Chapter 70. Yorkshire Oaks Part 3
After fully entering the final straight, Mejiro Dober did not immediately unleash her finishing burst, surge past Whitewater Affair in a single move, and leave the entire field behind.
Because she remembered the advice she had received while lying in her lover's arms the previous night.
"A 900-meter straight means there's no need to accelerate early and rush to the front. Dober can conserve her legs after entering the straight and fully release everything over the final 400 meters. Even if you get blocked in the first half, there's still plenty of time."
"However, this time I wasn't blocked at all."
The Yorkshire Oaks had unfolded far more smoothly than even Shuta An had anticipated. At this moment, Mejiro Dober could overtake Whitewater Affair and seize the lead whenever she wished.
"But there's really no need to rush."
Calmly, Mejiro Dober remained tucked behind Whitewater Affair's right rear flank while quietly observing the pressure coming from My Emma behind her.
Because Whitewater Affair had established an exceptionally comfortable rhythm throughout the race, Mejiro Dober could tell that her condition today was far from poor.
As a result, she had no intention of engaging Whitewater Affair in a premature battle.
"Let My Emma go up first and wear her down."
With that thought, Mejiro Dober subtly drifted several steps outward, intentionally exposing a gap behind her.
"An opportunity!"
MyEmma, who had been lurking behind Mejiro Dober like a predator stalking its prey, searching for a chance to reach the front early, immediately noticed the opening. She would never let such a chance slip away.
Without hesitation, she increased her stride frequency and shot into the gap.
On the sidelines, Shuta An noticed Gaster, My Emma's Trainer, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"As expected, those involved are often confused, while observers see everything clearly."
The young man naturally recognized that Mejiro Dober's outward drift had been deliberate. He was equally certain that Gaster had recognized it as well.
"My Emma can't resist this temptation."
Of course, Gaster understood that Mejiro Dober had deliberately laid a trap. Yet he also realized, somewhat despairingly, that My Emma would step into it no matter how she approached the situation. There was simply no way around it.
Even if he had anticipated this beforehand and specifically warned her, the outcome would likely have been no different.
"Could this also be Shuta An's scheme?"
Gaster glanced toward the young man, who happened to be smiling in his direction, and his suspicions deepened.
"This kid's heart is far too black. My Emma wasn't even considered the biggest threat before the race, yet he still set a trap for her?"
Gaster couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Unfortunately, he had completely misunderstood.
Shuta An was simply amused by Gaster's increasingly flustered appearance. Mejiro Dober's decision to lure My Emma into exhausting herself alongside Whitewater Affair had been entirely her own inspiration and had nothing to do with him.
"Dober's move is really effective."
Turning his attention back to the giant screen, Shuta An watched as My Emma and Whitewater Affair simultaneously accelerated, opening up roughly a one-horse-length advantage over Mejiro Dober.
He remained completely unconcerned.
His expression stayed calm and composed.
The commentator, however, possessed no such composure.
Seeing Mejiro Dober apparently dropped by the two local Uma Musume, he immediately raised his voice.
"MY EMMA AND WHITEWATER AFFAIR ACCELERATE AGAIN! THEY'VE LEFT MEJIRO DOBER BEHIND!"
"MEJIRO DOBER APPEARS TO BE STRUGGLING!"
"MY EMMA AND WHITEWATER AFFAIR CONTINUE THEIR FIERCE SPRINT!"
"ONLY 600 METERS REMAIN UNTIL THE FINISH LINE!"
As the commentator's voice echoed across York Racecourse, a deafening roar erupted from the grandstands behind Shuta An.
The noise merged into an overwhelming wave.
"CHARGE!"
"GO! DON'T STOP!"
"GOGOGO!"
Only at this moment did Shuta An truly realize something.
He and Mejiro Dober, the defending champions competing on foreign soil, were genuinely viewed as the villains by the local crowd.
The hotel staff had treated them kindly.
The people around them had been friendly.
