Pegasus? I'm actually a doctor!

The fastest GI champion in history!

Any one of these achievements would undoubtedly be front-page news for Japan's major newspapers.

Yet, all of them happened simultaneously in this Oaks race, all thanks to the underdog rookie Heavenly Horse, Platinum!

With Platinum's blindingly brilliant finish, "earth-shattering" barely describes the scene!

[Dominant Victory! Undeniable Strength!]

[Looking Back at the Moon, Absolute Confidence and Power.]

[Let us celebrate! The classic racing scene has finally produced a presence capable of rivaling that "Superluminal Particle, Agnes Tachyon!"]

[Platinum lives up to her Heavenly Horse moniker, she's practically flying!]

Tens of thousands of spectators, even many fans who had come to cheer for Mejiro Dober and Kyoei March before the race, couldn't help but chant Platinum's name in unison, their excited shouts of celebration echoing endlessly.

"Platinum!! Platinum!!"

"Strongest!! Strongest!! Strongest!!"

"This is the strongest Heavenly Horse! What a shame, she should have entered the Japanese Derby."

"Even the geniuses from prestigious families couldn't stop the Heavenly Horse's charge. She'll definitely win the final race of the Fillies' Triple Crown, the Shuka Sho, and achieve the Fillies' Double Crown!"

It's a pity she came too late. She clearly had the shili to compete for the undefeated Fillies' Triple Crown, or even... the Classic Triple Crown, but now she'll only get a mere Fillies' Double Crown.

"I'm Mejiro's... I'm Platinum's dog!!"

There were countless shouts, celebrations, and exclamations, testifying to the extreme excitement of the massive crowd.

After all, she was Platinum, the Uma Musume who became a GI champion in the shortest time in history!

And at the edge of the spectator stands.

A horse girl scientist, clad in a white coat, couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes. She had already left her seat and was preparing to depart after watching the race.

Before turning away, Agnes Tachyon couldn't help but utter words of admiration.

"What a terrifying physique."

Even Agnes Tachyon, hailed as the "Phantom Triple Crown" and whose talent was recognized as comparable to Emperor Symbol of Rudolf, described Platinum's physical condition as that of a "monster"!

As Uma Musume, talent is one thing, and physique is another; both are indispensable! One is the theoretical ceiling, and the other is the bridge supporting the ascent to that ceiling.

When the bridge isn't strong enough and breaks prematurely, even the highest talent cannot reach its proper peak.

Agnes Tachyon is a prime example of this. She possessed immense talent but her body couldn't keep up. As a result, she suffered injuries that nearly forced her retirement, far from reaching her peak.

When one's physique is insufficient, it prevents their innate talent from being fully realized, leading to a regrettable exit before reaching their potential.

But the current Platinum seems terrifying in all aspects! Even though her Formalization isn't complete, she's already precociously developed to such a frightening extent, mastering Aura, and achieving dominant victories in tough races!

Possessing talent and an incredibly amazing physique, never easily succumbing to injuries – how enviable!

This is a genius Uma Musume who, along with Doctor Lin, ranks among the most important subjects in her research!

There's no need to go to great lengths to collect data on overseas monsters anymore. This Heavenly Horse... is no less than those foreign monsters!

Although it's unknown why Platinum hasn't joined Tracen Academy yet, her whereabouts remain a mystery...

But as long as she's in Japan, she'll be easier to find and observe than those overseas monster Uma Musume, right?

"From talent to physique to Aura, perfect in all aspects."

"She's simply... a favorite of the three goddesses!"

Before leaving, Agnes Tachyon suddenly thought.

"With such an excellent physique... she probably doesn't need to visit Doctor Lin at the infirmary, does she?"

After all, that Heavenly Horse would never get injured easily.

And on the other side of the spectator stands.

Two young horse girls, still seated, had faces full of surprise, as if they had never expected to witness such a spectacular race.

"That, that's... Looking Back at the Moon?!"

"I never imagined I'd see this in an Uma Musume GI race."

"Even the strongest McQueen-san never managed that!"

Both the lively Hokko Tarumae and the calm, elegant Satuski Hikari were filled with excitement.

The petite Hokko Tarumae's eyes shone as she clenched her fists.

"She's just... so cool!"

In Hokko Tarumae's eyes, the Heavenly Horse was incredibly perfect and cool!

If she had to find a flaw in that Heavenly Horse, it would probably only be... that final "Looking Back at the Moon," right?

In a race, even a momentary deceleration, under such high-speed running conditions, would actually allow other Uma Musume to close the gap considerably.

"If she hadn't looked back, if she hadn't slowed down at the last moment, Platinum-san's winning margin would definitely have been even greater."

"Also, Platinum's racing style has changed. She didn't decide to lead from the start, which cost her some opportunities."

If Platinum had run with absolute seriousness, it wouldn't have been impossible for her to win by twelve, thirteen, or even more lengths!

But since she had already achieved a dominant victory, a complete blowout, winning by a little more wouldn't make much of a difference.

Even if she might be criticized by some outsiders as "talented but lacking virtue," "not having a strong will to win," or "not having strong competitive spirit."

But—looking cool is a lifelong pursuit!

