Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

"Never mind your name, just say it if you know!" Upon hearing that he was just someone from Nagoya TV, the JRA reporter interrupted his self-introduction and demanded to get to the point.

Seeing the senior colleagues staring intently at him, the reporter could only swallow hard and begin to explain:

"...Stardust Illusion seems to be a racehorse who made her debut yesterday at the Chukyo Racecourse in a race with no wins. Her current record is 1 win in 2 races."

"Because in a post-race interview with local media, she declared that she would defeat the East Sea Emperor in the classic triple crown race, it was reported this morning, and our TV station also broadcast it on the race news."

……

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The JRA reporter glanced at the Nagoya reporter, then turned to look at the still-stiff Stardust Illusion, his face filled with disbelief.

Immediately afterward, his expression shifted slightly, and he handed the microphone to Rokuhei Ginjiro:

"In your opinion, what exactly makes this racehorse girl such a formidable rival to the Emperor of the East Sea?"

"Please don't misunderstand, I am absolutely not prejudiced against this Stardust Illusion, but in fact, the East Sea Emperor has already won 2 out of 2 battles and has begun to advance into the classic-level prize tournament."

This Stardust Illusion player has already failed in his debut match. Frankly, it's uncertain whether he'll even be able to participate in the Classic Triple Crown tournament alongside the East Blue Emperor.

"Because she is very strong."

Oguri Hat answered directly, but did not provide further explanation.

She seemed to think that what she was saying was perfectly reasonable and didn't need any further explanation.

"Forget it, old man..."

Stardust Illusion quietly tugged at the hem of Rokuhei Ginjiro's clothes and whispered.

She didn't want her own affairs to affect the two men's important retirement ceremony.

However, Grandpa Liuping completely ignored Stardust Illusion's persuasion and directly answered:

“I think she is fully qualified to say that, Stardust Illusion... She is the greatest rival standing in the way of the East Sea Emperor’s goal of achieving the three undefeated crowns.”

Watching his colleagues around him writing furiously, the JRA reporter gritted his teeth.

He had intended to use this opportunity to promote the East Sea Emperor again, but he didn't expect Rokuhei Ginjiro to directly describe the Emperor as the nemesis of this Stardust Illusion—wasn't that making the Emperor a target of attention for this place's horse race girls?!

No, absolutely not... If this kind of news gets out, he'll definitely get fired for making things worse!

Thinking this through, the reporter no longer cared about basic manners and directly retorted:

"However, the East Sea Emperor is recognized as a genius in the Central Region and is even called 'Emperor II' by many trainers. She inherited the strength symbolized by that 'Emperor' Rudolph. How can this local racehorse girl be compared to the East Sea Emperor!?"

Upon hearing this, Rokuhei Ginjiro and Oguri Hat exchanged a glance and both smiled.

Oguri, wearing a small hat, reached for the microphone and stared intently at the reporter who had asked the question, saying:

"What I say next, remember to report it verbatim—"

"You just said that my last foot left a deep impression on you, right?"

The little chestnut hat's eyes exuded a wild, beast-like aura, enveloping the reporter before him.

The JRA reporter, who had never experienced the aura of a top racehorse girl before, nodded, his legs trembling as he barely managed to stay standing.

"But I learned that running style from Stardust Illusion."

"If you've seen her race videos, you'll know that Stardust Illusion almost beat East Sea Emperor with this running style in her debut race more than half a month ago."

Oguri Hattori's decisive final acceleration at the Arima Memorial was actually learned from her?!

All the reporters present began to whisper among themselves.

They could tell that this was not just something Oguri Hat made up on the spot, since match recordings are something that can't be faked.

But... how could a newly debuted racehorse girl possibly have any running techniques that could help the era-leading runner, Oguri Hat?

Is this why they believe the Stardust Illusion could become the East Sea Emperor's archenemy?

In the previous two weeks, in order to prepare for the Arima Kinen and push his limits in this competition, Oguri Hattori focused on training and did not have much interaction with Stardust Illusion. The only time the two got along well was when they ate together.

But this doesn't mean that Oguri Hat didn't consider her his partner.

Or, in Oguri's opinion, a racehorse girl who is willing to eat and drink with her every day and train with her seriously is enough to be considered a friend.

And now, it's time for her to do something for her friends—

Looking at the incredulous JRA reporter in front of him, Oguri Hat continued speaking into the microphone:

"You just said that the East Sea Emperor is known as the 'Second Emperor' and the 'Invincible Genius,' and everyone believes that she can inherit Chairman Rudolf's glory, so the Stardust Illusion cannot be compared with her, right?"

“Yes,” the JRA reporter replied through gritted teeth.

His mind was completely blank, but the only thing he knew was that he absolutely could not let today's events become a one-man show; he had to at least add a reckless local horse racer to the mix!

"Alright then, I'll tell you something now."

Oguri Hat glanced around at all the reporters present, then continued:

“Stardust Illusion… I, Oguri Hat, hereby declare that she will inherit all my glory as the second generation of Oguri Hat and run in the next race.”

"Now I'm asking you, Mr. JRA reporter—"

Oguri Hat's voice boomed out, startling the reporter so much that he fell to the ground. However, neither Oguri Hat nor Rokuhei Ginjiro intended to let this guy who so casually looked down on others off the hook. Oguri Hat continued to press him for answers:

"—Does the Stardust Illusion, the second generation of the Oguri Hat, truly deserve to be the archenemy of the Second Emperor of the East Sea?"

