“However, it’s a pity, but I have no intention of running with you.”
Secretariat put away her aura, closed her eyes, and took another sip of coffee:
“I’m not young anymore; my physical functions are no longer comparable to you young people.”
“So please, give this senior some face, alright?”
She opened one eye and smiled, her expression completely devoid of annoyance from being provoked.
Hearing this, Polaris Glacier also dispersed her aura, sat back down, took a deep breath, and calmly said:
“Alright, then let’s forget about it this time. Let’s exchange contact information.”
The other party must genuinely not want to run, or rather, she wasn’t willing to run at this time.
She had originally come into the coffee shop to rest and relax, so suddenly going out was indeed not very suitable.
As for being old and her physical functions not being comparable to younger people?
That was clearly just an excuse.
With such an oppressive aura and such a strong yet graceful physique, it was truly hard to believe.
The process of exchanging contact information went very smoothly, and both parties seemed to have intentions of continuing their interactions.
“By the way, little sister Polaris Glacier, how long do you plan to stay here?”
“I’ll return the day after the Derby. That’s the current plan.”
The Kentucky Derby was on May 4th, the Oaks Stakes on May 19th, and the Japan Derby on May 26th.
On June 2nd, she had to go to France to compete in the Derby, and on June 5th, she had to move on to the Epsom Derby in England.
The race schedule was simply too tight; there was no extra time to stay.
“Is that so? I was hoping to take you around here for a few days, but it seems that won’t be possible.”
Secretariat also felt a bit regretful; she felt quite fated with this blue-haired little sister.
Afterward, they chatted about some less important things, such as the taste of the coffee at this shop, the atmosphere on the street, and the local environment…
By the time they parted ways, it was already close to five in the afternoon.
Waving to each other, Polaris Glacier called her driver to pick her up and take her back to the hotel.
Ah, the driver was arranged by Mother; she had made preparations the day she learned of their arrival in Louisville.
Soon, the day of the race arrived.
It was a Saturday, and the weather was excellent, with no sign of clouds.
Even before nine in the morning, a large number of spectators had already gathered inside the Churchill Downs racetrack.
Amidst the noisy crowd, discussions could occasionally be heard:
“Hey guys, which Horse Girl are you rooting for this time? Let’s hear it?”
“Who else could it be? The Horse Girl who show talent are only a few, and I’d say this year is another free-for-all.”
“A free-for-all, huh? I don’t think so.”
She paused slightly.
“This Derby has a special outsider. If it’s her, she might just dominate like a queen.”
“Oh? Like a queen? Who is it?”
“The blue-haired one, she looks a bit cold. Just wait and you’ll recognize her.”
Regardless of the audience’s thoughts, at this moment in the jockey’s lounge.
Looking at the blue-haired Horse Girl in a black dress who walked out of the changing room, Kumi Trainer thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said:
“My Lady, this is your first overseas expedition. Please crush all your opponents without holding back.”
“Yes, I will, Trainer. You can rest assured.”
Polaris Glacier smiled and nodded.
“By the way, this track is dirt, right? My Lady, have you done any adaptive training beforehand?”
This question was asked by the Head Maid; if the adaptability was too poor, it could greatly affect performance.
“Yes, no problem. I have my own methods.”
She sat in the jockey’s lounge for a while until an announcement came over the indoor broadcast:
“Entry time has arrived. Participating Horse Girl, please enter through the competitor’s aisle.”
“Repeating, participating Horse Girl, please enter through the competitor’s aisle.”
The ears on Polaris Glacier’s head twitched. She took a deep breath, stood up, and said naturally:
“Then Trainer and Head Maid, I’m going to the track.”
“Good luck, My Lady.”
Waving her hand, Polaris Glacier pulled open the door and walked out of the lounge, heading along the passage towards the track.
Kumi Trainer and the Head Maid walked towards another corner, going up to the grandstand.
The commentary and live broadcast for this race were handled by two gentlemen who seemed quite experienced. The latter was currently delivering the opening remarks:
“Ladies and gentlemen, the day has finally arrived!”
“The Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown.”
“Here at Churchill Downs, we will witness the birth of a new Derby Horse Girl!”
“Now! Let us give a warm round of applause to the Horse Girl entering the track!”
As his voice fell, everyone’s gaze uniformly turned towards the exit of the competitor’s aisle, and they began to applaud.
Horse Girl in their racing silks emerged one after another, with Polaris Glacier being the last to enter.
Adhering to the idea of observing the situation first, she did not do anything too flashy, merely scanning each Horse Girl with her gaze.
However, due to her overwhelming presence, it was truly hard to ignore her. The Horse Girl she scanned with her gaze all seemed to sense something and turned to look back.
