Victory and defeat were common matters on the battlefield—especially when this was not the Kentucky Derby's final result, but merely a contest over position in mid-race, still far from the decisive blow of the stretch run.
Even so, Risen Star was unwilling to accept it.
She adjusted her breathing, preparing to try again.
But just as her emotions surged, her eyes flicked toward her right rear—and she suddenly calmed down.
Xingyun Liuge had changed pace midway. Her objective had already been achieved, so why keep fighting for the lead? If Xingyun Liuge dropped back into second, conserved her stamina, and then unleashed that astonishing finishing kick again in the homestretch, wouldn't all of Risen Star's efforts have been wasted?
So she absolutely could not do that. What she truly needed to do now was keep applying pressure, force Xingyun Liuge to stay on edge, and at the same time watch Winning Colors behind her in case that girl suddenly turned assassin...
And just as that thought crossed her mind, the situation on the track changed yet again.
The commentator had just finished lamenting Risen Star's failed attempt to seize position and praising Xingyun Liuge's superb judgment and explosive acceleration, when he suddenly cried out,
"Forty Niner! Running in fifth, Forty Niner is making her move! She's broken out of the forward pack and is charging straight at Xingyun Liuge, who still holds the lead!"
What in the world was going on? Why were the girls taking turns accelerating and scrambling for a front-running position that ought to be utterly tasteless in conditions like these?
This was a bad track, after all!
On a merely yielding dirt track, where the footing still let horse girls really put power down, the lead had real value and was worth fighting over. But this surface was practically a bog. Fighting for the front here just meant burning stamina for no good reason.
The optimal play should have been to exploit the fact that Xingyun Liuge could not possibly open a meaningful gap in this mudbath, conserve energy, and pin everything on overturning the race in the final stages.
Were they accelerating just to pressure the girl in front, reshuffle the order a little, and see whether there was a chance to disrupt Xingyun Liuge?
The commentator's guess was partly right—but his emphasis was completely off.
Forty Niner's reason for making her move now was simple: she wanted to put pressure on Xingyun Liuge. After watching Risen Star's earlier chase, she had sharply realized that this was the perfect chance to further disrupt Xingyun Liuge's rhythm and sap more of her stamina.
How many times could a horse girl realistically change gears in a race? The industry had never reached a firm conclusion, but everyone knew one thing: rhythm mattered enormously. Every shift in tempo created a definite drain on both stamina and mental focus.
That alone might not determine victory or defeat, but it could absolutely tip the balance. And once the scales started to tilt, that momentum was almost impossible to stop.
Whether it was because she simply craved victory, or because she refused to let this foreign horse girl steal a triumph that should belong to America's own, breaking Xingyun Liuge's rhythm was something that had to be done.
What Forty Niner wanted was victory.
As a horse girl who had already captured two GI wins the previous year, and who had entered her Classic season with the Triple Crown in her sights, she wanted that victory desperately. Even if the opponent was Secretariat's "masterpiece," even if it was Xingyun Liuge—the girl who had already taken the 2000 Guineas and seemed to possess terrifying stamina and an absurd finishing kick—Forty Niner would still bare her blade without hesitation.
When rivals met on a narrow road, the braver one won.
These races might always field a dozen or even twenty girls at a time, but there could only ever be one winner. There was no place better suited to drawing steel and facing one another head-on.
Forty Niner's eyes nearly seemed to ignite. No—not just her eyes. Her entire body was radiating a blazing will to fight, and that fighting spirit itself took on an orange-red glow, as though flames were rising off her.
A clear, scorching pressure swept toward the girl ahead of her.
"Well, that's unexpected."
Xingyun Liuge licked her dry lips. She knew Forty Niner was one of America's strong contenders this generation, but she had not expected her to command a power like this—especially when the girl had shown nothing of the sort during training.
So she had been hiding her hand back then too.
Honestly, what a nuisance. This was America's home turf, and every last one of them seemed determined to bully her, this poor frail little outsider. She only wanted to lead all the way home and embrace victory. Was there really a need to gang up on her like this?
But though those were her thoughts, and though she framed them as complaints, there was not even the faintest trace of anger on Xingyun Liuge's face.
If anything, the corner of her mouth lifted.
That expression made it plain: this was exactly what made racing fun.
A victory that came too easily meant nothing. The real thrill lay in driving her opponents to the brink, forcing them to bare every hidden card they had—and then crushing them anyway.
Only that kind of win could truly be called exhilarating.
With that thought, Xingyun Liuge drew a slow breath.
The feeling of scorching heat crashed down on her, but she only gritted her teeth, and the smile on her face gained a touch of madness.
"Forty Niner! Forty Niner sweeps to the outside! She's passed Winning Colors, and then Risen Star too! Forty Niner, the horse girl who's suddenly exploded in the middle stages—is she about to seize the lead?"
"She's closed to within half a length of Xingyun Liuge!"
At that instant, the crowd erupted in a roar like mountains collapsing and seas overturning—louder even than when Risen Star had chased Xingyun Liuge earlier.
It was simple enough. Risen Star was Secretariat's masterpiece. Expectations had been piled on her from the very beginning. If she won, it wouldn't feel extraordinary; it would only feel natural—unless she crushed American racing outright.
But Forty Niner was different.
She was only the third favorite. If she could overturn both the first and second favorites, then the grandstands would explode into true ecstasy.
At that same moment, Risen Star and Winning Colors both widened their eyes and nearly held their breath.
Could it be that what Risen Star had failed to achieve—Forty Niner was about to do?
"Hmph."
Xingyun Liuge let out a soft snort.
"You may go this far," she murmured, "but no farther."
Forty Niner shuddered.
She hadn't seen Xingyun Liuge's face, nor could she tell what expression the girl wore. She couldn't even say whether those words had truly been spoken, or whether they were just something her mind had conjured.
What she could feel, unmistakably, was the savage, violent force that suddenly burst from Xingyun Liuge's body.
Ultimate Spellbook — Maximum Dosage:
Xingyun Liuge immediately restores 20% of the stamina she has already spent.
After that, she regenerates 7% of her maximum stamina every second and gains an additional 15% acceleration bonus for 10 seconds.
"Kh—ugh!"
That half-length gap became an impassable chasm. Forty Niner nearly lost her footing under the impact of that suddenly surging aura.
"The second turn is just ahead," Xingyun Liuge said lightly. "Are you ready?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
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