'How can she be this strong?!'
Completely baffled and utterly stunned, Kyprios pushed with every last ounce of her strength…
And then, she secured a position slightly ahead of Stradivarius, claiming second place.
That is, the runner-up spot, earning the right to have her statue enshrined within the Pegasus Hall of Fame!
Beyond Kyprios's shocked gaze, back at the finish line she had just crossed, within the vast Pegasus Hall of Fame, countless shimmering particles appeared, coalescing to form a sculpture.
It was unmistakably a statue of Kyprios herself, captured in a running pose filled with the frustration of finishing second, now immortalized within the world-renowned [Pegasus Hall of Fame].
Its position, however, was somewhat central but also noticeably towards the back.
Compared to the sculptures of the Sea family fillies, like Galileo and Sea the Stars, it was placed much further back. Hers was obscured by them, and even by some utterly unknown Japanese Uma Musume.
How could… her statue's position be even further back than those unknown Japanese Uma Musume?!
The proud Kyprios stared blankly, her eyes vacant and dull.
She was the strongest long-distance runner on turf…
No, now she was the former strongest long-distance runner.
Just like Dubai Millennium, who had his title of [Greatest Dual-Surface in History] snatched away at the Dubai World Cup.
Thinking of this, Kyprios couldn't hold back a mournful cry.
Meeting a super Pegasus as monstrous as this at the Goodwood Cup, giving her all yet finding her strength insufficient to win!
Yet, beside her, the even more mature and steady Stradivarius, a top-tier genius from the prestigious Sea family, also let out a similar groan of despair.
Because…
Stradivarius was in the same boat.
Kyprios had lost her [Strongest Active] title, and Stradivarius had lost her [Strongest in History] title!
Both had been completely stolen away by a certain Pegasus! That damn… body-snatcher!
"Just how powerful is this Pegasus?!"
Stradivarius could sense that Platinum's experience in long-distance races wasn't just lacking; it felt almost unfamiliar.
She probably hadn't even run many long-distance races in training.
And yet… she could gallop with such utter freedom, and on a track that was extremely demanding, a rain-soaked, heavy going course!
It's all raw stats!
Even she, a flagship Uma Musume of the Sea family, couldn't help but wonder if she and Platinum were even the [same species]!
"It's like… her strength surpasses the very upper limits of what an [Uma Musume] can be."
"Even if the legendary Eclipse herself were to return, it would probably be just like this, wouldn't it?"
The former historical strongest long-distance Uma Musume couldn't help but voice her astonishment.
Sprint!
Mile!
Middle-distance!
Long-distance!
Of the four major turf racing categories, the Pegasus Platinum had now conquered three.
She beat Winx and Black Caviar in sprints, defeated Invincible Spirit and Sea the Stars in middle-distance, and now toppled Stradivarius and Kyprios in long-distance.
The only obstacle left standing before Platinum…
Was the final one: the Mile!
Could the absolute powerhouse, the Emperor of the Mile, defend his throne?
--+--
Meanwhile, in the stands.
The massive crowd had erupted into endless, boiling cheers.
Without a doubt, this would go down as a famously historic race, not just in Europe but in the annals of worldwide history. In this gathering of renowned top-class long-distance Uma Musume, it was the Pegasus Platinum who seized the ultimate crown!!
Under the most fervent cheers and celebrations! The commentator's incessant praise, even with the PA system at full volume, was mostly drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
The commentator's exalted cries rang out continuously.
[Without a doubt, this is an absolute, dominant victory by the Pegasus Platinum—! A miraculous win by a staggering twenty-seven lengths!]
[And remember, this is on a rain-soaked, heavy going track, a brutal battlefield that even Uma Musume accustomed to such conditions find difficult.]
[Facing excellent opponents like Kyprios and Stradivarius, Platinum still displayed a style of absolute brilliance, truly worthy of the legendary Pegasus!]
[We can say how incredibly fortunate we are to witness such a great victory, to see a race that will be recorded in the history books!!]
[Strongest in Sprint! Strongest in Middle-Distance! And now… the Strongest in Long-Distance, claimed in this very race! An unprecedented achievement is now completely within Platinum's grasp!]
[Go on, keep racing! You are just one step away from surpassing the myth of Eclipse!]
The commentator's passionate, excited voice rose even higher, completely shedding any semblance of the neutrality, rationality, and calmness expected of their role.
But even more incredible… was that despite the commentator's shouts and praises, they were still largely overwhelmed by the sounds from the spectators in the stands.
Those… were mostly the voices of Platinum's fans, and even many who had been loyal supporters of Stradivarius and Kyprios couldn't restrain their emotions now, joining in to chant Platinum's name.
