"Second place, Satono Crown, crossing the finish line by 3 Lengths."
"Third place, Royal Cruze, crossing the finish line by half a Length."
The cheers for Smart Falcon had not even died down when Satono Crown crossed the finish line, and only scattered applause broke out.
Although Hakodate Racecourse is not very large, this sparse applause did not create much of a stir.
A crushing victory.
This was a complete and utter crushing defeat.
This disparity in strength was a devastating blow to Satono Diamond's father.
He even felt dizzy, utterly unable to believe the outcome.
Before the match, Satono Diamond's father had considered many scenarios, but the option of losing was the only one that flashed through his mind and was immediately dismissed.
Satono Crown lost?
How could that be?!
Now, an even crueler and more brutal reality confronted Satono Diamond's father, leaving the family patriarch momentarily speechless.
They lost.
Not only did they lose.
They lost by a large margin.
And they lost after Smart Falcon started 14 Lengths behind.
Satono Diamond's father slumped in his chair, watching Smart Falcon, already at the edge of the stands, happily wiping away tears from the eyes of her TCB teammates and many spectators who had instantly been won over and captivated by her charm. Suddenly, he felt that Sakura Baimu's gaze behind him was terrifyingly sharp.
Smart Falcon's lack of confidence was absolutely genuine; before the race, she was so nervous that she did not even hear the starting signal.
But as the race progressed, Smart Falcon's performance clearly improved, and her emotions and confidence rose accordingly.
Since Sakura Baimu dared to accept the bet, it meant she had already recognized that Smart Falcon was well suited for running on the Dirt track.
Not just suitable, but extremely suitable; one could even say Smart Falcon was practically born for Dirt racing.
Satono Diamond's father felt that even legends like Oguri Cap, who had previously shone brightly domestically, and Condor, who, like Satono Crown, had returned from abroad and achieved impressive results both domestically and internationally, might not have been as adaptable to the Dirt track as Smart Falcon.
Sakura Baimu's ability to discover the talent of a seemingly unremarkable Umamusume among countless elites in the vast Tracen Academy was proof enough of her keen eye.
Furthermore, Sakura Baimu completely bolstered the confidence of the newly recruited, insecure Umamusume with just one match.
The more Satono Diamond's father thought about it, the more he felt he had underestimated the seemingly young Sakura Baimu's abilities as a trainer.
"Truly worthy of being the youngest genius trainer... I didn't believe what Pace Symboli Rudolf said..."
Satono Diamond's father suddenly felt a pang of regret.
"But it seems it's not too late. Since Sakura Baimu truly possesses such abilities, we must bring Crown into her team..."
Satono Diamond's father pondered these thoughts, suddenly becoming incredibly troubled.
Satono Crown had already lost, so it seemed the only option was to swallow his pride and beg to have her join TCB...
Halfway through his thoughts, Satono Diamond's father suddenly froze.
"Ms. Sakura doesn't seem to be here today...?"
--
Inside the arena, the black-haired Satono Crown stared blankly at the scoreboard, at the glaringly obvious words "Large Loss" and "Record," and suddenly felt her life turn bleak.
Losing the match was not so bad.
The key was that she felt the gap in skill between herself and Smart Falcon was too vast.
Being defeated by a large margin after leading by a large margin was a truly unpleasant feeling.
Satono Crown looked blankly at the audience around her, who had been cheering her on and were now chanting Smart Falcon's name over and over again. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as if needles were piercing it.
Suddenly, her nose stung, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Satono Crown tried to wipe them away, but found the tears flowed like a burst dam, unstoppable.
Not only did they flow uncontrollably, but they surged even more fiercely.
Coming from a prestigious family, she had studied abroad alone, making her far more mature and resilient than other Umamusume in her age.
But even this mature mind, when it finally crumbled, was far more intense than an ordinary Umamusume's.
Satono Diamond was celebrating Smart Falcon's resounding victory with her teammates when suddenly her ear twitched. She looked up and saw Satono Crown, her hands covering her face, her shoulders trembling.
Satono Diamond was startled. She had been so happy for Smart Falcon that she had forgotten Satono Crown had lost the match. She quickly called out.
"Crown-chan!"
At Satono Diamond's voice, her teammates all looked toward Satono Crown.
Upon seeing the sobbing Satono Crown, the TCB Umamusumes were all shocked.
Satono Diamond's father deserved it, but ultimately, it was Satono Crown who bore the brunt of the consequences.
Smart Falcon was the first to react. She quickly ran to Satono Crown, gently patting her back.
"Your name is Crown-chan, right?" Smart Falcon spoke softly.
"Leave me alone…" Satono Crown looked up at Smart Falcon, then turned away, her voice hoarse as she continued to sob.
"Father will definitely scold me when he gets back."
"Uh, Crown-chan is actually quite amazing. Falco was originally a high school student, so she had several more years of training than you."
"Huh? Is that so? Falcon-senpai is in the high school class?" Satono Crown's sobbing suddenly stopped, and she looked up, her eyes filled with tears.
"Yes… like Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower, Falco is in the high school division."
"Then why did Father make me compete against an Umamusume from the high school division? Doesn't Father know that Falco-senpai is…"
"Uh, your father probably knows."
Smart Falcon was a little embarrassed. "Trainer specifically mentioned that Falco is an Umamusume from the high school division, but your father insisted that you compete against Falco…"
"Besides, Falco originally signed up for the G3 competition, but it was changed to the OP-level competition because of your father… So Crown-chan, don't be sad. Your results this time were also excellent."
Satono Crown stared blankly at Smart Falcon.
After a long while, she roared angrily.
"What is Father doing?!"