"No matter how you look at it, four against one—the advantage is ours!"
"The Eclipse Stakes—we have to win!!"
The fierce golden-haired girl declared her resolution with unwavering intensity.
Her name as an Uma Musume was [Fame and Glory]! Just from the name, one could sense her relentless pursuit of glory.
If she could win against Platinum, the glory and achievements she would gain might even rival victories in historic races like the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes or the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!
Perhaps—they might even surpass them!
After all, the current Platinum was an undefeated existence throughout her entire career!
Platinum, hailed as the [Eclipse] and the [Silver White Pegasus], stood at such heights and achieved such brilliance that the entire world watched her in awe.
Accordingly, as the undefeated Platinum, among the many topics surrounding her, two hotly debated questions perpetually lingered:
[How long can Platinum's undefeated streak last?!]
[Just what kind of exceptional Uma Musume will be the one to end Platinum's unbeaten record?]
Fame and Glory wanted to defeat Platinum in tomorrow's Eclipse Stakes and claim that supreme glory.
Why did she believe defeating Platinum was the highest honor?
It certainly wasn't because she looked down on super monsters like Sea the Stars or Secretariat—but rather because...
Sea the Stars, in her debut race, finished fourth.
Secretariat, in her debut race, finished fourth.
There was a reason why a certain shady young doctor had packed up and fled overnight, mistakenly writing them off as small fry.
In contrast, Platinum had never lost—not in the truest sense!
Forget about replicating a fourth-place finish like Secretariat or Sea the Stars—she hadn't even suffered a loss, let alone a narrow or minor victory.
Even in the race she won by the smallest margin—her debut match against Daiwa Scarlet—Platinum had secured a victory by a full five lengths!
Those so-called five lengths might not seem like much for monsters like Platinum or Secretariat, but for any ordinary G1-level horse girl, winning by five lengths would be cause for ecstatic celebration!
And Platinum was the only one among those super monsters who remained undefeated!
To some extent, this highlighted Platinum's terrifying prowess—a monster with no obvious weaknesses whatsoever.
No tricks, just pure stats!!
So… the only way was to gang up on her, to try and defeat her through such underhanded means.
Anyway, four against one—the advantage lay with the Coolmore Group!
Since they couldn't match her stats, they had to resort to the lowest, dirtiest methods to bring down that dazzling silver-white Pegasus!
"There's no way we can win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes—it's packed with multiple conventional G1 champion Uma Musume. Not to mention super monsters like Harbinger and Platinum—there's no chance for us to win by ganging up."
"In comparison, the Eclipse Stakes, with its small number of participants and abandoned by many talents, is actually our best shot at defeating Platinum."
"Even if we're condemned for it, as long as we win, it'll all be worth it!"
Fame and Glory encouraged the companions in her group.
After all, this was Platinum we're talking about!
If Platinum were to lose, even if the defeat was highly controversial, it would inevitably become a hot topic of discussion for generations to come.
Just like the warriors of old, who won over twenty races but lost only one—an absurd race shrouded in scandal, where the starting signal caught them off guard.
And that infamous race, along with the debut races of Sea the Stars and Secretariat, are still talked about by countless people today, aren't they?
Those three "upset moments" were all debut races or low-level graded stakes with little historical significance, yet they became famous solely for being the first defeat of certain super Uma Musume.
And with Platinum's terrifying reputation spanning both turf and dirt, making her a sensation in two completely different racing worlds!
Now, imagine her suffering her first defeat in the world-renowned international G1 race commemorating the Eclipse!
The winner from their Coolmore Group would undoubtedly go down in history, forever remembered as the [Platinum Slayer]!
Even if victory came through underhanded means, it was still a [win]—better than timidly avoiding the challenge or suffering a crushing defeat.
And this was the conclusion reached by the Coolmore members behind them! This was what encouraged them to act!
Fame and Glory's words reinvigorated the three other companions around her.
"Yeah, you've got a point."
"We've already entered, paid those sky-high fees—it's too late to back out now."
"Alright, since it's come to this, let's go for it!"
The golden-haired Miss Fame and Glory gritted her teeth slightly, thinking to herself:
'Don't blame us for playing dirty—you're the one who's Platinum, after all!'
Eclipse! May you fall at the Eclipse Stakes!
--+--
Meanwhile, in the United States.
Lin Anran was slightly surprised as he bent down to unwrap a packaged delivery.
