The Epsom Derby?
Galileo?
Miss Platinum immediately tilted her chin, a hint of confusion in her expression. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but not quite.
Where have I heard that before? Definitely haven't met her, though.
'Oh, Sea the Stars?'
Sea the Stars—that daughter of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe legend Urban Sea. Back then, a certain shady young doctor had thought, like mother, like daughter, and decided to cozy up to her.
They'd gotten close enough that he even called her by nicknames like "Sea Star" or "Little Star." He thought they were pretty tight.
But after finding out that Sea the Stars had even lost her debut race—ending up in fourth place, just like Secretariat—
Trash doctor: Not close. Not close at all.
And from Sea the Stars herself, he'd heard her mention an older sister named—[Galileo].
Back then, Sea the Stars had even explained that she and her sister had set their sights on the Epsom Derby as one of their major goals.
When the shady young doctor heard that, he couldn't help but scoff. That's the Epsom Derby—the only classic G1 race that can rival or even surpass the Kentucky Derby!
You, a rookie who couldn't even win her debut race, and your no-name sister actually think you can win the Epsom Derby?
Why not just say your whole family is aiming for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and winning it while you're at it?
'Who would've thought that Sea the Stars' sister, Galileo, would actually make it to the Epsom Derby—and even enter as a top contender with massive popularity?'
Whatever. Doesn't matter if it's Galileo or even her little sister Sea the Stars—I'm taking them all down!
Don't get in the way of this... well, now big sister?
Don't get in the way of big sister making money!
Platinum couldn't care less about Galileo or Sea the Stars. Even if they came at her together, she was determined to win!
I've already carved out time for this overtime. If I don't make a hefty profit, isn't this all for nothing?
'Can't afford to get too complacent, though. That's the Epsom Derby—the grandfather of all Derbies...'
'I heard plenty of young European prodigies will be competing.'
Back when he was still in the U.S., before coming to Japan, the shady young doctor had researched all the major Triple Crowns and specifically picked the Japanese Triple Crown for its lower difficulty and higher rewards.
As for the Epsom Derby and the British Triple Crown, he'd looked into them too—and promptly decided to pass!
The British Triple Crown is the only series that can be mentioned in the same breath as the American Triple Crown by racing fans worldwide.
Just how difficult is the British Triple Crown?
Let's put it this way: At Japan's Tracen Academy, there's a veteran—a highly experienced senior horse girl named Maruzensky. She's even more seasoned than the retired legend, Symboli Rudolf.
And Maruzensky's mother, Nijinsky, was the latest—and last—horse girl to win the British Triple Crown...
The sheer span of time and generations between then and now is almost unimaginable. That's why Lin Anran had given up on the British Triple Crown back then.
And within the British Triple Crown, the most influential, prestigious, and central race is universally acknowledged to be—the Epsom Derby!
It's said that the very first Derby was the Epsom Derby, earning titles like [Origin of the Derby] or [Ancestor of the Derby]. Its reputation is long and storied.
To this day, hardly any horse girl from outside Europe has managed to win the Epsom Derby—the most prestigious race in Europe, and indeed, the world. It's the pinnacle of glory, the apex of all Derbies.
If a Japanese horse girl could win it? Forget fame spreading beyond Japan—she'd instantly become a global sensation, shocking all of Europe!
So in Platinum's eyes, this Epsom Derby was packed with immense value. No reason not to go.
Based on the shady young doctor's research, when it comes to international races, if you lose, the URA and fans will always find a suitable excuse to explain it away.
For example—
Lose? It's because of fatigue from frequent races or difficulty adjusting to the environment!
Win? Then you're the pride of Japan—no, all of Asia!
In short, winning is a huge gain. As for losing... she might not even lose anyway.
'Then it's settled—the Epsom Derby. If we're going to gamble, let's make it an earth-shattering, high-stakes bet.'
'Since I'm working overtime anyways, might as well make sure it's worth it. Gotta pick the race with the biggest payoff!'
The lazy assassin girl had made up her mind!
