The Arima Kinen that King challenged has ended.
King won, giving her seven G1 victories, surpassing Rice and tying with Symboli Rudolf.
Urara, Rice, and I were all overjoyed. I would've held a feast the next day that would surpass the Christmas party, but I couldn't.
Two days after the Arima Kinen, on December 29th, Urara was to challenge the Tokyo Daishoten, the final G1 race of the year.
I couldn't afford to relax... but on the morning after the Arima Kinen, I was leisurely drinking coffee in the club room as usual, reading a sports newspaper.
'King Halo wins the Arima Kinen!'
'"King of the generation," her 7th G1 victory!'
'Will she surpass Symboli Rudolf next year?! Or will she advance to the Dream Series?!'
This time, every newspaper's front page was dominated by articles about King. There were articles about King, who achieved her 7th G1 victory since Symboli Rudolf, photos of King crossing the finish line, King raising both arms towards the stands to show off her 7 G1 victories, and King singing and dancing at the winning live concert, with various catchy headlines.
I shifted my gaze to a corner of the club room, where trophies, medals, and shields from Urara and the others' first-place finishes were displayed.
(...It's getting a bit cramped.)
At first, I decorated the shelves with everything I had, since they were proof of Urara and the others' victories, and also put up various merchandise. But the shelves, which were once empty and lonely, are now filled with a wide variety of items.
Should I get a bigger shelf? Even if I can't buy one with the academy's budget, I can buy one with my own money. But there's still a little space left, and it's not something I need to buy in a hurry, right...?
"Phew..."
I took a sip of my coffee and sighed.
Then I started thinking about the next year and beyond. Will Urara and King be able to run in the senior class next year, or will the URA tell them to advance to the Dream Series?
King, who finished the Arima Kinen, has fatigue and a slight inflammation, but she doesn't have any injuries that will hinder her in the future. The inflammation is so slight that it's within the range of what her joints would feel after every race.
So, if she wants to, she can challenge herself in the senior class again next year. If she does, I believe she can achieve a record that surpasses Symboli Rudolf's 7 G1 victories.
(Next year, huh...)
Thinking about the future, I sighed again. I should be thinking about Urara's Tokyo Daishoten, which is tomorrow, and I don't have the luxury of thinking about the future. But recently, no, for the past few months, I've had these thoughts from time to time.
I shook off my thoughts and took a single envelope from my desk drawer. It's the race card for the Tokyo Daishoten that Urara will be participating in.
Just like in the Champions Cup, the names of Urara, Smart Falcon, Slein, and Heart Caesar are all on the list.
The race is held at the Oi Racecourse, and the number of participants is a full gate of 16. Since it's the last G1 race of the year in the Twinkle Series, it's already attracting a lot of attention. The start time is scheduled for the 10th race at 3:40 PM.
Lately, the attention has been on King, but Urara has already won five G1s since her victory in the Champions Cup. She won five races: the JBC Sprint last year, and the February Stakes, Teio Sho, JBC Ladies' Classic, and the Champions Cup this year.
With Urara participating in the Tokyo Daishoten, it's no surprise that she's getting attention. You could say she was hidden in King's shadow, or that the dirt track is less popular than the turf track, so she wasn't getting as much attention.
But now, she's getting a lot of attention, as if to say, "Hey, there's a good story here." It's December 28th, so the public is already in the year-end and New Year's mood. So it must be a perfect topic to liven up the conversation.
Tracen Academy is also in its final days of work for the year, and the students have already started their winter break. It's the same for the public; most people have finished their work and have started their year-end and New Year's holidays.
So Urara and the others will be here soon, and they'll be doing a light training session.
Just like with King the other day, I think it's going to be a struggle to calm Urara down when she wants to run hard, even though it's supposed to be a light adjustment.
Another hassle is the requests to have King appear on TV, give interviews, and have a special program. It's a good thing that these requests are coming in, but Urara's race is tomorrow. I wish they'd at least think about the timing.
Since it's the end of the year, there's not much work at Tracen Academy, and since Urara and the others are doing a light training session today, I have a lot of free time. Just as I was thinking about finishing my work in my free time, I heard Urara and the others' voices from outside the club room.
I thought Urara and the others were as energetic as ever today, but Urara's voice seemed a little quieter. She usually speaks louder than Rice and King and sounds like she's at full charge with energy.
"Morning, Trainer."
When I saw Urara appear in the club room, I opened my eyes slightly.
Her tone was as childlike as ever, but her gaze towards me looked mature. On top of that, she had a certain... calmness that I had never seen before. And yet, there was a tense atmosphere, like a balloon inflated to its limit.
She didn't seem nervous about tomorrow's race. She wasn't trembling with excitement, and she didn't seem unwell.
"...Urara?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
When I called out to her, she tilted her head with a soft smile. When I saw that smile, I was confused, but I reached out my right hand and ruffled her hair.
"Whoa... what's this?"
Urara wiggled her horse ears as if she was ticklish and swayed her tail from side to side. It was a smile, but I still felt a certain tension.