"Strange… why would anyone send me a package?"
"And it's so light—light enough that there can't be much inside."
What could possibly be so weightless, yet still worth shipping specifically to him?
Puzzled, Lin Anran picked up a small knife to open the package while his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.
Just as he fully opened the package…
[Flightline: Dr. Lin, did you get the package?]
[Flightline: I heard you haven't joined any hospital or school yet? Things are still the same as before, right?]
[Flightline: I've sent you the 'thing' you're familiar with—no time limit.]
[Flightline: No need to refuse. Your final treatment before you left… I never properly thanked you for it.]
As Lin Anran pulled out the contents, he found—a key.
Lin Anran had chosen not to join any particular Uma Musume Academy this time.
After all… the situation in the U.S. Uma Musume racing scene was completely different from Japan's.
In Japan, the vast majority of top contenders in central graded stakes races came from Tracen Academy.
So Lin Anran without hesitation chose to work as a school doctor stationed on campus. After building a reputation by treating the injured Tokai Teio and Agnes Tachyon, young Japanese Uma Musume would naturally come seeking his help.
Being a school doctor at Tracen Academy definitely had its advantages.
In contrast, the U.S. was just too big.
Even though the main races were held in a few different states, each state had at least one prestigious academy, if not several.
So there wasn't much need to specifically work as a school doctor here.
As for signing on as a doctor at a hospital… that wasn't necessary either.
In Lin Anran's view, it was better to open his own clinic. As long as he built a reputation, clients and Uma Musume would come to him.
This was evident from how, after his transformation into Margaret Nearl and publicly stating that "Platinum is under exclusive contract with my uncle," he received numerous treatment invitations the very same day—once people guessed the uncle's identity. It showed how quickly American elites acted!
So, opening a clinic like this was the most cost-effective choice—allowing him to take it easy, keep flexible hours, and still make money off American Uma Musume.
But before Lin Anran could decide where to set up his clinic, he received a text from Flightline!
After seeing the key and reading the text messages, Lin Anran seemed to recall something, his expression turning slightly complex as he held the key.
The final treatment for Flightline and the others…?
Over a year ago, when Lin Anran first arrived in the U.S. after crossing over, he planned to get to know the "small fry" first before connecting with more talented Uma Musume capable of winning G3 or even G2 graded stakes through Secretariat, Flightline, and Sunday Silence!
After looking after them, conducting physical examinations, and offering training advice…
Just as Lin Anran was about to open a clinic, he received a key from a young girl.
It was from—the seemingly frail, harmless [Flightline]!
She appeared to be the least promising Uma Musume, yet she was surprisingly generous, smiling gently and telling Lin Anran at the time not to worry about rent for the clinic.
And now, the key Flightline had sent was exactly the same as the one from before!
"Huh?"
Normally, during the year he was away, the vacant clinic should have been rented out to someone else.
But Flightline could still access the key and decide to give it to him—this probably wasn't just about covering the rent. It was likely that… the property belonged to Flightline's family? That's why she could freely access it.
If she were just covering the rent, how could she say "no time limit"?
"So, the clinic's location back then… was part of Flightline's family's property?"
Lin Anran understood everything in an instant.
Then, the shady young doctor's expression turned complex again.
In his stereotypical impression, he had also mistakenly viewed Flightline as an ordinary… small fry!
But from his current perspective, she was clearly no small fry either. However, his initial lack of attention towards her wasn't due to blindness.
While his judgment might have been a bit off when it came to other Uma Musume, his underestimation of Flightline couldn't be blamed on him.
It wasn't just Lin Anran—even within U.S. racing official circles, many people were skeptical and felt she wasn't worth investing too many promotional resources in.
That was because… Flightline wasn't an ordinary Uma Musume—she was an unlucky, "delicate" unfortunate soul!
To some extent, calling Flightline a sickly young miss wasn't an exaggeration at all.
Initially—
Before packing up and fleeing to Japan, Lin Anran had observed many training races among those American Uma Musume.
And the results of those training races were always the same: Secretariat came in first.
As for Flightline, she often secured second place.
But the key point was… every time she finished a training race, she needed to rest and couldn't participate in the next two or more sessions. Her recovery rate was visibly slower than that of battle-hardened monsters like Big Red or even Ruffian.
So, from Lin Anran's perspective, Flightline had the potential to approach Secretariat's level but couldn't sustain repeated races. After one race, she needed extended rest.
