Chapter 61. Rice Shower
To Shuta An's surprise, the attribute viewer did not grant him any special rewards after winning the Grand Prix de Paris, only distributing the prize money as usual.
However, the young man did not pay much attention to that matter. This weekend would be Rice Shower's Twinkle Series debut, and he needed to devote more of his attention to her. After Rice Shower successfully completed her debut race, Shuta would also take Mejiro Dober to England to prepare for an attempt at winning the Yorkshire Oaks for the second consecutive year.
As a result, Rice Shower soon discovered that her training program had been adjusted this week.
More time was devoted to chase-cut training, while strength training was reduced and swimming sessions were increased. During sparring sessions, Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio also placed considerable pressure on her. After every training session, Rice Shower would be drenched in sweat.
"So much pressure—" Rice Shower complained to Kurofune during lunch break. "When I'm running on the track with Teio-senpai and Dober-senpai chasing behind me, I can barely breathe."
"There's no helping it. This is the necessary price for achieving a good result in your debut race," Kurofune replied casually, since she was not the one enduring that pressure.
"I can't let down the seniors' efforts," Rice Shower said seriously. "I have to achieve the best result possible."
—
Thursday arrived.
For Shuta An, it was destined to be a busy day both in reality and in the Dream World.
Early in the morning, he received an email from Sapporo Racecourse containing Rice Shower's debut race draw, opponent list, race time, and various precautions.
This time, Rice Shower had not inherited Tokai Teio's terrible luck. Out of ten participating Uma Musume, she had drawn gate eight. Although it was still somewhat wide, it was not the outermost gate and was therefore acceptable.
"The turf 1000-meter course at Sapporo Racecourse has a starting straight of less than 300 meters, followed by a curved section of around 500 meters, and then a final straight of more than 260 meters,"
Shuta An explained after calling Rice Shower to the hotel lounge to discuss tactics following the email.
"You could say most of the race is spent on the bend. Fortunately, Rice Shower, you've already practiced that very well at the resort training grounds this week."
"But ultimately, it's still an ultra-short-distance 1000-meter race, so there aren't many complicated tactics to discuss."
The young man spread his hands.
"My suggestion is simple. Follow the leading runner closely, create enough space for an acceleration path before entering the final straight, and then launch a full sprint over the final 260 meters."
"Rice will do that!" Rice Shower readily agreed without any objections.
"In any case, I think victory definitely belongs to Rice Shower."
Shuta An reached out and rubbed her head. It felt quite pleasant. She must have finished showering recently, because her hair still carried a trace of dampness.
"No, it belongs to Trainer and Rice Shower!" Rice Shower immediately corrected him.
"Alright."
Shuta An smiled and accepted the correction.
—
That evening, Shuta An appeared once again in England.
This time, however, he was at Sandown Park Racecourse.
The race he would be participating in was the prestigious G1 Eclipse Stakes.
Named after the legendary British racehorse Eclipse, the Eclipse Stakes had always maintained an exceptionally high competitive standard, attracting elite runners every year.
His partner this time also came from André Fabre's stable.
The horse's name was Arcangues.
Although Arcangues had previously won the Prix d'Ispahan, he was not considered one of the major contenders for this Eclipse Stakes.
After all, three outstanding horses were entered in the same race.
Opera House, winner of the Coronation Cup.
Tenby, last year's winner of the Grand Critérium and this year's leading contender for the Epsom Derby.
And Barathea, winner of this year's Irish 2000 Guineas.
Before the race, André Fabre's instruction to Shuta An had been simple:
Finish in the top five.
However, Shuta An had no intention of focusing entirely on Arcangues during this race.
The reason was equally simple.
The Opera House camp had announced that after this race, the horse would proceed toward preparations for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
That meant Opera House would become one of Tokai Teio's future opponents.
As such, the young man intended to observe Opera House carefully throughout this Eclipse Stakes.
Frankie Dettori, meanwhile, was overflowing with fighting spirit.
This time, his mount, Misil, was unquestionably the strongest horse he had partnered with all year.
