For this sprint race, Platinum wasn't about to take things lightly.
After all, etched into the DNA within this silver-white maiden's body was that of an assassin, a killer. While it amplified her instinct to slack off... it also came with a necessary dose of caution when the situation demanded it.
How else could she have been the Knight-Killer, the Platinum of the Armorless Union?
While she was being cautious, many of Australia's own distinguished young ladies were being even more cautious than her, terrified of being defeated by a certain world champion attempting the sprint distance for the very first time!
This [The Everest] was itself one of the top two international Grade 1 sprints.
It was a pinnacle event that even the elite horse girl training circuits of European turf had to acknowledge, one that occasionally attracted challengers from renowned European families.
And that wasn't even considering the fact that this year featured supernovae like [Winx] and [Black Caviar]! By all accounts, they were among the very best in the entire history of the not-so-popular sprint distance.
If she could defeat both those sprint empresses in a single battle! Capturing twin crowns in one fell swoop!
Then, based on this Everest result alone, she would likely secure a place among the ranks of the 'Strongest Sprint Uma Musume,' celebrated both today and for generations to come.
But if she lost... that astronomically high entry fee would be completely wasted!
That was absolutely unacceptable to Platinum.
So, lazy as she was, watching the news of Secretariat's disastrous defeat sent a jolt through her heart. She had no desire to replicate that Big Red Monster's fate.
That [Three-Day Instructional Training.MP4]...
After careful consideration, Platinum made her decision.
Better to start some pre-race training, just like Nearl, and be cautious. Better to consult with that 'other self' of hers.
This Platinum was incredibly strong, yet excessively cautious!
And so, fearful of wasting her entry fee, Platinum made an exceptionally rare move and headed towards the training grounds.
In Sydney, Australia, the local organizing committee for [The Everest] was positively jubilant.
Its high-ranking members were gathered in a conference room, faces alight with excited smiles, holding an immensely important and unprecedented meeting.
The topic of their discussion was the upcoming [The Everest], and [Platinum]!
Unbeknownst to Platinum, her decision to race abroad had sent massive shockwaves through the Australian racing scene.
Many senior members were beaming, looking at the skyrocketing data on their computers and reports.
Ticket sales, the number of international TV networks buying broadcast rights, the number of sprint Uma Musume willing to compete in The Everest—every metric was shattering records, far surpassing any previous edition.
Since its inception, [The Everest] had been designed to rival, even surpass, the [Melbourne Cup]. It too had hit a bottleneck, finding it difficult to overtake its rival.
But now, even before the race, the sheer buzz around The Everest had already surpassed any recent Melbourne Cup! Achieving an almost impossible reversal in one stroke.
And the reason for this seismic shift, as everyone in the organizing committee well knew, was solely due to the Pegasus Platinum.
They knew that even Winx and Black Caviar, despite their considerable talent and international fame, could never have accomplished this.
After all, even if the Australian authorities were willing to heavily invest in them, and their results and abilities were top-notch, the [sprint] distance was still the least popular of the four major racing categories, so they had already hit a ceiling.
Based on research and assessments by racing authorities worldwide, that ceiling was considered virtually unbreakable; the upper limit was right there.
Audience appeal and the spectacle of the races had pretty much peaked.
Unless... an Uma Musume appeared who could attract viewers who normally followed other distances and had no interest in sprints, making them watch specifically for her.
Common sense said finding such an Uma Musume was nearly impossible.
One with that level of influence couldn't possibly be an ordinary world-class Uma Musume; not even a once-in-a-decade historical-level talent might manage it.
And above world-class were those so renowned that even huge prize money couldn't guarantee their appearance. Uma Musume of that stature cared more about their legacy than earning a bit more prize money.
Take the Dubai World Cup, for example. Its prize money was no less impressive than The Everest's, and it was run over the classic dirt distance favored by American Uma Musume. Yet, over so many runnings... it typically attracted only regular world-class competitors.
The arrival of Dubai Millennium, that powerhouse who excelled on both turf and dirt, had been a godsend for the Dubai organizers, a rare participant they'd managed to attract with huge sums over many editions.
