To put it bluntly, if ordinary foreign racing fans started discussing who Japan's "Emperor" among horse girls was, the conversation would probably go something like this:
"Emperor? Obviously Seiun Ryoka. She barely even raced in Japan, sure, but her dominance in international races is obvious."
"It's got to be Seiun Ryoka, right? She's an undefeated American Triple Crown winner and an undefeated British Double Crown winner. I haven't heard much about what she's done in Japan, but I still think it's her."
"If you're going by GI count or international impact, it has to be Seiun Ryoka. Does Japan even have a stronger horse girl than her?"
"Don't the Japanese say, 'There are no absolutes among horse girls, but the Emperor is absolute'? Then clearly it's Seiun Ryoka."
"Wait—who's Symboli Rudolf?"
Any serious racing enthusiast would, of course, know who Symboli Rudolf was. Ordinary people, though, might not. After all, Rudolf's name had never really shone all that brightly on the international stage.
Rudolf had already foreseen a future like this. She had long since accepted that Seiun Ryoka's brilliance would inevitably eclipse her own past glories, just as Japanese racing fans, when discussing Triple Crown winners, were now far more likely to bring up her name than Chikami Representative's, despite the latter having completed the Classic Triple Crown just one year earlier.
And Chikami Representative had been a true legend.
She had been Japan's third Triple Crown winner, and by the time she appeared, a full nineteen years had passed since the previous one. That long, heavy stretch of time had been enough to wear away racing fans' hopes for another Triple Crown champion, enough to make them let go of their "unrealistic" expectations and accept that the appearance of such a thing had merely been a twice-repeated accident.
And then Chikami Representative had appeared.
She had driven a shot of adrenaline straight into the hearts of Japanese racing fans. Even the commentator had roared in excitement, "This is part of a Triple Crown! It will go down in history! It absolutely will go down in history!"
Most importantly, unlike the first Triple Crown winner Saint Lite and the second, Shinzan, Chikami Representative had been a horse girl born and raised entirely in Japan.
To the Japanese, her victory had been proof of hope—the dawn of the idea that homegrown horse girls were not inferior to imported bloodlines.
And then, the very next year, the undefeated Triple Crown winner Symboli Rudolf had burst onto the scene and, with overwhelming strength and a monstrous finishing kick, defeated Chikami Representative head-on in the 1984 Arima Kinen.
After that came the consecutive losses in the 1984 Japan Cup, the 1984 Arima Kinen, and the 1985 Spring Tenno Sho. Chikami Representative's body began to fail her, and she transferred into the Dream Trophy series, her brilliance fading away entirely.
Even now, Rudolf still felt a pang of sorrow over the decline of her old friend and rival. Time spared no one.
And now, she felt, it was her turn.
No—that wasn't quite right. She had entered the Dream Trophy in December 1986. It had already been nearly two years since then. It was only natural that people's attention would shift elsewhere. There was nothing for her to brood over.
People ought to be giving thunderous applause to the new Emperor.
So Rudolf viewed the dazzling Seiun Ryoka with the heart of an elder. She believed this brilliant girl, radiant with undeniable dominance, deserved every bit of that title.
This time, Rudolf had come to witness Seiun Ryoka fulfill her own dream.
She would not say a single word unrelated to the St. Leger Stakes. Even though the heads of the Symboli family and the other great houses hoped she would push a little harder, she had already decided to remain silent.
No one understood this better than she did:
It wasn't that Seiun Ryoka needed Japan as a place to return to.
It was Japan that needed Seiun Ryoka to fulfill its dream of reaching the summit.
"By the way, little Ryoka," Rudolf said softly, drawing Tokai Teio out from behind her, "this child is one of your most loyal fans. She watches every one of your races and every one of your winner's performances over and over again. Would you give her an autograph?"
Then she added, with a gentle note of encouragement, "Teio, haven't you always wanted to meet your idol in person? This is no time to be shy."
What she left unsaid was this:
If Teio missed this chance, there might not be another one.
But Rudolf had brought Tokai Teio here to witness Seiun Ryoka claim her dual Triple Crown. She would never say anything with such obvious implications. She didn't want Ryoka distracted.
The mood in the room gradually eased, as though there had never been any tension to begin with. Before long, the girls were laughing again.
And so, time passed.
The next day—Sunday, September 11, 1988.
Doncaster Racecourse was packed to the brim. Even the temporary standing-room tickets had sold out. People craned their necks, all desperate to learn the answer to one single question:
Could the legendary horse girl who had swept across the seas win the St. Leger and become the first British Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky?
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Doncaster Racecourse! Up next is today's featured main event—the final leg of the British Triple Crown, the St. Leger Stakes!"
"Eighteen years have passed since the legendary horse girl Nijinsky ascended the throne of the Triple Crown. In those eighteen years, even though empress-like stars have risen, no horse girl has managed to claim that glorious seat again. And now, can this 'Your Imperial Majesty,' who has already displayed unquestionable strength, conquer British turf the way she ravaged North America's dirt tracks? Let us watch and find out!"
"And now, let us greet her with the most passionate cheers we can muster—the absolute first favorite, the legendary new star whose very act of entering a race is enough to strike fear into people's hearts—Seiun Ryoka!"
Even before Seiun Ryoka stepped out of the tunnel, before the announcer's voice had fully faded, the cheers had already surged up like a tidal wave.
And when the warm sunlight fell across her lithe, powerful figure, the cries of the audience rose to an even greater height, as though they could shake heaven and earth themselves.
That sight alone was enough to deeply shake some of the horse girls present, nearly throwing their composure into chaos.
Sanctuary Scion was a natural airhead, but even she couldn't help holding her breath when she saw it. Her eyes widened slightly—not from fear or shock, but from yearning.
Only one thought remained in her head:
This is what a horse girl ought to be.
No matter what happened in the future, she would be proud that she had made a friend like this.
St. Leger Stakes — approx. 2900 meters, turf, clear skies, firm going
The red light switched to green. The gates sprang open.
"All horse girls got away cleanly—an ideal start! Seiun Ryoka was drawn in the far outside, Gate Seven. Is it because this is her first long-distance race and she lacks experience? Or does she simply have that much confidence in her stamina? Seiun Ryoka goes straight for the lead—and takes it! Close behind her is Beautiful Melody, about one length back, and after that Sanctuary Scion secures the rail…"
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