Chapter 48. Mejiro McQueen's Reason for Persisting in Racing
Upon arriving at the underground passage, North Flight's Trainer, Keiji Kato, proactively came forward.
"Shuta-kun is too strong! It's incredible that North Flight could win the Yasuda Kinen in such a manner! Thank you so much!"
Keiji Kato's gratitude to Shuta An was well-deserved.
This was his first G1 victory in eight years as a Trainer.
If Koichi Tsunoda had ridden, North Flight might very well have won, but it likely wouldn't have given Keiji Kato such peace of mind.
Facing Trainer Keiji Kato's thanks, Shuta An spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"I heard that North Flight won't be racing next year. If she successfully enters breeding, could I ask the ranch to consider pairing her with Rice Shower?"
"Why Rice Shower?"
Keiji Kato was a bit confused—if the young man had mentioned Tokai Teio, Keiji Kato felt the ranch would definitely be willing to try, but Rice Shower... it was still a bit...
"Because North Flight is a Mile Horse, and Rice Shower is a long-distance Racehorse, so I'm very curious what kind of distance their offspring could run."
Shuta An grinned, giving his reason.
"I can't make that decision."
Keiji Kato smiled helplessly, confessing honestly.
"I know." Shuta An nodded along. "I just said it. North Flight performed very well this time; I think she can easily win the Mile Championship in autumn too."
"It's a pity it's only this year." Keiji Kato sighed helplessly. "After this year, North Flight must retire."
Shuta An offered no comment on this.
To be honest, it's usually male Horses that retire early; a mare like North Flight, planning to retire early without illness or injury, is truly rare.
But the young man was not an owner, so it was not his place to comment.
—
Waking up, Mejiro Dober was still sound asleep in Shuta An's arms.
The young man rubbed his eyes, picked up his phone, and checked the time, finding it to be about the same as when he usually woke up.
"Let's see the rewards."
Shuta An thought silently.
As always, the basic reward was the Yasuda Kinen prize money—93 million Japanese yen.
And the second reward made the young man pause.
"This shouldn't be a skill rewarded for a Mile race, should it?"
Exceptional: When pulling ahead of the second-place Horse/Umamusume by more than two lengths, speed can be further increased.
To be honest, Shuta An felt this was somewhat useless.
If you've already pulled two lengths ahead of the second-place Horse, unless it's a leading Uma Musume, you've definitely entered the final sprint phase.
So, if you're already two lengths ahead of the second-place Horse/Umamusume during the sprint, it seems victory is already secured.
No matter how you look at it, this skill is just icing on the cake.
"But this race was already won so easily; it was at a level where Fukunaga-kun could win if he rode it."
Shuta An quietly complained in his heart about his junior in the Dream World.
Carefully pulling his right arm from under Mejiro Dober, the young man got up, put on his pajamas, and prepared to wash up, then went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
"This week is the Takarazuka Kinen race week. Although there's nothing to worry about with Teio, I still have to do the work that needs to be done."
Shuta An muttered to himself while brushing his teeth.
—
Although the media was already hyping up Mejiro McQueen VS Tokai Teio, in Shuta An's opinion, Tokai Teio had an absolute advantage over Mejiro McQueen in the 2200-meter Hanshin Racecourse.
It's important to note that among the major races Mejiro McQueen had won so far, the shortest distance was last year's Kyoto Daishoten, a G2 race on turf over 2400 meters. This race was 200 meters longer than the Takarazuka Kinen.
Tokai Teio herself excelled at middle-distance races, and in the range of 2000 to 2400 meters, when competing against Mejiro McQueen, the shorter the race, the greater Tokai Teio's advantage.
What's more, compared to a fully fit Tokai Teio, there were rumors of Mejiro McQueen's condition significantly declining after winning this year's Spring Tenno Sho.
Although Shuta An had heard the truth of the rumors from Kitahara and Minamisaka—Mejiro McQueen sustained a minor injury to her left leg after winning the Spring Tenno Sho.
"They said it's not serious and she can compete in the Takarazuka Kinen."
Kitahara stated.
But Minamisaka said.
"Nishizaki-san suggested to the Mejiro Family that Miss McQueen be taken home to recuperate, but Miss McQueen insisted on competing in the Takarazuka Kinen, saying it was nothing."
"How could it be nothing?"
Shuta An thought that immediately after hearing Minamisaka's words.
The young man had also tried to get Mejiro Dober to suggest that Mejiro McQueen rest, but Mejiro Dober said she couldn't help—
"McQueen will know that Ann's advice is for her own good, but she won't accept it. If I convey it, McQueen might even increase her training intensity, which would be counterproductive, wouldn't it?"
"Why?"
Shuta An didn't understand. He hadn't provoked Mejiro McQueen, so why would his advice ignite a rebellious spirit in her?
"Because McQueen has always cared a lot about Teio."
Mejiro Dober explained, leaning into her lover's arms.
"Teio had said she would race McQueen in the Spring Tenno Sho, but Ann stopped her. And Ann also said that Teio would go abroad for an expedition in the future, so she feels that this Takarazuka Kinen is likely her and Teio's only chance to compete on the same stage. Therefore, she doesn't want to miss it due to an acceptable minor injury—"
"That's crazy." Shuta An shook his head helplessly. "This is exactly why I don't want her to race."
"Ann is worried about McQueen's injury? The family doctor has checked it, and it's healed. Ramonu-nee told me."
Mejiro Dober blinked, quickly reassuring her lover.
"No, it's not that…" Shuta An sighed, rubbing Mejiro Dober's ear with one hand. "Even if Teio crushes Mejiro McQueen this time, some people will say that McQueen wasn't in good form and it doesn't count."
"I don't know what Teio thinks, but I don't want to see such comments appear." the young man mumbled.
"That's why I hope Miss McQueen can rest well. There will definitely be opportunities for a decisive battle in the future—for example, the Arima Kinen or the Japan Cup at the end of the year, which Teio will certainly participate in."
"Although McQueen looks very docile, she's actually very stubborn."
Mejiro Dober described her understanding of her peer to her lover.
"So, Ann, you can forget about trying to persuade her."
"It doesn't matter." Shuta An quickly came to terms with it. "Since similar rumors are unavoidable, I'll find a way to make Teio win as spectacularly as possible. To make those who would say such things afraid to speak them."
—
Tokai Teio thought the same—at least the first half.
She also wanted to win as beautifully as possible, but not to stop potential rumors, but rather—
"I want to go to Europe with a big victory. I want to surprise Trainer, and I want him to devise even bolder tactics for me."
As for whether Mejiro McQueen would feel bad if she lost badly, that was temporarily not within Tokai Teio's consideration, as her mind was entirely focused on her future trip to Europe with Trainer.