In comparison, the Dubai World Cup was at least a classic distance. Australia's The Everest wasn't just non-classic... it was about as niche as you could get!
Yet, who would have thought that the legendary Pegasus Platinum, the one who had even defeated Dubai Millennium across racing surfaces, would be willing to come and challenge The Everest?!
Thus, Platinum descended like a cavalry from heaven, bestowing immense hope upon the senior officials in charge of The Everest!
"She's truly a legendary Pegasus. Her popularity is an eye-opener."
"Even if you combined the popularity of Black Caviar and Winx, it probably wouldn't amount to half of Platinum's worldwide, would it?"
"A dominant force, even an undefeated sprint champion confined to one region, could never compare in popularity to a top-tier champion like Platinum who campaigns across the classic distances internationally."
"With this kind of challenge, Platinum clearly isn't content with just being a legend; she wants to surpass Eclipse herself!"
Originally, many of these senior members would have preferred to support their local Australian Uma Musume.
But now... collectively, they were acting like devoted Platinum fans, singing her praises.
There was no doubt that the news of Platinum confirming her participation in the Australian GI sprint would cause a stir not just in the US and Japanese Uma Musume circles, but across the world.
Not continuing her campaign in Europe, nor returning to Japan, but... expanding her scope, taking on new distances, new challenges!
It's worth noting that even these European and American elite Uma Musume didn't speak of their Australian counterparts with arrogance.
In terms of sprint development, Australia was truly among the best in the world! The difficulty of racing abroad there was arguably even greater than challenging the Dubai World Cup.
For instance, the elegant and aloof maiden named [Winx] had defended her home turf to win a staggering...[over thirty] GI races! She was the undisputed Empress of the Sprint!
At the same time, this elegant maiden was often teasingly called Australia's 'super shut-in'!
And Black Caviar, the cold and formidable other sprint empress, had once raced abroad in Europe, conquering their sprint scene with a crown! An exceptionally outstanding achievement!
And Platinum was going to face both these empresses head-on, launching her campaign against Australia's two great prides?!
For Platinum, it was absolutely a case of high risk, low reward.
She only needed to stay in her comfort zone, in the classic middle-distance races she excelled at and that most of the world adored, continue winning dominantly, bolster her reputation above other legendary Uma Musume, and approach, even rival, [Eclipse]!
Yet Platinum took that unprecedented step forward. As the sole overlord of the most prestigious classic distance, she braved enormous risks to campaign in other, less favored distances!
Perhaps some ordinary fans outside the circuit didn't understand the courage, the guts required for this choice, nor the risks and pressure involved.
But those within the circle—the Uma Musume themselves, the officials, the staff—all felt profound admiration.
After all, within the vast Australian racing scene, there was also 'competition.' This Everest event was created by Sydney specifically to rival the Melbourne Cup held by their neighbors, investing heavily for that purpose.
And superb Australian Uma Musume like Winx and Black Caviar participated in any valuable race. They didn't miss out on either the Melbourne Cup or The Everest.
Naturally, they couldn't help The Everest break its shackles and surpass the Melbourne Cup, which they saw as a rival, even an adversary.
But Platinum was different. She bypassed the Melbourne Cup entirely, entering only their Everest!
This was... what an incredible honor?!!!
Therefore, the Pegasus Platinum's entry was an enormous surprise and shock to the Sydney-based organizers, one that transformed into profound gratitude.
And now, the senior officials in the conference room found their minds occupied solely by that world's first Pegasus!
As for Winx and Black Caviar? Sorry, irrelevant.
—Childhood friends can't beat the sudden new transfer student!!
At that moment, the local Sydney racing association chairman even slammed the table and spoke with seriousness.
"I propose we lift the participant limit for this year's Everest. At the very least, we must do it for this edition."
"Not only that, we must also increase the prize money investment for The Everest, make it higher than even the oil tycoons' races!"
"We need to show Pegasus Platinum that if she has the audacity, we have equal audacity to respond in kind!"
The Everest format limited entries to fourteen spots, each requiring a hefty fee to purchase.
On the surface, this seemed similar to the expensive entry fees for some European and American races, but there was a world of difference.
