This year's queen of the racing is Lee Joo-young. On the 14th, at the Misa Racing Park, she overcame the disadvantages of the course and strong challengers to cross the finish line first.

In this 'May Queen Special Race,' based on the average scores from the 1st to the 18th rounds of this year, the top 6 players competed. Up until early last week, it appeared that Moon Anna (3rd generation, B2), Lee Ji-soo (3rd generation, B2), Kim In-hye (12th generation, A1), Lee Mi-na (3rd generation, B2), Ahn Ji-min (6th generation, B2), and Park Seol-hee (3rd generation, A2) would participate.

However, on the 8th, in the 13th race, Lee Ji-soo committed a foul and lost her eligibility to participate in the May Queen Special Race. As a result, Kim In-hye, Lee Mi-na, Ahn Ji-min, and Park Seol-hee had their courses changed from 3-6 to 2-5, and Lee Joo-young (3rd generation, A2), ranked by score, was assigned to the 6th course.

This May Queen Special Race had two main viewing elements.

First, it was noteworthy that many competitors with past victories in the May Queen Special Race (formerly, the Queen of Racing) participated, except for Lee Mi-na. Moon Anna won in 2016, Kim In-hye in 2022, Park Seol-hee in 2005, and Lee Joo-young in 2015, while Ahn Ji-min has won this race an impressive three times (2005, 2017, 2019). With four participants from the 3rd generation named as the original female warriors, Kim In-hye, recognized as a key player in the generational change, and Ahn Ji-min, who has the most victory experience, it became hard to determine superiority among the six racers solely based on skill.

Another viewing element was the competition between the course and the motors. The highest average score holders, Moon Anna and Kim In-hye, were placed in the 1st and 2nd courses, while conversely, the motors ranked 1st and 2nd in placements were allocated to Park Seol-hee in the 5th course and Lee Joo-young in the 6th course.

Before the race began, the dividends leaned more toward the course than the motors, with the popularity rankings being Kim In-hye in the 2nd course, Moon Anna in the 1st course, and Park Seol-hee in the 5th course.

Amid rising tension, the racers, having completed their pre-race actions, began to increase the speed of their boats. However, signs of an upset appeared from the start.

The highly anticipated Moon Anna in the 1st course and Kim In-hye in the 2nd course did not have as good a start as expected, while Park Seol-hee in the 5th course and Ahn Ji-min in the 4th course led the start and pressured the inside course racers. Ultimately, the inside-course racers, Moon Anna and Kim In-hye, missed the turn mark, creating a significant gap, allowing Ahn Ji-min, Park Seol-hee, and Lee Joo-young to form an early lead.

Among them, Lee Joo-young clearly dominated the inner lane, surging ahead on the straightaway to overtake Ahn Ji-min and Park Seol-hee, and then calmly maintained her lead for another lap to ultimately cross the finish line first. It was the moment she returned to the throne of the queen of racing for the first time in 10 years since her victory in 2015.

Ahn Ji-min, who maintained the 2nd place until the end, could not overcome the limits of her motor and allowed Park Seol-hee to overtake her in the final stretch, ultimately finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. It was an unexpected placement for the racers, resulting in a 203.1-fold payout for the exacta bet and a 1,386-fold payout for the trifecta bet. Even though she had been overshadowed by junior racers like Kim In-hye in 2022, Son Ji-young in 2023, and Kim Ji-hyun in 2024, it was an impressive scene to see the original female warriors from the 3rd generation winning and placing second.

Immediately following the race, at the awards ceremony, Lee Joo-young said, "I never expected to win before the race. I was assigned to the 6th course, and the motor compatibility wasn't great. I think it wasn't just my skill but rather luck that led to my victory," adding, "Recently, I haven't been able to participate much in the target races, but I will do my best to participate frequently in major competitions this year and achieve good results, starting with this victory."

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