Yet when it came to the race itself, their support belonged elsewhere.
"Heh."
Shuta An lifted his head slightly and closed his eyes. A satisfied smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"It should be this way."
The Australian audiences cheering for him and Mejiro Dober before had been the exception.
This was the normal state of things.
When he opened his eyes once more, his gaze returned to the giant screen.
At some point, the thunderous cheers behind him had begun to fade.
Because Mejiro Dober was catching up. The moment she crossed the 400-meter marker, she stopped holding back entirely. Every ounce of stamina she had preserved throughout the race exploded forth.
Her leg frequency reached its limit.
Her stride length expanded dramatically.
Within only several strides, both My Emma and Whitewater Affair were left behind with astonishing ease.
Now running alone at the very front of the field, Mejiro Dober showed no intention of slowing.
She continued driving forward with powerful, sweeping strides.
At this moment, it felt as though the entire world could hear only the sound of her running.
A brief glance at the giant screen revealed Whitewater Affair and My Emma growing smaller and smaller behind her.
Yet Mejiro Dober still had no intention of easing off.
No intention of conserving strength.
No intention of slowing down.
She simply continued running with all her heart across York Racecourse.
Within Team Sadalsuud, Mejiro Dober understood one thing very clearly. The only person she could truly compare herself against was Silence Suzuka.
Tokai Teio's talent was obvious for all to see. Her future achievements were destined to be extraordinary.
Senior Oguri Cap had conquered France, won two crowns overseas, defended the Japan Cup three consecutive times, and built a record that was almost impossible to replicate.
Only Silence Suzuka's achievements felt close enough for Mejiro Dober to pursue.
Yet she also understood that no matter how dominant she was over 2400 meters, she would always fall short in the mixed-gender Twinkle Series.
"I need a victory powerful enough to prove myself."
And after overtaking every opponent, an overwhelming intuition told her that today was the perfect opportunity.
So she refused to conserve strength.
Refused to ease up.
Instead, she continued sprinting at full speed. Regardless of whether the opponents behind her felt despair or resentment.
Regardless of whether anyone questioned whether she had merely benefited from the race's development.
Mejiro Dober wanted only one thing.
To display her strongest self on York Racecourse today.
She could not see her lover's expression from where she was.
But beside the track, Shuta An's eyes widened.
After opening up her advantage at the 400-meter mark, Mejiro Dober no longer seemed to be racing on the same course as everyone else.
Whitewater Affair and My Emma had been completely discarded behind her.
Compared to Mejiro Dober, the rest of the field appeared almost as though they were crawling across the turf.
My Emma eventually edged past Whitewater Affair for second place.
Yet she felt no joy whatsoever.
Because she could only watch as Mejiro Dober seemed to soar toward the horizon itself, reducing every rival to insignificance.
The commentator stared at the unfolding spectacle.
For a brief moment, he forgot his position.
Forgot his neutrality.
Forgot everything except what he was witnessing.
"PLEASE ENGRAVE THIS MOMENT INTO YOUR HEARTS! BECAUSE YOU MAY NEVER WITNESS A PERFORMANCE LIKE THIS AGAIN!"
"LAST YEAR'S YORKSHIRE OAKS CHAMPION IS DISPLAYING HER FULL STRENGTH TODAY!"
"SHE HAS MADE EVERY OPPONENT APPEAR INSIGNIFICANT!"
"THE EPSOM OAKS CHAMPION!"
"THE PRIX VERMEILLE CHAMPION!"
"NONE OF THEM CAN COMPARE TO THE UNDEFEATED TRIPLE TIARA WINNER—MEJIRO DOBER!"
Watching his beloved dominate the track, Shuta An quietly abandoned his original plan.
Initially, he had intended to raise a finger toward the crowd as Mejiro Dober crossed the finish line.
But now, seeing the overwhelming margin she had created, he changed his mind.
"Faced with a performance like this, even I only need to applaud Dober."
The next instant, the commentator's voice rang out once more.
