The day after Urara raced in the JBC Ladies' Classic.
I woke up a little early, went to a different convenience store than usual to shake off the reporters, and bought up all the sports newspapers. After scaling the Tracen Academy wall to get to work, I brewed some coffee in the office and started leisurely reading the newspapers.
Most of the front pages of the sports newspapers were about the results of yesterday's JBC series. Urara, Smart Falcon, and Slein were all on the front page... Wait, just Urara and Smart Falcon? Slein's article was on the second page, but they should have put them all together.
Well, maybe the coverage was different because Urara and Smart Falcon both won their fourth G1, while it was Slein's first. But they should have just celebrated Slein's first victory with her own front-page article... Oh, there was a newspaper that did have a front-page article just for Slein. And it was owned by the same company as Monthly Twinkle.
"Haru Urara wins her 4th G1! An overwhelming victory!"
"Haru Urara's joyous jump! Four fingers for victory!"
"Smart Falcon wins her 4th G1!"
"Smart Falcon's first short-distance G1 victory! She follows in Haru Urara's footsteps to conquer all domestic dirt G1 distances!"
"Slein did it! Her first G1 victory!"
"A new star is born in the dirt world! Slein's first G1 victory!"
The headlines varied by newspaper, but they were all full of hype. The photos were also different, showing the moment they crossed the finish line, the moment they expressed their joy to the audience with a smile after the race, or them dancing at the winning live performance.
"Is it a fix? The mystery of Haru Urara and Smart Falcon's race choices."
"Haru Urara, who excels at short distances, goes for a mile. Smart Falcon goes for a short distance, which she's not good at."
Some articles even questioned whether it was strange for Urara and Smart Falcon to choose the races they did. There weren't many of them, but there's a certain demand for these kinds of articles, so it can't be helped.
But Urara shouldn't see these, so I'll shred them later.
"Smart Falcon declares her participation in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten! Is her goal to surpass Symboli Rudolf's number of G1 victories for the first time in dirt racing?"
"Is Slein aiming for a bold three G1 wins? She's headed for the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten."
"What about Haru Urara's participation in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten? We ask the experts!"
And there were also articles about Smart Falcon and Slein's declarations to participate in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten, all with sensational headlines.
Smart Falcon was the first to declare, but Slein also wanted to race and win with Urara and Smart Falcon, and if they all declared like this, there wouldn't be a mix-up like in the JBC series.
By the way, nearly 300,000 people showed up for yesterday's JBC series, even though it was a weekday and a dirt race. I thought it was on par with a turf G1 race, but a lot of people probably wanted to come see three G1 races in a row.
It was a weekday, and the JBC Ladies' Classic started at 4:30 PM... Most people who work would still be at their jobs, so 300,000 is a lot. No, is it too much? I feel like the popularity of dirt racing has been increasing so much lately that they should add more stakes races to the Twinkle Series.
If I do say so myself, with a star athlete like Urara and her rival Smart Falcon, and with Slein and the others growing so much that it wouldn't be a surprise if they beat Urara or Smart Falcon, the dirt racing world might be in a period where both its popularity and its talent are growing.
It's like how a sport that wasn't very popular before gets a boost when a popular and prominent athlete comes along. Well, in this reborn world, umamusume racing is a national pastime, and even if dirt racing isn't as popular as turf racing, it's still very popular compared to other sports.
And not just dirt racing, but turf racing has also been getting more exciting lately.
King won her sixth G1.
Broye, the winner of the Arc de Triomphe, declared her participation in the Japan Cup, the second race of the autumn Senior Triple Crown.
—Narita Brian completed the Classic Triple Crown.
At the Kikuka Sho, which was held the other day, Narita Brian won with a six-horse length lead over the second-place finisher, completing the Classic Triple Crown.
Crazy In Love, a girl being trained by a junior of mine, challenged her, but even after overcoming her distance aptitude, she couldn't reach her.
Narita Brian, with a terrifying expression, pulled away from the pursuing Crazy In Love and won with dignity. Although Crazy In Love lost and came in second, it was a great effort considering she was originally not good at long distances.
