Chapter 41. Conquer Hanshin – Part 2
Upon entering the straight opposite the stands, Silence Suzuka quickly assessed her pace.
"If I maintain this tempo, the first 1000 meters should settle somewhere in the 58-second range."
Realizing that her early acceleration had been slightly aggressive, she eased her cruising speed, smoothing her stride just enough to conserve energy. Behind her, Going Suzuka responded instinctively, closing the gap by a fraction.
"First 1000 meters—58.9 seconds!"
The commentator's voice rang across the track the moment Silence Suzuka passed the marker.
"This is exactly the rhythm Silence Suzuka loves to dictate! Can the others adapt to such a demanding pace? Don't forget—her Escapist is no empty title!"
In Shuta An's estimation, however, the optimal split for Suzuka was closer to 59 seconds. His father's idealized strategy—58 for the first 1000 meters and 58 for the final 1000—was theoretically perfect, but he knew better than to demand that level of extremity from her.
"Only monsters like Secretariat… or Mother… could sustain something like that," he thought. "If Suzuka tried, she'd risk injury."
Through repeated testing—particularly full-speed pursuit drills against Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober—Shuta An had calculated Suzuka's limits with precision. At maximum chase, her final three furlongs could dip into the 34-second range. But when leading from the start, historical data showed she stabilized closer to 35 seconds.
After accounting for distance and Hanshin's terrain profile, he reached a clear conclusion: 59 seconds for the opening 1000 meters was the equilibrium point. Fast enough to build a decisive gap. Controlled enough to preserve her finishing strength.
Push faster, and the final spurt deteriorated too sharply. Go slower, and the regained finishing power could not compensate for the early ground surrendered.
Fifty-nine seconds was not merely safe—it was optimal.
He had never shared this calculation outside Team Sadalsuud. Even Oguri Cap and Berno Light were unaware.
As instructed, Suzuka slightly moderated her tempo along the backstretch. Yet Going Suzuka and T.M Oarashi mirrored the adjustment, conserving in tandem. The result: her advantage held steady at eight lengths.
Behind them, Stay Gold shifted gears. On instinct alone, she advanced, overtaking several runners in one fluid surge and positioning herself tightly behind T.M Oarashi.
"I don't like the feeling of staying mid-pack," she muttered. "Better to move."
From the VIP area, Kumazawa Yasuro felt a measure of relief. Stay Gold was at least engaging seriously.
Most other Trainers remained calm. The 58.9-second split was aggressive, yes—but Silence Suzuka had never proven herself over 2200 meters. Surely she would fade before the end.
"She'll slow entering the final bend."
"She won't sustain that lead into the straight."
The expectations were nearly unanimous.
Shuta An, however, remained unconcerned.
Approaching the end of the backstretch, just before the final bend, Suzuka tightened toward the rail. She could not risk an inner attack and give away ground unnecessarily.
"The shortest path is always correct," she reminded herself.
The centrifugal force pressed against her as she leaned into the curve, subtly recalibrating her rhythm. From entry into the final bend until the slope on the straight, the terrain descended. It was the perfect stretch for gathering force.
Acceleration at the final 200 meters alone would be wasteful. Smart runners built speed before the incline.
With just over 200 meters remaining before the straight, Suzuka heard nothing behind her.
No footfalls. No breath. No challenge.
She resisted the urge to look back. One glance could cost a stride.
"Hold steady. Less than 600 meters remain. Win this Takarazuka Kinen. Give the fans their answer. Give Ann his first G1."
Her stride lengthened subtly. Her cadence adjusted. She prepared for the second acceleration.
Behind her, Stay Gold felt it.
Something was wrong.
"I told Trainer I'd surprise him."
Lowering her center of gravity, she drifted outward, using centrifugal force to swing wide around T.M Oarashi and GoingSuzuka.
"And Trainer's wife's birthday is soon—If I win, that prize money would help, right?"
A faint, crooked smile appeared.
"Fine. I'll put in some effort. Consider it repayment."
And with that, she began her move.
Silence Suzuka was the first to break into the final straight, her advantage over the second-place Going Suzuka stretching to nearly nine lengths.
"While it's still downhill, I'll raise the tempo in one breath!" She did not need to recall Shuta Ann's instructions; instinct alone guided her. "This victory—I'll seize it myself!"
