"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Classic Uma Musume Forecast."
"Tonight's broadcast is a special extra edition, dedicated entirely to the upcoming Japan Cup."
"Those of you watching online might already know the title of this episode, but I'd like to say it once more."
After months of filming, Sakurako Kazahaya had grown comfortably into her role as a host. She smiled directly into the camera, her posture graceful and poised.
With a sharp clap of her hands—snap!—the standby image on the screen behind her shifted to a poster crowded with Uma Musume.
At the center of the tunnel stood Liberty Island and Equinox, their backs to the audience. Even without showing their faces, the mere presence of the two together infused the image with an overwhelming sense of power and visual impact.
Leading the charge behind them were prodigies like Panthalassa and Do Deuce, stepping out from the tunnel toward the track.
Without exception, none of them looked at the camera; their gazes were locked firmly on the two girls ahead and the battlefield that awaited them.
At the bottom of the poster, one line of text were written in bold red:
"Welcome to the Japan Cup."
Sakurako turned slightly, pointing to the first line. Then, she shifted her gaze back to the lens, addressing the viewers behind the screen with solemn intensity.
"This is..."
"The stage where geniuses converge."
Watching her near-flawless introduction, the director sitting behind the monitor punched the air. It was as if words couldn't contain his excitement; only physical action could capture it.
Sakurako caught the movement out of the corner of her eye but didn't falter for a second. Having introduced the theme, she looked straight ahead and continued naturally.
"As a special extra, this episode has only one goal: to break down and analyze the landscape of this year's Japan Cup for our audience."
"With half the field consisting of G1-ranked Uma Musume, this is an extraordinary event by any standard. This year's Japan Cup might just be the highest-caliber race in history."
As she spoke, Sakurako swiped across the screen, bringing up individual photos of the competitors.
"Symboli Kris S."
Symboli Kris S's sun-kissed skin stood out among the contenders. When Sakurako tapped her photo, her career history appeared on the screen.
"As you can see, Symboli Kris S is a relatively late bloomer. Perhaps because of that, her race selections after her debut were quite conservative—she didn't enter a single true graded race for a while."
"She also seems to have had a bit of a run of bad luck. Despite never finishing outside the top three, that elusive championship win constantly slipped through her fingers."
"However, everything changed with her victory this April. Since that first win, she has grown at an incredible pace, leaping over the G3 level to win the G2 Aoba Sho."
At this point, Sakurako's tone shifted, and she shook her head slightly.
"Unfortunately, perhaps due to her short development window, her bad luck resurfaced on the G1 stage. Finishing as the runner-up in both the Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho, she clearly has the strength of a G1 champion but has yet to claim the glory to match."
"As fans, we feel for her luck. But as a host, I have to place her at the bottom of the rankings among the G1 winners in this Japan Cup."
Perhaps buoyed by the recent surge in public interest, Classic Uma Musume Forecast had begun to innovate its presentation.
For this special, the director had "borrowed" a popular ranking format from the internet, using tiers like "Legendary" and "Top Tier" to categorize the G1 competitors.
Regrettably, since she lacked a G1 title, Symboli Kris S was relegated to the very bottom of the chart today.
Sakurako continued this way, introducing the G1-winning contenders one by one. Even though they shared the same rank of honor, their specific circumstances allowed for a clear hierarchy.
For instance, Titleholder, who had once claimed three consecutive G1 victories at Hanshin, had struggled since last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Her evaluation couldn't be set too high.
On the other hand, Panthalassa—fresh off an overseas expedition where she won the G1 Saudi Cup with her signature "Great Escape" style—earned a solid ranking thanks to her unique flair.
Last year's Japanese Derby winner, Do Deuce, had defeated Equinox back then but hadn't managed to beat her since. In this year's Tenno Sho (Autumn), she couldn't even catch a glimpse of Equinox's shadow.
Still, as Equinox's contemporary, people held onto a lingering spark of expectation for her.
Stars on Earth was another girl plagued by somewhat poor luck.
She had numerous opportunities to win, only to miss them for various reasons; she even lost her chance at the Triple Tiara in the Shuka Sho due to a poor start at the gate.
Still, she was better off than Symboli Kris S, possessing both the Oka Sho and the Japanese Oaks trophies. It was a shame she missed out on the Osaka Hai and the Victoria Mile this year, though.
Regardless, Stars on Earth wouldn't be ranked low. Much like Symboli Kris S, she had never finished outside the top three since her debut, even in G1 races.
Vela Azul, last year's Japan Cup winner, had been a fairly mediocre Uma Musume for most of her career. Before her "miracle" win at the Japan Cup last year, she had only competed in one graded race and hadn't placed well in G1s since.
However, this Japan Cup would be her final race. Between the "retirement buff" and the memory of her previous miracle, her evaluation remained respectable.
As for Iresine from France, winner of the Royal-Oak and the Ganay, she had been performing well recently. However, since her recent races were G2s and she was an international contender, she drew a bit less attention.
With that, Sakurako had finished introducing all the G1-level Uma Musume, save for Equinox and Liberty Island.
While their fortunes fluctuated, they had all won at the G1 level. No one could say they had zero chance, so they couldn't be given the lowest rating.
Symboli Kris S, without a single G1 win to her name, naturally sat at the tail end of the G1 group.
