200 meters.
What kind of distance is 200 meters? It wasn't long, or short—on a track like this, even humans can dash it in under twenty seconds.
But for an Umamusume... it would be over in a blink. No need to elaborate how fast it is. Here's a clearer frame: when people talk about an Umamusume's final spurt, they often use "3F"—a 600-meter unit. One furlong is 200 meters, and a pro-level Umamusume can cover 1F in a little over ten seconds.
Let's pin it down.
So... the moment Admire Vega passed the 200-meter marker, everyone believed she'd taken the win.
Because there were only ten seconds left.
Sure, things had gotten messy in the middle—but she was Admire Vega.
In the stands, fans shook their heads and stopped entertaining the possibility of a loss. It was real—for the exact reason above: only 1F remained. Two hundred meters, even if you stretched it. What could happen in ten seconds? Garden Gale catching up? Don't be ridiculous. She'd already slowed down. And Rashomon Warrior and the pack behind couldn't catch up at all. This race was just a pure, overwhelming difference in strength!
Some people had even popped their champagne early.
Ten seconds.
Only ten seconds! Only 200 meters!!!
And in the next instant—Admire Vega would take another win—!!
She'd go into the Classic Triple Crown with a three-win streak!
Everyone thought there couldn't possibly be an upset...
And then the upset happened anyway.
Admire Vega's win...
In the span of a heartbeat... was simply gone.
...
Why?
Because that crooked Garden Gale ran—like a shooting star cutting bright across the track!
...She smashed through every obstacle in her way!!
Every last one!
Acceleration so violent you could see it with the naked eye—breaking through, tearing through... blowing everything apart. Whether it was her own limits, wind resistance, or anything else, it all fell away. Like this, Garden Gale displayed an acceleration with no ceiling. Even in the final phase, when every Umamusume was sprinting flat-out, she was the brightest star of them all!
You can't lump one person's sprint together with another's.
How do you even describe something this fast?
Here's one more comparison.
In some races, an Umamusume can pull off an overtake because her speed is different—extreme speed... an acceleration that still stands out even when everyone else is running at full power. It shines on the track, dazzlingly bright—something you understand the instant you see it.
Forget it.
No more fancy explanations.
One word sums it up—
Unyielding.
...
Ice.
If you had to describe Admire Vega's mood with the shortest possible word, it would be ice.
Bone-deep cold—nothing but bitter chill.
...Because she knew, too.
Garden Gale... was coming from the outside.
And Admire Vega suddenly realized something else.
Her eyes were no longer locked on the finish line—
she was watching Garden Gale behind her.
...
Even the commentator had thought Admire Vega would win.
"ADMIRE VEGA—WILL IT BE ADMIRE VEGA? WILL ADMIRE VEGA TAKE HOME THE WIN?!"
That was what he was saying.
But his eyes kept drifting, despite himself, to the name—Garden Gale, whose file his assistant had just handed over, whose ID photo was shockingly gorgeous. A sliver of regret seeped in...
He'd been hoping for an upset, for a rookie to stand out—but upsets weren't that easy.
Even if Garden Gale had performed brilliantly—honestly, you could even call it seasoned—Admire Vega was simply too strong.
If she kept this up, she might even contend for the Classic Triple Crown.
Still, a commentator was a commentator—he couldn't take any particular side.
After that brief regret, he adjusted her mindset, refocused on the track... ready to deliver a clean, beautiful call through the race's final moments.
But what he saw made his scalp go numb.
"—GARDEN GALE!?"
"HUH? HOW DID GARDEN GALE GET UP THERE!? IT DOESN'T MATTER! CAN GARDEN GALE BEAT ADMIRE VEGA? CAN SHE? THIS ACCELERATION—SHE'S TOO FAST! YOU CAN PRACTICALLY SEE AFTERIMAGES, SHE'S CLOSING IN BIT BY BIT, BUT! THE FINISH LINE IS RIGHT AHEAD—CAN SHE MAKE IT? CAN SHE MAKE IT?"
"CAN SHE MAKE IT!!!??????????"
"GARDEN GALE... GARDEN GALE IS GOING TO OVERTAKE HER!"
"IS ADMIRE VEGA GOING TO LOSE? EVEN SOMEONE LIKE HER COULDN'T WIN THE WAKAGOMA STAKES? OR WILL ADMIRE VEGA REFUSE TO LET ANYONE REEL HER IN SO EASILY?? FASTER—FASTER!"
"THE FINISH LINE IS GETTING CLOSER!"
"WHO'S GOING TO WIN—ADMIRE VEGA? OR GARDEN GALE? WILL THE ADMIRE VEGA KEEP HER WIN STREAK, OR IS THE ROOKIE'S BRILLIANCE TOO BRIGHT!?"
...
...
...
"IT'S GARDEN GALE! GARDEN GALE PASSES ADMIRE VEGA! SHE WON'T GIVE ADMIRE VEGA ANY CHANCE AT ALL, BECAUSE THE FINISH IS RIGHT THERE!"
"GARDEN GALE ENDS THE RACE! GARDEN GALE WINS THE RACE!"
"THE WINNER OF THE WAKAGOMA STAKES... IS A ROOKIE AND FROM HERE ON, THAT ROOKIE'S NAME WILL RING OUT!"
...
Just like that—using Air Shakur's acceleration, Garden Gale completed the overtake at the very end, leaving Admire Vega not even the tiniest opening. Because the instant she passed—she also crossed the finish line.
With an advantage anyone could understand, she—kicked up dust and flew, flawlessly—and took the win!
The promise was kept.
Thank goodness...
That was all Garden Gale thought.
She hadn't let Air Shakur down... Using her running style to beat Admire Vega—truly, truly, thank goodness! The feeling of winning, and the feeling of running... it was so good, so good. Like she was really, truly alive.