"Miss McQueen is very fierce. From the very beginning of this race, she adopted a leading (escapeげ) style."
Satono Diamond, watching from the side, stared with admiration at the elegant grey-haired figure running in the lead.
"It seems Miss McQueen knows about Miss Teio's powerful Last Spurt at the end of a race, so she wants to dominate the pace from start to finish and disrupt Miss Teio's own rhythm."
Kitasan Black watched the two who had already rounded the third curve and were heading towards the fourth, her eyes also sparkling with brilliant light.
"But it seems Miss Teio hasn't been affected by McQueen at all. She's been following right behind Miss McQueen and hasn't been left behind," Kitasan Black said with a smile.
"What if she hasn't been left behind? She'll definitely be led all the way to the finish anyway," Satono Diamond retorted, not convinced.
"Miss Teio hasn't even started her Last Spurt yet!" Kitasan Black also sounded a bit unconvinced.
Whenever the strength of Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen was discussed, these two close friends would always argue for a long time.
However, no sooner had Kitasan Black finished speaking than Mejiro McQueen, who had just entered the final curve, the fourth curve, momentarily froze, then her speed suddenly increased.
Mejiro McQueen burst out with a speed even more exaggerated than when she was leading earlier.
Whether it was an illusion or not, everyone seemed to see a subtle white airflow flowing along Mejiro McQueen's graceful figure towards her tail.
Three lengths, four lengths, five lengths.
The distance between Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio was further widened.
Tokai Teio was only halfway through the fourth curve, but Mejiro McQueen had already stepped onto the Final Straight's turf ahead of her.
"Wow!!"
Many newly enrolled Horse Girl newcomers exclaimed again.
Mejiro McQueen's initial leading speed had already left them somewhat out of reach, but they hadn't expected that Mejiro McQueen could still accelerate.
And the acceleration was so significant.
"Go, Miss McQueen!!"
Satono Diamond was incredibly excited, cupping her hands like a megaphone, cheering for Mejiro McQueen.
"Is this it? As expected, McQueen, known as the strongest Horse Girl of this year, is superior..."
A few older students observing, seeing Tokai Teio still being continuously left behind, shook their heads with sighs.
However, their words were cut short, as if someone had choked them, and they couldn't utter the rest of what they wanted to say.
Because they saw that the moment Tokai Teio's feet touched the Final Straight, she also began to make her move.
She stomped her right foot heavily forward, her entire body leaning slightly forward in a pre-emptive posture. When her left foot also stomped heavily on the grass with the same force, her right foot drove the muscles of her entire leg, springing out like a coiled spring.
At this moment, everyone saw.
The grass that Tokai Teio had just heavily stepped on was completely devoid of any green turf, leaving only a clear, distinct mud pit.
Five lengths, four lengths, three lengths.
Half a length!
In less than three seconds, Tokai Teio had closed the gap between her and Mejiro McQueen to zero, starting to run neck and neck with Mejiro McQueen.
"Oh oh oh oh!"
This time, even the older students let out gasps of surprise.
Although they had felt incredibly nervous when they first saw the gap between Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen widen.
However, the older students, who were already extremely familiar with these two, also clearly remembered.
Tokai Teio's Last Spurt always began when her feet touched the Final Straight.
"No matter how many times I see it, Teio's Last Spurt on the Final Straight is always so delightful to watch."
Kitasan Black excitedly shook Satono Diamond's shoulder beside her, cheering loudly.
"Miss McQueen..."
Satono Diamond at this moment had clearly lost her composure. She stared intently at Mejiro McQueen's figure, praying for Mejiro McQueen in her heart.
Seeing Tokai Teio catching up, Mejiro McQueen further increased her speed, but this time, she could no longer widen the gap between herself and Tokai Teio.
"Sorry, McQueen."
Tokai Teio grinned, leaning forward again, her calves driving her thighs, once again kicking up a patch of grass mixed with mud and sand.
Crossing the finish line!
