At the Racecourse, in the Stands
"That… start? Unbelievable."
A graceful, violet-haired girl—elegant as a noble lady—stared with disbelief toward the front of the pack, far on the outer track.
She was Mejiro McQueen, the undisputed reigning queen of long-distance races!
Over the century-long history of horse girl racing, many prestigious families dedicated to training elite racers had emerged. Among them, the Mejiro family stood at the very top.
Currently, the Mejiro name was at its peak, producing an endless stream of prodigious horse girls, rivaling even the Symboli family—the very lineage that had birthed the legendary "Monarch" Tokai Teio.
And within this elite dynasty, Mejiro McQueen was hailed as the strongest long-distance champion the Mejiro line had ever seen.
And rightfully so.
After all, even Tokai Teio herself had suffered a crushing defeat against McQueen in the recent G1 Spring Tenno Sho, cementing McQueen's title as the "Long-Distance Sovereign."
Yet now, this mighty, refined racer found herself slightly unsettled—just moments into this G3 race.
"Strange…"
Beside McQueen stood her sister, Mejiro Ardan, another exceptional horse girl from their family.
McQueen had actually invited Tokai Teio as well, but the recovering Emperor had chosen to focus on training, eager to regain her peak condition, and thus hadn't come to spectate.
Compared to the poised McQueen, Ardan was more reserved—yet even she wore a faint look of surprise.
"Her debut race… she had a terrible start."
"Could she really improve this much in just a week?"
The starting dash—the fundamental basics of any race.
A poor start meant losing the chance to secure an advantageous inner position, widening the gap right from the beginning.
A severe delay could mean falling behind by three, even five lengths—a disadvantage nearly impossible to overcome.
And in her last race, Platinum had been in the "severe" category. Had she not botched her start, shifting from a closer to a more forward position, she could've won by an even larger margin—maybe even a dominant victory!
That's why most horse girls trained relentlessly on their starts—no one wanted to lose the race before it even began.
But to go from "disastrously slow" to "flawless start" in just a week?
That… was too much of a reversal, wasn't it?
"Unless—"
The elegant McQueen's instincts tingled with an unusual sense of danger.
"She wasn't even serious during her debut against Daiwa Scarlet?"
…No way, right?
--+--
On the Turf, Far on the Outer Track
At the front of the pack, a lone silver-white figure blazed forward.
The reason the entire stadium was left speechless?
She—despite starting from the outer gate, the worst position for securing the inner track—was not only keeping up with the frontrunners but was outpacing them, rapidly closing in on the ideal racing line.
"Guh… How did she get such a fast start this time?!"
"Not just the start—she's already stealing the inner track?!"
"Is Platinum really a rookie who debuted just a week ago?!"
Among the racers who, like Platinum, had drawn the unfavorable outer gates, two or three others had also attempted bold charges—but none dared maintain such momentum.
Because in professional racing, diagonal interference—cutting off other racers—was strictly prohibited. Violations could lead to penalties, disqualification, even suspensions.
That meant they couldn't recklessly shift inward unless they had completely outpaced their rivals, leaving no risk of obstruction.
So, only two choices remained:
Either pull off a flawless start, accelerate with overwhelming speed to create enough distance, then safely shift inward—
Or hang back, wait for the pack to settle, then move inward from behind—a disastrous option for those who weren't natural closers.
The first method was clearly superior—but far more difficult. It demanded perfect execution, immense physical prowess, and nerves of steel.
And yet, Platinum—who most had expected to struggle even more than in her debut—now blazed ahead, leaving the entire field in shock.
In just seconds, her performance had rewritten expectations.
Even the announcer's voice trembled with disbelief.
[How is this possible?! Just one week after her debut, Platinum's start is this perfect?!]
[To go from dead last to outpacing veterans in the blink of an eye—what kind of monstrous growth is this?!]
[Without a doubt, the Silver Pegasus has descended! More flawless than ever!]
[Right now, she's leading the pack, trailing only the two frontrunners on the innermost track!]
--+--
On the grass, kicking up streaks of turf, Platinum—who had started from the outermost gate—now raced at the forefront of the pack.
Around her, five or six other frontrunners were already sweating bullets.
They had planned to teach this "Pegasus" rookie a lesson in humility—
Yet now, this newcomer was outperforming every veteran on the field?!
Not only that, but among the frontrunners, Platinum was pulling ahead.
The race hadn't even reached the halfway point, and she was already threatening to overtake the leaders.
Was she trying to lead the entire race from start to finish—?!
Some of the frontrunners gritted their teeth, cold sweat dripping, the pressure mounting.
"What kind of insane training did she go through?!"
"Useless! If she doesn't mess up her start, we've got no chance!"
"Relax, Platinum only had a week off—this is her first 2000-meter race. She has to burn out later!"
"Who dares to lead from the outer track?!"
Some were stunned, some wailed in despair, while others remained calm.
But as for the Pegasus herself—
Beneath her seemingly indifferent expression, she was just…
'Huh. This is going smoothly.'
Contrary to everyone's wild imaginations of grueling training, meticulous preparation, and hellish drills—
The truth was far simpler.
After trying the closer strategy last time, the lazy, work-averse Pegasus had decided to switch things up this race.
Her goal? Find the easiest, most effortless running style possible.
So she chose frontrunning—and ended up shocking the entire audience with her speed.
As for why she had accidentally ended up leading the pack?
Simple.
Platinum didn't understand pacing.
She was just running too fast—so fast that she'd unknowingly slipped into a lead-from-the-front strategy.
The Pegasus—
—had just begun her very first all-out runaway dash!
--+--
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.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.