Chapter 19. Dubai World Cup Race Day Two
Shuta An could clearly perceive the impact this result had delivered to Tojo Hana. In truth, he himself was equally stunned. Before the race, he had already judged Taiki Shuttle to be the strongest Uma Musume in this field—but never had he imagined she would claim victory in such an overwhelming manner.
"She's…unexpectedly strong," Mr. Kitahara spoke first, before Shuta An could say anything.
Shuta An nodded slightly and followed up, his tone calm yet firm. "Honestly, with what she displayed in this race, Taiki Shuttle is already qualified to consider challenging Europe's top Mile events."
"Really?" Tojo Hana turned her gaze toward the young man beside her.
"Of course." Shuta An shrugged lightly. "Several of her opponents today were winners of European G1 Mile races. If Taiki Shuttle can defeat competitors of that caliber here at Meydan Racecourse, then going to Europe wouldn't be a problem at all."
"I see…" Tojo Hana exhaled slowly, then closed her eyes. "I'll think about it carefully. If I make a decision, I hope Shuta-kun can help me plan the route."
"OK, OK~" Shuta An raised his hand in a casual gesture. "I'd be more than happy to help an Uma Musume who wants to step out and challenge herself."
In reality, if the Uma Musume specialized in the Turf Mile circuit, Shuta An already had a well-established route in mind—and with Taiki Shuttle's ability, it could be applied almost perfectly.
However, he had no intention of revealing everything just yet. What he needed first was to see Tojo Hana's resolve.
If Taiki Shuttle can win two races along that route, she could threaten Oguri's position as the 'strongest Miler'…
Shuta An thought quietly.
Even so, he didn't believe Oguri Cap would be displeased if she learned of it. To the gray Uma Musume, a senior existed precisely to be surpassed by those who came after her. And even if this "junior" didn't belong to Team Sadalsuud, the principle remained the same.
Worst case, he mused, I'll just train an even stronger Miler than Taiki Shuttle in the future.
The next race was regarded as the highlight of the evening for the UAE audience—the first UAE Derby. Despite bearing the nation's name, this Derby invited numerous overseas Uma Musume. As a 1900-meter dirt race, most of the participants hailed from America, and the eventual winner indeed came from the West Coast.
"China Visit… You wouldn't happen to know her, would you, Shuta-kun?" Tojo Hana asked, glancing sideways.
"I don't," Shuta An replied honestly. "But her situation looks rather similar to mine. She won cleanly."
"Still," he added after a brief pause, "if she wants to win even greater honors, that performance just now was slightly lacking—"
After the UAE Derby's awards ceremony concluded, the Dubai Golden Shaheen—a 1200-meter dirt sprint—was next on the schedule.
For Shuta An, however, the race held little interest. He turned away from the floor-to-ceiling window and began to walk.
"Ann-san!?" Mr. Kitahara was startled and called out. "Where are you going?"
At the same time, Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober turned their gazes toward him.
"I'm going downstairs." Shuta An pointed downward with his index finger. "I'm going to watch the Dubai Turf from trackside."
"Then I'm going too."
"I'll go as well."
Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober spoke simultaneously.
"Go if you want," Shuta An replied without stopping, continuing forward.
The two Uma Musume hurried after him. Mayano Top Gun and Agnes Digital exchanged glances, then followed suit—leaving the private box abruptly far emptier than before.
"Should we head down as well?" Mr. Kitahara asked Tojo Hana. "We can return after the Dubai World Cup."
"Alright." Tojo Hana glanced out the window. Night had already fallen over Dubai, and the heat had eased compared to the start of the races. Standing outside to enjoy the natural breeze would likely be far more comfortable than remaining inside the box.
With that, the private box was left completely empty.
The organizers had already cleared the closest trackside positions, allowing Trainers to watch their Uma Musume from the shortest possible distance.
Shuta An stood by the railing, yet he paid little attention to the Dubai Golden Shaheen currently in progress. As the Uma Musume streaked past in a blur of motion, fighting for the finish line, his gaze drifted upward—to the night sky, where the stars were drowned out by neon lights.
I want to stand beneath the moonlight as a victor, Shuta An thought.
At the same moment, Silence Suzuka—having just completed her report in the underground passage—was also gazing up at the brilliant moon overhead.
"I want to win. No—I must win!" The Uma Musume clenched her fists tightly. "I haven't tasted victory in half a year. Even if it's only a G2, I have to take it! If I can't win here, how could I possibly return to Japan and challenge G1s again?!"
—
After the Dubai Golden Shaheen's awards ceremony ended, Silence Suzuka was the first to emerge from the underground passage, responding to the staff's signal.
Standing on the turf, she stomped her foot lightly.
"It feels similar to Tokyo Racecourse, but the rebound is weaker," she assessed calmly. "Running here should be much more comfortable than at Tokyo."
She nodded to herself. "Ann's plan before the race is sound. I just need to execute it precisely."
She ignored the probing gazes of the other competitors beside her. Sensing something, Silence Suzuka turned her head toward the trackside—and immediately spotted Shuta An.
Ann came all the way down from the private box to watch from trackside— she thought, then turned back toward the starting gate. Then I absolutely can't let him see me in a messy state.
She walked a few steps behind the gate, chose an empty spot, and began warming up—stretching her body to its limits.
Shuta An glanced at the track data, a faint smile forming. "This course is extremely suitable for Suzuka."
"That's right!" Taiki Shuttle, already holding her award, chimed in enthusiastically. "To be honest, this track really favors front-runners! Don't just look at how I won from the lead—the two Uma Musume who ran in front also finished second and third. And their overall strength wasn't even top three in this lineup."