Beside her, the mature woman in a green hat, Hayakawa Tazuna, sensed something was off and turned to look at Platinum.
'Huh? Why is Platinum suddenly asking about approaching G1 races?'
'Wait, didn't the URA require either [Receiving guidance or training from a senior long-distance G1 champion] or [Winning another heavy prize race within a month] as one of the two options??'
The Green Demon, Hayakawa Tazuna, had spotted the inconsistency.
With sharp intuition, Hayakawa immediately fixed her gaze on the silver-haired girl and pressed further.
"Hold on, Platinum—don't tell me you're... thinking of challenging the Takarazuka Kinen?"
The Yasuda Kinen was, without a doubt, a mile race—not much of a challenge.
Since Platinum was asking about recent G1 races... setting aside those nightmare-difficulty international G1s overseas, the Takarazuka Kinen was pretty much the only option left, right?
But let's be clear: The Takarazuka Kinen is packed with senior horse girls in their prime, older horse years. The difficulty might be a notch below international G1s overseas, but for a tired young filly who's just achieved two back-to-back G1 wins in less than a month? It's still close to nightmare level!
"No."
The silver-haired girl immediately shook her head.
"I do want to run another race, but the Takarazuka Kinen isn't my first choice."
After Platinum's explanation, Hayakawa Tazuna couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief.
Whew...
'Good, this little Pegasus is still rational. She knows the Takarazuka Kinen isn't something she should challenge yet.'
'That's the way. You've got to take things step by step—can't leap straight to the heavens in one bound.'
'After securing the Irregular Triple Crown and finishing the classic races, then it'll be time for her to challenge older horse girls and foreign top monsters.'
Hayakawa Tazuna, who'd been worried Platinum might make the wrong choice, finally felt at ease.
Well then, time to properly introduce Platinum to some excellent long-distance champions who could serve as her mentors.
With their guidance—
"In that case, have you thought about which long-distance G1 champion senior you'd like as your instructor?"
"I have a few suitable candidates in mind to suggest."
Before Platinum could answer, Hayakawa Tazuna dove right in with her explanations.
"First, there's the current long-distance duo from the Mejiro family—Mejiro McQueen and Mejiro Palmer!"
"Mejiro McQueen has won the 3000-meter Kikuka Shō and the 3200-meter Spring Tennō Shō—truly the strongest of her generation."
"As for Mejiro Palmer, last year's Arima Kinen saw her use an insane front-running strategy to disrupt Tokai Teio's rhythm and seize victory in the 2500-meter race."
"No doubt, the all-around strongest Mejiro McQueen is the best choice. But if you're considering practicing front-running, you could also opt for Mejiro Palmer, who won with that style."
The petite silver-haired girl tilted her head up, momentarily stunned, and voiced her confusion with innocent puzzlement.
"Front-running?"
"Front-running... requires practice?"
Isn't it just about running ahead? Just get so far ahead that no one can catch up—isn't that enough?
Does that really need practice?
Baffled, Platinum reacted as if she'd just heard about a university major in "missile maintenance"—do missiles even need maintenance?
Probably not, right?
"..."
After a pause, Hayakawa Tazuna gathered her thoughts and explained again.
"Theoretically, front-running can be divided into two types: the kind where you just let loose and run wild, and the kind where you intelligently control the pace of the race."
"Mejiro Palmer excels at the former. As a senior and an Arima Kinen champion, she should be able to share some insights and secrets, right?"
So there's reckless front-running and strategic front-running?
Hearing this, Platinum understood.
If it's reckless, what's there to learn?
Epsom Derby, activate!
"No need. My plan is to enter a race."
"Huh? Well, alright."
Miss Hayakawa sighed slightly regretfully but didn't seem too flustered—this was within her expectations.
If she wasn't challenging the mid-distance G1 Takarazuka Kinen and wasn't accepting guidance from a senior, then she must be planning to enter a race—switching to a less demanding G2 or G3 event.
Not the best choice, but not bad either.
In her view, the optimal choice for Platinum right now was to receive guidance from a long-distance G1 champion senior.
