Umamusume with bright chestnut hair in a ponytail, exuding a cheerful atmosphere in a different way than Smart Falcon, showed herself to the crowd in the paddock.
The difference from Smart Falcon, who aims to be an Uma-Idol, is that the atmosphere Taiki Shuttle radiates is simply upbeat. It's like a Hawaiian kind of feeling. She was born in America, so maybe that's where her temperament comes from.
And what stood out the most was that she was the most well-built Umamusume I'd ever seen. Gold Ship-chan is around 170 cm tall, but Taiki Shuttle was a few centimeters taller than that.
"She's big... Ow! Rice!? Why!?"
She pinched my hand like she did the other day, and her tail started to bash my thigh.
A large body means a corresponding amount of physical strength. For Umamusume, a bigger body doesn't necessarily mean a race win, but in some human athletic competitions, height is considered a talent.
"Mmm... Rice will get bigger, too."
"N-no, that's a bit impossible from now on, don't you think!?"
The bashing from her pouting tail got stronger. But Rice, even if you grow taller from now on, it'll only be a few centimeters, right? Do girls want to be in the 150 cm range, I wonder?
"Lane 7, No. 13, Haru Urara."
While I was talking to Rice, Urara was announced. It's not as disadvantageous as the far-outside lane, but being in a position close to the outside lane would be a considerable disadvantage in this race.
Urara was waving to the audience with her usual smile. In response, the audience was cheering with smiles on their faces.
Urara's record so far is 1 win in 5 races, which doesn't seem that great just by looking at the numbers. However, she seems to have fun in every race and waves to the audience with a smile even when she loses. That's probably why she's popular with the crowd.
She's the third-most popular choice for the Shoryu Stakes, but she seems to be very popular among the passionate Umamusume fans who come to the paddock, and she's getting the loudest cheers among the Umamusume running today.
(Hmm? Smart Falcon is looking at Urara...)
Was there something she was curious about? Smart Falcon was staring intently at Urara. To be precise, was she conscious of the audience that was cheering in response to Urara's actions...?
In this Shoryu Stakes, Taiki Shuttle is the favorite, Smart Falcon is the second favorite, and Urara is the third favorite. These three are the most popular, and the Umamusume who are fourth and below are all clumped together.
I wonder if they'll be able to perform according to their popularity.
"Under the cloudy sky, which has somehow managed to hold up, the 10th race at the Chukyo Racecourse is about to begin. The Shoryu Stakes, an open-class race on a 1400-meter dirt course. The track condition has been announced as good."
"This is a very large race with a full field of 16 Umamusume. We can't take our eyes off this one."
The sound of the fanfare echoed through the Chukyo Racecourse, and the live commentator and color commentator exchanged words. At the same time, the gate-in began, and the Umamusume entered the gates one by one, starting with Smart Falcon.
"Big Brother, the strategy you told Urara-chan was..."
"The usual: 'Do your best and don't get hurt.' But this time, I also gave her a warning."
When I said that, Rice tilted her head.
"You see, in her second race... the first maiden race she ran in, Urara was thoroughly marked by the other Umamusume. I think the same thing will happen this time."
That's why I told Urara about it. I told her to be careful because the other Umamusume would try to stop her from winning.
"Is that so...? So you really don't want her to lose?"
"Of course not. If I didn't tell her and she lost, she could use that as an excuse."
"...Huh?"
Rice looked up at me with a bewildered expression. I met her gaze and gently patted her head with a wry smile.
"I honestly don't know if this is the right thing to do. I believe Urara can win, but her chances are really slim this time... That's why I want her to challenge this race."
I said that and watched Urara, who had entered the gate. Before she entered the gate, she was waving to the audience with a smile, but now her face was focused as the race was about to begin.
"I couldn't think of any way to reason with her or any words that would resonate with a girl with Urara's personality. So, I'm praying that she'll grab something for herself in this race... It makes me a failure of a trainer, though."
Tojo-san might be able to make her Umamusume realize something with just a few words. But I am me. I'm not Tojo-san. I can only take the actions that I think are best for Urara and guide her.
While I was talking to Rice, the gate opened with a bang, and the Shoryu Stakes began.
"All Umamusume have a good start. The one to take the lead immediately is No. 1, Smart Falcon. No. 2, Taiki Shuttle, also has a good start and follows close behind."
"As long as they don't have a bad start, the inner lane on a dirt course is a great advantage for a leader. Will she show us the amazing leading performance she's known for?"