"MEJIRO DOBER CROSSES THE FINISH LINE WITH ABSOLUTE EASE!"
"THERE ARE NO OPPONENTS LEFT ON THIS TRACK!"
"WITHOUT QUESTION!"
"THE GREATEST PERFORMANCE IN THE HUNDRED-YEAR HISTORY OF THE YORKSHIRE OAKS HAS BEEN BORN TODAY!"
Three full seconds passed after those words.
Only then did My Emma finally reach the finish line.
After Mejiro Dober crossed the finish line, Shuta An took the initiative to approach his colleagues. Extending his hand, he exchanged brief greetings with Stoute, Gaster, and the Trainers of the other participating Uma Musume.
"I have to admit," Stoute said with a bitter smile as he shook his head, "even if Crown Of Light had carried out the tactics exactly as I intended, Miss Mejiro Dober would still have achieved a sweeping victory today."
"I think it's better to promise the Uma Musume some incentives before implementing team tactics," Shuta An subtly pointed out, offering his own suggestion.
"I'm afraid incentives wouldn't satisfy her either." Stoute shrugged helplessly. "If I'm not mistaken, Crown Of Light will probably request to leave my team within the next few days."
"If both sides have already made up their minds, there's no reason to keep forcing it," Shuta An replied with a shrug. "It only creates resentment for everyone involved. Once the basic trust between a Trainer and an Uma Musume is gone, keeping her on the team will only affect your work, won't it?"
"That's true." Stoute pursed his lips. "All I can do now is improve myself and make her regret that decision someday."
"I believe you can do it," Shuta An said sincerely.
As for Gaster, he proactively shook hands with the young man before speaking with a helpless smile.
"I truly never imagined Miss Mejiro Dober would win by such a margin before the race. Normally, I'd be disappointed if an Uma Musume under my care finished second. But after today's Yorkshire Oaks, I actually feel relieved. To be honest, Mr. Shuta, have you never considered letting Mejiro Dober challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this year? With her strength, she would absolutely be one of the favorites."
"This year's schedule has already been finalized. There simply isn't any room for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
Shuta An spread his hands.
"And to be honest, if I'm not completely certain of winning the race, I don't want an Uma Musume under my care to challenge it. There's something important I want from the French URA Association, so I don't want to experience even a single defeat in France."
Apparently guessing what Shuta An meant by that "important thing," Gaster wisely chose not to pursue the topic.
"In that case, I hope Mr. Shuta's wish comes true soon."
"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Gaster."
Shuta An offered a slight bow before moving on to exchange pleasantries with the remaining Trainers.
After a brief round of greetings, he left the grandstand area.
At the same time, Mejiro Dober had also finished speaking with her opponents on the track.
The rivals who had previously doubted her strength were now completely convinced.
Even Reams Of Verse, this year's Epsom Oaks champion, had begun to question her own career. She directly asked Mejiro Dober whether she was weaker than the Uma Musume who had participated in last year's Yorkshire Oaks.
Mejiro Dober shook her head.
"It's not that you're weaker than they were. It's that I'm much stronger than I was last year."
With that, she left the Racecourse and headed back toward the lounge to change into her winning outfit for the upcoming Winning Live.
Along the way, she spotted her Trainer waiting near the exit of the underground passage.
Mejiro Dober immediately quickened her pace, practically skipping several steps at once before throwing herself into his arms.
"Ann, did you see it?"
"Of course I saw it."
Shuta An embraced her and gently stroked her hair with his free hand.
"To be honest, I was completely stunned. I never imagined Dober would win by such a margin today. One hundred years from now, as long as the Yorkshire Oaks still exists—no, even if it no longer exists—your name will still be engraved in the history of British racing."
"That's a bit exaggerated,"
Mejiro Dober replied shyly.
"I really wasn't thinking about my opponents. I just ran as hard as I could and never expected the gap to become so large."
"It's already beyond being merely a large margin."