The middle choice was to challenge lower-level heavy prize races like G2 or G3 events, which were within Platinum's capabilities and carried less risk of failure.
The worst choice was the most challenging and difficult G1 race—the Takarazuka Kinen! A high-risk, high-reward option.
While it wasn't the best, at least it wasn't the worst. It could've been worse, right?
Accepting this fairly reasonable choice, Miss Hayakawa moved on to the next topic.
"We've been touring for a while now..."
"What do you think of Tracen Academy? It's a top-tier super school, unmatched in Japan and even across Asia."
"For a horse girl like you, aiming for G1 races, not choosing the best school would be such a waste of talent."
Faced with Hayakawa Tazuna's enrollment invitation, Platinum didn't hesitate for a second—she immediately shook her head.
Are you kidding me?!
If I enroll, wouldn't that be like working "unpaid overtime"?
When horse girls debut and enter their classic or older horse years, school coursework tends to decrease, so most mature horse girls spend their time at the training grounds.
But Platinum was still in her classic year—she'd probably still have some classes to attend if she joined.
Wouldn't it be better to just run more heavy prize races and rake in the prize money? It's easier and more profitable—way more fun than school!
Besides, I don't have any clone abilities right now.
What if I'm busy working and someone steps into the clinic? Being a student doesn't pay, but being a doctor does!
So no matter what, she currently couldn't meet the reasonable conditions for enrollment—not even close.
"I'm afraid I have my own matters to attend to right now, so I won't be able to join Tracen Academy in the near future."
The Pegasus girl outright rejected the idea.
"Let's end the tour here. I remember the way, so there's no need to trouble Miss Hayakawa to see me out."
"See you next time!"
With that, Platinum turned and began walking away.
Once the trashy assassin girl got her inspiration for entering a race and made her choice, she immediately ditched the green-hatted woman beside her and headed home to register.
As for Hayakawa Tazuna, she'd already prepared herself for rejection. After all...
If Platinum could be easily persuaded, she would've been convinced by Symboli Rudolf last time she visited Tracen Academy and joined then. Why would it drag on until now?
'What exactly is Platinum busy with...'
'Or does she just not like Tracen Academy?'
On this matter, Hayakawa Tazuna was destined never to guess the real reason. She didn't dwell on it too deeply for now but couldn't help calling out one last time to the departing Platinum.
"Then..."
"Which race are you planning to challenge?"
Though she didn't think it would be anything major, she figured she might as well ask.
"You'll find out soon. It might be... a little hard to guess? Maybe even surprising."
With those words, the silver-haired figure gradually faded into the distance.
--+--
On her way out of Tracen Academy.
Passing by several training grounds, Platinum saw many young horse girls pouring out of the teaching building after class ended.
Quite a few of them with sharp eyes recognized her.
"Hey, isn't that... Platinum, the Irregular Triple Crown winner? What's she doing here?"
"Wait, it's still just the Irregular Double Crown for now—she hasn't run the Kikuka Shō yet."
"The Kikuka Shō has always been where long-distance monsters pop up, right? It's not looking too certain."
Heated discussions sprang up, all centered around Platinum.
"Gwah, I'm a meta-slave! No one in the Kikuka Shō could possibly be stronger than the Pegasus!"
"Did she finally join Tracen Academy? I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to have a practice race with the Pegasus..."
"A practice race? No thanks. If she wins by a huge margin and does that look-back thing, I'll be seeing that image in my dreams for the rest of my life!"
At Tracen Academy, many horse girls had both academic classes and training sessions.
They were all very young horse girls. Among that large group, Platinum was slightly surprised to spot a well-endowed red-haired girl.
Daiwa Scarlet?
It occurred to Platinum that, unlike her, Daiwa Scarlet hadn't challenged the classic year after her debut and was still a rookie.
So even though they'd run their debut races around the same time, Daiwa Scarlet should technically be her "junior" now?
"Miss Scarlet, good morning."
The assassin girl didn't forget to greet Daiwa Scarlet.
Instantly, the crowd followed Platinum's gaze, turning their attention to the crimson-haired girl in the corner.
