Uncrowned King

"And we go to the final corner! Ibarra's pacing well leading by a length, followed by Es Twenty Six. Golden Sutter at fourth, passing Best Kept Secret for the third position..."

The caster raved, hyping the crowd as they held their breath. The stomps of the runners on the field synced with the collective, erratic heartbeats of the spectators who were shouting at the top of their lungs like a battle cry.

"Ibara maintains his lead by a length, followed by Es Twenty Six in second... and Golden Sutter running in third place as they approach the home turn..."

Ibarra's arms swung like pendulums, powering her forward. She kept her momentum, slightly narrowing her stride to steady her pace around the corner.

A foot behind her, Es Twenty Six sprinted with laser focus, gritting her teeth as they approached the bend.

"You're not getting away!"

Golden Sutter, on third, trailed Es trying to close the gap between them to take the lead from the outside.

Es Twenty Six's muscles burned as she braced herself for a burst.

Finally, she's in position. She and Ibarra side by side. She felt electricity surge within her veins as her mental clock finally ticked.

"NOW!"

Es pushed hard with a scream, glancing at Ibarra with slight disdain. She hated how Ibarra never checked her sides at any race, as though dismissing her competition. Not even for the Triple Crown.

But Ibarra's focus lay somewhere else. With eyes locked on the finish like a falcon diving for the kill, she drove her foot hard into the ground, taking advantage of her momentum for a final dash. Soil exploded behind her as she leaped out in long, powerful strides, leaving Es Twenty Six in shock, frozen in space.

"Ibarra bursts forward! Ibarra, now leading with two lengths! Es Twenty Six can't break through! Golden Sutter slows down to the far third! Can Ibarra keep the lead!?"

Among the crowd of spectators, a small, doe-eyed horse girl wagged her tail as she gripped the track's side rails, keen on not missing a step from any of the racers.

"They go the final stretch!" the announcer yelled. The girls dashed past the marker in a blur.

"Aaaand we have a winner!"

The crowd erupted. Ibarra turned her head towards the sky, gasping as she slowed to a stop. The other horse girls strode past her; thankful for barely finishing the race.

"The victor of the second leg of the Triple Crown Series... IBARRA!!!"

The arena roared. Confetti fell like fireworks. Her name echoed inside the arena's expanse like a tidal wave. As her breath eased, she graciously returned the praise, bowing like a gentleman in her princely garb.

Es Twenty Six rolled over the dirt, arm over her eyes as she tried to catch his breath. Not far from her, Golden Sutter bent forward, patting herself on the shoulder with a smile.

The horse girl watching from the sides bounced excitedly, pigtails flailing as she waved both hands at the winner.

Ibarra noticed her and waved back with a wide, victorious grin.

---

The day settled down, and everybody tuned in to their televisions for the press conference. Cameras flickered without end, strobing the platform and the uma of the hour on it.

"Congratulations on your win, Ibarra. What are your thoughts about the race?" one of the interviewers asked.

"I am grateful for the victory granted to me today. I will prepare harder and be in my best form for the next race: the third leg of the Triple Crown Series."

Another reporter raised a hand. "There hasn't been a Triple Crown Champion in six years. Do you think you can do it?"

Ibarra stared straight at the camera.

"I commend my rivals for the challenge, but true competition lies in the path moving forward. If anyone shares the same fire as I do, nothing is impossible for all of us."

Ibarra continued talking a bit slower, making sure everyone got the message.

"As for me, one more win between me and my 'dream'."

A reporter followed up. "What is your dream? The National Gold Cup? Competing overseas?"

"A new era... "

The crowd froze. Camera shutters went silent.

And Ibarra rolled the carpet herself.

"A NEW AGE OF EXCITEMENT! THE RESURRECTION OF DYING HOPES AND BLEEDING HEARTS! THE REBIRTH OF SPEED AND MADNESS!"

Ibarra flailed her cape like a matador inciting a stampede of bulls, summoning an eloquence that resembled a master of a circus show rather than that of an opera heroine.

"THE RENAISSANCE OF HEROES! THAT IS MY DREAM. AND THE WORLD WILL WITNESS IT WHEN I WIN THE CROWN!"

Ibarra's voice boomed across the hall. Electricity ran on the spines of everyone in that room.

Suddenly, the entire hall buzzed, and a stream of questions flooded in, completely drowning the coverage's audio in chaos.

Meanwhile, her rivals in the Manila Academy closely watched her throughout the coverage.

"Unbelievable." Es Twenty Six snickered, grinning like a deranged animal. "This flamboyant braggart really knows how to make a scene. I hate her."

Golden Sutter stared at the monitor in the cafeteria, holding a bowlful of rice and munching mouthfuls of meat.

---

The press conference took longer than needed, but Ibarra was finally able to return to her locker room.

"Jeez, Ibarra. You really made a scene out there." Ibarra's trainer joked.

"I guess I got a little carried away." she snickered. "Es must be so angry now."

"Hey, hey. Take it easy on her." He replied to Ibarra's hearty laugh. "But... seriously..."

Ibarra looked at the trainer.

"Thank you for taking my dream this far, Ibarra."

