Chapter 8. Preliminary Test Before the Spring Stakes
The Nakayama Kinen held particular significance for Shuta An, because the Spring Stakes shared the exact same course layout and distance. As a preliminary test, its intensity was more than sufficient to serve as a reference.
"I just hope the track conditions on that day won't differ too much from today."
Shuta An spoke casually while posing for a commemorative photo after winning the fourth race of the day, standing alongside the winning horse, its owner, the Trainer, and the stable staff.
The owner, Kuribayashi Hideo—who also owned Rice Shower—was in an exceptionally good mood upon hearing those words. Being able to invite a top jockey for a Classic trial race already felt like a dream to him. Seeing that same jockey show such focus and consideration toward the race conditions only made it feel more worthwhile.
However, Shuta An had no intention of performing for anyone's benefit. For him, riding Rice Shower in the Spring Stakes was a rare opportunity to directly face Mihono Bourbon. Only by experiencing Mihono Bourbon's strength firsthand could he better prepare for the Satsuki Sho with his own partner.
In Shuta An's eyes, the jockey currently riding Mihono Bourbon, no matter how hard he tried, was merely managing not to hold him back. Even if Mihono Bourbon were to win the Satsuki Sho, Shuta An believed he would still have a chance to challenge him in the Japanese Derby.
As for what would happen to Rice Shower after entering the Classic races, he did not concern himself too much. Barring unforeseen circumstances, his partnership with him would end after this Spring Stakes.
After making a brief adjustment to his condition, Shuta met up with DanceDanceDance, his mount for the Nakayama Kinen, about ten minutes later.
"Just treat this as a feel-out race. There are no requirements for the placing—the most important thing is to finish safely."
This was the instruction given by DanceDanceDance's Trainer, Karasaki Takashi, before the race.
"No problem."
Shuta An agreed without hesitation.
That response surprised Karasaki Takashi. He was also the Trainer of Restoration, and in the past, Shuta An had ridden that horse into a near-reckless charge down the Tokyo Racecourse final straight, ultimately seizing a G1 victory under controversial circumstances involving Yutaka Take. Because of that, Karasaki Takashi had always regarded him as a fiercely competitive jockey who prioritized victory above all else. Yet this time, being asked to prioritize safety over results did not provoke even the slightest objection.
Seemingly noticing his surprise, Shuta An spoke first.
"I understand that a horse's safety comes before anything else. DanceDanceDance is coming back from a serious injury, and she isn't favored in this race. Making sure she finishes in good condition is the priority."
"It's good that you understand."
Only then did Karasaki Takashi feel completely reassured.
DanceDanceDance drew gate five, meaning her entry into the starting gate would come relatively early. Shuta An spent considerable effort keeping her focused, preventing her from becoming restless during the wait, and successfully guided her into a clean start.
There were no fixed tactical instructions for this race; Karasaki Takashi had left everything to Shuta An's discretion. After observing the initial pace set by the front-runners, the Young man made a decisive move, urging DanceDanceDance forward to secure position. She smoothly advanced into third place, settling just ahead of the race favorite, Osumi Rock, ridden by Tahara Seiki.
Tahara Seiki frowned slightly and guided Osumi Rock outward, choosing to circle around DanceDanceDance rather than remain directly behind her. It was not out of concern that Shuta An might block his path later—rather, he simply did not trust DanceDanceDance's current condition. In his judgment, a horse returning from a long layoff would almost certainly lose speed during the final sprint, potentially disrupting his own mount's acceleration.
After entering the backstretch opposite the stands, Shuta An cast a brief glance behind him. Tahara Seiki maintained his slightly outer line, while the leader, Izumi Sunshine, continued to cruise steadily at the front.
Shuta An quickly estimated the pace—slightly above sixty seconds per kilometer.
That was enough.
His expression relaxed, and he allowed DanceDanceDance to maintain her rhythm, holding third place without applying unnecessary pressure to the two horses ahead.
"This pace is ideal."
"If it becomes too fast, I'll have to consider easing off early in the final straight."
"A standard pace will let me observe whether she can respond to acceleration."
"And if she can't… then I'll simply ride her through to the finish at a steady push."
With that plan in mind, Shuta An guided DanceDanceDance into the final straight.
The moment they exited the bend, he gave a light guiding whip and immediately followed with a firm push.
However, after such a long absence from competition, DanceDanceDance's response was unremarkable. Her acceleration lacked sharpness, and her stride failed to show any explosive improvement.
With one hundred meters remaining, Shuta An judged that her stamina was nearly depleted. Without hesitation, he abandoned the whip and focused solely on maintaining her momentum through pushing.
Behind them, Osumi Rock presented an entirely different issue. Throughout the race, the horse seemed unusually fixated on DanceDanceDance ahead. Despite Tahara Seiki's increasingly forceful urging—both whip and push—Osumi Rock failed to produce the expected burst of speed. Instead, the gap between the two horses gradually widened.
In the end, neither of them claimed the victory.
Dynamite Daddy, who had shadowed DanceDanceDance for the first fourteen hundred meters, revealed his true strength in the final straight. With a decisive surge, he broke away from the field and left the front-running Izumi Sunshine completely unable to respond.
Watching this, Shuta An's eyes lit up slightly.
"It seems that on Nakayama's 1800-meter turf at this time of year, securing position just behind the pace-setter is the key."
Having reached this conclusion, Shuta An considered the Nakayama Kinen a highly successful reconnaissance effort. DanceDanceDance's fifth-place finish, along with the 6.4 million yen in prize money, was merely an additional benefit.
"Six point four million…"
"If converted to the real world, that should cover Oguri and the others' recent shopping expenses in Dubai."
