Chapter 1509: NO．125：Long forgotten

NO．125：Long forgotten

Strength, strategy, and luck have always been called the three decisive factors of horse racing.

During the classic year, all the foals focused on improving strength; at this stage of the Saichang, strength accounts for seventy percent, strategy for twenty percent, and luck for ten percent.

This is not theory, but a phenomenon.

Because everyone's training time is short.

So short that even a large gap in talent may not be widened much.

Between the strength and weakness of stats and mastering skills, most can only focus on one, while some extraordinarily talented individuals, with the help of insightful trainers, can maximize time utilization and management to the fullest, achieving both.

As for strategy and luck, though they can produce stunning results in the world of youth, they are often uncommon.

The girls aren't very good at scheming; the refined tactics amount at most to simple psychological pressure.

As for the more profound… not to mention whether they could even think of it, even if the trainer incarnated as a Hei'an adult opened a special session, it wouldn't necessarily let the high school girls absorb and master it.

So Aomo actually looks forward to his sister's future quite a bit.

Compared to most classmates, Zhen Jiling has already won too much in this way; perhaps she could truly overturn the previous phenomenon, pushing the weight of strategic victory even higher.

But she is still just a junior high student now, unable to even reach the classic year.

And among high school students, those like her number only a few dozen in the entire central cohort—at first glance not a small number; adding a few more could even form a separate intelligence cup, but evidently, having exceptional talent in strategy doesn't guarantee entry into a competition.

At least in this Canaan Cup, you won't see a single person with exceptional strategic talent.

But this doesn't mean the competitors here are all reckless; on the contrary—

——in the Ancient Horse Year's races, the proportion of strength might stay the same, but the weight of strategy and luck in the races will both increase.

Yes, in the Ancient Horse Year, victory becomes a more complex combination of factors.

Strength remains important, and as training time accumulates, it shows even more diverse route differences.

Strategy becomes more important; the richer everyone's diversification, the more places worth effort.

Because difference equals specialization, and specialization means more obvious flaws. Although everyone dreams of becoming a well-rounded bucket, many trainers and horse girls will face reality, choosing to leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses within limited time, making themselves specialized players.

As for luck……

You may not believe in it, but just like 'walking many night roads will inevitably encounter a ghost,' this probabilistic luck tends to reveal itself as the number of races increases, and once it strikes, it brings some irreversible consequence.

This must be mentioned—if you study strategy, you can actually suppress the occurrence of accidents to a certain extent.

Even manufacturing what others see as an 'accident'.

Just like the Rhine Power that astonished everyone then faded into obscurity, the audience mostly feels sorry for her misfortune—because she chose to lead the escape from the front, just like the first place in a karting props race wearing full BUFFs, yet horse racing has no rules to prevent this from happening.

There is no principle of overlapping or nullifying red skill stacks.

That feeling… is probably like suddenly having a mountain on one's back.

Those who lament such hardship and misfortune never considered that her initial lead wasn't her own intention, but rather the possibility of 'being pushed out by the crowd'.

And those who notice this mostly stay silent, unwilling to act as the know-it-all bystander; only the half‑knowledgeable are eager to show off, meanwhile spreading conspiracy theories.

Like the idea of everyone colluding to set a trap, made to sound serious, but in fact it's obvious that all competitors have the awareness of 'shooting the protruding bird,' yet as for how fast to keep at the start—everyone also has their own judgment.

The Rhine Power was clearly the worst in judgment; a sudden mass overtaking, even if realized and wanting to slow down, came too late—with her as a cushion, other those attempting a full escape also rushed forward.

——and then blocked again.

Some didn't unleash their red skill all at once, while others released a red skill that equally tortures everyone.

Covering multiple people with a red skill simultaneously is not easy, and it's the same in the regular source energy attribution; but this is also hardly an ordinary stage—those who managed to secure a spot in the Canaan Cup each have their own secret techniques, and even the conspiracy theories favored by the half‑knowledgeable commentators can be twisted to mess with you.

