"Chukyo Racecourse, 1800m dirt, G2 Tokai Stakes—gate-in imminent!"
Dirt races, even G2s, rarely drew crowds in turf-biased Japan. But today, 100,000 packed Chukyo for the Tokai Stakes.
"Hosoe-san, this massive crowd—over 100,000—is it all for her?"
"Absolutely. An undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume taking on dirt? Everyone's hyped," Hosoe replied.
"Right, Mejiro Rampage, the turf's absolute queen, runs today. She said on stream she's preparing for a challenge. What kind of challenge pushes her to dirt?"
Ten Uma Musume lined up at the gate, eyes fixed on one: Mejiro Rampage. 14-0 on turf, but dirt was a different beast. Few excelled in both, though Oguri Cap's dirt-to-turf legacy lingered.
"Absolute queen, huh? Used to 'Tyrant,' so it's weird," Rampage mused.
"Mejiro… Rampage-san," a voice called.
"Rampage's fine. Or Ran," she said.
"You're not underestimating dirt, right?" Amazing Dyna, a dirt G2 winner and race favorite, eyed her skeptically.
"Nope. I'm here to challenge, full throttle," Rampage replied.
"Sorry, some idiots mock dirt…" Dyna said.
"Those types never ran it. Let's do this," Rampage grinned.
"I won't lose, Triple Crown or not," Dyna declared.
"That's the spirit," Rampage nodded.
They shook hands, earning applause—maybe for Dyna, maybe Rampage. The other Uma Musume were friendly, hoping her run would boost dirt's popularity. Their faces brimmed with anticipation.
"Awkward, but… can I get your autograph?" Dyna asked.
"Hell yeah, fan service is my thing," Rampage said.
"Me too!" another Uma Musume chimed.
"I'm the one from your stream!" another added.
"Outing yourself? I won't snitch. I'll sign later—let's snap a group pic for Uma-tter!" Rampage suggested.
"Hell yeah!" they cheered.
The gate area buzzed with camaraderie until the fanfare signaled gate-in. Rampage, in the outermost 8-10 slot, was third favorite but heavily marked. Perfect—this was the challenge.
"They're off! Oh, No. 5 Riayaru stumbles but recovers! Mejiro Rampage blasts ahead! Can her signature big lead hold on dirt? Trailed by No. 6 Amazing Dyna, Real Solace, and Senju Yoroi. Rampage's only two lengths ahead—less escape than usual."
"She's not breaking away like on turf," Turbo noted, watching with Ikuno and Minamisaka.
They'd come to cheer Rampage's dirt debut; others couldn't make it. Turbo sensed the difference, but Minamisaka explained, "Dirt races favor front-runners to avoid sand in the face."
"Popular strategy!" Turbo said.
"Exactly. Sand disrupts focus, so most go for the lead," Minamisaka said.
"So it looks like she's not escaping," Ikuno clarified.
"Exactly. But Rampage is better on dirt than you think," Minamisaka assured.
"(A Triple Crown on dirt, still this strong. But not her usual escape)," Dyna thought, impressed yet confident. Rampage's run was solid but not Japan Cup-level. Catchable.
"(Sorry—this'll be your worthy defeat!)"
"Approaching the final corner! Rampage holds the lead, but Dyna's closing! Can she overtake the turf Tyrant? Into the straight—go! Rampage digs in!"
"Why's the gap not closing?!" Dyna gasped.
"Running full-out!" another panted.
"My legs… won't stretch!" a third groaned.
"Is this…?" Dyna wondered.
Rampage smirked, hearing their confusion. Think I can't big-lead on dirt? Wrong. Not slow from inexperience—she'd paced herself.
"Final stretch! Rampage surges! Pulling away—three, now four lengths! Dyna's losing her edge—what's wrong?! Rampage dominates! The turf Tyrant claims dirt too! Mejiro Rampage wins! Dyna second, Senju Yoroi third! She crushed it with a flawless escape!"
"She ran dirt like turf. Unreal adaptability."
"Not bad. Could tighten it up," Rampage said, unfazed.
Dyna conceded gracefully but vowed, "You got me, Ran-san. Next time, I won't lose! You challenged dirt, so I'll hit turf to fight you!"
"Love the fire. Bring it anytime," Rampage grinned.
Mejiro Rampage @dictatorship
"Big dirt win! Today's rivals, forever friends. Let's roll, squid-style~♪"
The group photo and winning live performance rivaled a G1's hype, thrilling racers and fans. Her run sparked new interest in dirt, drawing turf-only fans to the track.
"Thanks for the superchat, Umakin-shi! Okino, question: 'Did you do something to earn the perv masseur title?'" Rampage read.
"I just checked Uma Musume legs for condition!" Okino protested.
"Your hands were too touchy, huh?" Rampage teased.
"No way!" Okino yelped.
"Ask Spica's crew?" she suggested.
"They'd roast me, especially CB," Okino groaned.
"Totally get it," Rampage laughed.
"Thinking of watching Tokai Stakes.
↓
Vanyaal stumbled—jockey fell?!
↓
Disqualified… but wait, she's racing clean?
↓
She finished first, disqualified but returned to the tunnel alone…
If Hagino hadn't fallen, Vanyaal might've won. Racing solo so cleanly cracked me up."
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