As they straightened for the final stretch, jiro Dober had already swept past Super Dress.
Behind her, iner Max was only just drawing level with the fading rival.
"Excellent!" Shuta An's fingers tightened around the rail. "This is the perfect mont—now, Dober! Release everything!"
Less than 300 ters remained.
If she could reproduce the explosive finish she had displayed in her debut, then this graded victory would be hers without question.
Beside him, Tokai Teio and Silence Suzuka reached the sa conclusion. The gap between Dober and iner Max had grown to half a length.
It'll be fine, Teio told herself. Dober's finishing kick is powerful. Even against sprint specialists, she won't lose.
Suzuka, guided by instinct honed through countless races, calculated silently.
At this differential—she'll widen it.
—
jiro Dober had no room for such calculations.
For an Uma Musu, a short-distance race bordered on anaerobic warfare. Energy could no longer be sustained by ordinary aerobic rhythm; instead, the body burned through reserves in explosive bursts. Under such strain, attention could not scatter—if it did, speed would fall instantly.
She clenched her teeth.
Lowered her center of gravity.
Extended her stride.
Increased her cadence again and again.
For soone not born a pure sprinter, she was already pushing beyond what her fra preferred.
"If even this isn't enough—" Shuta An watched her all-out effort with a tightening chest. Effort did not always guarantee reward on the Twinkle Series stage.
But he did not want that truth to visit his team today.
—
Two hundred ters remained.
Machikane Eden had completely collapsed in pace; Dober swallowed her effortlessly. iner Max trailed by more than a length now.
Maintain this and it's over, Shuta An exhaled quietly.
But jiro Dober knew none of it.
Once she entered sprint mode, the world narrowed. She did not look left. She did not look right. She did not even know she had taken the lead.
To keep herself from faltering, she subconsciously assud she was still chasing.
So even after overtaking Machikane Eden, she did not ease.
She could not.
—
iner Max's Trainer stared in disbelief.
What kind of training produced this?
Second race of her career. Strategy shift. Perfect execution. No hesitation. No relaxation after seizing the front.
Many debut-year Uma Musu made that mistake—once ahead, they unconsciously loosened.
But jiro Dober did not.
Because she understood.
The significance of the Hakodate Nisai Stakes was not rely a trophy. It was a gateway—to overseas expeditions, to broaden horizons for them, to chase the path once carved by Oguri Cap.
"How could she relax?" Suzuka murmured softly. "Before catching up to Oguri Cap…who dares to ease up?"
—
One hundred ters to go.
Then—
Sothing shifted.
Fatigue had begun to creep into Dober's limbs earlier, the cost of accelerating before the final bend. But now, instead of fading—
A surge.
A new current of power rose within her.
She did not know its source.
She only felt it.
Ahead—sothing shimred.
A translucent boundary.
A barrier of light that retreated each ti she approached.
No matter how fiercely she ran, it remained just beyond reach.
A mirage?
From the rail, Shuta An's eyes narrowed.
A familiar sensation brushed against his perception.
"No way—"
His voice dropped.
"This is only her second Twinkle Series race. The opposition isn't extraordinary. How could she already be brushing the edge of the 'Zone'?"
If she had truly revealed her ceiling so early—if this was already her limit—that would not be good.
Potential exposed too soon could an growth stunted too early.
That's not good news.
But—
Twenty ters remained.
Winning ca first.
He would think about the rest later.
—
Behind her, iner Max fought desperately, but the distance held firm at two lengths. Victory was no longer within reach.
Even so, Super Dress lacked the ability to threaten her position. The order had crystallized.
It's fortunate our paths differ— inerMax thought with quiet relief. My aim is the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, then the Classic Triple Crown. Hers is the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Triple Tiara route.
She did not wish to et jiro Dober again in sprint or mile battles.
Not after today.
—
The result was inevitable.
Shuta An allowed a faint smile to surface as Dober's figure flashed past the finish marker.
At the sa instant, the announcer's voice thundered across Hakodate Racecourse:
"jiro Dober! A new star rises from Team Sadalsuud! 1:10.4—A new race record for the Hakodate Nisai Stakes! The first G1-level Uma Musu of next year's Classic generation has revealed herself!"
The sumr sky over Hakodate seed brighter still.
Watching jiro Dober beneath the blazing sumr sky, Shuta An realized—unexpectedly—that his heart was calm.
There was no surge of exhilaration.