——but then there's clearly no follow‑up.

'Sorry for the laugh, and I wish everyone all the best—don't let unrelated matters hinder you.'

When the expected threat had no follow‑up and the expected reminder had no sound, the words spoken that day by the trainer symbolized by the Wolf Star kept echoing repeatedly in their hearts.

That voice seemed like a hint; that voice was absolutely a hint!

That hint is a variable; some see it as fortune yet cannot help doubting, while others see it as misfortune yet cannot help questioning.

How to view it, and whether they can truly give their all, is their own affair; but the team also includes some completely unrelated individuals who occupy the advantage of 'single‑mindedness' in mindset, eyes fixed only on the opponent to confront, mind thinking only of what they themselves can still use, while others' potentially undeployed skill allocations remain.

This is clearly also part of so‑called strategy.

On this Ancient Horse Saichang where everyone possesses multiple skills, running has long become a pure psychological battle; to charge ahead fearlessly, one must first have the confidence to still finish first despite facing treatment like the Rhine Power.

Does this race have any?

Obviously not.

Just as Aomo had the witch‑beast screen and investigate beforehand, the Canaan Cup, though not lacking in gold content, has a loose Triple Crown mechanism that dooms many elders to not be in a hurry.

Compared to the Spring Triple Crown, the Autumn Triple Crown plus the year‑end Japan Cup, Arima Memorial, and Dream Cup are their true preparation directions.

As for the Golden Master who won the previous Classic Triple Crown, though Aomo is willing to believe that such a strong‑in‑stats competitor has the courage of a tyrant, her trainer would hardly let her charge forward with a dozen or so red skills.

Indeed, the facts turned out that way.

Even if she doesn't charge to the front, several competitors will still aim at this ever‑pressuring tyrant to show the seniors' respect.

But she indeed had no intention of revealing her greatest advantage at the start to suppress everyone.

On such a battlefield, even that tyrant is forced to study race techniques; as Aomo, a specialist in information analysis and psychological design, she will naturally offer her subordinates an easy‑to‑understand suggestion.

That suggestion only asks for a moment of endurance.

And after that moment of endurance——

"What a fast acceleration! What a fast skill release! What a stable skill stack! Surpassed Gold Scale Python Entwine! Surpassed Fortune Myth! Sirius Symbol surged to first place! Right in the middle, just as entering the mid‑point curve!! It's an escape! She really is running the escape route!!!"

"Unbelievable—just a few years ago she said she was worst at taking the lead."

"Golden Master! Golden Master also caught up! Clearly just mid‑course, clearly just mid‑course! It looks like a scene that should only appear at the end! Is it because this is a 5300‑meter course?!"

"Golden Master surpassed Fortune Myth, approached Gold Scale Python Entwine and moved into second place; at the same time, even Mejiro Shinjin began to accelerate!! One after another, it's unanimity! It's consensus! Now everyone is gradually accelerating! Is the real battle only now truly beginning!!

——

"It's over."

Turning their head back, they no longer overlooked the brown-haired woman running under Aomo; the Beast King said coldly, after glancing over the entire Saichang, then completely vanished on the spot.

「Has it left? 」

Fate's feedback suddenly decreased by one, the Moon-chi Symbol started, startled yet cautiously did not immediately scan toward that approximate direction; they also wanted to try asking others to test the truth of this feedback, but their gaze couldn't help but drift toward that Saichang, drifting toward that figure they did not expect.

Sirius Symbol.

No matter where they looked, the corner of their vision would always leave a little space for it; they somewhat couldn't understand what they were thinking, nor what they were expecting.

They simply couldn't help but look at that figure constantly galloping, already forming, with the posture fitting an athlete on that ancient horse Saichang, a tangible windbreak silhouette, brows furrowed.

Fully showing rejection, yet unable to avert their gaze.