In the end, she couldn't stop Narita Brian, but I don't think Crazy In Love's reputation will go down, as she came in second in the Satsuki Sho, the Japan Derby, and the Kikuka Sho.
There were even articles in the newspaper saying that Crazy In Love might have won the Classic Triple Crown if she had been in a different generation.
From my perspective, she's also grown because she has a rival in Narita Brian, so it's questionable whether Crazy In Love could have won the Classic Triple Crown... but there's no point in talking about "what-ifs."
Because of this, Narita Brian's achievements were praised, and as her rival, Crazy In Love is also highly anticipated for the future, making the Classic division very exciting as well.
The Senior and Classic divisions of turf racing are getting exciting, and dirt racing is getting exciting, too. Because of this, the number of dedicated umamusume fans who go to the racecourse has also increased dramatically.
No, I guess umamusume fans who go to the racecourse aren't necessarily "dedicated." A lot of families go to the racecourse on the weekends... But recently, I heard on TV that it's becoming more and more common to not be able to get in unless you go to the racecourse early in the morning.
Before, it would only get full right before the main race, and you wouldn't have to go early in the morning to get in. When a G1 was the main race, it would get full in the early afternoon, but it wasn't like now, where you can't get in even if you run for the first train.
But there's good and bad in everything. Make Debut and un-won races are also getting attention, and umamusume fans are coming to cheer them on.
Before, only dedicated umamusume fans would go to cheer, thinking there might be a future star umamusume buried there, but it seems that the entry has been widened recently.
Because of this, even un-won races are now more heated than ever, and open races are also getting huge cheers.
Also, umamusume merchandise seems to be selling better than ever. In my team, Urara, Rice, and King's merchandise sells out and then gets re-released, and then sells out again.
Rice had retired from the Senior division, so her sales had dropped, but a staff member from the manufacturer told me that the merchandise they had mass-produced before the Summer Dream Trophy had sold out after the race. I only spoke to him on the phone, but his voice was so full of joy that he must have been really happy.
Urara and King's merchandise also seems to be bestsellers, constantly selling out and getting re-released. Urara's merchandise, in particular, seems to be selling so well that you wouldn't think she was a girl who specializes in dirt racing. Well, Urara is cute, so it can't be helped.
(What's going to happen in the Japan Cup...?)
I switched my thoughts and thought about this while drinking coffee.
Broye has declared her participation, but given the existing fever pitch, I wonder how many umamusume fans will flock to the racecourse this time.
King will be running in front of that huge crowd, but all I can do is train her as usual and prepare her mentally.
(And... yeah, I wonder if something can be done about the interviews...)
I know it's their job, but lately, I've been climbing the Tracen Academy wall just to get to and from work. The awkwardness of making eye contact with a neighbor when I'm on the wall... But lately, they've been just saying, "You're energetic today," and letting me go, so I guess it's safe... Right?
And so, I continued to read through the newspaper articles.
That afternoon, after school.
I checked Urara's body to make sure there were no abnormalities, and then I stopped her, even though it was a light menu, because she was about to run with so much energy.
"Urara, I have something to talk to you about before we start training... Smart Falcon and Slein have both declared that they'll be participating in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten, but what do you want to do?"
I asked this, half-expecting her answer, but I still wanted to confirm.
Her prize money is not a problem at all, and she can participate if she wants to. I think it's amazing how strong Urara has become to be able to participate if she just wants to, but I won't say it out loud. If I start praising her, I'll want to keep praising her forever.
Urara perked up her horse ears at my question and put her fists in front of her chest, as if to get pumped up.
"I want to fight Falco-chan this time! And I want to run with Slein-chan and the others!"
"...I thought so."
I smiled wryly at Urara's answer. I thought she would say that. I thought she would want to compete with Smart Falcon and the others she had run with so many times before.
But as a trainer, there were some things I had to consider.
"Okay. Then we'll proceed with Urara participating in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten. But depending on your condition, we might have to skip one of them, okay?"
In fact, I wondered if Smart Falcon and Slein could really participate in both the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten... They'll probably show up unless their condition is really bad, but there might be a chance that they'll have to skip one as well.
