When the afternoon arrived, it was ti for entry into the Japanese Oaks. Considering the number of spectators outside was sowhat terrifying, Shuta Ann ultimately decided to stay in the VIP box with Tokai Teio and Kurofune to watch the race.
"There are too many people; I'm not quite confident I can look after both of you," the young man explained.
"It's no problem!" Tokai Teio said, aiming to put her trainer's mind at ease.
"Kurofune and I can stay here in the box; Trainer, you should go to the stands by yourself to watch the race. Putting myself in her shoes, I think Dober-senpai would also really hope to see her trainer's figure as soon as possible after crossing the finish line, wouldn't she?"
"..." Shuta Ann was stunned; he hadn't expected Tokai Teio to say sothing like that.
"I have no problem with that either," Kurofune chid in. She applied what Tokai Teio said to her own feelings and felt it made perfect sense.
"Alright," Shuta Ann paused. "Then I'll go down once the parade segnt is over. When it's ti to prepare for the winning live, I'll co back up to get you."
"Mhm!" Both Uma Musus nodded together. Just like him, they both believed that jiro Dober could win this Japanese Oaks.
—
In fact, the spectators and experts favoring jiro Dober were overwhelmingly nurous. After jiro Dober powerfully chased down and overtook Kyoei March's lead to win the Oka Sho, she had remained the top favorite for the Japanese Oaks.
While fans of Kyoei March or other Uma Musus hoped their favorites could snatch the crown of the Oaks Queen, no one could deny that jiro Dober was the absolute favorite.
"In this race, jiro Dober drew the far outside Gate 16. To be honest, this gate is absolutely not considered a good position in the history of the Japanese Oaks, but many experts and reporters still felt this wouldn't be a problem for jiro Dober after the draw results ca out," the live comntator chatted before the Uma Musus even appeared.
"The far outside gate is an extrely obvious disadvantage for Front-Runners and Pace-chasers, but for a Uma Musu like jiro Dober who can adopt a Late-surger or End chaser strategy, it isn't too uncomfortable. Moreover, today's Tokyo Racecourse is officially listed as a Heavy track; generally speaking, the pace of the race will also not be too fast. Under these circumstances, jiro Dober will have ample ti to adjust her positioning."
The guest comntator, Ryuu Nishizaki—trainer of Team Spica, where last year's Derby Uma Musu Special Week originated—paused before continuing,
"But we also know that Kyoei March is a Uma Musu capable of setting a super-fast pace. If Kyoei March decides in this race to brave the anxiety over her distance aptitude and pushes a fast pace anyway, well, we all know that in a 2,400-ter race at Tokyo, a fast pace is highly advantageous for Uma Musus using sashi tactics. Therefore, I believe that whether the pace is fast or slow, being drawn into the far outside gate is not a negative factor for jiro Dober."
"Thank you for your analysis, Nishizaki-kun." The live comntator nodded.
"So, Nishizaki-kun thinks jiro Dober will use a Late-surger strategy for this race, right?"
"Yes. Based on my understanding of Shuta-kun, he will definitely play it safe here and have jiro Dober use the tactic with the highest odds of winning," Ryuu Nishizaki shrugged.
"Then does Nishizaki-kun think jiro Dober has a chance to beco the first-ever undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musu in history?" the comntator continued.
Ryuu Nishizaki pursed his lips with a conflicted expression but chose to speak the truth.
"I think Shuta-kun might not care about this achievent."
"Eh?" the comntator surprisedly cried out.
This was a viewpoint no one had ntioned before. Since jiro Dober was still undefeated, everyone assud a win at the Japanese Oaks would put the undefeated Triple Tiara within her grasp, adding to the jiro family's glory.
"Because after the Oka Sho, Shuta-kun specifically ntioned that if she won the Japanese Oaks, she would go on to challenge the Yorkshire Oaks." Ryuu Nishizaki waited for the comntator to recall this before continuing.
