You're implying something! (3400)

She was strong. Incredibly strong.

Although this was McQueen's first graded race, it was a long-distance race, her greatest specialty.

When people in Japan mentioned strong long-distance runners, all sorts of excellent stayers might come to mind.

But when asked who they considered the strongest long-distance runner, most people would think not of Symboli Rudolf, the first undefeated Triple Crown winner, nor of Deep Impact, hailed as the culmination of Japanese horse racing, nor even of accomplished stayers like Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond. They would think of Mejiro McQueen.

Because, taken as a whole, McQueen was unquestionably the most consistent number one.

No horse was more consistent than McQueen over long distances.

Although this was a game, everyone could see how composed this McQueen was.

Uma Musume were remarkable beings. As human girls who had acquired the souls of racehorses, they possessed the endurance advantage of humans. They could run at 60 km/h for a long time, but if they charged flat out at top speed, they would be spent within minutes.

On increasingly competitive racetracks, Uma Musume fought one another for position, none willing to lose to anyone else, exhausting themselves within those few short minutes.

And a 3,000-meter race like the Kikka-sho was exactly that kind of race.

Because it was a long-distance race, it drained even more stamina, and physical fatigue gradually lulled the brain into drowsiness.

It wasn't just the body that needed endurance. The mind needed patience even more.

And McQueen had prepared herself for precisely that.

First, she methodically found her position. When she saw another Uma Musume change positions, she immediately revised her plan and chose the best spot for herself.

Despite the ever-changing conditions on the track and the many Uma Musume who tried to disrupt the pace, McQueen handled everything