Tokai Teio unleashed a fierce Last Spurt just before the finish line, instantly surpassing Mejiro McQueen and taking first place.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
Again, a chorus of exclamations rang out.
Everyone gazed intently at Tokai Teio, who had defeated Mejiro McQueen, already hailed as the strongest Horse Girl of her generation.
Mejiro McQueen, who had been undefeated since her second Spring Tenno Sho.
Mejiro McQueen, who had once broken the undefeated record of the Triple Crown Horse Girl Tokai Teio, had her own undefeated streak broken here, by Tokai Teio.
"See?"
Symboli Rudolf turned to Maruzensky, who was watching Tokai Teio with a hint of amusement in her eyes, and said with a light chuckle.
"It's a bit of a surprise. We've seen yet another Horse Girl who breaks convention."
Maruzensky pursed her lips and smiled softly, then looked at Symboli Rudolf.
"Rudolph, do you think Rice Shower from the Spring Tenno Sho could surpass Teio as she is now?"
"No."
Rudolph gently shook her head.
"All of Rice Shower's outstanding races so far have been long-distance races. In a 2000-meter middle-distance race, she is no match for Teio. Not to mention, even with her domain activated, she still lost to McQueen."
"This is the third one, isn't it? An Horse Girl who hasn't entered a domain but has shown strength exceeding that of Domain Uma Musume," Maruzensky said. "Speaking of which, the first two miracles both happened at the Spring Tenno Sho."
"Don't forget, the one before McQueen was also from the Mejiro Family," Symboli Rudolf reminded her.
"That's true. Only the Mejiro Family would have such an obsession with the Spring Tenno Sho. Truly a prestigious family," Maruzensky sighed. "Teio and McQueen still have a long way to go in the future. It's just the one from the Mejiro Family back then who is a bit of a pity."
"As the first to break convention, the outcome is often not so satisfying," Symboli Rudolf also said with some regret.
"When that Mejiro Family Horse Girl participated in the Spring Tenno Sho, it was her first G1-grade race, wasn't it? Why did she choose to participate in such a high-difficulty G1 race from the start?" Maruzensky was a bit puzzled.
The Spring Tenno Sho is the longest of all G1 races; its 3200-meter distance alone is enough to deter countless Horse Girl.
"Who knows? But she was an unexpected dark horse."
"Participating in a G1 race for the first time, she had a huge gap in race experience compared to the current Teio and McQueen, which made it even more surprising."
"Heaven envies talent, which is why it's such a pity."
"By the way…"
Maruzensky changed the subject, deciding to shift the somewhat somber mood.
"Rudolph, you don't seem as confident as you initially claimed. I clearly saw you clutching your sleeves nervously when Mejiro McQueen accelerated on the final curve."
Symboli Rudolf, having her little secret exposed, didn't seem to mind much. She just shook her head and said nothing.
"Tokai Teio… Among Horse Girl of the same generation, someone actually managed to defeat this Mejiro McQueen. Mejiro McQueen's miracle of defeating a Domain Uma Musume was once again defeated by an Horse Girl who isn't 'from here.' How interesting…"
Maruzensky stared at Tokai Teio in the arena, who was excitedly raising her hands to the cheering crowd, and said with great interest.
"But…"
Maruzensky's tone shifted.
"Rudolph, you also said that an Horse Girl who creates an era will definitely enter this domain. The emergence of Teio and McQueen broke this convention, but they also reached a bottleneck. To create an era, one must break through oneself. Is it truly a good thing to be so strong that you have no rivals among your peers?"
"Heh heh, I did say that, yes."
Symboli Rudolf stared at the two who had clearly become the focus of attention in the arena.
"However, some people, even if they were 'from here' from the very beginning, have never used a 'domain' in a race. From this, it seems that it's not necessarily an Horse Girl who has entered a domain who can forge a legend."
"After all, I haven't encountered an opponent worth giving my all against so far."
Maruzensky squinted and smiled.
"Honestly, I'm a bit curious. How did she do it? Simultaneously nurturing two Horse Girl who are not 'from here' but can defeat those who are 'from here'?"