"This is Tokyo Racecourse, with a hint of winter in the air. The 11th race, the G1 Japan Cup, 2400 meters on turf, is about to begin. The track condition has been announced as good."
"The Japan Cup is starting again this year. With an overseas horse girl competing, Tokyo Racecourse is completely packed. According to the URA's announcement, over a million people have gathered here today."
The fanfare echoed through Tokyo Racecourse, and the male commentator and analyst began speaking. Over a million people again today—it's almost frightening. I could hear the constant murmur of voices from outside the racecourse. They say it's over a million, but I wonder exactly how many people have gathered.
I bet the URA can't even count, so they're just saying "over a million." I wouldn't be surprised if there were actually twice as many people... well, yes, I'd be surprised if they said there were two million.
The Japan Cup is a 2400-meter left-handed course, so the starting point is slightly to the left of the center of the home stretch from the spectator stands.
This means spectators can see the horse girls waiting to enter the gates up close, and some people are snapping away with big cameras. Even those without cameras are taking photos or videos with their smartphones.
As the horse girls entered the gates one after another, a huge cheer shook Tokyo Racecourse with each name that was called.
"Number 7 in gate 5, Happy Meek. She's the 5th favorite."
"She's one of the Golden Generation, and her strength is her consistent high performance regardless of distance, whether on turf or dirt."
Meek bowed to the audience before entering the gate. The gesture was met with a loud cheer from the women.
"Number 11 in gate 7, Nice Nature. She's the 6th favorite."
"She's a veteran senior-class horse girl. She's looking for that G1 title... But she's a very skilled horse girl, so it's possible she could get her first G1 crown in today's race. We have high hopes for a good performance."
Nice Nature, as usual, gave a wry smile, waved to the audience, and entered the gate.
"Number 13 in gate 8, Special Week. She's the 3rd favorite."
"Looking at her in the paddock, Special Week is in great shape today, and she's full of fighting spirit. We can expect a lot from her, can't we?"
Special Week waved to the audience, but her expression was more serious than usual. It wasn't because she was nervous, but because she was filled with a fighting spirit.
"Number 6 in gate 4, Oguri Cap. She's the 4th favorite."
"She's the horse girl who won the Mile Championship last week. She's the 4th favorite, perhaps due to concerns about her competing in two consecutive races."
Oguri Cap clenched her right fist in front of her chest, as if to encourage herself rather than to appeal to the audience. She took a deep breath and then entered the gate.
"Number 8 in gate 5, Machikane Tannhauser. She's the 7th favorite."
"Just now, before coming to the paddock, there was a slight... well, an accident, but she seems to be able to compete. Let's hope for a good run from her."
Huh... an accident? Did she get a nosebleed? It would be tough to run just by breathing through her mouth, so if the nosebleed hadn't stopped, she probably wouldn't be able to compete... so it must have stopped for now.
Sometimes a nosebleed will just start during a growth spurt... but was that only for boys? She probably didn't run into something and hurt her nose, so...
"Number 12 in gate 7, King Halo. She's the 1st favorite."
"As expected, this horse girl is the overwhelming favorite. With 6 G1 wins, the 'King of her generation,' and G1 wins at all distances... if she wins today's race, she'll have 7 G1 wins, tying Symboli Rudolf. Many spectators must have come just to see that."
King was her usual self. She waved to the audience with a dignified expression and calmly entered the gate.
"Do your best, King Halo!"
"Show us another win today!"
"You're the leader of Japan!"
The spectators yelled out various cheers. The words were different, but the feeling of support was the same. King must have understood that, as she smiled faintly after entering the gate.
"Number 14 in gate 8, Broyé. She's the 2nd favorite."
"This year's Arc de Triomphe winner has joined the Japan Cup. Her record must be highly valued, as she's the 2nd favorite. If King Halo weren't here, she would have been the first."
Broyé gave a defiant smile and raised her fist to the audience. The spectators were excited by her confident appearance, and many called out her name.
She's so striking, I thought. Her excellent physique probably has a lot to do with it, but the aura she emits is that of a champion. She's a true Arc de Triomphe winner.
Then, the cheers at Tokyo Racecourse slowly died down. This wasn't limited to the spectators in the stands; it was also true for the people outside the racecourse.
Even the cheers from outside Tokyo Racecourse began to fade. They were holding back their excitement so as not to interrupt the race and for it to begin as soon as possible.
In those few seconds before the gates opened, I felt the tense atmosphere and licked my lips. Last year, Rice ran in the Japan Cup. This year, King is running in it. And there's no doubt that this race has even more attention and hype than last year's.
"All horse girls have entered the gates... and they're off!"
With a thud, King and the others burst from the gates all at once.