That was the "Looking Back at the Moon" pose that would surely go down in history!

And Kita Black, she was currently stunned by that cool "Looking Back at the Moon" dominant victory!

It wasn't just Kita Black who was stunned.

Beside her, Satono Diamond had, for a moment, forgotten that she had come to watch the race of Mejiro McQueen's sister, Dober.

But none of that mattered anymore, because...

—Diamond had a new idol to admire!

In the next moment, Satono Diamond lowered her head and chose to alter the support board she was holding. The original text read, "Mejiro Dober Must Win!"

Then, she changed it to—"Heavenly Horse Platinum!"

***

On the racetrack, after the finish line!

Second-place finisher Mejiro Dober's exquisite, pretty face was vacant and stunned.

In her mind, the Heavenly Horse that had achieved a dominant victory ahead of her was endlessly replaying the scene of her looking back and down at her before the finish line!!

Without a doubt, that moment was enough to be recorded as an annual highlight of Japanese Uma Musume racing, and to be etched into history!

Shame! Unprecedented shame!

It was because she was too weak that her opponent, not running with full effort and acting casually, had performed a "Looking Back at the Moon" move that was almost like letting up!

After an unknown amount of time, Mejiro Dober finally snapped back to reality. She gritted her silver teeth and gazed at the silver-white figure ahead.

"Sorry, I couldn't make you run at full power."

In the next moment, the silver-white Heavenly Horse turned her head calmly, looking at Mejiro Dober behind her, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"This was truly a wonderful race."

"I don't think I'll ever forget you."

43. An Unknown Nobody, Now Famous Worldwide!

On the training grounds.

Tokai Teio and Daiwa Scarlet, who had paused their training for a break, were staring blankly at their phone screens.

Looking Back at the Moon?

A dominant victory by such a margin?

This was… too unbelievable, wasn't it?

Even the powerful Tokai Teio had never witnessed a "Looking Back at the Moon" on the racetrack, nor had she ever achieved such a dominant victory by so many lengths.

The talent contained within that Heavenly Horse was simply… blindingly obvious!

It could be imagined that in the short time after the Oaks concluded, it would completely sweep across all of Japan!

Even if it wasn't universally known, it was certainly close.

With Agnes Tachyon's withdrawal from the race, the URA, which had the resources but no one to promote, was in a terrible predicament.

But now, "Looking Back at the Moon"! The Heavenly Horse who achieved a dominant victory by such a margin!

This was definitely a performance no less impressive than Agnes Tachyon's, and precisely the new generation monster they had been searching for, capable of supporting the Japanese Uma Musume world!

Therefore—they would go all in!!

As a result, information related to the Oaks was currently being pushed and expanded nationwide with astonishing heat, catching the attention of even many Uma Musume who were in training.

An unknown nobody who was silent a month ago was now famous worldwide!

"Gulp..."

Daiwa Scarlet, who was still dwelling on being defeated by Platinum in her debut race and desperately wanted revenge, had a very complex expression.

Such immense power, and yet she was a newcomer just like herself, supposed to participate in the Classic races next year, but she was able to achieve a dominant victory by such a margin against a seasoned senior!

How powerful was that?

Even Daiwa Scarlet, who considered Agnes Tachyon her idol, had to admit that even her admired Agnes Tachyon would not have a guaranteed victory against Platinum; it would likely be a 50-50 or 70-30 chance!

It was just a pity...

They would likely never have the chance to compete against each other, and there would be no astonishing showdown.

Unless, that tendinitis, which Uma Musume terrifyingly called an incurable disease, could truly be perfectly cured!

But that possibility could be described as infinitesimal, comparable to a miracle, right? Even internationally renowned Uma Musume doctors wouldn't have any confidence, would they?

"Hey, Akagi, I remember you only lost to Platinum by five lengths?"

Tokai Teio, standing nearby, suddenly spoke as if she had just remembered something.

This wasn't an intentional dig at old wounds, but rather something she couldn't help but think of after witnessing Heavenly Horse's overwhelmingly dominant Dominant Victory.

In the GI race, Platinum won by ten lengths!

In her debut race, Platinum won by five lengths!

Clearly, 10 > 5!

So, looking at it that way, the debut race Daiwa Scarlet lost wasn't a disgrace at all, but rather... [Glory]?

Perhaps years later, after Platinum climbs to even greater heights, that debut race will still be talked about by people, wondering just how strong her opponent was to make Heavenly Horse Platinum "only win by a mere five lengths"!

Daiwa Scarlet will rise along with the result of that debut race. To some extent, it could be considered a form of luck.

Although... it's obvious that Platinum in her debut race wasn't going all out, and her starting gate and running style were completely unpracticed.

But if she could choose... Daiwa Scarlet wouldn't want this luck; she absolutely didn't want to run into that terrifying Heavenly Horse!!

But at least judging by the results, Daiwa Scarlet at least didn't lose as badly as her seniors in this glorious GI Oaks! That could already be considered incredibly fortunate!

"That's right."

She was truly an unprecedented monster!

Daiwa Scarlet's expression immediately turned to one of relief, and she let out a slight sigh.

"If, during a race, Platinum were to look back at me like this..."