He had come to Sandown Park for one purpose only:
Victory.
"OPERA HOUSE OVERWHELMS MISIL! FIRST ACROSS THE LINE! ARCANGUES TAKES THIRD PLACE!"
The commentator's voice echoed throughout the racecourse.
Shuta An felt somewhat regretful, but there was nothing he could do.
He had already pushed with everything he had.
Arcangues's response simply had not been ideal, and securing third place had already been difficult enough.
"If I'm still racing in Europe later on, I honestly feel there's no need for me to keep riding him," the young man muttered.
After hearing Shuta An's feedback, André Fabre suddenly asked:
"I'm planning to let Arcangues challenge the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in early November. Mr. Shuta, are you interested in continuing as his jockey?"
In André Fabre's view, Shuta An's achievement of winning the American Triple Crown would undoubtedly increase Arcangues's chances on dirt.
The young man hesitated briefly.
After considering that it would not conflict with Tokai Teio's or Rice Shower's overseas campaigns, he readily agreed.
Since he had not won the Eclipse Stakes, no special reward was granted.
However, Shuta An was not concerned.
"Tonight in the Dream World, I'll return to France and head to Deauville Racecourse to ride Apple Tree in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. There are still plenty of opportunities to obtain special rewards."
Although European races generally offered far less prize money than those in Japan, one remarkable advantage stood out.
There were simply far more major races.
The opportunity to participate in several G1 races within a single week was something Japanese racing could scarcely imagine.
"Of course, that's largely due to Japan's unique circumstances."
Shuta An had discussed similar topics many times with Symboli Rudolf and others before, and every time they could provide valid reasons why such a structure would be difficult to implement domestically.
During the daytime, Shuta An finally put a stop to Rice Shower's chase-cut training and instead arranged swimming sessions for her.
Mejiro Dober originally wanted to put on her swimsuit and join them as a training partner.
However, the young man firmly rejected the proposal.
"When training, proper school swimsuits are mandatory!"
—
Sunday was the day of Rice Shower's Twinkle Series debut.
The previous afternoon, Shuta An had already brought Rice Shower to Sapporo Racecourse for early isolation. Afterward, instead of staying at a nearby hotel, he chose to return to the resort.
Starting from the Eclipse Stakes on Thursday night, Shuta An had challenged two more G1 races in the Dream World over the past two days—the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Falmouth Stakes—and successfully secured consecutive victories.
However, neither race granted him any new special rewards.
"I just hope the rewards from the autumn harvest mission are worth it. Otherwise, this will really be a huge loss."
Feeling Mejiro Dober's gentle breathing against him, Shuta An woke up unusually early.
After Mejiro Dober also stirred awake, Shuta An, who had already finished washing up, changed his clothes and prepared to head downstairs for breakfast.
"Dober, do you want to watch Rice Shower's debut race today?" the young man asked as he turned to look at his sleepy-eyed lover. "If you don't feel like moving around, it's fine to stay at the resort."
"I'm going!"
Mejiro Dober answered without the slightest hesitation.
"As a senior member of Team Sadalsuud, I absolutely can't be absent on a day like this."
Shuta An wasn't quite sure why Mejiro Dober suddenly displayed such a peculiar sense of competitiveness in this situation. Still, since she had already made her position clear, he had no intention of refusing her.
"Then I'll wait for you to get ready before we head down."
He glanced at the time. Although they would no longer make it in time to watch the first race from the stands at Sapporo Racecourse, arriving before Rice Shower's debut race would be more than easy.
By the time they reached Sapporo Racecourse, the exhibition parade for the day's third race had not even begun.
"There aren't any associate boxes available today, so let's just stay by the track," Shuta An said as he handed the parasols he had prepared to the Uma Musume.
"What about Trainer? The sun looks pretty strong today."
Holding her umbrella, Kurofune looked toward the young man.
"How about—"
Before she could finish speaking, Mejiro Dober silently tilted her umbrella toward Shuta An and shot Kurofune a glance.
Kurofune immediately shrank back.