Perhaps it was because the Hakodate Nisai Stakes was only a G3.
"But I was genuinely pleased when Suzuka won the G2 Dubai Turf," he murmured to himself. "Was it because the prize money there was on par with a G1?"
The thought lingered for only a mont before he shook it away.
His gaze shifted to Dober's status panel.
At first glance, nothing seed different from before the race.
Then—
At the very bottom.
Temporary Status: ??? (Incomplete)
"If you're going to write sothing, at least make it clear," he grumbled inwardly. "Otherwise, don't write it at all."
He decided he would ask jiro Dober about the strange sensation in the final stretch later that evening during the celebration at the hotel.
But first—
There was work to do.
Leaving Silence Suzuka and Tokai Teio waiting behind, Shuta An exited the restricted area and headed alone toward the dia zone.
—
There had been another G3 on Honshu that day.
Yet nearly all dostic attention was focused here—at Hakodate Racecourse.
The reason was simple.
Trainer Shuta An's Uma Musu was racing.
Breaking the race record was enough to stir headlines. But reporters wanted more. They knew him. They knew he never followed ordinary paths.
What would jiro Dober's next move be?
Before anyone could raise a hand, he spoke first.
"I believe everyone rembers that after Dober's debut, I said her schedule would depend on today's result," he began calmly, his presence alone quieting the crowd. "Now that the outco is clear, there's no need for secrecy."
He did not hesitate.
"Her next race will be in Canada—the G1 Natalma Stakes, limited to debut-year Uma Musu. She will aim to beco this generation's first G1 winner from Central Tracen Academy."
A murmur rippled through the reporters.
"After that, she will compete in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf—a newly introduced event this year within the Breeders' Cup Series for debut-year Uma Musu. It's a 1600-ter turf race. Though listed rather than graded, the field will consist of top Arican Classic prospects."
He continued without pause.
"Following the Breeders' Cup, she will return to Japan and prepare for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, concluding her debut year in the traditional manner of Triple Tiara contenders."
Three more races.
International travel.
G1 ambition.
The pens in the crowd flew furiously.
One reporter raised his voice. "That's an unusually packed schedule for Team Sadalsuud. Your Uma Musu don't typically race this frequently in their debut year."
"This plan was made after consulting Dober herself," Shuta An replied evenly. "The jiro Family has approved it. I designed the route. If problems arise, I'll bear responsibility."
The tone left no room for further probing.
—
Another reporter stepped forward.
"Congratulations on the record-breaking victory. How do you feel? And since Miss jiro Dober showed such ability over short distances, will she continue targeting sprints?"
Shuta An allowed himself a faint smile.
"Of course I'm pleased. To be honest, I initially had doubts about her aptitude for short distances. I entered the Hakodate Nisai Stakes because it's the first debut-year limited graded race of the season. Winning it secured her path to the Natalma and allowed sufficient preparation ti."
"As for sprint—her primary goal next year is the Triple Tiara. I'll determine her optimal distance based on her performance in the Japanese Oaks. At present, I believe she possesses adaptability for middle and perhaps even longer distances. So you may see her focus more on middle-distance races."
A calculated answer. Clear. Firm. Forward-looking.
Then ca another question.
"During the race, two Uma Musu were beside you. One was Miss Silence Suzuka. The other—frequently seen but not formally introduced. Could you tell us about her?"
He paused briefly.
There was no reason to hide it.
"Her na is Tokai Teio."
The reporters leaned in.
"She joined Team Sadalsuud early. She is still young and not yet fully matured, and I'm in no hurry. But she is exceptionally talented. Diligent. Serious."
He let the silence stretch just long enough.
"If I must summarize my expectations in one sentence—"
A faint smile curved his lips.
"I hope she surpasses Symboli Rudolf and becos the strongest undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musu."
The air exploded.
Surpass Symboli Rudolf?
An undefeated Triple Crown?
In the history of the Twinkle Series, only Oguri Cap had ever truly eclipsed Rudolf's legacy—and Oguri had retired just last year under Shuta An's guidance.
Now—
He had declared another heir.
So reporters were already drafting ntal headlines:
Legendary Trainer Reveals His Secret Weapon!
The Next Undefeated Queen Erges!
Of course, prudence would prevail. This was the Hakodate Nisai Stakes press conference. The editor-in-chief would not allow the headline to ignore jiro Dober's triumph.
But the spark had been lit.
And Shuta An knew exactly what he had just done.
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