"In the lead is No. 1, Smart Falcon, with No. 3, Indigo Chuchu, moving up to second to give chase. No. 15, Hard Control, and No. 12, Dyunna, are also following. No. 2, Taiki Shuttle, has fallen back a bit to fifth place. About one body length behind them, No. 4, Kumbhakarna, No. 5, Spain Gelato, No. 9, Shorty Shot, No. 11, Khaki Chuchu, No. 8, Cravat, and No. 7, Pristine Song, form the front pack."
As expected, or perhaps as her ability dictates, Smart Falcon, who had a clean start, took the lead and steadily increased the distance between herself and the rest of the field.
"Slightly behind the front pack are No. 6, Straight Bullet, No. 10, Colosseum Fight, No. 13, Haru Urara, No. 14, Compromise, and about two body lengths behind them, in last place, is No. 16, Ogresse."
The Chukyo Racecourse has a downhill slope of about 3 meters over a distance of 600 meters from the backstretch to the exit of the fourth corner. After that, the final 400-meter straightaway awaits, but in the first 200 meters, they have to run up a 2-meter hill.
In other words...
"Oh, the leader Smart Falcon is pulling away from the rest of the field. The distance from the second-place runner is now about four body lengths, I'd say."
"That's a very fast pace. No. 3, Indigo Chuchu, must have chosen to lead as well, but the distance is only getting wider."
"The distance from the leader to the last place is about eight body lengths. They have passed the 1000-meter mark on the backstretch."
"Perhaps Smart Falcon is getting too excited...! Smart Falcon is accelerating even more. Is she trying to use the downhill slope to pull away from the rest of the field even more?"
Smart Falcon's huge lead run bewildered the live commentator and color commentator. Cheers of surprise rose from the audience, but Smart Falcon didn't slow down at all and entered the third corner.
"Can she even turn at that speed...? What an incredible girl."
I thought she wouldn't be able to turn, but Smart Falcon maintained her speed, only slightly veering to the outside due to centrifugal force, and ran through the corner.
Her speed was one thing, but the strength in her legs and hips to run a corner at such a high speed was amazing. I thought we had avoided a race with Oguri Cap in the Hyacinth Stakes, but from this running style, I wondered if even Oguri Cap could catch Smart Falcon.
"Smart Falcon is running all by herself in the lead! Taiki Shuttle is moving up to second, but what is the gap?! It's already close to 10 body lengths! Indigo Chuchu, Hard Control, and Dyunna are chasing hard, but the gap isn't shrinking! Further back, the main group is just now entering the fourth corner! The third-most popular, Haru Urara, is in third-to-last place!"
"She's not getting carried away... is she? Her speed is truly incredible. The time is... at this pace, it's a course record."
"The leader, Smart Falcon, is the first to exit the fourth corner and reach the final straight! She's passed the 400-meter mark! Will she hold on and win?! But Taiki Shuttle is coming up!"
"The problem is whether Smart Falcon has the legs to run up the hill from here. There's a chance Taiki Shuttle could pass her..."
The color commentator fell silent. He saw Smart Falcon, who should have been running at an unbelievably fast pace, climb the hill with her momentum still intact.
I checked Urara's position, but she was still only a little past the halfway point of the fourth corner. She was trying to accelerate and move to the front, but she was being blocked by the leading and front-running Umamusume and couldn't accelerate as she wanted.
She must have realized she was being blocked. Urara deliberately took a wide turn around the corner and accelerated the moment there were no Umamusume blocking her way.
"Taiki Shuttle is desperately chasing Smart Falcon! Oh, and here comes Haru Urara! From the back, she's passed three... five Umamusume at once! What incredible acceleration!"
"Haru Urara's acceleration is nothing short of phenomenal. However, because she took such a wide turn, her position is difficult."
The color commentator was right. In this race, many Umamusume chose to lead or run in the front, and although Urara didn't have a bad start, her chosen position was bad.
The front pack, which had accelerated by being pulled along by Smart Falcon, was even further ahead of Urara, who had passed about five of them.
Running up the hill is Urara's specialty. However, Smart Falcon was far away. Taiki Shuttle, who was chasing Smart Falcon, was also far from Urara.
(And as expected, the Umamusume in an open-class race have a different level of experience... they're trying to block her.)
It wasn't so blatant as to be considered an obstruction, but about three Umamusume were moving to block Urara. They were probably wary of her finishing kick.
With her current speed, Urara could easily get around that much. However, the Umamusume blocking her were also making moves to get in her way.
"Smart Falcon is running away! Will Taiki Shuttle catch her! Will she catch her?! The distance is still about 5 to 6 body lengths! She's slowly closing the gap, but there's no time left! They've already passed the 200-meter mark and have less than 100 meters left! This is it! This must be it! Smart Falcon has just—held on and crossed the finish line in first place!"
"Taiki Shuttle's chase was amazing, but she was just one step short."