Each of them was at least 1.7 meters tall, tall and strong, which made Polaris Glacier very unhappy; she had to look up to examine their appearance.
This was the first time she felt her 1.67-meter height wasn’t enough, which was truly annoying.
And this feeling of displeasure manifested as ice unconsciously forming in her eyes, and snowflakes drifting around her.
Seeing this, the local Horse Girl exchanged glances, some sneering, some disdainful.
They only found this foreign, small Horse Girl interesting and cute, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
In a private box in the spectator stands, Secretariat silently watched this scene, a smile appearing on her lips:
“Come on, let me see your strength.”
Soon, the starting horn sounded, and the Horse Girl walked towards the starting gates, entering their respective numbered lanes drawn by lot.
Polaris Glacier stepped on the small patches of ice she intentionally condensed, her expression colder than ever before.
The combination of various factors made her mood exceptionally bad right now; she just wanted to finish the race quickly.
“All participating Horse Girl are now in the gates.”
Churchill Downs racetrack, dirt, approximately 2000 meters, counter-clockwise, track conditions good.
The weather is clear, with a total of ten participating Horse Girl.
In terms of popularity, Polaris Glacier, as an outsider, only had five popularity.
As for why it was five and not last place.
That was because some local spectators had specifically learned about her races, were shocked by her strength, and supported her with an expectant mindset.
In terms of the race course, it required running a full lap and a bit more.
It included two long straightaways, two complete large turns, and the final straightaway.
The ground was flat throughout, with no slopes, making it easier to run.
“G1, Kentucky Derby, now…”
The live commentator’s voice continued, and all the Horse Girl adopted their pre-race stances.
“Clang!”
The gates suddenly opened, and the extreme cold burst forth at that moment. Polaris Glacier pushed off with her right foot and charged out, leading the race by herself.
In a few blinks, she reached her initial top speed, and under conscious control, she galloped on ice all the way.
In contrast, the other Horse Girl were all stunned in place, their faces a mix of astonishment and fear.
Experiencing extreme cold for the first time, they were completely unprepared psychologically, and their information on it was blank.
“The race has begun, the Horse Girl’ start…”
“?!”
“Only Polaris Glacier has left the gate! She’s heading towards the first turn!”
“The other Horse Girl are standing stunned in place, looking surprised and scared, as if they saw something terrifying!”
The commentator quickly and clearly reported the race situation, also secretly checking Polaris Glacier’s related information:
“This is her racing characteristic! Polaris Glare! She has descended upon Churchill Downs!”
“Without a doubt, she came for the championship! To leave her mark in Louisville!”
Most of the audience was still a bit confused at this point, not knowing why the local Horse Girl were slow to start, only coming back to their senses when the commentator’s voice rang out.
Polaris Glare? Is this her racing characteristic? Preventing other Horse Girl from starting immediately?
“Wow, wow, is this not some kind of sorcery?”
“Stay calm, man, anything can happen in Horse Girl’ races.”
“Hey brother, did you look into this beforehand? Why are you so calm?”
“Of course, before this, I watched famous race videos of all participating Horse Girl and determined that Polaris Glare is the strongest in this race.”
“Cool, send me a copy of her race videos later. I feel like I’m going to be obsessed with her running.”
In the private box, Secretariat raised an eyebrow, adopting a thoughtful expression:
“Is that the effect of her aura interference? It’s truly overbearing.”
“If one were to suddenly get hit by that without preparation, the entire race’s condition would probably be affected…”
“No, more than that, forcing other Horse Girl to be late is the trickiest part, isn’t it?”
Watching the blue-haired figure running at the very front, she chuckled softly:
“She’s indeed a very interesting child, Polaris Glacier.”
Suddenly, as if she thought of something, she murmured to herself:
“By the way, that surname, Absolute Speed… I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before…”
On the track, Polaris Glacier focused on condensing ice surfaces for her propulsion while habitually moving her legs to run.
With the other Horse Girl still not out of the gates, all eyes of the spectators converged on her alone.
One horse leads, all others fade.
This race was gradually becoming exclusively hers.
Even if a Horse Girl later found a trick to break through the ice and charge out, no one paid attention anymore.
And when Polaris Glacier unleashed her leg power and accelerated, the spectators couldn’t help but cheer.
No one knew who started it first, but everyone gradually began to shout her name, only the first three syllables of it.
Kyokuchi, the Romaji for Polaris, sounds like ‘Kyo-ku-chi’ when pronounced…
Kyo-ku-chi, Kyo-ku-chi.
Since Rudolf and sirius usually called her that, Polaris Glacier felt completely at ease.
On the contrary, she felt a sense of familiarity; finally, in this foreign racetrack, there were spectators cheering for her.
Indeed, in races, the cheers of the people are indispensable.