When the day finally arrived, word came in that Rampage's proxy had been arranged as promised. Everyone racked their brains trying to figure out who could possibly fill in for Rampage. The executive team, in particular, felt a prickle of genuine dread—after all, a formal protest sent under her name had earned them a thunderous scolding from Uranus at the URA.
And the person who stepped into Nakayama Racecourse as Rampage's representative was...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived! It's the climax of the year, Japan's grandest spectacle—the Arima Kinen!! I look forward to this day every single year! Joining me in the commentary booth today is a very special guest!"
"Hello, everyone! Hope you're all doing well! I'm Agnes Flora—two-time Japan Cup winner and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion—and I'll be handling the commentary today. Pleasure to be working with you, Mr. Akasaka!"
"The pleasure is all mine! It's an absolute honor to welcome the legendary rival of Rampage herself to our booth today!"
Truthfully, Akasaka had been terrified coming into this broadcast. The Umamusume previously brought in as commentators were all larger-than-life personalities with fiercely dominant egos—namely Rampage and Sunday Silence. On top of that, Flora was famously known as the relentless seeker whose desire to defeat Rampage produced one of the most unforgettable Arc victory interviews in history. Heart pounding, Akasaka settled into his seat, wondering what kind of tempest he was about to face.
"The big day is finally here! Are there any contenders in this lineup who have caught your eye?"
"Let's see... The crowd is naturally electrified by the presence of Narita Brian, our undefeated Triple Crown winner. But the competition she faces today is exceptional. Among her classmates alone, you have Hishi Amazon, who burst into the spotlight on the Tiara path by claiming the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Shuka Sho, alongside Oguri Roman and Dragoon Lance, who battled her every step of the way. Then there's Offside Trap, who fought bravely and relentlessly even when outmatched, and Sakura Laurel, who ran beside me in the Arc. That's an astonishing roster just looking at Brian's generation. Underestimating them simply because they're young would be a fatal mistake..."
Akasaka swallowed a gasp at her extraordinarily calm and sharp commentary. This feeling... it's uncannily similar to Rampage's style. Some had voiced concern that Flora might be an unreliable commentator, but those fears were clearly groundless.
"Among the Classic class, Hishi Amazon and Sakura Laurel stand out the most."
"May I ask why those two in particular?"
"It's quite simple: both possess experience in G1 races against senior-grade competition. One of the biggest hurdles for the Classic class when facing seniors is the gap in raw experience. Senior runners have countlessly more races under their belts, which means they're used to competing against runners above their level. In the Classic class, everyone starts on equal footing, but step into the Senior class and the world changes entirely. Whether or not you can adapt to that shift determines whether you truly achieve greatness—a lesson my trainer, Mr. Tojo, instilled in me. At Rigil, we build resistance to that pressure by running mock races and training alongside higher-grade runners."
Compared to the rest, Hishi Amazon had the Queen Elizabeth II Cup under her belt, and Sakura Laurel had the Arc, giving them an undeniable edge. Though domestic senior experience differed from international experience, those two were without a doubt closing the distance on Brian.
"That said, this year's Senior class is formidable beyond measure. The entire BNW trio is running. Biwa Hayahide in particular knows all of Brian's data inside and out, making her perhaps the most dangerous opponent of all. Add to that Rice Shower, champion of the Melbourne Cup; Nice Nature, who bested Biwa Hayahide in the Tenno Sho; and Machikane Tannhauser, who finally claimed her long-sought G1 victory in the Japan Cup... Every single one of them is a G1 champion. I don't think we've seen a field this stacked since the days I ran against Rampage."
Akasaka found himself nodding in complete agreement. Every single contender on the field was a G1 winner. The sheer caliber of the announced field had prompted a wave of withdrawals; rumor had it that one poor girl even developed an acute stomach ulcer from the sheer tension and dropped out.
"So, who is your pick to win, Miss Flora?"
"...That's a tough one. Brian's running is undeniably awe-inspiring, but Laurel's performance is breathtaking in its own right. Then you have their classmates challenging them, backed by a Senior lineup that's terrifyingly strong. Picking a winner out of this field is practically impossible! And just imagine—if Twin Turbo and Tokai Teio hadn't announced their entry into the Legend Race, they'd be in this gate too! No one could possibly predict this outcome."
He couldn't argue with that. The sheer volume of elite choices was almost overwhelming. Had those two joined the fray, the field would have been utter chaos.
"But there is one thing I can say with complete certainty: I feel truly happy just to be watching this race today. As a runner, the ultimate joy was having fans tell me, 'I'm so glad I got to watch that race!' The happiness of living on in someone's memory, the feeling that your running meant something to someone... experiencing that brings a profound sense of fulfillment."
"I completely understand that. I've been broadcasting for a long time now, and whenever someone tells me a call was memorable or that they loved the race, it brings the exact same feeling of joy."
Akasaka realized then that no matter how the race turned out, he could say it loud and clear: as a commentator, Agnes Flora was an absolute natural who surpassed even Rampage.
"Here we go, Mr. Akasaka! It's almost time! Glory, carrying the weight of so many dreams, is about to take to the track. The girls carrying our hopes are about to charge across Nakayama!"
"A stage of true dreams! The climax of the year, the Arima Kinen, is about to begin! The runners are loaded into the gate and ready for action! Who will seize victory?! On a stage where anyone could win—here we go, here we go, HERE WE GO! THEY'RE OFF!"
"Flora, you... if you're capable of being this serious, why don't you act like it all the time...?!"
"Hana-san... do you need a tissue?"
"Sister, if she can pull herself together like that, why does she usually end up like... that...?!"
"Want me to give you a shoulder to lean on, Tachyon?"
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