Miesque's teaching was nothing short of profound yet remarkably easy to grasp. Even Shuta An, who was only listening from the side, quickly understood her points.
"The key to improving adaptability at Longchamp is ensuring that more of your exerted power is converted into forward momentum," Miesque explained. In practice, this meant Oguri Cap temporarily abandoning her usual long-stride running form and switching to a pitch-running style—higher stride frequency, shorter stride length.
Shuta An already knew that pitch running was ideal for heavy turf. The downside was simply a greater consumption of stamina. Fortunately, since last year, he had put Oguri Cap through additional Slope Road training and swimming sessions—build explosive strength on one hand, expand cardiopulmonary capacity on the other.
"So even if she uses pitch stride for the entire 1600 meters at Longchamp, she'll have more than enough stamina."
As for the French Derby at Chantilly, the track there was drier than Longchamp's. A mixed stride—switching between pitch and her usual long stride—would be perfectly viable.
"Teaching Oguri when to use which stride will be my job," Shuta An thought. "Next, I need to gather weather data for Chantilly during Derby week, and if possible, find out the turf maintenance schedule. Ideally, I could even get the turf moisture chart from the day before the race."
While he quietly planned his next steps, Miesque continued her explanation to Oguri Cap, fully focused on the Gray filly before her. Oguri was confused at first—many of the concepts were new to her—but as she listened, a certain Uma Musume's image surfaced in her mind.
"I think I've seen this stride before," she said without hesitation once the silhouette became clear.
"Oh?" Miesque raised an eyebrow. "Miss Oguri has seen someone use pitch stride?"
"Yes. Even though this is my first time properly learning about it, I have seen another Uma Musume use it." Oguri paused, then turned to Shuta An. "And I have my Trainer to thank for that."
"Hm?" Shuta An looked up, puzzled. "What is it?"
"She says she's seen an Uma Musume using the pitch stride," Miesque repeated. "Mr. Shuta, do you know who she means?"
"A pitch-stride Uma Musume" Shuta An closed his eyes, thinking carefully, and finally landed on an unlikely answer. "Could it be Inari One? The one you saw at Ohi Racecourse at night?"
"Yes! That's her!" Oguri Cap nodded repeatedly. "Miss Inari One!"
"At that time, we were just watching from the stands," Shuta An sighed. "I didn't expect Oguri to pick up on her running form—especially since it's so different from standard Japanese technique."
"It left a deep impression," Oguri said, touching her lip with a fingertip. "But I didn't think I would need to run like that too."
"You don't need to change everything in just one month," Shuta An clarified, both for Oguri and for Miesque. "What matters most is stride frequency. Don't worry too much about shortening your stride. After all, Oguri, your instinct when accelerating is to lengthen your stride."
"Exactly! I agree," Miesque echoed. "An Uma Musume must run in a way that feels natural—or she won't perform well."
"I understand," Oguri Cap responded seriously, imprinting the advice in her mind.
"Well then," Miesque clapped lightly, "this morning is just theory. We'll start actual practice this afternoon. And of course—your partner will be me."
"I'll do my best!" Oguri Cap declared. Knowing exactly who stood before her, her fighting spirit flared instantly.
"Hmph~" Miesque smirked playfully. "Don't expect me to take it easy."
Even though Oguri knew Miesque was a Seven-Crown Uma Musume like Symboli Rudolf, she had only imagined her strength—until that afternoon, when they ran together. Not even a full lap, just fifty meters, and Oguri instantly realized she had gravely underestimated the gulf between them.
"Her start acceleration is faster than mine. Her cruising speed is faster and more stable. Her stride frequency is so high it's almost an illusion. Even her turns are cleaner than mine" Oguri pressed her lips together. A world-class Uma Musume was on a completely different level.
Even Berno, watching from the sidelines, could see it clearly. "She's so strong. Will Oguri have to face opponents like this?"
"How could that be?" Shuta An patted the girl's head. "Miss Miesque has a Timeform rating of 133. Meanwhile, past French 2000 Guineas winners usually sit between 115 and 120. Do you know what that means?"
"What does it mean?" Berno was bewildered—Timeform was a new concept to her.
"It means that, assuming normal performance, those Guineas winners would lose to Miss Miesque by roughly 13 to 18 lengths," he said calmly. "Oguri doesn't appear to be falling behind too badly, but don't be fooled. For Miss Miesque, this is still just a warm-up."
"Then wouldn't Oguri feel discouraged…" Berno started saying—then stopped herself.
She let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Right… what was I thinking? Oguri isn't the type to get discouraged."
"Prepare two towels," Shuta An said as he turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Berno asked, confused.
"I'm going to ask the hotel to bring up some saline solution," he replied with a wave, already walking away.