"All the horse girls are off to a clean, even start. Taking the lead are number 3, Sold Out, and number 10, Electrified. Following them closely are number 6, Oguri Cap, number 7, Happy Meek, number 12, King Halo, number 13, Special Week, number 14, Broyé, and number 9, Duke of Pomfret, forming the front pack."
"They were all focused. That's a great start."
"Following them are number 1, Make You Gasp, number 11, Nice Nature, and number 8, Machikane Tannhauser. The three at the rear are number 2, Unchanging, number 4, Energetic, and, as usual, number 5, Oishii Parfait bringing up the rear."
Sold Out, who was leading from the start, and Unchanging, who was at the back, were horse girls of the same generation as me. And Duke of Pomfret, who was leading, and Energetic, who was running in front of Oishii Parfait, were both foreign horse girls, like Broyé.
"The horse girls are running down the home stretch. Listen to this huge cheer. It's as lively as the final stretch, even though it's right after the start."
"Lately, every time I'm an analyst, I start to worry. I wonder if my voice is reaching everyone."
The horse girls were jockeying for position from the start, heading toward the first corner, so there were no big moves. The commentator and analyst made some light banter, and the audience laughed, and some even shouted, "We can hear you!" The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
It was a festive chaos. At the same time, the enthusiasm to cheer on the running horse girls filled Tokyo Racecourse... no, I could hear the cheers of people from outside Tokyo Racecourse calling out the names of the horse girls they were supporting.
"The horse girls who have run through the home stretch are now entering the first corner. The leader has changed to number 10, Electrified. But number 3, Sold Out, is right behind her. The front runners are about a body length behind, with number 6, Oguri Cap, and number 7, Happy Meek, running side-by-side to compete for third place. Right behind them, the three favorites, number 12, King Halo, number 13, Special Week, and number 14, Broyé, are running while changing positions."
King had a position on the outside, but she was already in the front, competing for the top spot. The two lead horses were running at a good pace, but the pace of the front pack was fast. They were sticking right behind them without letting a big gap open up.
"There's about a 7-body-length gap between the front and the back. Number 10, Electrified, seems to dislike number 3, Sold Out, running right next to her and is accelerating more, but Sold Out is also accelerating, and the gap isn't getting any bigger."
"It looks like a pretty fast pace right now. The lead horse girls have the front runners right on their tails, so they probably want to break away more. But if they go too fast, they won't have anything left for the end."
The front pack, including King, was running right behind Electrified and Sold Out, but I don't think they were doing it on purpose. Twin Turbo would probably have run farther ahead without worrying about her stamina, but these lead horse girls in the G1 couldn't get away from the front pack.
It's hard to say with Twin Turbo since her engine is likely to break down and backfire, but it must be a lot of pressure for a lead horse girl to have the front pack sticking to her so closely.
"It's a fierce competition for third and fifth place. About two body lengths behind them, number 11, Nice Nature, is moving up. She's gradually moving up to run alongside number 9, Duke of Pomfret."
"She's moving up secretly, hidden in the shadows of the horse girls in front. That kind of running is Nice Nature's strength."
"The leader, Electrified, is now leaving the second corner and entering the backstretch. Sold Out is still next to her. They're running down the gentle slope that continues from the second corner."
As the horse girls approached the backstretch, the cheers from the stands grew even louder. The spectators were yelling their hearts out so their cheers would reach the distant backstretch.
"They've passed the 1000-meter mark, and the time is... exactly 59 seconds."
"That's a very fast pace. It's 0.1 seconds faster than the Autumn Tenno Sho the other day. The Japan Cup is a longer distance, so if the pace is fast, it'll be tougher at the end, but they're all champions. The pace might even pick up more."
They passed the 1000-meter mark, but King was still running while keeping an eye on Special Week and Broyé. Right in front of them, Oguri Cap and Meek were running side-by-side and competing. It seemed that this competition was making them run at a pace that allowed them to catch up to the lead horses.
Since they were on the backstretch, I couldn't get a good look at their expressions. But King still had plenty of energy, and Special Week and Broyé seemed to as well. They were catching up to the lead horses, but they were also saving their energy for the end.
Running at a pace that allows you to catch up to the lead horses while still saving energy is a bit odd. But Tokyo Racecourse has many long, gentle slopes. So they can maintain their speed while conserving stamina.
However, there's a steep, short slope in the middle of the course, and that's probably where the horse girls will separate.
"On the backstretch, the gentle slope ends and they're approaching an uphill. The leader, Electrified, seems to have slowed down slightly. Sold Out takes advantage of this and takes the lead again. But Oguri Cap and Happy Meek are closing in from behind."
