Chapter 7. Expectations for Rice Shower
During the post-race interview, Shuta An announced Rice Shower's participation in the Satsuki Sho—though everyone already knew this.
As for reporters asking the young man about his expectations for Rice Shower's performance, Shuta An cautiously refrained from giving too high a response,
"I will be very satisfied if she can achieve results that match her current growth progress."
However, Shuta An's statement could be entirely interpreted by the reporters as a lack of confidence in Rice Shower.
Similar reports were bound to appear, and the young man simply laid it all out for Rice Shower at the post-race celebration.
"I don't expect Rice Shower to completely dominate the Classic Race like Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober; Rice Shower's strengths are not in the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby,"
Shuta An said bluntly.
"I said long ago that your stage, Rice Shower, is in long-distance races, and I still think so."
"So…," Rice Shower lowered her head, "Trainer thinks I should aim for the Kikuka Sho?"
"Why give up on the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby?"
Shuta An raised an eyebrow.
"You've already qualified; a once-in-a-lifetime race should always be attempted. However, I have a piece of advice for Rice Shower, don't mind the outside opinions; they understand you far less than I do."
"I know," Rice Shower responded hastily.
"I know that Trainer is the one who best understands how to utilize my abilities; the outside media are all for their own traffic and popularity, only Trainer thinks about me."
"Don't be bothered by those scoundrel reporters,"
Shuta An said, patting Rice Shower's shoulder for the first time.
"Long-distance races are your strongest stage. For the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby, we'll do our best; it's okay if we lose, but if we run well, that proves our exceptional talent."
"For long-distance races… domestically, there are only the Spring Tenno Sho and Arima Kinen,"
Rice Shower murmured.
"So I'll definitely have to frequently go on expeditions in the future, right?"
"That's natural," Shuta An didn't hide anything. "In the future, your main expedition targets, Rice Shower, will be the UK, France, and Australia. There aren't many other places suitable for you—oh right, and Dubai; there's a Dubai Gold Cup there."
"Then there are quite a few places where I can show my full potential in the future,"
Rice Shower finally smiled.
"I don't have to worry about not having any races to run in the future."
"Worry about what?" Shuta An also started to laugh.
"If the day truly comes when Rice Shower has no races to run, I'll fund and establish a race suitable for you."
Rice Shower didn't take this seriously.
How much money does it cost to sponsor a race?
Rice Shower only had a rough idea, and she felt it was not a small sum.
—
After the Yayoi Sho, Shuta prepared to head to Dubai.
He traveled alone, taking a connecting flight and over ten hours to reach Dubai Airport—Admire Vega had already arrived earlier with Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober on a special plane from the UAE URA Association.
The number of Central Tracen Academy Uma Musume participating in the Dubai World Cup Race Day this year was much smaller than in previous years.
Kitahara planned for Sabuno Hana Park to have the Takamatsunomiya Kinen as her retirement race, so she didn't send any Uma Musume from her team.
Tojo Hana's Rigil team also had no Uma Musume participating.
Minamisaka was very interested in having Nice Nature come and try, but Nice Nature didn't receive invitations for the Dubai Turf and Dubai Sheema Classic.
Instead, she received an opportunity to participate in the Dubai World Cup as an alternate—but seeing it was a dirt race, Nice Nature, who was well aware of her adaptability to dirt, directly gave up.
Thus, the only Central Tracen Academy Uma Musume who came to the UAE to challenge the Dubai World Cup Race Day this year were Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober.
Admire Vega initially thought she was coming for sightseeing and fun, but after arriving, she barely had a few days of leisure.
Every morning, Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober would drag her to Meydan Racecourse to be a sparring partner for light training—thankfully, the two Triple Crown/Tiara Winners knew their limits, and once the training intensity increased, they would let Admire Vega rest on the side and spar with each other.
But when Shuta An arrived in Dubai, Admire Vega finally got to experience the feeling of being on vacation.
"You two aren't incapable of warming up, so why drag Admire Vega along? Are you afraid she'll get lost in the hotel?"
The young man grumbled when Mejiro Dober, who was next to him, got up to pull Admire Vega to Meydan Racecourse for training.
"Not really, I just thought we couldn't let Admire Vega fall behind Kurofune-chan in training progress,"
Mejiro Dober said earnestly.
"Heh heh~" Shuta An didn't believe her at all, "Let her rest properly. With security here, how could she get lost near Burj Khalifa?"
So, in today's trio heading to Meydan Racecourse for training, Admire Vega was replaced by the young man.
"The turf at Meydan Racecourse has historically been a front-running type on Dubai World Cup Race Day, which means a late-surge tactic is absolutely a terrible choice here."
Shuta An arrived at the trackside.
After changing into their training clothes, Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio stood on either side of him and began their warm-up.
He spoke to himself, and even though the two Uma Musume were incredibly focused during their warm-up, Shuta An knew that as long as he started explaining, they would both remember it carefully.
"This racetrack cost the UAE URA Association 1.25 billion US dollars, and everything inside it is considered the most advanced of its kind in the world," the young man continued, "The grandstand can accommodate 60,000 spectators. Undoubtedly, it will be packed on Dubai World Cup Race Day."
"Average," Tokai Teio commented, "Last year's Arima Kinen had nearly 100,000 spectators."
"…"
Shuta An pursed his lips; he had forgotten that the enthusiasm of fans attending Japan's Twinkle Series races was among the highest in the world.
"Let's get back to the main topic. The turf track at Meydan Racecourse is 2400 meters long. For normal racing, the Dubai Sheema Classic course is 2410 meters."
"The turf track is 30 meters wide, only 1 meter narrower than Tokyo Racecourse, and the final straight is 450 meters long."
"A 450-meter final straight is not short," Tokai Teio interjected while stretching her ankles, "I feel like Uma Musume who run from behind should also have a good chance."
"That's what the numbers suggest," Shuta An shook his head, "But in fact, 90% of the Uma Musume who win here each year use front-running tactics, so this time, whether it's Teio or Dober, both of you need to actively take a forward position after the start. Our training goal will also be adjusted to focus on leading tactics."
"Understood!" the two Uma Musume, having just finished their warm-up, said in unison.