After a week of vacation, on the morning of the new day, while Berno Light was still sound asleep, Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka had already changed into short-sleeved athletic shirts and shorts, standing by the training ground under the early light.
Before training began, Shuta An silently applied the reward he had once obtained after winning the Sapporo Kinen in the Dream World—"Standard Biological Clock"—to Silence Suzuka.
"Standard Biological Clock can help an Uma Musume calibrate her biological rhythm and better control her pace."
Shuta An had studied this item long ago. It was completely ineffective for Oguri Cap. Whether running from the front or chasing from behind, Oguri's pace had never been something that needed correction—she had long since mastered racing in her own rhythm. Pace control, however, was precisely the skill that every Uma Musume relying as a front-runner strategy had to refine. Silence Suzuka was no exception.
Yet Shuta An had clearly seen the problem. In both races Suzuka won by running at the front, her pace control had been flawed. In her debut, she ran too fast out of excitement; in her second victory in the one-win class, she slowed excessively after following Tojo Hana's cautious instructions. The only reason she still won was because her raw ability far surpassed her opponents.
On a greater stage, that margin would disappear. If Silence Suzuka wanted to truly win as a runaway, her current level of pace control was far from enough.
With more races, her sense of rhythm would naturally sharpen. Her performance would only improve.
That was why Shuta An chose to use Standard Biological Clock now.
'If she can run both halves of a 2000-meter race in fifty-nine seconds' he thought quietly, 'then she can win any race at that distance.'
He kept that expectation buried deep inside.
'If I say it out loud, she'll only feel pressured.'
Although Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka trained together, Shuta An deliberately assigned them different training menus. The only part they truly shared was slow jogging laps.
'I wonder how Suzuka is at swimming' he pondered while sitting on a bench by the training ground. 'Oguri's swimming hasn't improved much these past few years—she still relies on a kickboard. If she had a training partner, maybe it would spark something.'
With that thought in mind, on the evening of the third training day, Shuta An announced the next day's training item—swimming—during dinner.
"Eh—" Oguri Cap immediately pouted. "Why swimming again—I'd rather run a few more laps."
"This is precisely because your periostitis has only just fully recovered," Shuta An replied calmly. "If we want to maintain intensity without risking reinjury, swimming is the best option. Be mentally prepared—there will be a lot of it this month."
"Ugh—" Oguri lowered her head, continuing her wordless protest.
Silence Suzuka, after glancing at her, also lowered her head and remained silent.
"Get ready for tomorrow," Shuta An said, not thinking much of it. To him, Suzuka's silence seemed natural—she had only just joined the team, and with Oguri voicing dissatisfaction, it was understandable that she hesitated to express her own opinion.
In truth, Suzuka's reason was far simpler.
Tomorrow meant swimsuits.
After comparing herself to Oguri Cap, Silence Suzuka had quietly realized how little confidence she had in that regard.
"For swimsuits," Berno Light approached her after dinner, "have you prepared one? If not, we can go buy one tomorrow morning."
"Can I really wear something like that—?" Silence Suzuka covered her chest instinctively. "Sometimes I feel like if I had short hair, no one would care even if I just wore swim trunks."
"Not at all, not at all!" Berno waved her hands in a fluster. "Then let's go buy one together tomorrow. Oguri's swimsuit needs replacing too."
Suzuka's eyes lit up at the first part—only to dim again at the second.
"It's okay, it's okay~" Berno quickly tried to comfort her. "There's still plenty of time. You'll definitely grow, Suzuka."
"I'll take your word for it," Silence Suzuka replied softly.
Shuta An, meanwhile, was completely unaware of the girls' worries. He had already booked the hotel's swimming pool for exclusive use for the entire afternoon. No special connections were needed—just a higher fee, which the manager accepted without hesitation.
Tomorrow morning would be free for swimsuit shopping. Swimming training would begin in the afternoon.
Yet as Shuta An recalled the schedule, his mind betrayed him with fleeting images of the two Uma Musume in swimsuits.
He shook his head sharply, forcing the distractions away, and sat down at his desk to write the day's Team Sadalsuud Blog. The announcement of Oguri Cap's overseas expedition had already caused massive ripples in Japan. In contrast, few people paid attention to Silence Suzuka's transfer and accompanying expedition.
Still, in Shuta An's writing, Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka were given nearly equal space.
After finishing the entry, he took a quick shower and went to bed, quickly falling into deep sleep.
Tonight, I'll be racing at Arlington Racecourse in the Dream World, he thought before closing his eyes. Let everything go smoothly.
The next morning, Shuta An was once again the first to wake among the Sadalsuud team.
After washing up, he finished breakfast quickly and returned to his room, opening his laptop to report—no, to carefully organize—his summary of the Arlington Racecourse experience from the Dream World the night before.
"Eight races in total yesterday. Seven on dirt, only the final one on turf—whether in reality or the Dream World, American racing really is dominated by dirt tracks."
He paused, fingers hovering above the keyboard, then continued.
"The turf course measures 1,600 meters per lap, with no extensions—just a standard oval. It's encircled by an 1,800-meter dirt track."