Most of those GI races overseas had relatively low base prize money, which was mostly fixed regardless of entries.
So, too many entrants posed a significant risk; not only might you not profit, you could even fail to recoup the entry fee. Even winning wouldn't yield a very high purse.
The Everest, however... pooled 100% of the entry fees from the participating Uma Musume into the prize pot, and then the Sydney organizers added a substantial extra investment on top. The sum was what the participants could compete for.
Proposing to lift the entry limit, increasing the number of runners, meant that the already astronomical prize money—ranking among the highest in the world out of thousands of races—would skyrocket even further!
Simultaneously, the intensity, spectacle, and buzz surrounding The Everest would be elevated even more.
"Miss Pegasus has fulfilled our long-held wish of finally surpassing the Melbourne Cup. Of course, we can't be stingy!"
"Agreed. Only this is worthy of Platinum."
"Record-breaking prize money deserves a record-breaking legend!"
"Indeed, if we treat this as just an ordinary edition... what Uma Musume of this caliber would ever want to come to our [The Everest] again?"
"We must prove to Platinum, and to Uma Musume worldwide, that [The Everest] is greater than [the Melbourne Cup], that we are Australia's premier racing event! We must invest, we must spend big!"
In the discussion, every senior member agreed that the scale of this Everest must be expanded significantly.
From the number of participants to the prize pool, everything had to be increased substantially to be worthy of the living legend!
—World-class Uma Musume glory in winning international GIs, international GIs glory in being graced by legendary Uma Musume.
This saying was being proven right there and then!!
This World Renowned Everest was about to become a lavish prize money feast adored by a certain unscrupulous young doctor and the Platinum alike!
--+--
Two days before the race.
At a training ground.
A stunning young girl with hair whiter than snow was going through her training regimen.
It's worth noting that she wasn't running very fast, just doing basic warm-ups.
The Uma Musume named [Winx] was conducting her pre-race training, strictly controlling her workload according to plan.
"Miss Platinum... she's finally coming!"
"I must show her everything I've got. I can't let her look down on me!"
She didn't possess the typically robust, powerfully-built physique of most sprinters. Instead, she had a noble-like grace, living up to the fairy in her name, with an almost ethereal temperament.
And Winx's ability was perfectly proportional to her striking appearance—she was famously powerful!
Interestingly, Australia's two empresses, Black Caviar and Winx, who were constantly compared to see who was stronger, had completely different race records.
Black Caviar's career was flawless, undefeated, with the magnificent achievement of having raced and won abroad in Europe, racking up an unbeaten streak of over ten wins!
As for Winx, her losses seemed a bit more numerous. As many as... five!
Normally, losing one or two races due to mishaps is understandable. But five losses seemed to create a much larger gap compared to the undefeated, internationally-successful Black Caviar. On paper, she shouldn't have the qualifications to be mentioned in the same breath.
The fact that she was still called an empress meant that Winx possessed extraordinary, uniquely dominant achievements of her own!
Because... those five losses Winx suffered were all consecutive defeats accumulated only during her entire first year of racing. Since then, she had never lost again.
Furthermore, races during the early two-year-old and three-year-old seasons generally weren't considered high-stakes. They only indicated which Uma Musume matured earlier, not necessarily who was stronger.
Therefore, Winx's five defeats weren't losses suffered after she matured; they were inconsequential early blemishes.
Not only that, in the following three-plus years, Winx had achieved a winning streak of—over thirty races!
That's right. By now, she had been racing as an older mare for two or three years, remaining undefeated throughout her streak, and was still in top form, capable of continuing!
If Winx had a career like Black Caviar's, with only a dozen or so races, those five losses would indeed sound serious. But her career spanned a whopping forty races! The losses were all in early, insignificant races, while she had swept through numerous GIs on her subsequent winning streak.
That thirty-plus race winning streak was the foundation of Winx's confidence in being compared to Black Caviar. Since hitting her peak, she too was undefeated. And in terms of racing experience, not just in Australia...
But even looking worldwide, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Uma Musume with more experience than Winx!
The 'super shut-in' title wasn't for nothing!
"I must... get rid of my [Shut-in] label."