As for the regret over their idol's defeat… it was there, but it was quickly replaced by the awe of witnessing a historic moment firsthand, the shock of seeing the Pegasus Platinum leading a huge victory through the rain.
Before anyone knew it, the entire stadium was filled with earth-shaking, booming cheers, countless roaring voices tirelessly echoing throughout the vast racecourse!
And the voices of the fanatical spectators were filled with all sorts of languages. From English, to French, Japanese, and more, they constantly rang out, all expressing amazement and praise for Platinum's great victory!
The two strongest long-distance Uma Musume, Stradivarius and Kyprios, were already famous worldwide. This top-level showdown had attracted viewers from countless countries around the globe!
And now, all of that was transformed into the brilliance of Platinum's victory, shining brightly here.
"Without a doubt, the strongest!! The strongest!! This is the strongest!"
"Guh, how can an Uma Musume be this ridiculously strong? Her first European long-distance race, and she defeats the two strongest monsters Europe has produced in half a century."
"So, so incredible! Is this the power of the Pegasus Platinum? It's infinitely more shocking than anything I've ever seen on TV broadcasts."
"It seems that talk of her rivaling or even surpassing Eclipse is no empty boast."
"Even though I came here for Miss Stradivarius, even though she only got third… I don't feel any sadness in my heart. Instead… I'm drawn to Platinum?!"
Countless spectators were continuously voicing their praise for the victorious Platinum, along with their excited shouts.
Some, who had previously only been fans of long-distance racing, or only fans of Stradivarius or Kyprios, found themselves captivated by Platinum as well.
Who said long-distance fans could only support one Kyprios or Stradivarius? Wasn't Platinum a long-distance Uma Musume now too!
Why should a dedicated fan only dedicate themselves to one Uma Musume? Dedication isn't such an unlucky thing!
--+--
On the turf track.
Stradivarius, who finished third, was gasping for breath behind the finish line.
The steady drizzle showed no signs of letting up even now.
Having run this intensely demanding 3000-meter long-distance race in her gorgeous race outfit, even an excellent Uma Musume like Stradivarius felt the strain, utterly drenched in sweat with legs feeling weak.
Stradivarius noticed that Kyprios, who had finished just ahead of her, was just as exhausted as she was.
Neither the long-distance's proud [Highest Mountain], nor the [Longest River], could hinder the Pegasus's flight!
Her beautiful eyes stared dazedly at the calm-faced, silver-haired, petite young girl ahead of her.
As for the other Uma Musume who finished in lower positions, some were even slower and hadn't even crossed the finish line yet, their physical condition much worse than theirs.
Of the seven Uma Musume who competed, it was Platinum, who finished first, who maintained a composure fit for a queen.
That body of hers was terrifyingly powerful!!
And then, Stradivarius's sharp hearing picked up the voices of some Uma Musume who had just crossed the finish line, unable to hold back their thoughts.
"Why… is she so strong?!"
"Yep, that's Platinum for you. Boundless stamina, full of power, and adaptable to heavy going tracks. She has a Domain, she can pressure others, she's immune to opponent's Domain pressure, she can even maintain her Domain for the entire race like it costs nothing. And once she surpasses an opponent, she… ahhh, she fires her arrow! I'm going to avoid racing against her from now on!"
"No, the truly cruel part is, now that Platinum's reached the top in long-distance with this one race, why would she ever come back to long-distance again?"
"Now the pressure shifts to the [Mile Uma Musume]!"
Hearing those lamentations and discussions, Stradivarius's expression became complicated.
The Mile!
Races between 1600 and 2000 meters, the [King's Course] was immensely popular in Europe and the US alike.
This category always produced strong contenders, never lacking in world-class, or even historical-level Uma Musume.
And unlike niche categories like sprint or long-distance, which struggled to produce legends.
Both turf miles and dirt miles had seen once-in-a-century legends emerge throughout history, making it the undisputed super popular category, the kingly path that captivated the world.
Starting the pursuit of Eclipse with the middle-distance, and aiming to surpass Eclipse with the mile, sounded quite fitting indeed.
So, anyone could guess that Platinum's next target would undoubtedly be a Mile G1, challenging the best among them.
It was just like… the goddess Artemis proclaiming her hunting list, and now she's reached the final item!
--+--
Japan, at Tracen Academy.
In the exhibition hall, a gathering of young Uma Musume, along with many of Tracen's staff, were watching the live broadcast on the big screen.
Platinum's popularity had already spread across Japan over a year ago.
Calling her a national treasure in the eyes of Japanese fans wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Those drawn to Platinum weren't just Japanese fans; many active Japanese Uma Musume were her devoted fans too.