"Urara-san has been like this since last night."
King came closer to me and whispered that. Since last night... that probably means she was influenced by King's run. Right after the race, she was jumping up and down with joy at King's victory, but it seems that the competitive spirit inside Urara was ignited.
(Urara...)
Compared to the past, Urara's approach to races has changed. But to be in this state was something that only happened on the day of the race.
But the race is tomorrow. If she keeps herself tense from now on, she'll only get tired. I judged that and ruffled Urara's head even more vigorously. Urara let out a happy little squeal and started wagging her tail even harder.
"Urara, it's good to be conscious of the race, but you can't be too conscious. You'll get tired now, you know?"
"Hmm... do I look like that?"
Urara, who had her eyes narrowed comfortably, looked up at me and asked that. So I nodded with a wry smile, and Urara frowned in a troubled way.
"I saw King-chan's race yesterday, and I got a feeling that I want to do it, too. Like I'm itching to run."
As expected, it seems King's run yesterday influenced her. I'm happy that she's so motivated, but I also wanted her to save it for tomorrow.
Well, Urara is a veteran who has been in over ten races now. She probably won't get exhausted from being too tense the day before a race.
(Honestly... Urara...)
It feels like a long time ago that I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how to make her want to win a race. In reality, it hasn't even been three years since we met, but looking at Urara now, I can't help but feel that she's changed.
"Alright... then let's get motivated and train hard today, too!"
"Yeah! Alright, I'll do my best!"
"But the race is tomorrow, so don't overdo it, okay?"
"Yeah! I'll do my best in moderation!"
Is it moderate, full-throttle, or somewhere in between? I smiled at Urara's words and started preparing for training after giving a head pat to Rice, who was approaching me without a word, offering her head.
And so, it's the day of the Tokyo Daishoten.
Since she avoided the Tokyo Daishoten last year, this is the first time Urara will be running in this race. Today, as always, Urara is full of energy and motivation. I had her run lightly in the morning to check her condition, and after she had lunch, we headed to the venue in a car I borrowed from Tracen Academy.
There probably won't be as many people as at the Arima Kinen. The Oi Racecourse is smaller than the Nakayama Racecourse where the Arima Kinen is held, and the only races held there are dirt races.
With the recent popularity, there will probably be a decent crowd, but it should be calmer than the crowd at the Champions Cup held at the Chukyo Racecourse... I used to think that.
The dirt races at the Oi Racecourse are usually held on weekdays. Today is technically a weekday, but December 29th is a day when many people are on holiday for the year-end and New Year's.
Not only students but also many adults are on their long year-end and New Year's holidays. So, well, you know...
"Whoa... there are so many people."
Urara, who sat in the passenger seat as she had wished, let out that voice as she looked at the people walking on the street. Wow, there really are a lot of them... It's probably not as many as at the Arima Kinen, but isn't it easily more than the crowd at the Champions Cup?
At this rate, the Oi Racecourse must already be restricting entry, but the people on the sidewalk are smiling as they walk towards the Oi Racecourse. No, maybe they're heading for the park nearby? I remember there was a public ground or a park there. A lot of people could gather there.
I drove carefully, watching out for people suddenly running into the street, and made my way to the staff parking lot. Then, a car and an Uma Musume standing in front of it came into my view.
It was Smart Falcon, with a big smile. Her trainer was behind her, and it was obvious they were waiting for us.
I wondered what she would do if I just drove out of the parking lot, but I stopped the car. I parked it neatly in line with the parking space and got out. Smart Falcon came closer, as if she had been waiting for me.
"Hello, Urara-chan."
And I could feel the intimidating spirit. Unlike before, she was looking at Urara with a smile that showed her fighting spirit, not a mask-like smile.
"Hello, Fal-ko-chan."
Urara responded with her usual smile... No, it wasn't. Just like Smart Falcon, Urara had a smile that showed her fighting spirit.
It's not as blatant as Smart Falcon's. But she's clearly aware of Smart Falcon and her competitive spirit is rising.
When Smart Falcon saw that, she smiled happily, genuinely happy.
"Ahaha... Fal-ko is so happy. I can tell by looking at your face, Urara-chan. You're different from before. I can tell you're going to come at me with all your might... I'm so--happy."
Smart Falcon's lips stretched into a wide, gentle arc. When I saw that smile, I felt that it was a good smile, but is that a strange thing to think? It's a smile that assures me that Smart Falcon will also go all out against Urara.
Even in the face of Smart Falcon's smile, Urara isn't intimidated. She just looks straight at Smart Falcon, closes her eyes once, and when she opens them, she's back to her usual self.
"Yeah... I'm really, really, really looking forward to today's race! I'm so excited to run with Fal-ko-chan, Slein-chan, Caesar-chan, Daisy-chan, and everyone else!"
"Fal-ko is only looking at you, Urara-chan... and maybe Slein-chan, too."
"I'd have knocked you over if you had left me out."