Winx was somewhat bothered by the nickname she was teased with. Although, she knew it was indeed true.
A name might be given wrongly, but a nickname never is.
Compared to the Pegasus Platinum, who had won from Japan to England, then to Dubai and France...
She had debuted even earlier than Platinum. Despite her impressive record of over thirty wins, she hadn't run a single race overseas in all this time.
The socially anxious, peerless young maiden hoped that this Everest would completely free her from that embarrassing 'shut-in' name!
Platinum VS Winx VS Black Caviar! This was the world renowned clash of three monarchs!
In the end, there could be only one winner.
If she could capture both crowns in one battle, if she could end the unbeaten streaks of both Platinum and Black Caviar at The Everest, then she might just secure the title of [Sprint GOAT] for good!
Conversely, if Platinum defeated both Australian Uma Musume simultaneously...
Then the crown of Sprint Monarch would be taken by the Pegasus Platinum.
Not only that, Platinum would simultaneously hold the titles of—[Dual-Surface GOAT], [Middle-Distance GOAT], and [Sprint GOAT]!
An unprecedented achievement was within reach for the Silver Pegasus!
"Miss Platinum already has enough GOAT titles."
The stunning snow-white maiden, even if she didn't exude much of a mature temperament, possessed a formidable aura that starkly contrasted her appearance.
To avoid replicating Secretariat's world-shocking defeat from not long ago, she was carefully managing her pre-race warm-up to prevent fatigue.
She had made extensive preparations for The Everest, all for victory.
"The [Sprint GOAT] placard should stay in Australia!"
But if it really couldn't be kept...
Then, then...
Then she'd just ask Miss Platinum for an autograph!
She couldn't have participated for nothing, right?
That's right—Winx was a fan of Platinum!!!
In this shut-in's room, alongside rows of trophies and medals, were several cute chibi-style Platinum dolls.
In sprint races, there's hardly any choice in running style—the distance is so short, only half that of a middle-distance race.
Yet Winx often held back or started late, mastering the come-from-behind style, which was extremely unusual for a sprinter.
On the turf racing scene today, finding a Uma Musume of Winx's caliber who also excelled at closing from behind was nearly impossible; it was a lonely height.
And the Pegasus Platinum! Not only was she proficient at the closing style Winx mastered, and the front-running style Black Caviar excelled at, but she stood at an even greater height than both!
As a shut-in, looking for a star to admire, the only contemporary figure who shared her style and surpassed her was Platinum, and Platinum alone.
Naturally, despite being the senior, with illustrious sprint achievements, Winx had instead become a fan of the Pegasus Platinum.
The socially anxious shut-in, perceived by the outside world as the aloof empress, was now bowing her head, thinking about what to say when she met the legendary Platinum.
Winx, who was almost a legend herself in Australia, this shut-in miss...
She knew that Platinum was the true living legend!
But at least in the sprint distance, it was her classic domain.
Even the legendary Big Red Monster, Secretariat, was defeated by the unknown, Prove Out...
So—as the sprint monarch, shouldn't she also have a chance to replicate that feat of the hall-of-fame killer, Prove Out?
--+--
Time flew by.
The day of The Everest, Australia.
An astonishing scene was unfolding in Australia at that moment.
In the city of Sydney, on many streets that should have been crowded and bustling, there were surprisingly few pedestrians.
But around the famous, massive racecourse, crowds of spectators were entering or waiting in line.
Many racing enthusiasts who couldn't get tickets could only regretfully return home, or watch the live broadcast in bars, cinemas, and other venues!
The Everest, competing against the [Melbourne Cup] in the past, was an event known to be capable of bringing the entire nation of Australia to a standstill.
Now, under Platinum's influence, [The Everest] had surpassed the Melbourne Cup. The whole nation... and even audiences abroad were eagerly awaiting this imminent race!
The crowd of spectators and international reporters surrounding the racecourse was as large as that for a top-tier European GI!
"Reporting for this station..."
"Winx! Winx!"
"Platinum can definitely capture both crowns in one race, right?!"
On a street near the racecourse, the silver-white maiden, carrying her quiver of arrows once again, began to walk forward.
--+--
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.