Chapter 63. The Existence of the Golden Highway
With three days left until the Epsom Derby, the URA Association in England today publicly released the gate draw information for the Epsom Derby—Tokai Teio once again drew the outermost gate, stall 11.
"If a game centered around Uma Musume were ever made, Teio would definitely have a trait that gives her a high probability of being assigned to the outermost gate."
Shuta An declared confidently.
"Well… outermost gate it is." Tokai Teio shook her head. "Maybe I'll be assigned to the outermost gate for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe too?"
"That's really hard to say." Shuta An grumbled. "I originally thought she was more likely to be assigned an inner gate for this Epsom Derby."
"Why do you think that, Ann?"
Dober, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow, very curious.
"Because for overseas Uma Musume who don't know Teio very well, boxing Teio into an inner gate is a good way to reduce her threat."
Shuta An lightly tapped the table.
"It turns out England still has some pride, which genuinely surprises me."
Don't forget, Shuta An has French Uma Musume blood flowing through him; mocking and teasing England is an innate instinct.
—
After chatting for a while about the other Uma Musume's gate positions, Shuta An brought the topic back.
"Let's talk tactics."
"Since we drew the outermost gate this time, my idea is to settle in the rear and then make a late run, because I've watched race replays of the Epsom Derby from previous years, and actually, the Uma Musume who settled in the rear always had an advantage."
Teio offered her opinion.
"But for a late-surger Uma Musume to have an advantage in the Epsom Derby, the premise is that the early leaders and front-runners fight fiercely for position, creating a fast pace. But do you think Opera House and the others will still fight tooth and nail early on, knowing that you plan to settle in the rear and make a late run?"
Shuta An's rhetorical question left Tokai Teio in silence.
Tokai Teio's decision to settle in the rear and make a late run was well-considered.
She had specifically asked her roommate, Mayano Top Gun, to help collect analyses and previews of the Epsom Derby from Japanese experts during this period.
Although these individual experts might not be as professional as her lover, by combining their wisdom and her understanding of herself, she still felt that settling in the rear and making a late run was the way to go after weighing the options.
A large part of what prompted this choice was the implicit assumption that if the other 10 Uma Musume in the race were all targeting her, a pace chaser tactic would attract far more targeting than settling in the rear and making a late run.
But Shuta An's question also made her hesitant, wondering if her previous thinking had left any loopholes that her Trainer had caught.
So, after a long pause, the Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume spoke again.
"Does Trainer mean for me to overcome the disadvantage of the outermost gate and adopt a senko tactic, accelerating early to get a position? If so, Opera House and the others would likely try hard to fight me for position, which could easily lead to extra stamina consumption."
Unable to figure out what she had overlooked, Tokai Teio simply explained her initial concerns.
Shuta An leaned back against the sofa, a slight curve on his lips.
"Teio's idea is generally not wrong. Oh, strictly speaking, it's a standard solution for the outermost gate on the Ascot Racecourse turf 2400-meter course."
"But." the young man's tone shifted, and at the same time, Tokai Teio focused all her attention. "I bet Teio focused on Japanese data when collecting various analyses for the Epsom Derby."
"Huh? Are there different solutions here in Europe?"
Tokai Teio's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what she had overlooked.
"Can Japanese people understand Ascot Racecourse better than Europeans?"
Shuta An showed a proud smile.
"Let alone Ascot Racecourse. Even for their local Racecourse, their analyses aren't as good as mine."
"So, Ann, is there some reason I don't know about that's pushing you to have me choose a front-running tactic?"
Tokai Teio leaned closer, tightly hugging the young man's arm acting all clingy.
"The Epsom Derby course starts with a long straight, approximately 600 meters long, and it's downhill. It's easy to accelerate there, and the early pace can pick up quickly. But considering Teio's presence, no matter who leads, they definitely won't set a fast pace and burn out before confirming Teio's tactics."
"After entering the first sharp bend, there will be an uphill section. The pace will definitely slow down here. It doesn't matter if Teio reveals her front-running tactics here, because by this point, even if they wanted to burn out and set a fast pace, it would be difficult. After all, it's a sharp corner plus an uphill."
"By the final corner, it's a sharp corner just like the first one, and every Uma Musume will have to slow down in these two corners. Then, entering the final straight, what lies before you is an uphill section over 500 meters long."
"Continuous uphill, I know that, and that's why I planned to settle in the rear and make a late run."
Tokai Teio interjected.
"So, the advantage of a senko tactic here is—?"
"Did Teio know? Earlier this year, before Royal Ascot Week even began, Ascot Racecourse underwent renovations."
Shuta An continued with a smile.
"One of the most important tasks was to rebuild the drainage system on the final straight. This means Uma Musume can run faster on the final straight."
"Moreover." the young man added. "in fact, even with the new drainage system, there are still noticeable differences in the turf on the final straight."
Shuta An pulled Tokai Teio to sit beside him and pointed to the side of the final straight closest to the grandstand—
"There's a special name for this, the Golden Highway. Uma Musume who choose to run here in short-distance races often run faster."
"But I would waste a lot of ground by going that way."
Tokai Teio kindly reminded him.
"The Golden Highway is naturally not suitable for Teio to run."
Shuta An turned to look at his lover.
"But from its existence, Teio should understand, right? Even if you go for a pace-chaser tactic, you don't need to cut into the inner lane."
"Walking the entire way on the outside?"
Tokai Teio's eyes widened.
She could already imagine the scene: she would be floating alone on the outside of the pack, and even if Opera House and the others wanted to target her, they wouldn't be able to.
They might even think Tokai Teio had made a positioning error—after all, what Uma Musume starting from the far outside wouldn't try to cut into the inner lane?
"Then let's go with Ann's idea!"
An excited Tokai Teio grabbed her lover's wrist, her tone becoming fervent.