With that thought, Shuta An left the Dream World in an unusually pleasant mood.
He paid no attention at all to the meaningful gaze lingering behind him as he departed Nakayama Racecourse.
—
Waking up the next morning, Shuta An found that his body had already adjusted to the time difference, thanks to his frequent travels abroad. He glanced at the clock—it was exactly 7 a.m. Dubai local time.
"I woke up a little later than usual, but it's no big deal."
He picked up the phone by his bedside and instructed the suite butler to prepare breakfast.
His personal preferences and dietary restrictions had already been communicated to the hotel in advance, so Shuta An went to freshen up without concern. While waiting for breakfast, he moved to the study, briefly testing the comfort of the office chair placed there before stretching his shoulders and turning on the computer.
He did not immediately begin analyzing opponents. For Kitahara and the others, the entire night had likely been spent adjusting to the time difference. Although he could collect and process the data himself, Shuta An preferred to involve them, allowing the other Trainers a stronger sense of participation in the preparation.
Instead, he opened a weather database and began checking Dubai's recent climate data, followed by Meydan Racecourse's maintenance records.
"It looks like there's no difference compared to last year's track conditions."
He tapped lightly on the desk as he organized his thoughts.
"Then we still need to prioritize securing position during the race. Whether it's dirt or turf, staying too far behind makes it easy to expend everything in the final stretch and still fail to catch up."
Meydan Racecourse, regardless of surface, was known for its speed. On dirt, American and Japanese dirt Uma Musumes could perform well, and even some European runners had shown adaptability. On turf, Silence Suzuka's performance in last year's Dubai Turf had already proven that Japanese Uma Musumes could handle the conditions without issue.
"Speaking of which, surpassing last year's results isn't difficult."
This was not arrogance. Silence Suzuka and Taiki Shuttle were both defending champions; if they successfully retained their titles, the baseline would already match last year's performance. On top of that, El Condor Pasa and Special Week would act as dual contenders in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Setting aside uncertainties, El Condor Pasa's strength had already been recognized internationally—she was currently the clear favorite.
As for the remaining races, unexpected outcomes were always possible.
"In any case, that reward from President Rudolph—I'm definitely taking it."
When the butler brought breakfast, Shuta An paused his work. Only then did he realize what he had overlooked the previous night.
He immediately picked up his phone and contacted Oguri, Berno, and Silence Suzuka. However, Oguri and Berno both declined to move rooms. They believed Shuta An had been under considerable work pressure lately, and if they moved in, they would inevitably cling to him and disrupt his focus. Occasional visits at night were enough for them.
Silence Suzuka, on the other hand, expressed understanding—but she also made a request of her own.
"On the night the race ends, I want you to stay only by my side."
Shuta An agreed without hesitation. Concerns about affecting training only applied before the race. After it ended, there would be no such restrictions.
For a brief moment, he could clearly hear the rhythm of his own heartbeat.
After finishing breakfast, Shuta An did not return to the study. Instead, he took the elevator downstairs, intending to go out for a walk. Their group had been among the last to arrive in Dubai, while Uma Musumes and staff from Europe and America had already been there for two days.
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, he saw clusters of European and American Uma Musumes chatting casually, passing the time.
His brows furrowed slightly.
In one corner of the lobby, he noticed a familiar figure—an Uma Musume previously trained by Baffert.
"Did that guy come too?"
He muttered under his breath.
"Anyway—I'd rather not run into him."
Shuta An did not believe Baffert would be foolish enough to provoke him in Dubai. Although the man had the backing of America's Tracen Academy, Shuta An himself had a close relationship with the President of the Dubai URA Association. If anything happened, he would not be at a disadvantage here.
"I'll check later which races he's targeting this time."
Given the tendencies of American racing, Shuta An estimated that Silence Suzuka was unlikely to encounter any of Baffert's runners in the Dubai Turf.
The Burj Khalifa Hotel stood near the coastline, so it did not take long for Shuta An to reach the beach. The sea breeze carried a warm, dry scent, and the open horizon stretched endlessly before him.
However, he had little interest in the scenery there.
He soon turned away, leaving the beach behind and heading toward the streets of Dubai instead.
While walking, he checked the lineup of Baffert's team for this year's Dubai World Cup Race Day. As expected, none of the entries were registered for the Dubai Turf.
"Forget it. I'll focus on Kurofune instead."
He shook his head slightly.
"If she develops normally, she might be able to deliver a direct blow to Baffert."
The American Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—had never been won by a non-American Uma Musume.
If Kurofune could take even one of those races, it would be a historic breakthrough.
"Out of the three—the one I want most is the Kentucky Derby."
He lifted his gaze, scanning the Arabian-style buildings lining the street as he walked.
After wandering around the area near the hotel, Shuta An eventually returned. By then, Kitahara had already sent over race footage and detailed data on the UAE Derby contenders.
Sitting back in the office chair, Shuta An stretched his shoulders and instructed the butler to prepare sparkling fruit water. Afterward, he downloaded the materials and began reviewing them, intending to assist Kawamura Hirokazu in analyzing Passion Flare's opponents.
"Meydan dirt, 1800 meters—and the field even includes European Uma Musumes."
He frowned slightly.
"Europeans mostly run on all-weather or turf tracks. Can they really adapt to this dirt surface?"
"To be invited here, they must have shown strong performances in listed races, graded races, or even G1s during their debut year."
"Excellent on European turf…and then suddenly switching to dirt? I really can't understand that logic."
The more he examined the data, the more difficult it became to grasp the reasoning behind the European Trainers' decisions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested for some advanced chapters, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens