June 14th, Sunday.
Today was the race day for the Takarazuka Kinen, the grand finale of the first half of the Japan Twinkle Series.
Zhou Tai'an didn't watch this race with Kitahara. Instead, he stayed by the training track and listened to the broadcast with Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine.
"The Takarazuka Kinen..." Oguri Cap's tone held an envy she herself didn't notice. "A stage like that must be even more breathtaking than the Tokai Oka Sho, right?"
"Forget the Takarazuka Kinen," Zhou Tai'an shook his head, correcting her. "If we win tomorrow's Wakakoma Sho, the Hokkaido Yushun Championship we'll be challenging at the end of August will be even more lively than the Tokai Oka Sho. Compared to the Tokai Oka Sho, which is limited to Horse Girls from the Tokai region, the Hokkaido Yushun Championship, which is open to local Horse Girls from all over the country, is much more competitive and prestigious—it's a G3 Graded Race, after all."
"G3... The Takarazuka Kinen is a G1. Is the difference really that big?" Oguri Cap was a little confused.
"Of course it's huge," Zhou Tai'an knew Oguri Cap was not familiar with many of the common sense aspects of the Twinkle Series, so he wasn't surprised by her question. "The vast majority of Central's Horse Girls might go their entire careers without ever challenging a G1. But for a G3, you can challenge it as long as you win at the Open-class level."
Oguri Cap said nothing more, but she silently lowered her head.
"It's okay! Oguri is very strong! You can definitely challenge a G1 in the future!" Brand New Shine, seeing Oguri Cap was a little down because of Zhou Tai'an's answer, quickly comforted her.
"We will definitely be able to stand on the G1 stage in the future," Zhou Tai'an also chimed in. Even if he wasn't very confident, he wouldn't be foolish enough to pour cold water on her now.
"But it would be great if we could really stand on the G1 stage," he closed his eyes and couldn't help but sigh.
The day after the Takarazuka Kinen was the day of the Wakakoma Sho.
Early in the morning, Zhou Tai'an drove Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine to Nagoya Racecourse.
Although she had been here once before, Oguri Cap's calves were still trembling slightly as she looked at the racecourse after getting out of the car.
"It's completely different from Kasamatsu," Oguri Cap mumbled.
After parking the car and turning off the engine, Zhou Tai'an got out and casually patted Oguri Cap's shoulder. "This is just a Tokai regional race. It won't be a problem."
The gray-coated Horse Girl took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll give it my all."
"More than giving it her all, I hope she can win while conserving as much stamina as possible," Zhou Tai'an said to himself.
But out loud, he followed her vow, "Just make sure you have no regrets."
…
The Wakakoma Sho was scheduled for 4:25 PM, so Zhou Tai'an decided to take Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine for a walk around the Nagoya Racecourse area in the morning.
Considering Oguri Cap still had a race, he chose not to go to the food street, but instead went to Tomihama Park to the south.
"This is Ise Bay, and beyond it is the Pacific Ocean," Zhou Tai'an said, pointing at the sea not far away, standing at the southernmost point of the park.
"Wow—" Brand New Shine's mouth fell open in a long sigh of awe.
But Oguri Cap looked unfazed. After all, she was born and raised in Hokkaido. The sea was nothing new to her. Oguri Cap's attention was elsewhere—
"Across the Pacific Ocean... is that Trainer's hometown?" she asked, looking up at him.
Zhou Tai'an was taken aback, then shook his head firmly. "No."
"That is no longer my hometown," he waved his hand. "I don't have such a thing."
Zhou Tai'an paused, then turned his head. "For me, the most important thing right now is to get you, Oguri Cap, to the highest stage we can reach."
"I won't let you down, Trainer," Oguri Cap said, her eyes shining, her tone firm as she met his gaze.
"I'll help too!" Brand New Shine raised her hand, joining the conversation.
While Zhou Tai'an and his group were killing time in Tomihama Park, a small, gray-coated Horse Girl in a Central Tracen Academy uniform got off the train at Nagoya Station.
"The week after next, I have to go to Hokkaido to prepare for the 1-win class race. I'll be there all summer. I've got to eat my fill of the local specialty, kishimen, before I leave," she said to herself, glancing at the map by the station.
"Kishimen" is a noodle dish made with the flat noodles common in the Nagoya region. A slightly sweet sake is added to a broth that is a mix of Kanto and Kansai styles. Then, thin slices of fish cake, blanched spinach, and fried tofu puffs are added. Before eating, it's sprinkled with dried bonito flakes.
This dish could only be found in Nagoya. This gray-coated Horse Girl had tried it at a street stall in Nagoya on her way back after breaking her maiden in Osaka in April, and had fallen in love with it.
"Summer is for kishimen!" She found a random roadside shop, happily enjoyed a bowl, and then left.
"It's just past noon. It's too much of a rush to go back to the academy right away. Let's see if there's anything to do in Nagoya to kill time." With this thought, the gray-coated Horse Girl unintentionally walked to the front of Nagoya Racecourse.
"A local racecourse..." She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the tote board, which listed the races scheduled for the day.
"The main race is an Open-class race limited to debut-year horses... As expected of a local track," the gray-coated Horse Girl squinted and complained. "They have an Open-class race for debut-year horses at this time. At Central, there are barely any debuting Horse Girls right now."
"I'll go in and take a look." The thought kept echoing in her mind.
Standing at the entrance of Nagoya Racecourse, the gray-coated Horse Girl hesitated for a moment, then stomped her foot firmly. "I, Tamamo Cross, am a Central Horse Girl! What's there to be afraid of!"
So she held her head high and prepared to step into Nagoya Racecourse—
"Hey, little lady! You have to buy a ticket!" Just as Tamamo Cross was about to enter, a staff member from the ticket booth quickly called out to her.
"Huh?!" Tamamo Cross's face turned beet-red. She spun around and hurried over.
-------
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