The Pegasus, Two Breeders' Cup Victories in a Single Day!
Platinum, a Perfect Finale by Fifty Lengths!
From Platinum, her retirement race that was destined to become a legend, even a myth, has now completely drawn to a close.
[I've never seen a Uma Musume like this, there's never been a Uma Musume like this!]
[The strongest turf sovereign in centuries, reigning over the Breeders' Cup!]
[A perfect finale achieved! Platinum has broken the Breeders' Cup Turf... no, she's broken the time record and the winning margin record for the entire 2400-meter turf course!]
[After this race, no one can doubt it in the slightest. The Pegasus Platinum is the strongest myth above Eclipse! Even if she challenged dirt races, she would undoubtedly qualify as a legendary figure recorded in history, one of the greatest of all time!]
[Let us offer the due praises for the conclusion of a miracle, for the departure of the strongest!]
The voice of the commentator was no longer something that could be described merely as excitement. She knew clearly that she, too, would be recorded in history because of this race.
Just like legendary Uma Musume such as Man o' War and Seabiscuit, their race recordings, especially their most classic career race or their retirement race, would be recorded in history and passed down forever.
No matter how many years pass, they will serve as textbooks, reference materials for junior Uma Musume, or as iconic races that awe new audiences, leaving them stunned.
And now, this final race from the Pegasus Platinum, that absolute victory by fifty lengths, is destined to be a classic. Simultaneously, it is her retirement race, combining both…
Platinum's influence, achievements, and record surpass all previous legends.
One can imagine just how widely circulated and deified this Breeders' Cup Turf will become!
As the commentator's voice faded once more, it was then unable to dominate the venue.
Because… in the vast spectator stands, the next moment erupted with earth-shaking, boiling cheers. Countless roaring sounds, tirelessly, resounded throughout the huge venue.
In the massive spectator stands, innumerable spectators erupted with countless voices of acknowledgment.
There were emotions of excitement, surprise, emotion, and more, all converging into words spoken in English, then Japanese, French, and other languages, all celebrating Platinum's unbelievable, staggering victory.
After this battle!
The Pegasus, long since having reached the top of the world, has now thoroughly carved her name into the history of dirt racing as well!
Not only did she surpass the former strongest, Eclipse, on turf, but she also possesses the potential to compete for the title of [Greatest Dirt Runner of All Time]!
"So strong, so dazzling. I've never seen a Uma Musume like this on the track. The name 'Pegasus' is truly deserved."
"Wow, so intense!!! Miss Platinum, by herself, has taken on the entire world!"
"No wonder she's crowned the Pegasus, the Eclipse... she's completely like the Pegasus from the myths I've heard of... no, even more radiant!"
"Platinum has insulted Galileo! Platinum is peerless under the heavens!"
"What an absolutely brilliant race. I finally understand why the turf Uma Musume fans next door all love Platinum so much."
"Indeed, this is what the world's number one, the strongest in history, should look like!"
From Platinum's [Last Dance], destined to shock countless future generations, it brought an unprecedented upheaval to the over 100,000 spectators present and the hundreds of millions watching the live broadcast.
At this moment, many spectators were filled with overwhelming surprise and emotion, gazing at the silver-white maiden beyond the finish line.
That silver-white Pegasus Knight, her exquisitely beautiful face showed no joy of victory—cold and sharp as a blade, like an unsheathed sword not yet returned to its scabbard.
That dashingly handsome figure stood beyond the finish line.
Even after giving her all to achieve that fifty-length victory, Platinum still showed no signs of the exhaustion of being completely spent; she didn't even seem tired!
As if for Platinum, whether it was 2400 meters or 4000 meters, it wasn't enough to push her body to its limit.
The proud stance of the Pegasus maiden, her elegant demeanor unchanged, was the focus of the close-up shot. Countless camera 'clicks'—the sound of shutters pressing—echoed around, instantly adding countless photos of this Pegasus retirement race.
Until, who knows how long later, the figure of the second-place finisher, the Uma Musume Galileo, the one closest to the winner, finally appeared on the big screen.
One can imagine just how absurdly far ahead Platinum was in this race. No wonder the spectator stands could hardly easily calm their fervent, massive response, and even the commentator's voice was easily drowned out by the near-oceanic roar of the crowd.