From behind, Going Suzuka saw the shift immediately. Though she had not fully straightened out of the bend, the curve's angle already easing, she chose to accelerate early.
"If I don't move now, it'll be too late!" A flicker of panic crossed her mind. "How can she accelerate again after that opening pace? This is 2200 meters!"
As Going Suzuka wrestled with disbelief, Stay Gold swept past T.M Oarashi and drew closer, poised to overtake at any moment.
"My stamina's intact. My rhythm's perfect. Once I hit the straight, I'll clear Going Suzuka and reel Silence Suzuka in one surge." The black deer-haired Uma Musume's confidence sharpened, her focus finally absolute.
Silence Suzuka surged into the final straight.
The commentator's voice rose instantly. "Silence Suzuka enters the stretch! Will the Takarazuka Kinen once again belong to the 'Another Dimension's Fugitive' from start to finish? Hanshin's inner straight is only 356 meters! If the others want to catch her, they must commit now!"
Shuta Ann said nothing. His gaze locked onto Suzuka's back. In his mind, there was only one impulse—to cheer her on.
This race meant more than a trophy. It was a domestic G1, proof that Silence Suzuka stood at the pinnacle of Japan's middle-distance Twinkle Series. Only with that proof could she truly leave behind the shadow of her Classic campaign.
She had grown gentler lately—too gentle. He wanted to see her brilliance again, unrestrained and dazzling.
Three hundred meters remained. The downhill was ending.
Suzuka kept her head low, arms driving, legs pounding in a fierce rhythm. A dull ache bloomed in her lungs—not injury, but the unmistakable signal of maximum exertion.
"Don't slow down. Not here. Just ten more seconds. Hold it. I've carried this for two thousand meters—how could I falter now?"
Ahead loomed Hanshin's final slope, roughly 150 meters of relentless incline.
She bared her teeth and charged into it. Behind her, Stay Gold cleared Going Suzuka in barely a second, decisively widening the gap.
"Next is Silence Suzuka."
She measured the distance—and her eyes widened.
"She's accelerating again? Is she insane?"
The astonishment ignited her.
"Doesn't matter. Three hundred fifty meters. Ten lengths. I'll take them all!"
Her expression hardened, almost feral. This was the moment she was truly serious.
Her pursuit was explosive. Ten lengths shrank to six in a blink.
But Suzuka had already reached the slope. Her speed visibly dipped under the incline's resistance, while Stay Gold, still on the descending stretch, appeared unstoppable. The gap narrowed further.
Kumazawa Yasuro nearly leapt to his feet. "Go! Stay Gold! Charge!"
The others had fallen away. Only Silence Suzuka remained ahead—just over three lengths, with a hundred meters left. At this momentum, overtaking seemed inevitable.
At least, that was how it looked.
Several in the VIP area turned to Shuta Ann, expecting tension. Instead, they saw him smiling.
He understood what others did not. Suzuka was already descending. Stay Gold was still climbing. Much of the apparent speed difference belonged to the terrain.
"The moment Stay Gold hits the slope, that surge will vanish," he judged calmly.
Suzuka knew none of this. She knew only that the finish line was drawing closer, the thread in her mind pulled to its limit.
"Ann is watching. I cannot disappoint him."
Though she heard only her own footfalls and the wind tearing past her ears, she imagined his voice urging her onward.
"I'm almost over it!"
Light flooded her vision as she crested the slope and burst onto the final fifty meters of flat ground.
"Stay Gold's gain is stalling! Silence Suzuka is widening the gap again! The World's Fugitive refuses to yield to Hanshin's slope! Two lengths! Three lengths!"
Stay Gold hit the incline—and her stride faltered.
"Can't catch her…can't catch her…"
"Whether it's Meydan or Churchill Downs, Arlington or Hanshin—no matter where, I'll keep escaping for you to see! The regret of the Classic burns into fuel! Sunny Brian, are you watching?! When you return to the Twinkle Series, you won't lack a rival!"
"Silence Suzuka crosses the finish line! G1—her third!"
The commentator's cry echoed through the stands.
Shuta Ann raised both arms, a quiet, satisfied smile on his face.
"Well done, Suzuka."