Chapter 82. Cox Plate Gate Draw
Shuta An remained until the very end of the auction that night, yet he did not place a single bid.
"There's a draw ceremony the day after tomorrow. I can attend that event alone—Suzuka can rest at the hotel," Shuta An said to Silence Suzuka after leaving the venue.
"Mhm."
Silence Suzuka had never intended to go in the first place. For her, compared to attending such gatherings, remaining in a quiet environment was far more preferable—and if she could spend that time with her lover, it would be better still.
"When we head to Hong Kong later, we'll still have to attend events like these," Shuta An said, shaking his head slightly.
"Even if it sounds unpleasant to admit, I don't particularly like these banquets either. The Twinkle Series has turned them into an excuse for expanding connections, but such connections are inherently difficult to utilize within the Twinkle Series itself. Unless their family happens to produce a talented Uma Musume in need of a Trainer—but why would they come to me? I'm not even coaching at Tracen Academy in Australia."
This remark was not directed at the Victoria URA Association, nor at the Uma Musume and Trainers present, but rather at the representatives of various companies who had attended the banquet. Within minutes of Freedman's departure, Silence Suzuka had received numerous advertising invitations—each one of them, without exception, declined.
"It's more appropriate to accept endorsements locally. Otherwise, there's no telling how they might use them," Silence Suzuka explained her reasoning to Shuta An.
Even without her explanation, however, the young man was already inclined to refuse them all. After all, these companies were unfamiliar, and entering into agreements with them carried the risk of hidden complications.
"It's better to minimize potential trouble," Shuta An had no desire to see his time with Silence Suzuka disturbed by unnecessary issues.
Over the following days, Silence Suzuka continued her training as usual, while Shuta An remained indoors, focusing intently on studying the opponents registered for the Cox Plate.
"I need to head out this afternoon," the Uma Musume said to her Trainer at noon. "The Moonee Valley URA Association requires CT scans for all participating Uma Musume, to ensure there are no underlying injuries before competition."
"That's quite thorough," Shuta An remarked, encountering this form of pre-race inspection for the first time—in previous years, a standard medical examination had been sufficient, but here they were employing advanced imaging directly.
"In any case, I feel perfectly fine. I should pass without any issues," Silence Suzuka said with quiet confidence. "Didn't Ann already have me checked at the hospital before we left, just to be certain?"
"Even so, whether there's a difference between Japanese and Australian medical evaluations, I can't say," Shuta An replied with a slight shrug. "But I also believe Suzuka will pass the inspection without any problems."
Three hours later, as Shuta An was reviewing Super Slew's race footage, a notification arrived from the Moonee Valley URA Association—
"Following Super Slew's pre-race CT scan, doctors have identified a potential injury. The Association has therefore decided to revoke Super Slew's eligibility to compete."
"So someone really was disqualified," Shuta An raised an eyebrow, closing the browser window. "I'm not sure whether to call this fortunate or unfortunate."
Unfortunate, because the Cox Plate was only days away, and she had suddenly lost the chance to compete due to failing the inspection.
Fortunate, because the potential injury had been identified in advance, preventing a possible incident on the track and avoiding further damage to her Twinkle Series career.
"But if this has already been announced, then the other Uma Musume—Suzuka included—must have passed the inspection, right?" Shuta An thought to himself.
When Silence Suzuka returned to the hotel, the young man soon received confirmation from her.
"Then all that remains is to prepare with complete peace of mind. Every uncertain factor has already been removed,"
Shuta An said, a faint smile forming. "This also proves that Suzuka's previous injuries have recovered exceptionally well—so thoroughly that even the Australian doctors found nothing."
"That's also because Ann gave me enough time to recover, isn't it?" Silence Suzuka, seated by the bed, unconsciously pressed against her knee. "It means I won't have to worry about past injuries anymore, and I can perform at my full capacity."
"That's also because Suzuka cooperated fully with the treatment," Shuta An said, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.
"If it were some of those notoriously troublesome ones at the Academy, they would create chaos even while hospitalized—how could they possibly recover properly?"
Silence Suzuka leaned gently against her lover and asked softly, "So, I'm very obedient, aren't I?"
"How obedient?" The young man wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'll have to confirm that myself."
—
Meanwhile, the other confirmed Cox Plate contenders were carefully analyzing Silence Suzuka. The Uma Musume from Australia and New Zealand were already well acquainted with one another, but Silence Suzuka—having traveled from afar to challenge them—remained something of an unknown quality wise.
Although she had already secured G1 victories in both the United Kingdom and the United States, to the Uma Musume of the Southern Hemisphere, her name still felt distant and unfamiliar.
Previously, only Catalan Opening had encountered Silence Suzuka in person. She had participated in the Hong Kong International Bowl during the same year Silence Suzuka ran in the Hong Kong International Cup, and the two had crossed paths once at Sha Tin Racecourse. However, it had been nothing more than a brief encounter—they had not even exchanged a single word.
Moreover, because that single meeting was her only reference point, her subconscious assessment of Silence Suzuka's strength remained fixed at that time. Even though Silence Suzuka had since gone on to win numerous G1 races, without having witnessed it firsthand, she still found it difficult to fully grasp.
Although Silence Suzuka had already accumulated seven G1 victories, in the eyes of the Australian Uma Musume, it was merely—acceptable.
Among middle-distance specialists in Australia and New Zealand, there had been dominant figures with double-digit G1 victories, so her record, in their view, had not yet reached an untouchable level. Many Uma Musume were eager to deliver a "Southern Hemisphere shock" to Silence Suzuka at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
However, Freedman looked at Doriemus with unusual seriousness and spoke in a firm, measured tone. "Do not underestimate Silence Suzuka; she will be a more difficult opponent than Might and Power."