"What a shame, I only got to see her race for the first time at Platinum's retirement race. There won't be another chance."
"Being able to witness Miss Pegasus's retirement race with our own eyes is lucky enough. This is something that can be passed down as a legendary tale to future generations!"
"Wuuu... Miss Pegasus, don't go, don't go! I want to keep watching you."
"Wuu, is this really the Pegasus's final race? It's not enough, it's just not enough. I wanted to watch her for a lifetime."
"With what kind of resolve are you saying that? Could you bear the weight of Miss Platinum's destiny?!"
The fanatical Pegasus fans from Japan, the active Uma Musume Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black, excitedly raised their support boards high.
The content on the boards was precisely…
—[Miss Pegasus is Number One Under the Heavens!!]
—[Two Crowns in One Day, a Perfect Finale!]
Currently, they were both happy and sad.
"Wuu, Miss Platinum won! She achieved the perfect finale!"
"But... she's retiring now. We'll never see her figure on the track again!"
After the joy, Satono Diamond let out a soft wail of grief.
And before they knew it!
Many such devoted, fanatical Pegasus fans, their thoughts turning, were filled with regret, pity, and reluctance, sighing over Platinum's impending retirement.
From any perspective, once a Uma Musume announces her retirement, there's never been a case of seeing her shine on the track again.
After all... the last Dream Cup was a legend from a hundred years ago, an old story so ancient there are no recordings, only written records, once not even taken seriously.
And a Uma Musume's peak period is often short, at most three or four years.
Once they are away from the track for an extended period, and often require significant time for rehabilitation, many Uma Musume returning from injury find, after finishing rehab and returning to the track, that they can't return to their peak form.
So, once a Uma Musume voluntarily announces retirement, the possibility of return is almost nonexistent; it's a complete end to their career, never to be seen again!
What most of the audience couldn't possibly imagine at this moment was…
The Pegasus Platinum, having only participated in two dirt races in her entire career, already qualified to rank within the top twenty in American dirt racing history.
In other words—the strongest Pegasus on turf qualifies to participate in the neighboring dirt Dream Cup!
--+--
And within the front row seats.
There were numerous Uma Musume from the Sea Family, the Coolmore Group, and other famous American and European Uma Musume families, all dumbfounded, unable to hold back their discussions.
Sea the Stars, acting as the younger sister, was looking at Platinum's retreating back with an extremely grave expression.
"She's retiring just like that?"
"Retiring on such a perfectly extreme note, with two Breeders' Cup victories in one day, is enough."
"It's just... it's just hard on big sister."
Sea the Stars then shifted her gaze, choosing to look towards the vast Hall of the Pegasus ahead of the finish line.
The chestnut-haired girl's sharp eyes immediately found, among the more than twenty Uma Musume sculptures in the Hall of the Pegasus, [three] sculptures that were almost identical.
Those were of her sister, Galileo!
From the very first one at the front, which looked slightly immature in both aura and face—that was Galileo from her first UK Epsom Derby race, where she lost by merely eleven lengths.
Seeing this, Sea the Stars' expression suddenly became somewhat subtle, because she noticed that the expression on the sculpture of Galileo from the UK Epsom Derby period was filled with the utmost unwillingness and astonishment.
Clearly, Galileo, the favorite to win at the time, never expected to lose, and to lose to an unknown, second-rate little filly from the Japanese Uma Musume world at that.
And it was a massive defeat—a full eleven lengths!
So, even the normally confident and casual Galileo of that time was filled with the bitterness of a stunning upset.
By the time Galileo's second sculpture was erected, she had fully understood the Pegasus's strength, so the expression of defeat held less intensity of unwillingness compared to the previous time.
And now, this third time, as the second place finisher, the one closest to the Pegasus, ascending the Hall of the Pegasus again…
"Big sister this time... has no trace of unwillingness at all? Instead, it's the expression of a tragic heroine?"
Sea the Stars had spotted the key point!
Her sister, it was as if something had shattered within her.
Mute the crowd noise, and listen to the sound of Galileo's heart breaking!
But thinking about it, it made sense. The Pegasus Platinum wasn't retiring after her form declined towards the end of her career; instead, she was taking her final bow while at the absolute peak of it.