Among them were Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black, sitting in the front rows, so excited they were about to jump up.
These two fillies had already grown into super rookies who won graded stakes races upon debut, brimming with the potential to become future Japanese superstars.
But in the eyes of Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black, the only true Japanese Uma Musume superstar… was that one Pegasus, Platinum!!
"As expected of Miss Platinum! She's this amazing even in long-distance."
"European Uma Musume might look down on Japanese long-distance G1s, but Miss Platinum's adaptability is absolutely peerless. If she can win the Kikuka Sho and the Tenno Sho Spring, she can definitely dominate European long-distance too!"
After voicing her admiration with sparkling eyes, Satono Diamond then let out a slightly regretful sigh.
"I wish I could have been there to watch live… Guess I'll have to wait for the next race."
After all, active Uma Musume don't have that much free time.
Classes, training sessions, races, or summer camps could all significantly impact their available time.
But in Satono Diamond's view, no matter what… she absolutely must not miss Platinum's next race.
This Goodwood Cup had been extremely thrilling, enough to be recorded in history, a huge escape victory defeating Stradivarius by a massive margin in the rain.
And to Satono Diamond's sharp eye, Miss Platinum's next challenge in a mile race was bound to be even more shocking, not just by a little, but by a lot!
Because…
Her opponent would be the universally acknowledged legendary mile Uma Musume, Frankel.
In British Uma Musume circles, professional racing staff had even crowned her with the title—[Britain's 300-Year Culmination of Breeding]!
In other words, Frankel was perhaps the single most dazzling, most outstanding number one in all of Britain's three-hundred-year history!
And the British Uma Musume scene was historically recognized as one of the top tiers within Europe, an extremely important component.
They say a legend appears once every hundred years, but Frankel was so perfect she was considered a once-in-three-hundred-years phenomenon, truly deserving of the titles "Super Horse" and "Monster"!
But…
Satono Diamond still held full confidence in her idol, Platinum.
So, for that final, generational mile showdown, the Frankel vs. Platinum race, she was determined to go see it live, even if it meant skipping one of her own races!
And Satono Diamond wasn't the only one with that level of determination.
Kitasan Black also clenched her fists excitedly.
"I'm going to watch the next race too."
"I have a feeling that if I miss the showdown between Miss Platinum and Frankel, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"
"If it's Frankel, she might actually be able to surpass… surpass [Daiwa Scarlet] senpai!"
That's right, surpass Daiwa Scarlet.
As for surpassing Platinum… Kitasan Black didn't even entertain the thought; how could that be possible?
Miss Platinum was invincible!
And in the view of Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond, and others, if you wanted to rank the strength of opponents… you just had to look at the [Pegasus Hall of Fame]!
In the Pegasus Hall of Fame, the sculpture placed most forward, closest to the throne, belonged to Daiwa Scarlet.
That record of a five-length defeat was still discussed and widely known by Platinum fans all over Japan and the world even today.
Many overseas international G1s had even sent invitations to Daiwa Scarlet, asking the mysterious Crimson Queen to embark on an overseas campaign.
The sculptures behind Daiwa Scarlet's, even the second closest one, were all of defeats by margins of no less than ten lengths, often massive differences.
In this long-distance race, even an excellent Uma Musume like Kyprios lost by a whole twenty-seven lengths.
But if it was the legendary [Frankel], the supreme culmination of the Sea family and Britain, then perhaps she could achieve a result not inferior to Daiwa Scarlet!
If this conversation between these two devoted Platinum fans reached the Sea family, it would probably make Frankel see red.
A top-tier legend like her, having to strive for "not inferior to Daiwa Scarlet" or "surpassing Daiwa Scarlet"?
Frankel's target… was hunting the Pegasus!
--+--
In the back rows of the exhibition room.
A buxom crimson twin-tailed young woman sat with her arms crossed, watching the post-race coverage.
Other viewers around her couldn't help but occasionally voice their lament.
"Not as good as Daiwa Scarlet…"
"We still don't know how Daiwa Scarlet managed to lose by only five lengths?"
Daiwa Scarlet was getting used to it. Every time she watched a Platinum race, she'd inevitably hear such remarks.
She was even starting to feel like she wanted a race against Platinum herself, to see what kind of result she could achieve against the Pegasus's true strength.
At the very least… it wouldn't be five lengths again, right?
--+--
United States.
The black-haired young doctor had already settled into a beachside villa.
His luggage was unpacked and arranged in the room.
Just as Lin Anran looked at his phone, he saw a text message notification.
[Secretariat: Dr. Lin, Platinum's race is over, right?]
[Secretariat: When are you coming back?]
Come back?
He'd only just started his summer training camp.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.