This bombshell finally drove all the reporters completely crazy!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Proving the Strongest with the Classic Triple Crown!

The claim of "Oguri Hat 2.0" will undoubtedly be met with fierce criticism from many Oguri Hat fans.

In their eyes, this woman, who fought her way up from the local level to the central level, conquered all the audience step by step with her own strength and became the strongest of the annual Hall of Fame racehorses.

Even if other racehorse girls could rival her achievements, it would be difficult to have a racing career as dramatic and perfectly concluded as Oguri Hattori's.

Therefore, unlike titles like "Emperor II," which primarily carry glory, if someone claims to be "Oguri Hat II," they will inevitably face comprehensive scrutiny regarding their achievements, exciting matches, and even popularity.

...except for one specific case.

That is the second generation of Oguri Hat, personally selected by Oguri Hat.

Even if fans are unwilling to accept it, they have to give this horse racer girl some face. At least they should consider what Oguri Hattori's own judgment is, right?

----------------------

"Grandpa, are you really going to do something this crazy without even discussing it with me?!"

Inside the barbecue restaurant, Stardust Illusion lay sprawled on the table, shouting helplessly.

"Hahahaha, how about that? You got quite a shock, didn't you?"

Rokuhei Ginjiro laughed heartily, took a swig of beer, and used his chopsticks to inspect the meat slices on the three grills at the same time.

"It's not like I'm the one who's startled! If news of this magnitude gets out, the entire domestic female horse racing industry will probably be terrified!"

Stardust Illusion viciously picked up a piece of roasted meat and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing it.

She knew exactly how much these two had sacrificed to create momentum for her.

Using Oguri Hat's honor as collateral at her retirement ceremony was simply to dispel the media's negative comments and give her a fair stage to compete with the Emperor of the East Blue...

"What if I fail? Oguri Hat might get attacked then."

Stardust Illusion, still filled with worry, sighed again.

"Woo-gu-hu-wu-shu-pu, wu-hu-wu-lu!" (Then don't fail, I believe in you!)

With his mouth stuffed full of roasted meat and cheeks bulging, Xiao Limao turned around and mumbled encouragement to her.

"What an idiot! Who would think about losing before a race has even started?"

Grandpa Liu Ping rolled his eyes, divided the roasted meat equally between the two racehorse girls in front of him, and then continued unhurriedly:

“Oguri and I are sure you’re right. You definitely have the ability to challenge the classic triple crown, so you have to prepare early to avoid the situation that happened to Oguri.”

Stardust Illusion understood what Liu Ping meant.

The classic Triple Crown, namely the Satsuki Sho, the Tokyo Derby, and the Kikuka Sho, are held in April, May, and October respectively. In addition to the eligibility requirements, each competition has strict selection criteria.

Taking the Satsuki Prize as an example, there are a total of 18 spots for the Satsuki Prize, and these spots are divided into three categories: priority appearance spots, career prize spots, and lottery spots.

The priority spots come from three preliminary matches of the G2 level: the first three moves of the [Yayoi Sho], the first two moves of the [Wakaba Special Match], and the first three moves of the [Spring Special Match], for a total of 8 spots.

The career bounty slots are allocated to seven horses based on their career bounties, ranked from highest to lowest.

The final three spots will be drawn from the remaining registered participants who meet the requirements.

As Stardust Phantom only debuted in the local region at the end of this year, even if it is specially recruited into the central region at the beginning of next year, it will only have a few months of racing time left, making it virtually impossible for it to gain an advantage in career bounty.

Therefore, she only has one path: to gain a ranking in the three G2 matches to secure a priority playing spot.

All three G2 matches start in March, so registration needs to be done in February. Each also has its own selection requirements; simply put, participants must have experience in classic tournaments and have a certain level of popularity to be eligible.

"As for popularity, I can achieve that on my own..."

Stardust Illusion had already planned to participate in more than three competitions in January and February and win them all. This method gave him a good chance of meeting the requirements.

"You'll definitely regret it if something unexpected happens and you can't participate in the Classic Triple Crown."

Rokuhei Ginjiro sighed and took another big gulp of beer.

“Oguri was unable to participate in the derby back then because of this kind of threshold—how could he not feel regret?”

"So many people are saying that if Oguri could participate in the Classic Triple Crown, she would definitely surpass Rudolph Symbol and achieve unprecedented success. They even call her the Phantom Triple Crown Girl. In the end, it's just that everyone feels she missed this opportunity and can't accept it."

As the old man spoke, he placed another large bowl of meat on Xiao Lima's plate, his face full of kindness as he watched Xiao Lima eat the meat with gusto.

“Oguri is different from me. She thinks it’s enough to just be able to race with others. But no matter what, it’s my fault because my negligence caused her to miss the derby.”

"Therefore, the stardust illusion."

As he spoke, he looked up and met the gaze of the brown-haired racehorse girl in front of him.

"Xiao Li and I know your potential better than anyone else. Your training results speak for themselves... Forget about titles like 'Emperor II' and 'Central Genius.' Run! Become the strongest on your own in the classic triple crown competition!"

Following Grandpa Liuping's words, Little Chestnut Hat quickly swallowed all the meat in his mouth, then turned around and nodded repeatedly at the Stardust Illusion.

Stardust Illusion remained frozen in his seat.