"Many people should have realized the issue by now." Shuta An swept his gaze across the Meydan Racecourse stands behind him. "But there's no way to pass that information to the Uma Musume anymore. Now, it all depends on whether Suzuka can seize this opportunity."
Silence Suzuka stepped into the starting gate and calmly swept her gaze across the opponents stationed to her left and right.
In Gate 1 stood Nabhaan, an Uma Musume from the United Kingdom who specialized in middle-distance races. This Dubai Turf appearance was merely a test of her adaptability to shorter distances. After this race, she had already planned to return to the UK and challenge a mile-long stakes event.
"Of course, if she doesn't perform well here, that entry will be canceled", Silence Suzuka recalled Shuta An's words clearly.
To her right, in Gate 3, was Desert Shot. This British Uma Musume had once claimed victory in a G3 turf race over the same distance, but she had no record of success at the G2 or G1 level.
To Silence Suzuka, however, Desert Shot wasn't worth special attention—mainly because she had already been running in the Twinkle Series for seven years.
It's no different from clinging to the Twinkle Series stage. Don't worry about her. If Suzuka breaks well, just shake her off. She can't handle your pace.
That was Shuta An's succinct evaluation of DesertShot.
"I always feel like Ann already has victory in his grasp", Silence Suzuka thought as she adjusted her breathing rhythm inside the gate. His predictions are always precise. This time, I'll trust him completely.
In Gate 4, Annus Mirabilis' eyes lingered on Silence Suzuka's profile. The words her Trainer had spoken the previous day echoed clearly in her mind.
"Silence Suzuka's Trainer is full of tricks. I suspect her final training performance was nothing more than a smokescreen. On race day, Annus Mirabilis, if you find that the track favors front-runners, you must mark Silence Suzuka closely. Do not let her escape."
"So the Trainer guessed right," Annus Mirabilis muttered under her breath. "Looks like I'll have to stick to Silence Suzuka's tail this time."
She raised her eyebrows slightly. "That's fine. This kind of race pattern is my specialty."
In Gate 5, Takarian overheard Annus Mirabilis' murmuring and narrowed her eyes.
"To mark Silence Suzuka?" she scoffed inwardly. "Are you out of your mind? She's obviously going to set a blistering pace. I'm not doing that. I'll stay at the back and wait for my chance."
…
Far away in Hokkaido, Oguri Cap and Berno Light were soaking in a hot spring, watching the live broadcast of the race.
"Oguri, what do you think Suzuka's chances are this time?" Berno Light asked casually.
The gray Uma Musume shifted into a more comfortable posture before answering without hesitation, "One hundred percent."
"One hundred percent?" Berno Light was visibly surprised. "You're that confident? You know Suzuka hasn't won in over half a year."
"I know," Oguri Cap replied calmly. "And that's exactly why I'm confident. This Meydan Racecourse track is far too suitable for Suzuka's style. Ann won't miss a chance like this. Suzuka will win."
"Then let's see what Ann has prepared," Berno Light shrugged. "I still feel it won't be that simple."
"Even if you don't believe in Suzuka," Oguri Cap raised an eyebrow, "you should believe in Ann, shouldn't you?"
"That's true," Berno Light admitted.
—
Click!
The sharp sound of the starting gates snapping open rang out—and Silence Suzuka exploded forward with astonishing speed.
Within just a few strides, she had already shaken Nabhaan off on the inside. Seizing the moment, Silence Suzuka decisively drifted inward, hugging the rail and cutting off Nabhaan's path. She secured the most energy-efficient racing line and continued accelerating, establishing a punishingly fast pace.
For an instant, Annus Mirabilis hesitated.
Should I really follow such an absurdly high-speed pace?Isn't this clearly meant to force the trailing leaders into self-destruction?
She couldn't make up her mind.
Silence Suzuka, however, looked completely untroubled. After three months of focused training, she could now complete the first 1000 meters in 59 seconds by Japanese timing standards—without feeling any fatigue at all.
And under Dubai's timing system, that same pace would register as approximately 60-61 seconds.
"Excellent. Push the pace directly", Shuta An grinned. "Even if some of them realize this track favors front-runners, they won't dare believe this speed can last."
"This is it. A 59-second thousand-meter level—then give them a surprise later."
Tokai Teio merely raised an eyebrow as she noticed the discrepancy between the two-timing systems.
Mejiro Dober caught it as well and briefly explained the difference to Agnes Digital and Mayano Top Gun.
Taiki Shuttle, like Shuta An, wore a radiant smile. "It feels like victory is already in our hands."
"Really?" Tojo Hana, however, remained unconvinced. Deep down, she strongly opposed Silence Suzuka adopting such an extreme high-speed leading tactic. Back when Suzuka was still with Team Rigil, Tojo Hana had always emphasized mastering orthodox leading strategies.
In her view, this approach was far too risky and easily targeted. Although she had heard that Shuta An designed an entirely new tactic for Silence Suzuka, she couldn't yet see what made it special.
After breaking from the gate, Silence Suzuka took roughly 200 meters to fully establish her lead.
She noticed that none of her opponents were applying pressure. After a brief internal struggle, Annus Mirabilis ultimately chose not to chase. Instead, she waited, planning to observe Suzuka's "collapse" after entering the final straight.
Seeing this, the corners of Silence Suzuka's lips lifted slightly.
"Ann really did calculate everything."
But contrary to what the ten Uma Musume behind her believed, Silence Suzuka didn't ease up due to the lack of pressure.
She accelerated once more.
"What is she doing?!" Annus Mirabilis's Trainer's eyes went wide. He immediately turned toward Shuta An not far away. "What did this guy give his Uma Musume before the race? Is this pace meant to win—or just to leave an impression on the audience?!"
He couldn't understand it at all.
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