After the afternoon training, Shuta An watched Oguri Cap and Berno head back to their rooms, but he remained at the training ground, ready to hear Miss Miesque's evaluation of today's session.
"Very good." Miss Miesque got straight to the point, and her first sentence already made the young man's expression brighten. "Mr. Shuta is truly lucky to discover such a Uma Musume in a place as undeveloped as Japan. She reminds me of Risen Star, whom I met in America last year. Their specialties differ, so they can't be compared directly—but in terms of comprehension, they're nearly identical."
She continued briskly, "And I can see that you've intentionally focused on strengthening her explosive power and cardiopulmonary endurance. Your training is clearly targeted and effective."
But Shuta An barely registered the latter half; his mind was stuck on the earlier remark. "Risen Star— if I remember correctly, she's the junior highly regarded by Secretariat."
"Oh? So Mr. Shuta has heard of her?" Miss Miesque sounded pleasantly surprised.
"Miss Miesque, don't forget my situation." He spread his hands helplessly. "Anyway, let's move on. Oguri didn't seem very comfortable with the pitch gait today."
"Isn't that normal?" Miss Miesque asked without any surprise. "No Uma Musume can change her gait overnight. Even Senior Alice took more than half a month to adapt when she was forced to alter hers."
Hearing his mother's name, Shuta An rubbed his forehead. "Don't use my mother as an example— She's a Triple Crown Uma Musume. Her talent can't be compared to Oguri's."
"Hm…" Miss Miesque paused, making a thoughtful, ambiguous sound before speaking again. "Honestly, though, the current generation of Uma Musume in your country is fairly mediocre. I can't really think of anyone I'd call formidable."
"If Oguri adapts to the turf here, I believe she has an excellent chance of winning." That was Miss Miesque's candid judgment.
"If you said that publicly, Miss Miesque, I think you'd be under quite a bit of pressure," Shuta An joked—though not loudly enough to stir trouble.
"I trust Mr. Shuta won't go around saying unnecessary things," she responded with a playful wag of her finger. "It wouldn't benefit you either, would it?"
"If we win the race and I thank you during the interview, that's allowed, right?" It sounded like opening champagne before the finish line, but he still asked.
"That's fine. In fact, I'd be delighted if you praised my coaching ability then." Miss Miesque's smile grew especially bright. "I plan to become a Trainer after retiring from the Dream Trophy Series."
"Oh? So we'll be colleagues in the future?" Shuta An was genuinely surprised. With her record, she could choose anything she wanted after retirement—none of it would require much effort.
Miss Miesque clasped her hands together. "I originally thought I'd only take over after my Trainer retired. But after working with Oguri today, I realized I truly enjoy this."
Shuta An kept the thought to himself: 'She probably enjoys leaving other Uma Musume in the dust on the training track'
From that day onward, Oguri Cap's schedule grew packed. Every morning she trained normally with Shuta An, reviewing whatever Miss Miesque had taught her the previous afternoon; every afternoon, she continued learning the pitch gait under Miss Miesque's guidance.
And after recognizing Oguri Cap's remarkable comprehension, Miss Miesque didn't limit her lessons to gait alone. She began teaching pace distribution, rhythm judgment, and positioning techniques specific to Mile races.
As the reigning Queen of the Mile, she already possessed enough experience to fill a book—even though her career was far from over. Sharing it early with a girl she had only just met, however, naturally carried a selfish motive.
"I want to see whether my insights can help raise a new strong Mile runner," she thought. And if Oguri Cap could one day stand beside her on the track—that would be even better.
Shuta An couldn't read her private ambitions, but he certainly welcomed anyone willing to help Oguri grow stronger.
"Even if Mile strategy isn't crucial for the French Derby, the experience will benefit her in the long run," he believed. And his confidence in the gray filly remained unshaken.
Only Berno—who shared a room with Oguri—knew the truth: the gray Uma Musume diligently reviewed every lesson late into the night.
"Oguri is working so hard" Berno finally confessed to Shuta An, unable to keep it to herself.
The young man didn't reply, but the pressure in his heart tightened another notch.
"If she's working this hard. I can't afford to slack off either." And with that thought, Shuta An began to move.
In France, although individual racecourses were managed independently, the French URA Association still held significant authority over most matters. Right after morning training, Shuta An skipped lunch and took a taxi straight from the hotel to the French URA Association headquarters.
"Unlike Japan, I can directly request what I need from them here," he murmured, stepping out of the taxi. He knew the data he wanted wasn't confidential—and he also knew, judging from Miss Miesque's hints, that the French URA Association was already paying attention to him.
"For Oguri, it's time to put my identity to work," he muttered, standing at the entrance of the Association building.
Just as he was about to enter, an association staff member stepped forward proactively.
"Mr. Shuta, good morning. How may we assist you today?"
Shuta An raised his eyebrow—only mildly surprised, yet unmistakably alert.