Ibarra rubbed her nose. "Don't sweat it. Your dream just happened to coincide with mine. It's a win-win for both of us."

The Renaissance of Heroes.

"When I was young, Father took me to see umas races. I didn't know back then that racing would be this close to my heart. Like a calling." Ibarra reminisced wistfully.

"Years ago, the track where we watched races shut down. And lately, I heard that another race track is going bankrupt."

Ibarra clutched her chest. "People said it was the sign of the times, and racing will eventually die out. Hearing that really hurt."

The trainer lowered his cap, feeling guilty for sharing the same sentiment.

"That's why..." Ibarra continued as she watched at other umas jogging on the field. "...my dream is a revival. That people can once again rekindle that dying flame into a blaze, a spectacle for the ages. As for me, I want to become a horse girl that they can look up to. Someone who brings them joy, and a sense of pride and identity. Someone who inspires them to be the best."

A sudden gust of wind blew from the outside. The trainer opened his eyes, finding Ibarra's silhouette dressed in the sunset's fiery glow, transcending into something larger than life.

"A hero..." he muttered as he looked at Ibarra.

The uma turned her head towards him, her face slapped by a stray piece of paper. The trainer covered his mouth in a muffled chuckle.

"Tch. My monologue." Ibarra groaned, swatting the paper off her face. "Anyway, I need to make a call. I'll see you later, trainer."

The trainer nodded. "Alright. Don't stay out late.

The door clicked shut before he could hear her answer. With a huff, he bent to pick up the piece of paper Ibarra left. 

A Triple Crown promo flyer with Ibarra at the front.

With a smirk, the trainer placed the flyer on a table and left.

---

Danee sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, scrolling on her phone, still wearing the yellow shirt and bright blue jumper she wore during the race.

Posters of Ibarra adorned the wall beside her bed with a corkboard filled with magazine cutouts of her favorite uma.

Suddenly, the telephone rang from downstairs.

"Hey, bunso! Your sister's on the phone!"

"Okay, mama!"

Danee scrambled down the stairs, almost tripping over a person she hadn't seen for a while.

"Hello, Ate?" she said in a bright tone.

"Danee!" a familiar voice chuckled from the other line. "Sorry, I didn't get to talk to you earlier."

"It's okay. Mama's with me. We went to HappyBee after the race. I had three fried chicken and unlimited rice." Danee bragged.

Ibarra leaned on the wall beside the telephone, drooling at the thought of two heaping buckets of crispy fried chicken all for herself.

"Sweet! I've been craving too, but I can't eat much before a race." she lamented. "But I talked off the trainer today, so I will eat a mountain of chicken and a bucket of gravy.

"No rice?" Danee teased her sister. "Are you afraid of getting fat?"

"Oi, you cheeky brat." Ibarra retorted, then her expression changed into a mischievous grin. "I heard you eat potloads of rice. Afraid of staying short?"

Danee's ears twitched, lips pouting. Ibarra laughed at the awkward silence, knowing she ticked her sister's nerves.

"Did you watch the interview?" Ibarra asked.

"Yes," Danee replied with a mock. "You really went overboard, didn't you, Ate?"

Ibarra scratched her head. "Heehee. I got carried away."

"But the race? They all looked strong, but you beat them clean and clear."

"Really? Ibarra laughed timidly. "I don't even know what's happening around me."

"You're just really focused, Ate. And I believe you will win the next race too."

"You think so? I'll believe you." she snickered as she absent-mindedly coiled the telephone cord on a finger.

The younger Uma pursed her lips tightly.

"Ate, do you think I can make it?" she asked softly. "Do you think I can get a scholarship like you?"

"Eh, why not?"

Danee twirled her fingers. "I... I don't know..."

Ibarra sighed, shaking her head.

"Tch. Of course you can," she assured Danee. "You know why?"

Ibarra lowered her voice and let her next words roll out gently.

"Because you're my little sister. If you work hard, you will see it. Believe me."

Danee's eyes gleamed.

"So... eat a lot and study well okay? And when you get here in two years..."

Ibarra straightened up with a huff.

"Let's have a race."

Danee's chest drummed with excitement.

"Opo, Ate!"

---

Days flew by.

Ten days after Ibarra's magnificent victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown Series, something stirred the city that lazy afternoon.

TV stations buzzed. Tons of paper rolled inside newspaper prints.

In the middle of an intersection, Danee trembled, staring open-mouthed at a giant monitor screen at the public square, with hundreds of people caught in the sudden news flash.

"BREAKING NEWS: TRIPLE CROWN CONTENDER IBARRA WITHDRAWS FROM FINAL TRIPLE CROWN RACE."

---

Author's notes.

1. Ibarra - A PH Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2008 Presidential Gold Cup and was a 2007 Triple Crown Contender.

2. Hagdang Bato - considered by many as the greatest racehorse in PH history, Hagdang Bato was a,Triple Crown Champion in 2012 and Presidential Gold Cup Champion in 2012 and 2014.

Danee was a fictional nickname for this story.

3. Ate - Tagalog word for "older sister."

4. Bunso - Tagalog word for "youngest sibling", but at times used affectionately for any younger sibling.

5. Opo - Tagalog counterpart of "Yes.", a more polite version.