No, they would probably say something if that were the case. In other words, I need to do my best to make sure Urara can run in both races, but if it's impossible, I need to put the brakes on.
"Huh? But you'll get me in perfect shape, right?"
—She thought that.
Urara looked at me with a puzzled expression, saying that I would surely adjust her so that she could run in the races. She said that it was impossible for her to only be able to run in one of them.
I'm happy about her trust in me. I'm going to do my best to adjust her so that I can grant her wish. But anything can happen... Even if I say that, this girl will just tilt her head in confusion...
(Well, it can't be helped... It's Urara's wish.)
I'll do my best to make it happen. But besides Urara, King also has a race coming up. Rice also has the Winter Dream Trophy coming up, but that's still a while away compared to Urara and King...
Urara's immediate goal is the Champions Cup, and then she'll be training with an eye on the Tokyo Daishoten at the end of the year. I have to not only improve her ability but also train her carefully to make sure she doesn't get out of shape.
(I'm sure Smart Falcon will be serious and give it her all this time.)
She probably doesn't have any mental problems anymore. In fact, when Urara is involved, she gets so excited that I don't know how much of her potential she'll unleash.
As for her physical condition, Smart Falcon's trainer should get her in perfect shape. I haven't heard any stories about her trainer stopping Smart Falcon after she declared her participation in the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten.
That trainer would have stopped Smart Falcon... No, he'd probably encourage her. So, Smart Falcon is going to be going all out.
So, for Urara, the key will be how well I can train her by the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishoten.
And what about King?
Biwa Hayahide, Winning Ticket, and Seiun Sky, who were recently found to have bowed tendons, probably won't be able to participate in the Japan Cup due to their long-term recovery.
No, they could probably participate if they really wanted to, but it would be at the cost of their careers as athletes. If they work hard on their long-term recovery, there's a chance they might recover... But if they throw away that possibility, they might be able to last for one race... maybe.
I'm not their trainer, so I can't say for sure, but a bowed tendon is that severe of a condition for an umamusume. If they give up on the possibility of a full recovery and accept the risk of not even being able to live a normal life, they can run one race. And even then, there's a risk that they'll reach their limit and won't be able to run halfway through.
That's why trainers stop them, and the URA isn't so stupid as to let a girl who they know has a bowed tendon race. It would be a different story if they had fully recovered like Oguri Cap, but if they let a girl with an injury race, they'd get a lot of backlash from the public.
When I think about that, it's really strange that Oguri Cap is running after fully recovering from suspensory ligament desmitis... No, seriously, how did they cure her?
I brought my wandering thoughts back to the fact that King's rivals in the Japan Cup have been reduced.
Biwa Hayahide, Winning Ticket, and Seiun Sky have all been injured. And Narita Taishin hasn't returned from her long-term recovery yet.
The ones who are likely to be in the Japan Cup are Special Week, Grass Wonder, Oguri Cap, Meak, Nice Nature, and Machikane Tanhoiza... What about Twin Turbo? Is 2400 meters too long for the Japan Cup?
And then there's the question of whether Broye, the international racer, will really show up.
When I looked up information on Broye, she seemed to be a middle-distance girl who could also run a mile. So far, she has won 7 out of 8 races, with three G1 victories, including the Arc de Triomphe, and one second-place finish in a G1. She's a girl with a lot of momentum.
In terms of years since her debut, she'd be in the Classic division in Japan. In terms of her achievements and ability... Is she similar to Narita Brian? But she won the Arc de Triomphe, so should I consider her to be in an even higher class?
(Well, there's Broye, but even more so, there's Special Week...)
Her running and spirit that she showed in the Autumn Tenno Sho. And the expression of frustration she had after losing to King, and the passion that I could feel even from a distance.
Oguri Cap has also been in good shape since her return, and I can't let my guard down in the Japan Cup.
(If I could, I'd like her to win and pass the baton to Urara, who will be in the Champions Cup, just like in the Teio Sho... But what's going to happen?)
I thought the same thing with Urara, but all I can do is get King in good shape and have her race.
With that in mind, I focused on the training in front of me.
--------------------------------------------
🚀 Want INSTANT Access & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!