Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 387 The goal is to reach the Hall of Fame.
Yasui Makoto's words were not without reason. The list sent by the Emperor of the East Sea included racehorse girls who had participated in the Arc de Triomphe race, and all of them would be assisting in this special training session.

It just so happens that Japan has tacitly regarded the Takarazuka Memorial as a prelude to the Arc de Triomphe Award, which inevitably leads to associations between this special training and the latter.

After making a sarcastic remark, Yasui Makoto quickly became serious:

"However, since President Emperor has presented this list, I'd also like to explain Xiao Bei's and my decision."

"We do not plan to participate in overseas competitions, especially in Europe, in the second half of the year."

"To put it bluntly, I think that with the current training system and schedule, the chances of winning G1 against Europe are very slim."

"Instead of participating in the Arc de Triomphe Prize like it's a lottery, we should focus our energy on the competitions in Japan."

After speaking, he looked calmly at the Emperor of the East Sea, but inwardly he was a little uneasy.

Admittedly, the Arc de Triomphe is an international G1 competition with considerable special features, but it is not the only competition of its kind.

The International URA Association selects the annual celebrity racehorse girl, and winning this honor is very important for the evaluation of racehorse girls and trainers, greatly influencing the rating and selection of the Hall of Fame, etc.

The Hall of Fame award is arguably the highest honor for a racehorse girl, and her trainer naturally shares in that honor.

Besides the national classics and G1 events, which significantly influence the selection process, there are currently 11 international G1 events, spread across the world.

In Asia, there's the Japan Cup, the Dubai World Cup, and the HK Cup; in Australia, it's the Melbourne Cup.

In North America, the races are the Breeders' Cup Classic and the Breeders' Cup Turf Race, while in South America, they are the Carlos Pellegrini Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix.

In Europe, the Arc de Triomphe is one of the prizes, while the other two are the King's Trophy and the Irish Championship.

When Yasui first signed the agreement with Kita Genko, he knew that she was a racehorse girl who could run into the top tier, and he worked hard towards that goal step by step afterward.

In other words, becoming a top-tier female racehorse was Yasui Makoto's hope for Hokubu Genko, but he never mentioned it.

After all, he hasn't even finished half of his career. Talking about goals that most people wouldn't even dream of will only invite accusations and ridicule such as "being too arrogant."

As far as I know, the Northern Black Horse has never participated in any overseas competitions, which means that this front was always an option.

Even if we take a step back and insist on participating in G1 matches outside of Japan, the European front is not necessarily a must.

European venues are generally much heavier than those in Japan, especially the Longchamp venue in France.

Having adapted to the firmer tracks in Japan, without sufficient time to adjust, winning races there would be extremely difficult.

In comparison, Dubai, which I've already visited, is clearly more suitable.

On the one hand, the Middle East, like Japan, is in Asia, so the time difference and environment are relatively easier to adapt to.

On the other hand, since Dubai's Shining Series started relatively late, it has learned from other regions in terms of venues, schedules, and logistics. Moreover, thanks to its abundant financial support, its technology in many aspects is even more advanced than that of other places.

This makes the conditions of the Dubai track relatively average, and the track itself is also easier to adapt to.

Furthermore, even without considering these 11 G1 matches with special significance, there are more than 400 G1 matches worldwide throughout the year.

Aside from the restrictions on the number of years of competition, there are still more than 300 events that can be freely participated in.

Given the current strength and reputation of Northern Black Horse, all of these races are viable options, and there is absolutely no need to insist on choosing a particular race.

Having spent almost two years in Tokyo, he became increasingly aware of just how obsessed the industry was with the Arc de Triomphe. For one thing, it was only early May, and he could already hear trainers discussing the race in his office.

The discussions revealed that some highly skilled trainers have even set this as their goal, arranging targeted training and competition schedules for their own roles.

However, he didn't have that obsession, so sometimes he couldn't even understand or accept such things.

So at this moment, he was somewhat worried that the Emperor of the East Sea had come specifically to persuade him to consider going to Europe with the Northern Black Steed in the second half of the year.

Seeing that the East Sea Emperor didn't seem troubled after he finished explaining his thoughts, but just looked thoughtful, Yasui Makoto thought for a moment and decided to explain his views on overseas events.

As he spoke, the previously somber Emperor of the East Sea gradually became surprised, then grew more and more serious, staring at him intently and nodding from time to time.

Seeing the other person's reaction, Yasui felt that her words had been acknowledged. Her spirits lifted, and after explaining, she added:

"...Actually, after saying all that, my point is that our racehorses are just as good as any other country in the world..."

"No, it should be said that every racehorse girl has a unique talent, what they lack is only a stage to show their talent."

"So I... I have to say I find it hard to understand the current obsession in the industry. I find it hard to understand why people have to be so fixated on a particular event."

"What I hope for is to let Xiaobei shine on the stage that best suits her."

"Then……"

He paused for a moment, then decided to state his final thoughts:
"I hope to help her and, together with her, become the most dazzling presence in Uma Musume."

"In other words, a top-tier racehorse girl."

"Although I didn't mention this to her, after all, the goal was too grand and distant, and full of uncertainty."

"But for her, whose idol is you, I think this would also be her dream."

The Emperor of the East Sea was somewhat stunned.

As Yasui Makoto said, she is indeed a top-tier racehorse girl.

The key tournaments that earned her this honor, besides the Satsuki Sho, the Japanese Derby, and the Arima Kinen tournament after her retirement, were the Japan Cup, which was mentioned earlier.

Therefore, she was well aware that only one or two Hall of Fame level figures would emerge every few generations, making it far more difficult than other honors.

For the same reason, neither racehorses nor trainers consider this kind of glory as a goal.

She just didn't expect that Yasui Makoto, whom she had previously thought was very humble, was actually the ultimate and highest goal of Uma Musume.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly burst into laughter:

"I see, so this is the stage that's most suitable for Xiao Bei...?"

As if talking to herself, or perhaps asking a question, she looked ahead.

Just then, having finished his final training session of the day, Kita Genko ran over, waving vigorously with an excited, relieved, and delighted smile.

"Then so be it. After all, you are Xiao Bei's trainer," the East Sea Emperor said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)