Therefore… she wasn't an Uma Musume who could bring in much prize money!
But since she could provide a space for his clinic and save him money, she was a good Uma Musume! Hence, the shady young doctor had often looked after the frail Flightline.
"Great, great. I never expected Flightline to be so generous."
Lin Anran immediately decided to accept it gladly.
After all, he had more than done right by those American Uma Musume back then.
For instance, just before he left for Japan, both Secretariat and Flightline got injured around the same time.
Secretariat had the misfortune of being bumped by an Uma Musume from the adjacent gate in her debut race.
And while Secretariat's injury was significant, Flightline's situation was equally remarkable.
Flightline had injured herself during training—overestimating her physical condition, she pushed too hard and got hurt, forcing her to delay her debut.
Theoretically, training injuries are common among Uma Musume.
But what was somewhat complicated was—Flightline's injury was on her hindquarters…
(Note: This injury is based on historical fact; the real-life injury was indeed in this area.)
Flightline had suffered a torn gluteal muscle, and the unfortunate injured girl was carefully treated by Lin Anran.
As for the treatment process…
The usually gentle and elegant sickly miss had lost her composure, her refined face flushing deeply, far from her usual calm demeanor.
After all, the sensitive location of the injury would inevitably make… a young girl full of dreams feel shy.
And the one treating her was the man she had interacted with the most since she began training and preparing for her debut—a young doctor whom she, along with Secretariat, Ruffian, and other companions, deeply admired.
However, the shady young doctor didn't care about any of that. As a cold blooded adult, his mind was only on long-term investment!
Though he enjoyed the view, making money was still the top priority!
And since there was no more money to be made in the U.S. for the time being—he had to go to Japan to complete the triple crown and improve his medical skills—he might as well maintain his professionalism as a doctor.
So, even in his final moments before leaving, Lin Anran calmly treated Secretariat and Flightline one after another.
And he did it for free, without charging a dime.
Lin Anran weighed the key in his hand, fully understanding everything now.
The American Uma Musume he had cared for and looked after back then had each proven themselves to be no small fry—they all had their own remarkable qualities!
And now—having returned to the U.S. not long ago, it seemed he had reached the moment of "reaping what he sowed" and "not coming back empty-handed"!!
The fishing of the past had finally yielded a delayed but tremendous return!
The only thing that still slightly puzzled Lin Anran was whether Secretariat, Flightline, Dahlia, Ruffian, and the others…
Were those American Uma Musume big fish… or were they… whales?!
"Never mind, no point overthinking it now."
"For now… I'll just rest up and then head over to check out the old clinic location."
--+--
A few hours later.
In front of a sealed-off house on a street.
A young, handsome black-haired doctor once again donned his familiar white coat and stood at the door, key in hand.
"Such a long-awaited and familiar place…"
Lin Anran had returned to the location of his very first clinic in the U.S., before he left for Japan!
He turned the key and pushed the door open.
The next second, as he took in the interior, Lin Anran's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh??"
"Wait, nothing's changed?"
The incredibly familiar clinic interior lay before Lin Anran's eyes.
How could it be that after he'd been away in Japan for a full year…
This place showed no signs of change? Not even much dust, as if someone had been regularly cleaning it, waiting for his return…
Everything was largely preserved exactly as it had been.
Obviously, that someone could only be the sickly miss Flightline, who had sent him the key.
"Such a familiar place…"
The black-haired Dr. Lin Anran, clad in his white coat, began to survey the clinic.
When his gaze fell on a certain spot—a photo frame on the desk—he finally noticed the first change.
"Hmm?"
Originally, Lin Anran had placed a group photo with the horse girls on the desk.
But now… that photo had been moved to a corner.
The central spot on the desk was now occupied by—a photo of just Lin Anran and a certain sickly miss.
Seeing this, Lin Anran couldn't help but laugh.
Then, he began reacquainting himself with the familiar clinic.
Since everything was exactly as he remembered, with only the photo on the desk slightly altered, it didn't take long for Lin Anran to settle back in comfortably.
"Alright, then…"
"Time for the first consultation and treatment since returning to the U.S.!"
Soon, Lin Anran picked up his phone and sent messages to the Uma Musume who had recently expressed interest in consultations and treatments.
Not long after—
[Sham: Dr. Lin can finally see me?!]
Seeing this first message, Lin Anran paused for a moment.