"Scarlet's pretty strong—she could totally outclass ten Platinum seniors in the chest department!"
"Huh? Does Daiwa know Miss Platinum?"
"You must not be a true Platinum fan. In all the races Platinum's won so far, the toughest opponent and the smallest winning margin was against Daiwa Scarlet in their debut race!"
"Gwah, seriously? But in G1 races, the Pegasus can win by huge margins!"
"Yeah, in practice races, I only lose to Scarlet by a few lengths, and Scarlet only lost to Platinum by a few lengths?"
"Doing the math, that means you only lose to Senior Platinum by ten lengths—making you stronger than Jungle Pocket and Kurofune, who lost by fourteen?"
"Am I that strong? Weird..."
Amid the chatter, Daiwa Scarlet's delicate face flushed slightly. She immediately hopped down the stairs.
Her ample chest swaying noticeably, she jogged over to Platinum after descending.
Once she reached Platinum's side, Daiwa Scarlet couldn't help but speak up.
"Miss Plati—... What brings you here?"
"Did you join Tracen?"
The polite Daiwa Scarlet had intended to say "Miss Platinum," but currently, Platinum had entered the classic races a year earlier than her and even achieved the historic feat of an Irregular Double Crown. "Senior" would be a more appropriate form of address.
But Daiwa Scarlet couldn't quite bring herself to say it. After all, just a month ago, she'd lost to Platinum in their debut race—they were the same age.
How could Platinum suddenly become her senior and upperclassman in such a short time? The change was too drastic!
Since she couldn't bring herself to say "senior," she settled for addressing Platinum like a friend.
"Not really. This was just a private visit to check out Tracen."
Platinum shook her head, noticing Daiwa Scarlet staring intently at her body.
"Is something wrong?"
"You seem really... N-no, it's nothing."
Daiwa Scarlet quickly shook her head, her breathing slightly hurried, a hint of confusion in her heart.
'Up close, Platinum's scent... is kinda captivating.'
'During our debut race, she didn't have this aura. Did she wear some special perfume for the Tracen visit?'
But even the expensive perfumes she'd smelled on those elite young lady horse girls were nowhere near as fragrant as this?
Puzzled, Daiwa Scarlet decided not to delve deeper into that topic. She had something else she wanted to ask more.
"Then, Platinum, could we exchange contacts?"
"I'd like to ask you for some advice on training and races."
"...Sure."
Platinum didn't refuse and immediately took out her phone to add her.
"Okay, added. I've got things to do."
"Feel free to ask anytime. Have a good day."
"Yeah, you too."
--+--
A short while later.
Back in her room, Platinum quickly logged into the racing association's official website.
This time, after some effort, she finally navigated to the international race applications.
Epsom Derby, Register!
The Pegasus girl calmly clicked the registration button.
On the Epsom Derby's official website, a new application immediately appeared—nationality: [Japan]. It stood out conspicuously among the long list of European entries from Ireland, England, France, and others.
This application was destined to instantly ignite a storm that would shake Tracen Academy and all of Japan, sweeping up every bit of attention and endless exposure!
It would even reach overseas audiences across Asia, drawing their interest and curiosity.
Horse girls from outside Europe hardly ever won the Epsom Derby in history—this would be a monumental achievement, enough to etch itself into the record books. The attention would span continents and captivate the world!
"Ugh, European race entry fees are so expensive... If I don't take first place, I'll be at a total loss!"
To avoid losing money, the overtime-loving assassin girl gritted her silver teeth in heartache.
"Alright, I've got to get serious. Can't let this entry fee go to waste."
"Galileo? Sea the Stars' older sister? You're exactly who I'm here to beat!"
--+--
Europe, a private small-scale training ground.
A confident young girl's voice rang out.
"Don't worry, Little Star. Your big sister here... is the top favorite to win the Epsom Derby."
"In other words, the world sees me as 'invincible'!"
"Unless some outside enemy appears, there's no way I'll lose!"
--+--
T/N: Does he know?
--+--
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.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.