Although Doriemus did not fully understand the reason behind her Trainer's warning, she still nodded and committed the words to memory. "When the Cox Plate begins, I'll stay right on her—no matter what."
"Under no circumstances should you allow her to open too much distance from the pack," Freedman added, his tone sharpening slightly. "The final straight at Moonee Valley Racecourse is too short—it's extremely difficult to close the gap there."
"I know," Doriemus replied with a light wave of her hand. "I've already won the Cox Plate before—I won't forget something like that."
—
On the night of the draw ceremony, Shuta An arrived at the venue alone. The location was the same as a few days prior, though the young man had changed into a different suit.
Noticing this detail, several Trainers cast envious glances—although the prize money within Australia's Twinkle Series was not lower than Japan's, and many major stakes, even G1 races, offered higher rewards, those benefits were largely confined to top-tier events.
For ordinary class races, Japan's prize structure remained more generous, and the Central URA Association also provided subsidies to the Uma Musume of Central Tracen Academy, leaving Central Trainers in a far more comfortable financial position. In contrast, Australian Trainers, if their results were merely average, often found themselves under considerable financial pressure. Under such circumstances, owning multiple suits was simply unrealistic.
It was precisely for this reason that a junior member of FolkQueen's Trainer's family had planned to go to Hong Kong to pursue a career as a Trainer.
Shuta An could clearly feel the glances directed toward him, yet he paid them no mind. After taking his designated seat, the young man picked up the glass of ice water placed beside him and took a measured sip.
"It's quite refreshing," he thought.
"This time, drawing an inner gate would still be ideal. I just hope the Moonee Valley URA Association doesn't attempt anything questionable."
After all, the 2000-meter course at Moonee Valley Racecourse entered a bend almost immediately after the start. If the draw placed them too far outside, Silence Suzuka's space to secure the leading position would be significantly restricted, forcing her to expend additional stamina simply to contest for the lead.
"If she could draw gate 1, it would practically guarantee the race, wouldn't it?" The young man's thoughts drifted as his gaze wandered idly across the room.
Shuta An soon noticed something. "Aside from me, everyone else has brought their trained Uma Musume."
Although he had only ever seen these opponents through recordings, he had studied them so extensively that he could now recognize each one at a glance.
"This tall and slender one is Gold Guru, that tanned one is Batavian, the one eating like Oguri is Dodge—they're all surprisingly easy to identify."
When the draw ceremony officially began, Shuta An observed that neither the selected Uma Musume nor their Trainers needed to step onto the stage. He quietly let out a breath.
"At least this way, I won't need to mask my reaction to the gate draw."
The first seven or eight Uma Musume completed their draws, yet Silence Suzuka's name had still not been called.
Shuta An's expression tightened slightly. "Only gate 1 remains on the inside; the rest are all outer positions. The one positive is that the outermost gate 11 has already gone to Northern Drake, which spares Suzuka from the worst possible outcome."
As this thought lingered, the host on stage drew the slip bearing Silence Suzuka's name.
Shuta An raised his head, his gaze fixed on the hand of the guest conducting the draw, silently urging for gate 1 to be selected.
But the moment the slip was unfolded, disappointment flickered across his face—the number revealed was not "1," but "6."
"Suzuka drew gate 6—right in the middle," he noted, catching sight of the camera lens turning toward him and swiftly arranging a composed smile.
"Not bad," he mouthed.
—
After returning to the hotel, Shuta An found the Uma Musume already waiting in the lobby.
"Gate 6—that's quite good," Silence Suzuka spoke first.
"It would have been better closer to the inside," Shuta An replied with a slight shrug. "But gate 6 is still far preferable to gate 11."
"Not the best, but far from the worst," the Uma Musume said with a soft smile.
—
The Cox Plate was scheduled for Saturday. On the day before the race, Shuta An checked the local weather forecast.
The area surrounding Moonee Valley Racecourse was expected to remain clear and sunny, and there were no plans to water the turf over the next two days—a favorable development for Silence Suzuka.
"The turf has been relaid, but the impact should be minimal."
After confirming this, Shuta An and Silence Suzuka went to the hotel's café and sat facing each other. The young man prepared to brief her on the key opponents she would need to watch.
"First, without question, is Might and Power. This Uma Musume has already run four races in Australia during the latter half of the year, including two G1s and two G2s. On August 22nd, she competed in the G2 1400m turf Randwick Stakes, finishing fourth. Two weeks later, on September 5th, she ran in the 1600m turf G2 Chelmsford Stakes and won. Twenty-one days later, she entered the 1600m turf G1 George Main Stakes, finishing seventh. Two weeks ago, she raced in the 2000m turf G1 Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse and secured victory. Tomorrow, she will be your most significant opponent in the Cox Plate."
"Is her stamina reserve sufficient?" Silence Suzuka asked, blinking slightly. "With such a demanding schedule, can she truly perform at her peak in the Cox Plate?"
"Her schedule in the first half of the year was even more intense than this, yet she still won her final four races—three G1s and one G2. I suspect she may be the type that improves with racing frequency, so we must remain cautious. However, if it turns into a true endurance contest, I don't believe she can match Suzuka."
"In any case, the Hong Kong Cup is still more than two months away, so I'm not concerned," Silence Suzuka said, shaking her head lightly. "If it comes down to endurance, I'm very confident."
Among the remaining competitors, Shuta An considered Freedman's Doriemus the most noteworthy. It was not necessarily due to overwhelming strength, but rather because Freedman had closely followed Shuta An's previous expeditions—making it highly likely that he would be the local Trainer who prepared most specifically against Suzuka.
"I wonder what kind of strategy he's devised to counter her—For now, all I can do is remind Suzuka to remain vigilant. She must be especially cautious of Doriemus," he thought.
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