"They've been running so fast that they must have felt a huge burden on the uphill. But Sold Out hasn't slowed down and is showing great grit. As for Oguri Cap and the others behind her... they're not slowing down; they're accelerating..."
As they approached the uphill, King didn't slow down and ran up it. Special Week and Broyé were the same; I could see them effortlessly running up the hill.
(Broyé is running well... she has great power.)
I honestly thought, "As expected of an Arc de Triomphe winner." But King's power and grit weren't inferior. In fact, she was starting to pull away from Broyé and move to the front.
(But you're still getting faster, Special Week.)
Unlike Broyé, Special Week was keeping up with King with no problem. When King accelerated, she accelerated as well, running while exuding a fierce fighting spirit that I could see even from a distance.
And perhaps not wanting to fall behind, Broyé also accelerated and chased after King and Special Week.
"The leader, Sold Out, is now entering the third corner. They've just passed the 1000-meter mark. Second place is Electrified... no, it's changed to Oguri Cap. Third is Happy Meek. Electrified is falling back."
"It's not so much that she's falling back; she just can't keep up with the pace of those around her... Electrified is running at a good pace, though..."
"The horse girls are now entering the third corner. This is where the real race begins... and she's made her move! Here comes number 5, Oishii Parfait! Oishii Parfait, who finished last in the Autumn Tenno Sho, is now accelerating!"
"I wonder how she'll do this time..."
The commentator yelled excitedly, and the analyst sounded skeptical. I could see Oishii Parfait, who had accelerated to take advantage of the gentle curve of Tokyo Racecourse, suddenly moving up from the rear, but it felt a little too early for her to make her move.
"Oishii Parfait overtakes six, seven, eight people at once and closes in on Broyé! And she's going to pass her from the outside... she did it!"
"Go, Parfait!"
"Win today!"
"Beat the Arc de Triomphe winner!"
Oishii Parfait's running had her fans in the stands in a frenzy. I could see people all over the place standing up from their chairs and cheering for Oishii Parfait with clenched fists.
Hmm... Oishii Parfait's popularity reminds me of Twin Turbo, I thought. And Broyé, who was just overtaken, seemed to open her eyes slightly in surprise. Even if she had information that Oishii Parfait ran like this, experiencing it during a race must be different.
Oishii Parfait passed King and Special Week and moved to the front, but King and Special Week continued to run without showing any signs of being flustered. Oishii Parfait then passed Oguri Cap and Meek and moved into second place, but Oguri Cap and Meek didn't look surprised either.
"Oishii Parfait, who came up from the rear, can she catch the leader?! Sold Out is running desperately! She's running away from Oishii Parfait closing in behind her! Sold Out is extending her lead here! Can Oishii Parfait not pass her?!"
"There's still a good distance to the finish line. There's also the question of whether she can keep up this pace until the end if she passes her now."
"The leader, Sold Out, is now leaving the fourth corner and entering the final straight! Oishii Parfait is right behind her, but Sold Out is hanging on, as if she won't give up the lead! The gap isn't closing! Who will be the winner at the end of this 500-meter final straight?!"
Oishii Parfait was competing with Sold Out... but behind them, I could see all the horse girls who had entered the final straight beginning to accelerate at once.
"Here they come! The one who's coming up fast in the final straight is, of course, King Halo! Broyé is coming up, too! Special Week has an incredible acceleration! Oguri Cap and Happy Meek, who were in front, are also accelerating and chasing Oishii Parfait!"
From the beginning of the race until now, the distance to the leader hasn't opened up much. Sold Out, Oishii Parfait, Oguri Cap, Meek, King, Broyé, and Special Week—seven of them were running within a gap of just two to three body lengths.
And now that it was the final straight, King shifted gears at once. She ran with so much force that she kicked up the turf and dirt behind her, accelerating to her top speed in an instant.
"King Halo is coming up with incredible speed! But her rivals won't let her run away! Oguri Cap, Happy Meek, Broyé, and Special Week also have incredible speed! They're flying! They're not even bothered by the uphill that they entered with less than 400 meters to go!"
"But Oishii Parfait is also running well today... ah."
"Oh, what's wrong, Oishii Parfait! Did her engine finally burn out?! Was her long sprint from the 1000-meter mark a mistake?! Sold Out's back is getting farther and farther away!"
A chorus of "Ahhh" rose from the stands. But as if spurred on by their voices, Oishii Parfait ran on with a desperate expression.
But King and the others quickly passed her from behind. They overtook Oishii Parfait, who had slowed down on the uphill, and then passed Sold Out at the same time.
"Oguri Cap has taken the lead here! Happy Meek is right next to her! But King Halo, who came up from behind, is now alongside the two of them! And! Broyé and Special Week are also alongside them!"
300 meters left.
King was in third place at that point. But the gap between her and Oguri Cap and the others was almost nonexistent. This was where the real race would begin.
"Go! Go, King!"
"King-chan! You can do it!"
"This is where you make your move, King-chan!"
Urara and I yelled as hard as we could, and Rice also cheered for King with all her might. I was yelling at the top of my lungs as I watched King run from left to right in the final straight from the stands.
The energy of the horse girl fans who had packed Tokyo Racecourse was at its peak, and the cheers from outside the racecourse shook the entire stadium. The vibration was so intense that I thought every window would shatter.
"Is it going to come down to these horse girls?! The 'King of her generation' and the 'Golden Generation'! And the challenger from overseas, Broyé! But Nice Nature is also coming up from the back! She's in sixth place now! But there's still a two-body-length gap to the leading pack, what's going to happen?!"
"The-cheers-are-so-loud..."
I could hear the commentator's voice yelling. But the analyst's voice was inaudible.
200 meters left.
From the leading pack, King, Oguri Cap, and Special Week pulled ahead slightly. Meek, gritting her teeth, was chasing them desperately, and Broyé's expression was one of shock as she moved her legs as hard as she could.
"Is this a rematch of the Autumn Tenno Sho?! In the final straight! The three are side-by-side! King Halo, Special Week, and Oguri Cap are running side-by-side!"
"...and...Broyé...is..."
100 meters left.
The three in front were running perfectly side-by-side. Meek and Broyé were desperately running about one body length behind them.
"Win! Go, King! Win!"
"You can do it! King-chan! You can do it!"
I hit the fence and yelled with Urara. Rice was also yelling, but the cheers around us were too loud to hear.
The cheers were so loud that I even felt the ground shaking. A race worthy of such a huge cheer was unfolding right before my eyes.
50 meters left.
The first to fall behind in the battle was Oguri Cap. It was a very small, but in a competition on the final straight, it was a big, slight stumble in her form.
She wasn't injured. She didn't trip on the rough turf. Her form was just slightly off.
Was it fatigue from running in the Mile Championship, or did she lose her concentration? It would have been a mistake she could have recovered from against other horse girls—but against King and Special Week, it was a fatal mistake.
30 meters left.
With no time to worry about Oguri Cap, who was only a neck behind, King continued to compete with Special Week. Who would pull ahead, and who would cross the finish line first?
They competed, and they competed, and they competed.
King and Special Week's running was neck and neck. That's why what determined the victory must have been the difference in their desire to win against each other.
"King Halo and Special Week are side-by-side, and now! They've crossed the finish line! Special Week seems to have a slight advantage! And Oguri Cap is a neck behind! Broyé is one body length behind! And Nice Nature and Happy Meek are crossing the finish line side-by-side!"
"Huh?!"
I asked myself, "Who won?" Was it King or Special Week? Was Special Week slightly ahead, as the commentator said? No, was it King?
The horse girls crossed the finish line one after another. And when I saw King's figure, panting heavily, and her expression after the finish line, I knew.
"The order of finish has been determined. 1st place, number 13, Special Week. Winning time is 2 minutes, 22.5 seconds. 2nd place, number 12, King Halo, by a nose. 3rd place, number 6, Oguri Cap, by a neck. 4th place, number 14, Broyé, by one body length. 5th place, number 11, Nice Nature, by a nose."
(—She lost.)
A cheer even louder than before erupted from both inside and outside Tokyo Racecourse. It was a mix of voices calling out Special Week's name and lamenting King Halo's defeat.
In the very end. The difference of a single step. No, it might have been even smaller than that—just the tip of a toe—but Special Week seemed to extend herself.
"—!" "—!"
"—!" "—!" "—!"
The commentator and analyst were desperately saying something, but the cheers were too loud for me to hear.
"Ah... I thought I was going to see King Halo achieve her seventh crown..."
"I can't believe King Halo lost..."
"So the Symboli Rudolf record will have to wait..."
But I could hear the disappointed voices of the spectators nearby. For a moment, I thought they were voices of criticism, but they sounded genuinely disappointed.
I could hear some booing from a distance, but... if you're going to boo, you might as well clap.
I took a deep breath and looked at King. She was catching her breath, staring at the results board with a grim expression. But then her horse ears twitched, and she sighed and walked toward the nearby Special Week.
Special Week looked completely exhausted even from a distance, and she was lying on the course, catching her breath. When King called out to her, she just shook her head. I could see King's mouth move slightly when she saw that.
Then King grabbed Special Week's arm, gave her her shoulder, and helped her stand up. She then turned her toward the audience and said something.
Special Week took a few deep breaths, then smiled brightly—and raised her fist in a victory salute.
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