Only then did Shuta An realize that Mejiro Dober had no idea how much she had won by.
"Dober, do you know? You finished eighteen lengths ahead of MyEmma."
"Eh?!"
Mejiro Dober's eyes widened.
"That much?! No wonder everyone looked so dejected afterward!"
"Your finishing time was 2:27.59. You crossed the line a full three seconds before My Emma," the young man explained.
"This performance is going to cause a tremendous stir throughout Europe. Your opponents in the Prix Vermeille will definitely target you even more."
"It doesn't matter. Let them try!"
Confidence radiated from Mejiro Dober's smile.
"No matter what tactics they use, I'll break through them."
"I believe Dober can do it too."
After giving her cheek another light pinch, Shuta An finally released her.
"I still have interviews waiting for me. Dober, go get ready for the Winning Live."
"Okay!"
Mejiro Dober nodded energetically before hurrying off.
Arriving at the media area, Shuta An immediately spotted several familiar faces among the gathered reporters.
"The usual rule," he announced. "One question per person."
Without waiting for a response, he pointed directly at a reporter from Racing Post.
"Trainer Shuta, how do you feel after seeing Miss Mejiro Dober win the Yorkshire Oaks by eighteen lengths?"
Having already prepared his answer, Shuta An replied smoothly.
"To be honest, I spent the entire race trying not to cry. I was afraid tears would blur my view of Dober crossing the finish line. Not every Trainer gets to witness an Uma Musume under their care produce a performance like that. All I can say is that today's Dober was the embodiment of a miracle."
A French reporter immediately followed up.
"For the Prix Vermeille, do you think Miss Mejiro Dober can win in a similar fashion?"
"I can't guarantee that."
Shuta An shook his head.
"Even America's greatest Triple Crown winners don't dominate every race by huge margins. Whether Dober wins by one length or eighteen doesn't matter to me. Winning is what matters."
The remaining questions revolved around Mejiro Dober, covering everything from her preparation process to her future plans.
As always, Shuta An refused to reveal the schedule beyond the Prix Vermeille.
The final question came from a reporter representing Twinkle magazine.
"Will Miss Dober challenge the Arima Kinen again this year?"
"No."
Shuta An answered immediately.
"I've already discussed it with the Mejiro Family, and we've reached a mutual decision."
The reporter instantly began connecting various possibilities.
For example, perhaps Mejiro Dober was stepping aside for Mejiro McQueen, who had won the Spring Tenno Sho but suffered unfortunate results in the Tenno Sho (Autumn).
However, Shuta An never mentioned Mejiro McQueen's name, nor did he imply anything of the sort.
After leaving the media area, he finally took out his phone.
As expected, both his unread LINE messages and Team Sadalsuud's group chat had completely exploded.
"An eighteen-length victory! Ann-san, you absolutely have to treat everyone to drinks when you get back to Tokyo! This practically guarantees a major URA Association award this year!" — Kitahara.
"I'm impressed. McQueen was so shocked she dropped her cake in the activity room." — Nishizaki Ryu.
"This has to be the greatest overseas victory in Team Sadalsuud history, right?" Tokai Teio posted excitedly. "Eighteen lengths! I'll win by even bigger margins in the future!"
"It's good to have ambition," Shuta An typed back, "but focus on the Kikuka Sho first. Don't get ahead of yourself."
"I'll definitely win the Kikuka Sho!"
Tokai Teio's response arrived instantly.
Shuta An didn't doubt that for a second.
He only hoped that since Tokai Teio had chosen to focus on the domestic Classics this year, she would keep her attention on the challenges directly in front of her.
While Mejiro Dober prepared for the Winning Live, another unexpected visitor approached.
To his surprise, it was Bridget Guerin, chairman of York Racecourse.
"Mr. Shuta, I've heard much about you," Guerin said warmly as he extended a hand. "And I'm delighted to have witnessed Miss Mejiro Dober's performance today. I believe everyone present at York Racecourse will remember this Yorkshire Oaks for the rest of their lives."