"Truly worthy of the Pegasus, daring to retire at her peak, when she's most in the spotlight."
"Most Uma Musume only retire when they've completely run out of opponents or their form declines. Platinum's determination is truly fearsome."
Platinum was indeed already invincible on turf, having long dominated the four major race distances, but she also possessed the innate gift of dirt compatibility.
If Platinum were willing to strive in dirt racing, she might have been able to compete with Secretariat, Man o' War, and even Nearl for the title of [Greatest Dirt Runner in History].
But instead, at this very Breeders' Cup, in front of countless dirt Uma Musume and dirt racing fans, after proving her dirt talent, she took her elegant bow, leaving a deep impression on countless dirt enthusiasts before retiring.
"Surely, just these two races alone are enough to make Platinum the [Phantom Strongest Dirt Runner], aren't they?"
"Retiring with such determination at this moment is truly terrifying."
The chestnut-haired girl Sea the Stars couldn't help but voice her own high praise.
Before this, after her defeat in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she had still held some desire for revenge.
But now...
Staring at her sister, Galileo, who had just lost by a staggering fifty lengths, Sea the Stars patted her own chest and inexplicably let out a sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness I didn't race.'
If she had entered this Breeders' Cup Turf herself, she surely would have surpassed her sister.
And then... lost by thirty or forty lengths, earning a second statue in the Hall of Fame right next to her sister's, tying the record for [Most Statues].
'That record... I'll let my sister have it!'
--+--
Elsewhere in the stands.
Fame and Glory from the Coolmore group, the same one who had once tried to box in Platinum only to fail, was also here watching the race.
For some reason, seeing Platinum achieve this earth-shattering victory by a full fifty lengths, she felt an inexplicable surge of excitement and joy well up inside her.
Logically, she should be the defeated underdog lurking in the shadows, filled with resentment and bitterness after her failed blockade, desperately wishing for the Pegasus to lose.
But... even she herself didn't understand why, Fame and Glory couldn't help but keep watching Platinum's races, even coming to the venue in person, anticipating Platinum winning ever more stunning victories.
She had completely let go of her failure to box Platinum in, along with that subtle, complex, and hard-to-explain emotion she once held.
After all, looking at Platinum's recent races—from the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to The Everest, the Queen Anne Stakes, and others—so-called world-class Uma Musume couldn't even qualify to enter the Hall of Fame as the second-place finisher, the closest loser to the Pegasus!
From Sea the Stars to Black Caviar, Frankel... those few who had entered the Hall of Fame were historical-level Uma Musume seen maybe once a decade, even legends brought to heel under the Pegasus's hooves.
In comparison, as a Coolmore Uma Musume like Fame and Glory, who might barely be considered world-class herself, achieving second place was already an immense glory!
With such a vast gap, emotions like envy of the Pegasus's strength or regret at not surpassing Platinum simply vanished. All that remained now was... the reverence of the weak for the strongest!
"The strongest in history, truly living up to the name."
"The Pegasus who dominated all four major turf distances—middle, long, short, and mile—even conquered dirt, casually replicating the legendary feat of racing twice in one day."
"And even... managed to win by fifty lengths, a victory as high as [half a hundred]!"
Fame and Glory couldn't stop her exclamation of awe.
"I actually... dared to try and box in a Pegasus like that?!"
--+--
Past the finish line.
Galileo, who had crossed the finish line quite a while after, stood there completely stunned.
Her mind was like a stuttering cinema screen, endlessly replaying one crucial fragment.
The content of that replay was... the moment she fell behind by an uncountably large number of lengths.
"H-how much did I lose by?"
She didn't even dare to contemplate the answer.
But she knew it was definitely over thirty lengths, an innumerable amount.
As the gap the Pegasus opened up in the final stretch grew larger and larger, Galileo had lost even the courage to look ahead at Platinum's back and calculate the distance.
So now, naturally, she couldn't estimate the exact margin of defeat.
The roaring, boiling sound from the spectator seats completely drowned out the commentator's voice, making it impossible for Galileo to hear the conclusion from there either.
The results board, recording the official margins, was right next to the finish line. A simple turn of her head was all it took to see it.
But now, the dark-haired beauty Galileo trembled slightly. She intended to turn and look at the specific data, but it was as if her body was frozen, lacking the strength to pivot.
