Chapter 72. Pre-Race Chit Chat
On the day of the Nassau Stakes, Shuta and Tokai set off early from Ascot to Goodwood Racecourse by car.
Yesterday, Dober had already entered Goodwood Racecourse for quarantine inspection in the evening. From the photos sent on Line, the young man felt that Dober was in very good condition.
"It seems Dober isn't experiencing any extra tension despite the overwhelming public favoritism."
Shuta An muttered, looking at the Line chat history.
"She's more than just not tense."
Tokai Teio shook her phone at her lover.
"Yesterday, Ruby Tiger even found Dober-senpai and begged her to draw a sketch for her!"
"Thank you, Miss Dober, for the sketch! I love it!"
This Twittr post featured a selfie of Ruby Tiger—but only a corner of the sketch was visible.
"Well, Dober even drew a sketch for someone last night."
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"No wonder she asked me in our chat last night if Uma Musumes here in Europe wouldn't all be as close as Opera House."
Mejiro Dober, who had secretly gone out to sketch last night, was bumped into by Ruby Tiger. As a super fan of Mejiro Dober's artist alter ego, Ruby Tiger recognized Mejiro Dober's art style at a glance.
After a quick check of the Romanization, she guessed Mejiro Dober's artist identity. To keep her quiet, Mejiro Dober simply drew a sketch for Ruby Tiger, barely managing to get her to keep it a secret.
"But there's no need to keep Dober's artist identity a secret, is there?"
The young man grumbled.
"But the artist identity is tied to her creations with Digital-chan, right? That's what Dober-senpai needs to keep secret."
Tokai Teio blinked.
"At least when she's an active Uma Musume, she needs to keep it secret."
Thinking of Mejiro Dober's creative content, Shuta An immediately understood.
—
Upon arriving at Goodwood Racecourse, Shuta and Teio did not wait in the VIP Box. Because the race schedule for the Glorious Goodwood Festival is different from Japan's, the Nassau Stakes, today's main event, was not the second to last race, but the fourth race of the day. This meant that after the first race started, the Nassau Stakes would begin in just over an hour.
"Let's just wait by the grandstand. The temperature today isn't too high, not too cold and not too hot, so it's quite comfortable to stay outside."
Shuta suggested, and Teio naturally had no objections.
Since they had come from Ascot, they were one of the last groups to arrive.
The Trainers of the other Uma Musume participating in the Nassau Stakes had already arrived. Shuta didn't plan to greet everyone proactively, as he only knew Sir Suers and Trainer Willy here.
The former had brought his trained All At Sea today, and the latter's entry today was Gai Bulga.
Neither of these were considered top-tier Uma Musume in their teams, but considering it was a G1, both Trainers still came to watch the race live.
"Honestly, seeing Mr. Shuta appear in the VIP area is not a pleasant experience." Sir Suers complained. "Thank goodness this should be the last time I see Mr. Shuta at a Racecourse in England this year."
"If Sir Suers misses me, he can send his Uma Musume to venture to the Japan Cup. At that time, I will bring—"
At this point, Shuta took Teio's hand and shook it.
"Teio to respectfully await your arrival."
"No, thank you." Sir Suers smiled wryly and waved his hand. "Miss Tokai Teio's strength displayed at Ascot was already terrifying. It's hard to imagine what kind of performance she would deliver back at her home turf in Tokyo, with the added advantage of home ground and popularity."
"Then we still have a chance to meet at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe." Shuta An smiled. "Does Sir Suers plan to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this year?"
"I did before, but now I'm a bit hesitant." Sir Suers also frankly laid out his cards. "If I lose terribly in the Epsom Derby, challenging the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe feels unnecessary. It's better to stay and go for the Champion Stakes."
"No, I still hope you go to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Sir. Leave the Champion Stakes to me."
Willy finally found an opportunity to interject and joined the conversation.
"Good morning, Mr. Willy, I hope you have a pleasant day."
Shuta An bowed slightly.
Willy turned his body to avoid the bow.
"I dare not accept this bow, Mr. Shuta. As a participant in the founding of IFUA, I should be the one to express my respect first."
After speaking, he returned the bow.
"However, no matter the outcome today, I will be happy. After all, Gai Bulga's strength is there; I'm just letting her experience a G1 today."
"So that's how it is."
Shuta An understood some of the European Trainers' practices. If the Uma Musume being trained wasn't strong enough, sometimes they would do this. They weren't afraid of the Uma Musume's mentality being affected, as for these Uma Musumes who were destined to have difficulty making a name for themselves on the Twinkle Series stage, participating in a G1 was still a huge temptation.
"How many lengths is Miss Mejiro Dober planning to win by this time?"
Willy asked with a smile.
Shuta An spread his hands.
"Winning is enough. Rather than winning in an unforgettable way, the priority is to ensure her health."
"Some European Trainers don't understand this. They like to make Uma Musumes win by as much as possible in a race, and then after a post-race check, they're injured. They still think it's bad luck."
Sir Suers sharply commented. "It's simply short-sighted."
Shuta An felt that Trainers who could do such things existed all over the world, and shrugged.
"There's no helping it. After all, for those Trainers, winning a major race even once might be very difficult, so they want to win big whenever they get a chance."
"Trainers like us, who are accustomed to victory, are different."
Sir Suers's mouth curved into a complacent arc.
"Honestly, Shuta, have you considered coming over to our side after all the Uma Musumes in your team who have debuted have retired? With your ability, getting a CH or even an OM medal in the future would be no problem."
"Sorry, I have no such intention." Shuta An flatly refused. "I'm very satisfied with my current life. As for adding 'Sir' after my name, I have no desire for that."
"That's true. I heard the URA Association even asked you for help to lobby Miesque before, haha. They can't even hold their own position, yet they ask you for help, what idiots."
Sir Suers didn't mind mocking the current president of the England URA Association.
"Does Sir Suers have any thoughts of replacing him in the future?"
The young man was a little curious and simply asked.
"Not at all. Compared to scheming with a bunch of bureaucrats, I prefer training Uma Musumes. At least everyone is very straightforward, and communication is easy."
Sir Suers denied Shuta An's guess.
"Me too." The young man echoed. "If I stop being a Trainer in the future, I'll definitely retire directly and absolutely won't take on any positions in the URA Association."