"To be honest, that is a European G1 race. Even if jiro Dober becos an undefeated Double Tiara winner, whether everything will go smoothly at York is still an unknown. If Shuta-kun really wanted to ensure jiro Dober could beco an undefeated Triple Tiara winner, then the challenge at the Yorkshire Oaks could completely wait until next year."
"So, I think it's possible that both Shuta-kun and jiro Dober don't care about the so-called 'undefeated' status,"
Ryuu Nishizaki concluded.
—
Every word of this analysis reached Shuta Ann's ears.
"It really is like that," the young man's lips curled upward. "While an 'undefeated Triple Tiara' is an unprecedented glory for a Uma Musu, Dober doesn't value the 'undefeated' title."
"And who's to say Dober will definitely lose at York?" Shuta Ann thought secretly.
"As long as planning is done well, York Racecourse is not an insurmountable venue for Japanese Uma Musus."
Just then, the parade segnt officially began. Shuta Ann watched as jiro Dober, calm and composed, was the last to erge from the underground tunnel. Although the VIP box was far away, he could see her very clearly.
On her left ear, she wore a green and white patterned butterfly bow symbolizing the jiro family. She was dressed in her G1 victory outfit, wearing brand-new white stockings and specialized heavy-track racing shoes Shuta Ann had specifically chosen for her yesterday.
This year's "Queen of Oka Sho" looked indifferent to the cheers from the stands. Following behind Fumino Paradise, she stepped onto the turf.
—
"Although Tokyo Racecourse's drainage has always been quite good, today's 'Heavy' track is truly the real deal."
Feeling the grass cling slightly to her feet with her very first step, jiro Dober couldn't help but mutter in her heart.
"It's a good thing the trainer specifically prepared these shoes for ; the horseshoes have also been changed to a type that doesn't easily stick to mud."
She continued walking toward the exhibition area, but her gaze involuntarily shifted to the top level of the stands—where the VIP boxes were located. Having been there many tis, jiro Dober imdiately found the location of the box owned by Team Sadalsuud.
"Trainer, Teio, and Kurofune must be watching from there,"
jiro Dober thought, clenching her right hand into a fist and placing it on her chest.
"Please watch closely," she whispered to herself with her eyes closed.
As the Uma Musu who drew the far outside gate, jiro Dober was the last to enter the starting gate. Being the closest to the stands, she took one last look at the crowd before entering—this simple movent was t with deafening cheers.
Fumino Paradise, positioned in Gate 15, reached out with both hands to cover her ears. For soone whose highest achievent was winning a listed race, cheers as overwhelming as a mountain's roar or a tsunami were entirely unprecedented.
Even compared to the Oka Sho, the cheers at Tokyo Racecourse now clearly surpassed those at Hanshin Racecourse, providing a glimpse into the superior status of the Japanese Oaks.
"How terrifying—is this the popularity of the 'Oka Sho's Queen'?" Fumino Paradise couldn't help but murmur to herself in her heart. "It's truly enviable..."
jiro Dober waved toward the stands and then, prompted by the staff, began her entry into the gate.
Once inside, she took a deep breath. Despite feeling Fumino Paradise's gaze from her left, Dober chose not to look back. Although Fumino Paradise had won the Anemone Stakes (the trial race before the Oka Sho), she had only managed sixth place in the Oka Sho itself and a dismal eighth in the Flora Stakes. In Shuta Ann's pre-race analysis, Fumino Paradise posed absolutely no threat.
"Honestly, she's probably only running the Oaks because her trainer didn't know what else to sign her up for," Shuta Ann had complained during their strategy session.
"With her distance aptitude, they should really be considering shortening her race distances further, yet here she is for the Japanese Oaks—Anyway, Dober, stay away from her when the ti cos. Don't let her loss of speed interfere with your acceleration path."
"I understand!" jiro Dober suddenly blurted out as she recalled his words.