The sheer magnitude of the gap had reached a point where even looking at how many lengths she'd lost by... required mustering courage.
"Hah—"
"Whatever. It's my last race anyway."
"It... it should be a bit more than my first two losses combined, right?"
Before this, Galileo had faced Platinum three times in total.
The first time was in the Epsom Derby, an upset loss by eleven lengths.
The second time was on the heavy track of the Japan Cup, a loss by a massive eighteen lengths.
The third time was the first race of the Dubai World Cup meeting, the Dubai Sheema Classic, where the Pegasus defeated the 'Heavy Track Devil' Montjeu, surpassing her by eleven lengths and surpassing Galileo by fifteen lengths.
Two second-place finishes, one third-place finish. That was Galileo's record against Platinum so far.
And now—!
Galileo turned her body completely, her eyes fixing on the results board.
The next second, her gaze went vacant, as if she'd pulled a max-potential Surtr in a gacha, only to find herself on a map with no valid deployment tiles.
"Huh?"
"Huh—?!!!"
A shrill, startled cry!
The usually steady, calm, almost nonchalant Galileo, who could remain composed even after huge-margin losses to Platinum, stared at the [50 Lengths] record and let out a sharp, involuntary shriek.
Shame, immense shame!
But what was even harder for her to accept...
Somewhere in those stands, Dr. Lin was definitely present, witnessing with his own eyes how she got utterly demolished by the Pegasus like this!!
Not the sum of the first two losses, but a ridiculous fifty lengths—more than the sum of all three of her previous losses against Platinum??
Facing the ultimate Pegasus in a race, a monster with triple acceleration, giving it her all but unable to win!
Darn it, isn't this reportable?
Why haven't the Three Goddesses banned Platinum's account yet?
Even someone as cool and detached as Galileo felt her cheeks flush bright red, her temperature rising in sheer embarrassment.
Behind Galileo, other Uma Musume who had finished later were crossing the line.
This group of young ladies from American racing elites also wore expressions of shock and bewilderment.
Having aimed to pull off an upset against the supposedly tired, double-crowning Pegasus in this highly anticipated Breeders' Cup Turf, suffering such a crushing defeat... how could they not feel utterly miserable?!
These American blue-blooded fillies were collectively stunned.
But up to now, right until her retirement, Platinum remained undefeated! Rightfully ascending to the pinnacle of the world!
—The unbeaten streak continues, the legend lives on!
--+--
And at the same time.
"Alright, it's finally time for us to head to the preparation area."
The tall, imposing, crimson-clad beauty rose to her feet like a true overlord.
While Platinum, Galileo, and the others had been on the track, the Uma Musume in the lounge, who were contestants for the final race—the Breeders' Cup Classic—naturally had to move from the lounge to the backstage to prepare for their entrance.
Secretariat's gaze lingered for a final moment on the lounge's large screen, on Platinum's proud figure.
Right up until she started walking away, Secretariat couldn't help but stare at the screen, her mind captivated by Platinum's performance across two consecutive G1 races.
"Truly magnificent."
"It would be such a pity not to face her."
"Fortunately, according to the rules of the Dream Cup—!"
Secretariat was already convinced that Platinum absolutely qualified for the Dream Cup.
That fifty-length domination in the later turf G1, even if only a small portion of that prowess carried over, was enough proof that if Platinum was willing to go all out, she could win by a much larger margin in a dirt mile race too.
Two dirt G1 wins were enough to place her within the top twenty in all of dirt racing history, granting her the chance to participate in the Dream Cup!
After her sigh of admiration and satisfaction, Secretariat suddenly seemed to remember something, her body freezing mid-motion.
"The rule of the Dream Cup is... the top twenty Uma Musume in dirt racing history will participate in their peak condition."
Secretariat's eyes darted back and forth between the image of Platinum on the screen and the golden-haired maiden standing beside her, holding a sword-lance—The Radiant Knight.
An incredible conjecture flashed through Secretariat's mind.
—Was it possible? That current Nearl and Platinum... weren't even at their peak yet?
A shocking hypothesis!
If Platinum and Nearl were to participate in the Dream Cup, then...
"So, could it be... their future selves who would appear?!"
--+--
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.