Meanwhile, at the Hyogo Prefecture hospital, Sakura Baimu and Mihono Bourbon were watching the Seaside Stakes live stream on their phones.
"Falcon, so strong..." Mihono Bourbon remarked, looking at the screen.
"Haha, I knew it! GG will definitely be fine," Sakura Baimu laughed.
"What's GG?"
"It's Smart Falcon's nickname."
"I see. Isn't it 'Falco'?"
"She'll be happier if you call her GG."
"I see. I've already changed the way I refer to Falcon in my memory." Mihono Bourbon nodded seriously.
"By the way, is Rice Shower still not awake?" Sakura Baimu asked.
"Not yet. But the doctor said Rice Shower's recovery has been incredibly fast."
"She should be able to return to Tokyo soon, right?"
"Yes."
—
Unlike Sakura Baimu, who was leisurely watching the live broadcast, Satono Diamond's father, sitting in the stands at Hakodate Racecourse, turned deathly pale after seeing Satono Crown fall ten Lengths behind Smart Falcon at the fourth turn.
"She can't maintain that speed for long. She'll lose speed soon… she'll lose speed soon…"
Satono Diamond's father kept repeating this phrase, but his tone had become completely weak.
Recalling Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black's debut races, neither of them had ever gained an advantage only to be overtaken from behind.
Now, Satono Diamond's father could only hope that Smart Falcon and Sakura Baimu, having trained together only briefly, would experience a significant slowdown in the final stages.
Just then, the commentator shouted:
"Slowdown!"
Satono Diamond's father snapped to attention and quickly looked toward the track, then heard the commentator continue:
"Satono Crown is slowing down; her speed is noticeably decreasing. Is she running out of energy?"
"She clearly used the Chaser Running method, but she acceleratef in the middle of the race, which caused her to exhaust all her energy in the final stages."
The commentator's tone held a hint of regret, a slight pity for the Satomi family's prestigious Umamusume, who had entered the race with overwhelming popularity.
Most of the audience had come for Satono Crown.
Satono Crown's popularity alone surpassed the combined popularity of the other 13 Umamusumes.
But who could have predicted this?
The highly anticipated Satono Crown suffered a shocking upset, being crushed by a relatively unknown Umamusume by a massive margin.
Hearing the commentator's words, Satono Diamond's father slumped back into his seat, his face deathly pale.
Satono Crown had stalled even earlier than Smart Falcon, essentially ending her chances of victory.
This wasn't just a simple loss.
This was just a local race, an OP-level local race.
While the Satono Clan has never competed in a G1 Umamusume race, they rarely lose in local OP-level races.
A heavy defeat this time would have unimaginable consequences.
Not to mention, Satono Diamond's father had confidently suggested to Sakura Baimu that Satono Crown should face off against Smart Falcon in this Seaside Stakes.
The Umamusume, time, location, track, and distance were all decided by Satono Diamond's father; Sakura Baimu made no intervention whatsoever.
Yet, despite having clear advantages, Satono Crown, fresh from her overseas trip, still lost in a Dirt race that Smart Falcon had hardly ever participated in.
"Smart Falcon has crossed the finish line first!"
"The gap between her and the other Umamusumes is widening even further; this speed seems to pose no burden to her at all."
"It's now impossible to even count how big the gap between Smart Falcon and second place is."
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! It's been a long time since we've seen such a formidable Dirt Umamusume!"
"Smart Falcon! Smart Falcon! A rising star in the Dirt world!"
"Smart Falcon! Now—"
"Crossing the finish line!"
"Smart Falcon crossed the finish line with a massive difference, a complete domination of the Dirt race!"
"We witnessed a miracle, a miracle of starting 14 Lengths behind in a mile race, but coming back to win by 13 Lengths and crossing the finish line with such a huge difference!"
"A new record! Smart Falcon has broken the Seaside Stakes record by 1.75 seconds!"
The spectators who came for Satono Crown were relatively calm, but the locals from Hakodate cheered excitedly after seeing Smart Falcon's outstanding comeback.
Smart Falcon broke the race record despite starting so slowly.
What if she had a normal start?
They realized that, as the commentator said, Smart Falcon could very well be a rising star in Dirt racing.
If Smart Falcon achieves great success in Dirt matches in the future, then this place will naturally become the first stage where she took steps toward even greater achievements.
Thinking of this, many residents of Hakodate enthusiastically cheered for Smart Falcon, who was waving to the audience with a warm and sweet smile.
"Smart Falcon! Smart Falcon!"
"Smart Falcon!"
Smart Falcon jogged along, happily waving to the audience, who were chanting her name in unison.
"So happy! Falcon is so happy today!"
Smart Falcon had never imagined that one day she would receive such simultaneous cheers from so many spectators.
The excitement of having her strength recognized, coupled with the joy of truly discovering her talent, intertwined in Smart Falcon's heart, bringing tears of emotion to the eyes of this lovely Trembling Umamusume.
When everyone doubted her, including Smart Falco herself, and she did not believe she could achieve anything, it was Sakura Baimu who gave her unwavering trust.
At that moment, Smart Falco no longer doubted the promise Sakura Baimu made when they met—a promise to have her perform for the fans on the winning stage of a G1 within six months.
"Trainer Sakura was right, she didn't lie to Falco! She can do it, Falco can do it!"
Moved and excited, countless positive emotions welled up in Smart Falco's heart, finally transforming into glistening tears that slid down her cheeks.