Her rest had been brief. There wasn't enough time to celebrate with the same grandeur that had come with her birthdays. Kincsem had to devote her time now to practice. Even though it wasn't advised to race continuously, there was no other way for her to enter the Derby if otherwise.
That's why she submitted herself late into the Temple Stakes. As the final entrant into this G2. If she was to win this race ahead of her in the next few days, she'd procure a spot into the Epsom Derby. It wasn't certain though, and thus she had to perform to the fullest degree. Not to win by a hair, or by a head, but by several lengths.
Even as her classmates and friends celebrated her first victory, she only thanked them lightly before continuing her practice. Going for hours on end, only to take rest for short stances of time and then to continue. Her body had acclimated to this training regiment.
Sprint drills were no longer enough. She had begun to lengthen her sessions, train her breathing, and strengthen her legs until they trembled beneath her. All to ensure she could perform at any distance. That meant wasting as little time as possible from procrastinating her duties. She wouldn't turn herself into a recluse though that devoted their lifetime to only training, it'd wear her down and break her.
However, what she'd inadvertently done for this, and for the future, was just that.
She was currently drinking from her water bottle, when Kalanisi had sat herself down besides Kincsem, waiting for her acknowledgement before giving a light greeting. Kalanisi was a senior to Kincsem, having enrolled in British Tracen a year or two prior.
They were both similar in how they presented themselves, and how they acted. Kalanisi carried herself with the composure of old nobility, every movement restrained and deliberate, and shown through the shades of cream and wine red that was in her clothing.
Her aura was one of grace, known within the academy as one that was dependable and someone to look up to. It was predicted that after her career was to end, she'd likely end up as a member of the student council. She sat for a short moment that had been extended.
"…Congrats on your win, Kincsem." voiced Kalanisi, whilst extending a handkerchief to her, as Kincsem took it to dry the sweat that had accumulated on her brows, before continuing to talk. "Why are you training so much anyways..? Hasn't it only been a day or two since your maiden race?"
Usually, wouldn't someone celebrate their victory? They'd feel some sort of satisfaction, and especially so when Kincsem had dominated the race track, by winning her maiden race with over ten lengths of distance between them. However, from what Kalanisi knew, she had not even given herself a cheat meal after returning from Windsor.
Kincsem rarely gave direct answers. She spoke like someone far older than the years she physically bore, with ideas and concepts that seemed too mature for herself. And she was someone with grand goals that Kalanisi couldn't see. In this small world, Kincsem's dream was something so grand that it made some people's entire careers insignificant.
As it all then clicked, before giving a light chuckle. "Ah- So that's it… You're aiming for the Derby, aren't you?~" Before shaking her head. She knew that Kincsem was spectacular, someone with talent that could probably reach the absurdity of that of legends. Perhaps further.
Yet wasn't it absurd that her third race, so soon after her Maiden, was to be the second leg of the British Triple crown. A race that was already mentioned to include both Sakhee and Sinndar? It wouldn't be just tough, it'd be a strenuous 12 furlongs.
Kincsem was currently unproven in doing distances longer than sprints, nonetheless, Kalanisi still trusted that she'd do well. She didn't exactly know as to why she trusted Kincsem, yet it was some sort of intuition. And she trusted that sixth sense of hers.
After some time, she had left the Hungarian young woman to herself, leaving to go back to her own training and tasks. Although, wasn't it just her, or did something seem different in Kincsem?
It was subtle, a difference that she wouldn't have noticed if she had no keen eye, but she did. She noticed that something felt weird, something minute. A sort of obsessive nature. One that she had seen rarely from those with desires. Kincsem wasn't driven by motivation, nor was it being disciplined.
What took over Kincsem was no longer motivation. It was obsession, the kind that blurred the lines of sanity and madness. And most of the time, that obsession was a double edged sword that wore them down, till eventually they would fall.
Talents, figures revered to have retired too soon, had fallen due to this obsessive nature to win. Both Dancing Brave and Shergar alike were known to each have retired too early into their career, not to injury, but to other reasons. Kalanisi, as a friend of Kincsem, didn't want to see her end up the same way as the other two.
However, what could she do? She could do nothing but watch, there was no way for her to drag a stubborn figure like her out of this. You could not steer a train from its tracks, you could only watch it continue on its way.
That was the essence of Kincsem. Someone who was too stubborn for her own good.