Fumino Paradise couldn't help but glance again at her powerful opponent, who had just seemingly blurted out a random sentence without context. "What is going on?" she wondered, bewildered.
But in the next second, the "clack" of the gates opening sounded. Fumino Paradise quickly snapped her head forward, hurriedly attempting to start her run.
—
Unlike Fumino Paradise, jiro Dober was perfectly prepared. The mont the gates opened, she lunged forward instantly, smoothly pulling ahead of Fumino Paradise.
"Eh? With this kind of montum, could jiro Dober be going for a 'Pace-chaser' strategy?" the comntator asked, sounding quite surprised. This observation contradicted Ryuu Nishizaki's pre-race analysis.
"No,"
Ryuu Nishizaki replied, staring intently at jiro Dober's figure as he dismissed the comntator's guess.
"This is only the opening stage. The actual positioning won't be certain until they enter the first corner at the earliest."
"That's true," the comntator imdiately pivoted, attempting to save face for Nishizaki.
anwhile, Kyoei March, starting from Gate 14, imdiately seized the lead as soon as the gates opened. Although Tokyo Racecourse is officially listed as a Heavy Track today, Kyoei March has no intention of controlling her pace.
"A heavy track gets even more excited than a firm one!"
With that thought, she fiercely broke away from the pack and surged to the very front, opening a gap of nearly three body lengths over the second-place horse, Idol Maximum. They were only 200 ters into the start, which made it clear just how firm Kyoei March's determination was to set a fast pace.
—
Noticing Kyoei March's movents, jiro Dober remained completely unhurried.
"Just as the trainer judged," she thought. "Kyoei March still chose to set a fast pace—but given the turf conditions at Tokyo today, she couldn't even hold on until the end of a heavy 1600-ter race at Hanshin. How long can you last here, Kyoei March?"
As jiro Dober thought this, she slowly adjusted her positioning. Because her initial start was very fast, she had originally occupied a position near the front of the Pace-chaser group. However, after observing Kyoei March's determination, Dober slowly retreated through the pack, gradually dropping out of the lead group.
"We are about to enter the first corner. Kyoei March is still widening the gap between herself and Idol Maximum, while the 'Quenn of Oka Sho' jiro Dober has actually dropped back several spots," the live comntator noted, highlighting the contrasting strategies of the two favorites.
The comntator continued announcing the nas of the Uma Musus according to their current rankings—
"Three body lengths behind Kyoei March, Idol Maximum and Spark Arrow are running almost neck and neck. Following them is Hanano gami, with Promotion and Yamanin Xanadu trailing half a body length behind her."
"Leading the Late-surger group is Air Wings. To her rear flank is Fumino Paradise, who suffered an unfavorable start. Orange Peel has taken a posture as if to overtake Fumino Paradise, but she likely won't launch an attack while still on the corner section of the track."
"Eishin Kachita, Spring Diana, and Nanayo Wing are running abreast. It appears they are all wary of one another; none seem willing to risk accelerating early to challenge the opponents in the lead group."
"Next is the unhurried jiro Dober, and positioned to her left, closer to the rail, is She's Princess."
Before the comntator could ntion the girls further back, Ryuu Nishizaki spoke up:
"As expected, jiro Dober has indeed chosen a Late-surger strategy, and her position is relatively far back. It seems she definitely took notice of Kyoei March's aggressive performance."
"It seems you really understand Shuta-kun, Nishizaki-kun," the live comntator remarked admiringly. "In that case, the developnt of this race is looking very favorable for jiro Dober."
In another VIP box, Kyoei March's trainer listened to the comntator's remarks and bit her lip tightly.
"That's not how it is at all!" she thought, filled with indignation.
"If it's Kyoei March, she can definitely maintain the lead all the way to the finish this ti! We spent an entire month working specifically on her cardiopulmonary capacity training!"
As Kyoei March's trainer, she possessed absolute confidence in her partner.
"This ti, we will definitely avenge our loss at the Oka Sho!"
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