"I'm grateful that York Racecourse provides such an outstanding venue," Shuta An replied after shaking hands. "For Dober, finding suitable racecourses in Europe isn't easy. A fair and balanced course like York is extremely attractive to overseas Trainers."
"I imagine many of my colleagues will become interested in participating in the Ebor Festival in future years."
"If that truly happens, it would be an honor for York Racecourse."
Guerin smiled broadly.
"However, I'm not speaking to you today as chairman of York Racecourse."
He paused briefly.
"I'm here as a member of the Breeders' Cup organizing committee. I would like to formally invite both you and Miss Mejiro Dober to participate in this year's Breeders' Cup. I believe her presence would make this year's event even more exciting than previous editions."
"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Guerin."
Shuta An offered a slight bow.
"I will certainly consider the Breeders' Cup for Dober. However, I'd like to see the result of the Prix Vermeille first. If she performs well there, I will seriously consider entering her in the Breeders' Cup Turf."
To be honest, even though Shuta An had not directly agreed, the response already exceeded Guerin's expectations.
Before arriving, he had assumed the young man would politely decline.
Ever since the days of Silence Suzuka and Oguri Cap, Shuta An had never sent another Team Sadalsuud Uma Musume to compete in the Breeders' Cup.
Rumors had long circulated within the organization that he held some unspoken dissatisfaction toward the event.
Now, however, those rumors seemed destined to disappear.
"Then I look forward to Miss Mejiro Dober's performance at Longchamp."
Guerin's smile brightened considerably.
After the Winning Live concluded, Shuta An once again waited by the underground passage exit.
Reporters noticed him immediately.
Fortunately, they were professional enough not to crowd around him, merely preparing to take photographs from a distance.
Yet Shuta An denied them any sensational opportunities.
When Mejiro Dober finally appeared, he simply took her luggage and walked ahead.
The undefeated Triple Tiara champion who had just dominated York Racecourse little more than an hour earlier obediently followed behind him.
"Today's performance was incredible," Shuta An remarked first.
Mejiro Dober lowered her voice.
"Thinking about it now, everyone's expectations for me will probably be even higher, right?"
"Not necessarily."
Shuta An immediately shook his head.
"After all, performances like this can't happen in every race. The pace of today's Yorkshire Oaks suited Dober perfectly. Your final three-furlong split was only around thirty-four seconds, which was heavily influenced by York's course layout. Timing, location, and circumstance all aligned perfectly."
"An extraordinary performance like this can still be explained logically."
"But reproducing it at Longchamp in the Prix Vermeille will be difficult, right?" Mejiro Dober quickly understood his meaning. "The turf at Longchamp is much more demanding than York."
"That's true."
Shuta An nodded.
"Although if Paris stays sunny throughout that period, Dober might surprise everyone again."
Today's Yorkshire Oaks had given him a far clearer understanding of Mejiro Dober's true capabilities.
While this level of dominance couldn't be considered her standard performance, it convinced him that future tactics could be designed far more aggressively whenever she competed in Triple Tiara-restricted races.
Exactly as he had anticipated, the two returned to the hotel after resting briefly and having dinner together.
Back in their room, Mejiro Dober immediately attached herself to him.
For the sake of the Yorkshire Oaks, they had maintained strict restraint for half a month.
Not a single step beyond the line.
Having finally endured until race day and delivered a historic performance, the Mejiro Family's young lady naturally felt entitled to ask for a little reward.
Unfortunately, Mejiro Dober ultimately overestimated herself or perhaps she underestimated Shuta An.
"Good thing I prepared for this over the past few days," the young man muttered while looking down at the sleeping Mejiro Dober resting peacefully in his arms.
"As expected, my skill is superior."
—
Tonight, in the Dream World, he would once again ride Only Royale in the Yorkshire Oaks at York Racecourse.
"And this time I'll be facing Duffield and User Friendly again."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Suddenly, I almost feel sorry for them."