In this Japan Cup, she was the "dividing line." Those ranked above her held some degree of hope for victory; for those ranked below her, while not impossible, the odds were slim to none.
Finishing her lines, Sakurako relaxed slightly. Explaining seven G1 athletes in one go was a challenge for both her memory and her stamina, but she had reached the end without a single stumble.
Since this was a special edition, they weren't using the usual tape-delayed live format; this was a dedicated recording.
The director behind the monitor called for a pause. After letting the crew check the footage for issues, he turned to Sakurako.
"How are you holding up? Need a break?"
Everyone on the crew knew exactly who had revived the once-failing Classic Uma Musume Forecast, so the director's attitude toward Sakurako was exceptionally polite.
Sakurako took a bottle of water from a staff member and shook her head.
"No need to schedule a break just for me. The sooner we finish, the sooner everyone can go home."
She wasn't quite used to being pampered, so she changed the subject before the director could insist.
"Speaking of which, this episode is quite long. We have so many athletes to analyze."
"I wonder if the view count for a deep-dive technical video like this will be any good."
The director scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish.
"Well... I did think about that while we were planning this."
"But I feel like we shouldn't lose our standards just for the sake of hype. If we don't provide precise, detailed analysis of the racers, how can we call ourselves the Classic Uma Musume Forecast?"
"I want to save this show, but I'm not willing to change the content until it's unrecognizable. That's why I wanted to preserve the core substance, at least in this special edition."
As a newcomer who had only been in the workforce for two years, Sakurako sometimes wondered if she was too naive.
A more seasoned host would likely have responded to the crew's pandering with more grace, rather than just changing the subject to escape it.
But only now did she realize that the director—and the entire crew—were "naive" too.
Everyone knew it would be better to follow the trends and change the content, yet they clung desperately to the show's integrity, refusing to pivot toward pure entertainment.
Even knowing the length might hurt the view count and potentially stall the show's momentum, they had decided to produce this episode in their old, rigorous style.
In this context, however, "naive" could also be interpreted as "passionate"—a simple, pure devotion to the Uma Musume and the race track.
Most of the crew were veterans. The director, in particular, had started as an assistant and worked his way up, staying with the show through its entire lifespan.
In the professional world, they were undoubtedly serious adults, which is why they were so deferential to the girl who had saved their program.
But in the work itself, they seemed to forget that cynicism, producing the show out of a genuine love for the sport.
That same spark of pure passion lived in Sakurako's heart, just as it did in the hearts of every viewer. People chased after Uma Musume because they longed for the radiance of the track; they didn't want to fail that stage because of the passion blooming within them.
Stripping everything else away, they were all just fans who loved the races. That love crossed all boundaries, linking people together.
Sakurako suddenly felt she shouldn't fail that love or the connection between people. Since it was the track that brought everyone together, then a truly brilliant race was what everyone craved.
And introducing the competitors was the mission she had to fulfill.
"Mr. Yamashita, I'm ready. Let's keep going!"
The director, Yamashita, didn't know why Sakurako suddenly had such a determined look in her eyes, but as a veteran producer, he knew this was the perfect state for recording. Without hesitation, he called the staff back to their posts.
Facing the camera again, Sakurako took a deep breath.
"This Japan Cup has gathered many geniuses, but above the geniuses, there exist two Uma Musume who can only be described as monsters."
"Equinox—who achieved back-to-back wins in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), who is renowned even overseas, and who was even acknowledged by last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion Sea the Stars. She holds five G1 titles and is just one step away from becoming a world-class legend."
"And Liberty Island—who carries the honor of her mentor, who has never known defeat since her debut, and who steps onto this stage as an undefeated Triple Tiara winner. She seeks to settle the score with her childhood rival to decide who is the true successor to Dream Weaver."
"And these two were linked by another Uma Musume long before this Japan Cup."
"That Uma Musume is Dream Weaver."
Sakurako placed her hand over her heart. To the viewers, it looked like she was feeling her heartbeat, but only she knew she was touching that red ribbon.
"No matter how much we hate to admit it, the world-class Uma Musume known as Dream Weaver is now a part of history. She has stepped behind the scenes, leaving the radiance of this era to the girls chasing her light."
"This is a new era, a golden age for Uma Musume that she herself ushered in!"
"And every era must eventually crown the one who truly rules over it all."
"Liberty Island and Equinox, who found and knew each other because of Dream Weaver, will decide the final, definitive outcome in this Japan Cup. Who is her greatest successor? Who is the Uma Musume that will lead this generation? Everything will be decided in that moment."
Sakurako looked sharply into the lens, the intense emotion in her eyes causing the director behind the monitor to jump involuntarily.
"If the prologue of the story was each Uma Musume stepping onto the track for their own dreams and aspirations, then this Japan Cup—where all the heroes of the world have gathered—is the story's climax."
"The Japan Cup! This Japan Cup, gathering the top talent of an entire generation, will truly live up to its name and determine the strongest Uma Musume in the Japanese racing world."
"In the future, this race will surely be mentioned countless times. Every video or article introducing the titans of this era will inevitably converge on this stage to tell the story of what happened here."
"Because this is the stage where the geniuses of our time unite—the final battle for the peak of a generation!"
Sakurako's palms were damp with sweat from the excitement. After finishing her speech, she left a few seconds of silence, her lips pressed together, her eyes burning as they stared into the camera.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.