"And now, Taiki Shuttle crosses the finish line about three body lengths behind! What about the battle for third place? Who will grab the last ticket to the Winning Live—it's No. 3, Indigo Chuchu! About five body lengths behind Taiki Shuttle, Indigo Chuchu finishes in third! Fourth is No. 5, Spain Gelato, two body lengths behind! And one body length behind her, Haru Urara has dashed in!"
"Haru Urara passed about eight people from the back at once, but her position was just not good."
I stared at Urara, who had crossed the finish line and was waving to the crowd.
"I underestimated her... yeah, this is my mistake..."
I don't know what changed Smart Falcon, but her running was completely different from the footage I had seen before. Saying Urara had a 30% chance of winning was a big boast.
The concerns I had for Urara in this race were three.
How Urara would move to catch Smart Falcon, who would surely run away.
How she would get past Taiki Shuttle, who would be competing in the final stages.
And how she would deal with the Umamusume who would block her in the beginning.
Based on those concerns and Urara's current ability, I thought she could finish in the top three. However, it turned out that she finished fifth, which, while placing, was only about a one-body length difference from the sixth-place Umamusume.
Since she had a burst of speed in the final sprint, she might have been able to get third place if there were another 200 meters. But the result didn't change, and she couldn't catch up in a race that was dominated by Smart Falcon's lead run.
"The order of finish has been finalized. First place, No. 1, Smart Fal... what!? Smart Falcon! It's a course record! The word 'record' is displayed!"
"She's beaten the previous record by 0.6 seconds... please calm down."
"Oh, my apologies. First place is No. 1, Smart Falcon, with a record-breaking win. Second place is No. 2, Taiki Shuttle, three body lengths behind. Third place is Indigo Chuchu, five body lengths behind. Fourth place is Spain Gelato, two body lengths behind. And fifth place is Haru Urara, one body length behind."
"Looking at the body lengths, Taiki Shuttle was also on a record pace. It's likely that the leaders and front-runners were pulled along by Smart Falcon, leading to a fast race. As a result, the Umamusume in the back couldn't get into the race."
I had truly underestimated Smart Falcon's running. It's not easy to set a course record on a good-condition dirt track. Having done that, Smart Falcon was striking a pose and smiling at the cheering crowd.
"Thank you for your support! Thanks to all of you, Falco got first place!"
Smart Falcon shouted in a clear voice. The crowd who heard her voice cheered even louder, praising Smart Falcon.
Taiki Shuttle said something to Smart Falcon, gave her a thumbs-up, patted her on the shoulder, and finally made a pistol shape with her right hand and laughed. She was probably praising her for the record-breaking win.
Urara was breathing heavily, but she stared at the interaction between Smart Falcon and Taiki Shuttle, and finally, she stared at the results board.
Urara, who usually smiles and waves even when she loses a race, was staring at the results board with a bewildered look on her face.
"...Maybe I don't have a talent for being a trainer."
The words I mumbled disappeared on the wind. Rice must have heard me mumble something, but she looked puzzled as she didn't know what I said.
Even if I don't have talent, I'll just desperately do what I can. I'll do anything I can for Urara. I have no choice but to train and raise her that way.
But this is the result of me trying to lecture Urara in a race, which is so unlike me. In my prediction, I thought the outcome would be a bit more gentle for Urara, but I failed to see Smart Falcon's growth. Because of that, the race unfolded differently than I expected, and Urara couldn't catch up.
They say there are no absolutes in a race, but apparently, there are no absolutes even in a pattern like this.
With Smart Falcon's lead run and a large field of 16 Umamusume, I wanted to spark a feeling of frustration in Urara, but how would it turn out?
I thought Urara would either chase desperately and get outrun by Smart Falcon or get passed by Taiki Shuttle—but well, as I told Tazuna-san, I was being overconfident.
I thought there was a low chance of winning against Smart Falcon, but after seeing Urara's run in the Hyacinth Stakes, I thought she could get third place.
Her only experience in a race with a large number of participants was a mock race with Rice and Happy Meek last year, which had 18 participants. She had a bad start back then, but this time she had a clean start.
Furthermore, the mock race was a turf mile, but this was a short-distance race on a dirt course, which is Urara's specialty. That's probably why the other Umamusume moved to block her.
Finishing fifth out of 16 is not a bad result. When you see her pass eight Umamusume at once in her final sprint, it's clear that Urara is growing beyond my expectations. The fact that she changed her path instantly when she was blocked is also proof that her previous experience is being put to good use.
(Even a little is fine... please grab something that will make you want to win, Urara...)
I made that wish as I watched Urara make a small fist with her right hand.
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