"I really shouldn't have said anything."
She silently reminded herself.
"That look from Dober-senpai just now was terrifying."
Kurofune wasn't stupid. She understood perfectly well why Mejiro Dober had reacted that way.
She glanced at Tokai Teio, who was leisurely sipping her special honey drink as though everything around her had nothing to do with her, and could only sigh inwardly.
Meanwhile, in the lounge, Rice Shower sat quietly watching television to pass the time.
Then she noticed Trainer and her Team Sadalsuud teammates appearing on the broadcast screen.
"Everyone came, just as expected."
A sense of relief immediately filled her heart.
Last night before sleeping, she had worried that only Trainer would come to watch her debut race.
"Though... if it were only Trainer, that might not be a bad thing either."
Rice Shower clasped her hands together and gently closed her eyes.
"I need to adjust my condition properly. I can't disappoint my seniors, and I have to set a good example for Kurofune."
As a member of Team Sadalsuud, Rice Shower absolutely did not want to become the first person to break the team's treasured undefeated debut record.
"It's only 1000 meters."
She adjusted the top hat on her head with one hand while continuously encouraging herself.
"I just need to hold on for 1000 meters and run at my usual level."
Rice Shower's debut race was the sixth race of the day at Sapporo Racecourse.
Its exhibition parade would not begin until the afternoon, so while the fifth race had yet to officially start, Shuta An and Mejiro Dober left the stands to buy lunch.
"Ann doesn't seem nervous at all."
Walking beside him, Mejiro Dober was the first to speak.
"It's completely different from when we watched the Japanese Derby."
Shuta An turned his head and looked at her.
"Dober, do you really want me to be nervous?"
"No!" Mejiro Dober immediately turned her head away. "On the contrary, I'm happier seeing that Ann isn't nervous."
The young man raised an eyebrow and reached out to lightly hook her chin upward.
He said nothing.
Yet from his eyes alone, Mejiro Dober understood plenty.
"I won't say things like that anymore."
Her extensive experience with games and manga allowed her to instantly understand what she should say at this moment.
"Privately, I'll definitely be biased toward Dober."
Only after hearing her answer did Shuta An finally speak.
"But within the scope of my work, I have to treat everyone as fairly as possible."
He gently patted her shoulder.
"Dober, don't compete with them over things like this."
—
Tokai Teio happily devoured the honey butter cookies Trainer had bought.
Kurofune chose the rather unusual yakisoba bread.
Meanwhile, Shuta An and Mejiro Dober both selected the classic red bean bread.
"Only Rice Shower can't eat anything before the race."
After swallowing a cookie, Tokai Teio flashed a bright smile.
"Once we win this debut race, we won't rush back to the hotel,"
Shuta An immediately understood the meaning behind her words.
"We'll find a good restaurant nearby and eat there first."
After everyone finished lunch, the exhibition parade for Rice Shower's debut race finally began.
Soon, Rice Shower appeared on the giant screen. Compared to when he had first met her, she was now completely different.
There was no trace of timidity. Instead, a confident smile rested upon her face.
"That's more like it."
Shuta An was extremely satisfied with the atmosphere Rice Shower was displaying.
"Back then, she probably wasn't familiar with me and was intimidated by my reputation, which made her seem fragile."
He watched the girl on the screen with a faint smile.
"But this version of Rice Shower is the one that makes me look forward to next year's Classic races."
"I encouraged Rice Shower a lot too!"
Kurofune immediately claimed part of the credit.
"After all, our team is the strongest team in the academy! Trainer isn't the type to recruit people casually. Since Rice Shower was selected to join Team Sadalsuud, that means she definitely possesses some talent that caught Trainer's attention."
She proudly pointed at herself.
"For example, Trainer has always been looking forward to my dirt-track performances. As for Rice Shower—"
Kurofune suddenly paused. Because she genuinely had no idea what talent Trainer had discovered in Rice Shower.
Shuta An offered no explanation. He simply continued gazing at Rice Shower's figure on the giant screen, the faint smile on his face never fading.