His gaze sharpened as he reviewed the data.
"The turf itself is on the drier side. Slightly more moisture than Tokyo Racecourse, but still drier than Sapporo. In that case—"
He leaned back.
"there shouldn't be any issue for Oguri Cap or Silence Suzuka here."
Silence Suzuka aside for the moment, Oguri Cap had already claimed two G1 victories on turf in France. Arlington's grass posed no challenge worth worrying about.
"If there's time, I'll head to Saratoga Racecourse and compare its turf with Arlington's," Shuta An murmured. "If the difference isn't significant, I'll see if Suzuka can try it there too—just to get a feel."
As for Oguri Cap, he felt the test was unnecessary. With the Gray Uma Musume's ability, once a turf track was deemed runnable, her performance would never be lacking.
Shuta An had absolute confidence in her.
"Fortunately, the sponsors prepared multiple types of horseshoes in advance," he thought, his mind drifting southward toward the Florida peninsula. "Otherwise, adapting to different track conditions here would've been another headache. Still I wonder what the turf down there will be like."
He had once considered letting Oguri Cap run a G2 or G3 stakes race on the East Coast as a warm-up. But after careful deliberation, he discarded the idea entirely.
Instead, he chose a far more direct path.
Oguri Cap would return straight to competition at the Arlington Million. After that, two months of rest—then directly into the Breeders' Cup Series. Finally, she would return to Japan for the Arima Kinen.
As for Silence Suzuka, her debut was scheduled for the Secretariat Stakes on the same day as the Arlington Million.
If she won, she would advance to the Breeders' Cup Series as well. Whether she and Oguri Cap would register for separate races—or face each other head-on—would depend on their own wishes.
Had Shuta An been replaced by a typical West Coast Tracen Academy trainer, the decision would've been obvious.
Register them for the same race.
Have Silence Suzuka set the most comfortable pace.
Maximize Oguri Cap's chances of victory.
As for Suzuka's own result? Irrelevant.
But Shuta An had no intention of doing that. On one hand, he simply couldn't bring himself to treat Silence Suzuka that way. On the other, the Japan URA Association had a clear regulation: participating Uma Musume must aim for victory.
If he were to issue such instructions, explaining himself during the URA's post-race review upon returning to Japan would be troublesome, to say the least.
Lost in thought, Shuta An finished writing the Arlington turf and track data.
He stood up from his desk and stretched.
"I'll go for a walk," he muttered. "By the time I'm back, it should be lunchtime. Oguri and the others will probably be back by then."
Changing into light clothes and putting on his sunglasses, he headed for the door—
Only for his phone to ring.
As expected, it was a Line message from Secretariat.
"I heard you've arrived on the East Coast. Want me to introduce you to the Student Council President of East Coast Tracen Academy?"
"Forget it." Shuta An rejected the idea without a second thought.
There was no real benefit in meeting her—and judging from what he knew, if the introduction came through Secretariat, the other party's attitude would likely be even worse.
After all, Shuta An had played a significant role in Sunday Silence's historic victory over Easy Goer in last year's so-called "American Triple Crown."
More importantly, his priority right now was training Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka. He had no intention of creating unnecessary complications.
Secretariat didn't seem surprised by his refusal. In fact, it sounded as though his attitude put her in a better mood.
"Then work hard! I'm cheering for Oguri Cap to win this year's Arlington Million!"
Shuta An didn't take the blessing seriously. Uma Musume from West Coast Tracen Academy would undoubtedly challenge the race. When that time came, how could Secretariat truly support Oguri Cap alone?
"And blessings like this don't help at all," he pouted. "Giving Oguri more training time would be far more effective."
That afternoon, Berno Light stayed in her room watching television, while the other three members of the Sadalsuud team gathered at the hotel's swimming pool.
Shuta An glanced at the two Uma Musume who had already changed into their swimsuits. The only one still fully dressed, he handed them the kickboards he'd prepared.
"I don't know if Suzuka will need one," he said, "but I brought them for both of you."
"I'm fine." Seeing Oguri Cap take a kickboard, Silence Suzuka waved her hand lightly.
"Alright."
Shuta An placed the boards beside a chair, sat down, and gestured for them to begin. He had already explained the training program the day before, so there was no need to repeat himself now.
Oguri Cap and Silence Suzuka exchanged glances, then turned toward the pool. Hugging her kickboard, Oguri Cap cautiously tested the water with her toes.
Her other leg trembled slightly.
The Gray Uma Musume was clearly fully focused.
Noticing this, Silence Suzuka offered an awkward yet polite smile. Moving a little farther away, she put on her goggles and dove in—
"Whoa!"
Shuta An jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the splash. Both Uma Musume were completely absorbed in their training, oblivious to the chaos beside the pool.
After steadying himself, a single thought surfaced in Shuta An's mind.
"I never would've guessed Suzuka's streamlined figure could create such a fierce splash. You really can't judge an Uma Musume by appearances."
Before the thought fully settled, Oguri Cap slid into the water as well. This time, distracted, he failed to dodge.
"Good grief—" Shuta An muttered, wiping his face and squinting. "Oguri's was even more explosive."
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