Perfect!
That was how Sakuraba Ryo rated his own arrangement.
He had spent a fortune recruiting a batch of deadweight Umamusume from all over the world.
He got to lose money in style, and on top of that, there was basically no chance of ever making it back.
After all, Japan had strict rules governing foreign Umamusume entering races.
Generally speaking, foreign Umamusume in Japan were not allowed to compete in the Classic races.
The stated reason was to protect the employment environment for domestic Umamusume, which was why the JRA had put those rules in place.
And since the Japanese Classic races accounted for roughly seventy-five percent of the major schedule, that meant most important races were closed off to them.
Even Maruzensky, a member of the student council, had once been unable to run in the Japanese Derby because of that rule.
There were plenty of regulations like that on the JRA side, all of them rules that clearly needed improvement.
But nobody was willing to be the one to stick their neck out and revise them, so they had remained in place all this time.
Of course, there were a few exceptions.
One of them was Japan's internationally aligned race—the Japan Cup.
For that race, the Japanese Circuit allowed Umamusume from other countries to participate.
As a stage meant to showcase the strength of the Japanese circuit to the world, and to attract more foreign Umamusume to race there, the Japan Cup's prize money was absurdly high.
Three hundred million yen.
The same astronomical level as the Arima Kinen at year's end.
The winner of the Japanese Derby only got two hundred million yen, but the winner of the Japan Cup got a full hundred million more.
If one of the Umamusume Sakuraba had invested in actually went and won the Japan Cup, he would lose sleep for days.
And for the students in Nishikino Academy's international class, if they wanted to run in major races in Japan, the rules basically made it impossible from the outset. There were simply too few races available to them.
Of course, that was assuming they were aiming for G1 races.
But Sakuraba had no intention of letting them run in Japan anyway.
Unless they had plans of their own, his idea was that they ought to go back and race in their home circuits.
Heh heh. That was Sakuraba Ryo's little trick.
When selecting the incoming students, he had specifically asked the Nishikino principal to gather a full list of applicants, then deliberately taken that list to several of the expensive professional Trainers the school had hired and asked them to evaluate the girls' abilities.
After that, he secretly marked the Umamusume who had received lower evaluations, and when it came time to send out admission notices, he quietly added those weaker candidates' names to the accepted list.
Heh heh heh.
In other words, this batch of Umamusume had been handpicked by Sakuraba himself—the ones who couldn't make it in their own circuits!
If things went according to his plan, these girls, already the castoffs of their home circuits, would come here, receive lavish food and treatment, and have their will to race corroded by material comfort.
Then, once these already mediocre girls lost even the last of their fighting spirit and returned to their home circuits, wouldn't they just get absolutely crushed?
Hee hee hee.
I'm a genius.
Sakuraba silently praised his own brilliance.
And most importantly, to keep himself from making money, Sakuraba had specifically capped his own share at thirty percent when these Umamusume signed their contracts with Nishikino Academy.
In other words, even if these girls really did go out and win races, Sakuraba would only receive thirty percent of the prize money.
To be honest, he had wanted to set the percentage even lower, but the Nishikino principal had refused no matter what.
"Sakuraba-san! You've already done so much for this academy! With everything you've contributed, you can't take this little!"
That was what the principal had said.
In short—
In Sakuraba's eyes, the entire international class plan was already a naturally flawless rough stone for losing money, and after his careful carving, it now gleamed with the enchanting luster of a project guaranteed to lose and never profit.
All benefit and no downside?
No. It should be called "all losses and not a single gain" instead.
Student quality?
He had personally "handpicked" that part.
Those names on the list that the professional Trainers had assessed as having limited potential—Umamusume struggling in their home circuits, even facing elimination—were precisely the treasures he had been hoping for.
The Nishikino principal was probably still wondering why Sakuraba had paid such close attention to a few applicants with such unremarkable qualifications, never realizing that "unremarkable" was exactly what Sakuraba wanted.
No extraordinary talent, no top-tier competitiveness, maybe not even much fighting spirit left after being worn down by their original environments—Umamusume like that were the perfect foundation for his grand loss-making enterprise.
Expecting them to shine brilliantly on the track?
Ha. He might as well expect pies to fall from the sky.
Participation restrictions?
That was heaven itself helping him.
Japan's complicated race-entry rules—especially the many barriers aimed at foreign Umamusume—were practically a moat custom-built for his plan.
The doors to the Classic races were essentially closed to them, which meant a massive number of high-prize G1 races were completely out of reach.
Even if they wanted in, most of them wouldn't be able to get past the policy barriers that were nearly impossible to overcome.
The Japan Cup?
Sure, the prize money was ridiculous, but a world-class stage like that was hardly something this group of "carefully selected" girls could ever hope to touch.
The very thought of such a possibility felt like an insult to his conviction to lose money—
Fortunately, the odds were so tiny they could be ignored.
As for the revenue split?
That was the restraining band he had put on with his own hands.
Thirty percent?
He would have preferred three percent!
The Nishikino principal's tearful insistence that he absolutely had to take more had almost become the only real risk in the entire plan.
Thankfully, in the end, he had still managed to force the percentage down to a safe line where, even if by some freak, freak, freak stroke of luck they actually won something, he still wouldn't make much.
Most of the proceeds would go to the academy?
Fine by him. The academy's money was money he had invested anyway. Left pocket, right pocket—as long as it didn't end up in his own personal profit pocket, it was all the same.
Even better, he had prepared a final gilded touch for these girls: a full corrosion package.
Luxurious dorms far beyond the standards of an ordinary academy, top-tier training facilities, meticulous care in every aspect of daily life.
In Sakuraba's blueprint, these were not whetstones to sharpen fighting spirit.
They were a soft paradise meant to wear it away.
These Umamusume, already limited in talent, would gradually forget the reason they ran in the first place once surrounded by excessive comfort, losing the sharpness that came from staking everything on one desperate fight.
By the time they finished this period of "advanced study" and returned to their original circuits, perhaps even the little competitiveness they had once possessed would be mostly gone. And at that point, wouldn't they just get steamrolled by their rivals?
A perfect closed loop!
Overjoyed by the perfection of his own little system, Sakuraba came to the lobby of Nishikino Academy bright and early.
Here, he would welcome the first batch of his lucky stars!
Thinking that, a gentle smile naturally spread across Sakuraba's face.
When a person was in a good mood, they smiled no matter what they were doing.
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T/N: :( im kinda miffed at him not really seeing them as people :((w ahhh im sadddd but at least he's giving them a good life