Slein approached with a clicking sound of her heels. Even Smart Falcon turned her gaze to Slein, who had cut into Urara and Smart Falcon's conversation.
"You crossed the finish line before me in the Champions Cup. Fal-ko is going to run away from both of you today! ☆"
Smart Falcon stood on one leg, as if rubbing her knees together, and held a sideways peace sign to the side of her eye. She also gave a wink, and Slein crossed her arms, as if rejecting the wink.
"I'll be the one to pass both of you today. Only when I win a G1 where the two of you are also participating can I finally be proud."
Slein vowed to win against both Urara and Smart Falcon. The fact that she's not intimidated by the current Smart Falcon is a sign that she has also grown into a great G1 Uma Musume.
"Today's Urara is Super Urara! I'm going to run 'vroom'!"
---And I'm going to win.
I felt like those words followed what she said, and Smart Falcon laughed, and Slein also smiled.
"Good."
Watching the three of them, I heard Smart Falcon's trainer mutter with satisfaction. Can you really say "good" after watching that? Yeah, you can.
I looked at the three of them, who were vowing to do their best against each other, and nodded, "Good," just like Smart Falcon's trainer.
And then, after entering the Oi Racecourse, I escorted Urara to the waiting room and headed for the paddock.
As expected, there are a lot of people. It seems so many people came in the morning that entry was restricted. It looks like we're going to break the record for the largest attendance at a dirt race.
Or rather, we already surpassed it with the approximately 500,000 people at the Champions Cup. I wonder if we'll surpass that this time... It's like a holiday, so we probably will.
Many people are returning to their hometowns for the year-end and New Year's holidays, but it wouldn't be strange for people who returned to the Tokyo area to come and watch. Of course, many people are probably busy and will just watch the race on TV at home.
So, I pushed through the crowd and took a spot in the front row of the paddock, waiting for the reveal to begin with Rice and King.
Since there are few G1 dirt races, a full gate of 16 Uma Musume are participating today. Many of them are Uma Musume that Urara has raced against many times up to this point in her senior class years.
However, there are also a few classic-class girls participating. They must have decided to participate because the Tokyo Daishoten is a race where both classic and senior-class Uma Musume can run.
『Lane 3, number 5, Haru Urara.』
Her name was read out, and Urara appeared in the paddock. When Urara, dressed in her cute racing outfit, appeared, the fans in the paddock cheered all at once. However, some people let out a confused voice.
"Today's Haru Urara... has a certain presence, doesn't she?"
"Well, she's won five G1s, so of course, she has a presence... She's still cute, and isn't it unfair that she's both cute and has a presence?"
"She's in great shape... her rear quarters are good..."
The fans must have also felt that Urara's aura was different from usual. A murmur is spreading.
Listening to the commotion, I stared at Urara, who was waving at the stands with a smile.
(Urara...)
Her condition is perfect, her shape is at its best, and she's full of fighting spirit. All that's left is to run the race and decide the winner with her rivals, including Smart Falcon.
『Lane 3, number 6, Smart Falcon.』
Next to appear was Smart Falcon. Her racing number is right next to Urara's, so there's no advantage or disadvantage from the inside or outside lanes.
"Smart Falcon has changed recently, hasn't she?"
"I know. Fal-ko has started to have a good smile."
"She has a scary smile sometimes, though."
"I know. But that's what makes it good."
Looking at Smart Falcon, Uma Musume fans exchanged words. But most of the words were positive, and Smart Falcon posed with a big smile.
"I'm Smart Falcon! Call me Fal-ko! ☆"
"FAL-KOOOOOOOOOO!"
"FA-L-KO! FA-L-KO!"
"We're rooting for you today, too, Fal-ko!"
"Thank you!"
Hmm, there's a fan who's particularly energetic. Is that the fan from her street live performances? He's wearing a pink happi coat.
But... today's Smart Falcon also seems to be in great shape, just as good as Urara's, and she seems to be in a good mood. She's also full of fighting spirit, so this might be the best condition I've ever seen her in.
I wonder if losing to Urara in the Champions Cup had a positive effect on her... The current Smart Falcon is even scarier than before.
『Lane 6, number 11, Slein.』
Today's Slein is number 11, but for her, who excels at a chase running style, it's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. It's more important where she positions herself before her final sprint.
Slein, who appeared in the paddock, looked at the fans with a determined expression. Her expression seemed to say, "I'll beat both Urara and Smart Falcon today."
This girl was also in the Champions Cup, but she seems to be in great shape and condition.
And with that, the paddock reveal ended. Each Uma Musume started moving toward the course, but Urara ran toward me instead. When she faced me across the fence, she had a different, more mature smile than usual.
"It's 3 wins and 3 losses against Fal-ko-chan... I'm going to settle the score! So please watch, Trainer!"
"Yeah... I'll be watching from the start to the finish, and I'll be watching you win."
"Okay! Then I'm off!"
Saying that, Urara's smile deepened as she ran off. After seeing her off with Rice and King, I headed to the stands.
And the Tokyo Daishoten—the last race of the year for me—began.
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