As soon as Oguri Cap stepped out of the car, she was immediately swarmed by a crowd of reporters eager for interviews.
By the time she made it to the warm-up area, Tamamo Cross had already rushed in ahead of her.
Clutching her shriveled belly, Oguri Cap's voice trembled.
"I'm starving… Peach Wave's grilled cold noodles are so close, yet I can't eat them…"
In the front row of the audience, Narita Top Road was slowly savoring a box of grilled cold noodles. All around her, spectators held their own servings, the rich aroma wafting through the air and drifting toward the track—straight into Oguri Cap's nose.
"Hey! There's barely any meat in this box! Why are you still trying to steal mine?!"
Daiwa Scarlet, sporting twin ponytails and her signature thunderous energy, snapped at Vodka, who had her head buried in the box.
"What do you mean? Didn't you snatch the sausage from my pancake yesterday?"
The two bickered behind the fence, while Tamamo Cross, arriving with a bag full of grilled cold noodles, wore a conflicted expression.
"What's wrong, Senior Tamamo Cross?" Vodka asked, pausing her argument.
"Oguri Cap went on stage hungry… I didn't get the food to her in time."
"So she's just hungry? That's it?"
Vodka waved dismissively, but Daiwa Scarlet knocked her on the head.
"Hey! This is Oguri Cap we're talking about! For her, eating is as sacred as racing. Letting her go hungry is practically sabotage!"
The two resumed their squabble, while Tamamo Cross sighed and slipped away quietly.
The green light flashed. The gates opened.
And the race began.
Oguri Cap started in eighth place, her mouth curled in frustration. Her pace was steady, but clearly restrained.
At the final 800 meters, she glanced toward the stands—toward Tamamo Cross.
"Oguri Cap! Let's go! Ten portions of grilled cold noodles are waiting for you!"
The words hit her like a lightning bolt.
Her eyes sharpened. Her posture straightened. Her stride lengthened.
She surged forward.
Boom!
Deep hoofprints marked the turf as a gust of wind followed her acceleration. The gray-haired monster was unleashed.
"Here she comes! Oguri Cap, once in eighth place, is now charging forward with terrifying force!"
In the blink of an eye, she overtook five horse girls ahead of her. With just 400 meters remaining, the leader was still Warm Bloom.
"Oguri Cap is closing in! The gap is shrinking—visibly shrinking!"
Oguri Cap's gaze locked onto her target. She dug in once more.
Thud!
A chunk of earth flew into the air as she kicked off with explosive power. Her speed surged again—this time, she passed Warm Bloom and pulled ahead by a full length.