Wait, wasn't this about treatment? Why did it seem like Sham was more excited about [meeting] him than actually receiving treatment?
Was it just his imagination?
[Sham: Dr. Lin, I'm on my way!]
[Sham: My leg is in your hands!]
Lin Anran decided not to overthink it and sent the address to Sham.
After all, what could be more important than making money?
Once he treated Sham, this lucrative client, he could build his reputation and start earning money in the U.S.!
[Address sent!]
…
Before long.
Outside the clinic, footsteps could be heard—somewhat hurried and firm, yet also slow, as if aided by a crutch.
Finally, the reopened clinic welcomed its first [Uma Musume Patient]!
The fiercely proud Secretariat, who highly valued [agreements] and believed that Ruffian, Dahlia, and Sunday Silence would never dare to make a move behind her back, would never have dreamed…
That her defeated rival, Sham—whom she had injured to the point of fracturing—was not bound by any [agreement] and had taken the initiative to seek out Lin Anran!
In front of the clinic prepared by the sickly miss, Lin Anran welcomed, in a way, a patient "delivered" by Secretariat herself—Sham!
If either of them were to see this, they would likely struggle to stay calm and would surely shout—
—There's a traitor among us!!!
"Dr. Lin, I'm here."
--+--
The next day!
The day of the Eclipse Stakes!
Even the current Sea Family had temporarily paused their training.
Sea the Stars and Galileo, the famous sister duo and twin stars of Europe, were sitting in the car driven by their mother, Urban Sea.
"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised—why are there so many participants in this year's Eclipse Stakes?"
Galileo lowered her head, intrigued, as she looked at her phone.
On the screen was information about the [Eclipse Stakes].
There were… as many as [nine] participants!
What was particularly notable was that, aside from the currently-on-an-expidition Platinum, half of the remaining eight—four in total—were from the Coolmore Group!
The lazy chestnut-haired girl narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It's obvious, isn't it? They're scared."
"They're afraid of facing me and Platinum in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and they're terrified of Harbinger and Platinum in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes."
"So, with Platinum being the only top contender in the Eclipse Stakes, this is their best chance to win."
"Though that 'best chance'… probably only raises their odds from 0% to [0.1%]? Or maybe [0.01%]?"
Sea the Stars didn't mince words in her assessment.
The current Coolmore Group had no super monsters—each member was only qualified to compete in G1 races and might win in ordinary G1s at best.
Uma Musume racing isn't a team sport where more participants means a higher chance of winning.
What good are numbers when your opponent is Platinum, an Uma Musume capable of rivaling and battling her?
In Sea the Stars' view, this grand, collective challenge against Platinum was nothing short of… foolish! This isn't a team race—even if the entire field were Coolmore Uma Musume, it wouldn't matter.
"W-wow, that extreme?"
Galileo was taken aback.
0.1% and 0.01%… weren't those practically [impossible] odds?
Sea the Stars nodded immediately.
"She's no ordinary Uma Musume—she's an Uma Musume who won the Irregular Quadruple Crown, the one who sealed the title of Pegasus!"
The next second, the chestnut-haired Sea the Stars' eyes gleamed with intense authority.
"Aside from me, no one is worthy of challenging her one-on-one!"
Not even Europe's top elite group, Coolmore!
Unless… the Coolmore Uma Musume truly treated this as a team race and ganged up on Platinum!
But that kind of thing… surely wouldn't happen, right?
--+--
In the room.
The lazy silver-haired girl slipped on her tall boots and casually picked up the bow case on the desk.
Platinum stood up, the bow case strapped to her back.
"Mhm, let's go!"
As she took a step, Platinum seemed to remember something.
There was something she ought to check.
That's right—her personal data panel!
"Right, I should see how I've grown… after fully completing my honing."
Platinum patted her chest, which felt just as flat as always.
"Exactly which aspects have improved!"
The next moment…
The system panel materialized before her.
[True Name: Centaurea]
[Code Name: Platinum]
[Race: Kuranta · Pegasus]
…Huh, Pegasus?!!
--+--
T/N: No joke, I really think translating this novel made me not enjoy reading most of the other translated uma musume novels on this site that have overseas horses. Not cause their quality is bad, ofc, but cause of me translating THIS specific one... I just know so much foreign racehorse names that I didn't even need to know. Fuck my name perfectionist instincts. Like what would knowing of Fame and Glory do for me?!
--+--
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.