The only steadily raced two year old in the entire set would be Spotlight Pride. The leggy chestnut colt stalked around beneath Reese Balling Jones with a confused glint in his gaze. He wasn't used to wandering around, waiting for his competition. Ripley kept a strict workout schedule that most everyone adhered to if they wanted to keep their job. Reese's dark eyes flashed to the two year old barn, eyes full of irritation. Her horse was not one who took an interruption in routine well. Laura flew around Queen's Honesty, hands working to tighten leather and gear as quickly as possible. A half hour she'd been in bed, certain her workout wouldn't come til later. Ripley apparently had changed riders on Honey without telling anyone. Maggie had originally been set to ride the excellent bay filly, but something hadn't clicked between the two in gallops. Laura was the appointed rider after having ridden Whipped Cream, a relation of Honey. Laura could only think of one thing that had determined the switch. Honey was stubborn and ferocious. Such traits were family traits, but Laura could harness them and make them a benefit. Justin mounted Nocturnal Runaway in the barn, appreciating the silver filly's perfect body type. She was an agile thing, sleek as a fish and handy as hell. He adored the filly and knew eventually, she'd get back to winning races. She had the family to make a mark on racing. Though there had been no wins since Noc joined WCS, the filly's out of the money finishes had stopped. Now she was making ground and had only just missed to Proteus Prince, an upcoming dirt horse himself. The riders hustled their mounts through the barn doors, nodding briefly to an agitated Reese. Spotlight Pride huffed at the sight of the competition, tail twitching uneasily. He wasn't one for crowds, but these two were a welcome sight. Casualty of War was an enemy so these two could hardly be worse than that muscular dark bay. Being the senior member of the team, Reese relayed workout information to the riders. Ripley would be waiting in the three furlong gap, waiting for her plans to be well executed. Pride danced beneath Reese, eyes rolling white with excitement. He was on the muscle and absolutely dying to roll. Reese let him leap into a trot, restraining him to only a trot. "Mile and an eighth gallop up to the three furlong flat. Gotta prepare them for their races." Queen's stocky body bounced over the ground in barely controlled excitement. She was getting some work finally. A real work. "Boy, you are definitely like Rea. I'll give you that." The powerful two year old was very much like grade one winning Whipped Cream. She had hidden strength, ferocious movement that betrayed the power to onlookers. She was no Honey. She was a Queen. Laura let the reins skip through her hands as the bay took up alongside Pride. Her white-rimmed gaze matched the spookier colt's gaze with ferocious determination. Neither ducked away from the challenge. Reese believed that was an improvement on her athletic creature. He used to be spookier than crazy. Now he was as confident as the next two year old... at least to some extent. Justin had his hands full of vibrant horse. Nocturnal Runaway bolted into a canter, controlled down to teacup steps. The Night Stalker daughter was full of fight after her latest loss. It spurred her on to greater gallops, fiercer times, tougher battles. Noc snorted profusely with every stride, eyes blazing with fury. She looked a lot like Saintly Touch, with a compact body and powerful legs. Justin leaned close as the filly tackled her first hill with interest. Justin gave her a little pat at the top of the hill, steadied her and then prepared for the rest of the workout. Spotlight Pride buried Queen's Honesty off of the first hill, legs skimming over the course with ease. He was a fireball over this particular course, relished the need for speed and the lack of it. Pride leaped over the grass, focused to a "T," tongue bouncing with his lengthy strides. Reese felt more confident than ever on this colt. He'd earned his time off and was coming into the Tri-State Futurity than any other race. It made her confident for down the road. The Breeders' Cup was two months away and he was improving, if there could be improvement, at the right time. The bay daughter of Truth Be Told vigorously tracked Spotlight Pride, ears pinned back into her neck. She had a great cruising speed, something she'd shown in every start. She had a way about her that made you think star. Though she hadn't broken her maiden yet, Queen's Honesty was on the verge of making it big. Laura tucked her hands into the whipping black mane, feeling more confident as the bay settled into her powerful stride. She was a length and a half behind Spotlight Pride, gaining ground on the hills. Not as daring on the downward slopes, Queen's Honesty made up for it in the short valleys. It was like sitting in the captain's seat aboard Nocturnal Runaway. She glided over the course under control and full of energy. Her ears flicked over her head as though she was just out for a jog. She was a confidence instilling creature. Beautiful and talented. He let his hands skim down her sleek neck, smiling as she kicked up the final hill of the gallop. It was almost time to let that passion burn. And there was passion, a big bucket that wanted to wash away the competitors. Justin let the filly skip down the hillside after her opponents, letting her have her head. She charged off the hillside, pushing off menacingly and in a couple strides was up to Queen's Honesty. Laura's eyes grew grimmer, but Queen cleared them within a matter of seconds. The bay launched forward, spurned by the competition. She flew over the course, tail streaming behind her. The two fillies swarmed up on either side of Spotlight Pride, nearly stunning the runaway leader. The three horses soared over the course, head to head to head. It was a fierce battle for the line and no one was going down without a fight. Nocturnal Runaway and Spotlight Pride gradually turned away Queen's Honesty, more experienced over the rolling hills. Laura was impressed by Queen. She didn't fade hard. She still fought gamely even in face of defeat. Laura chalked it up to inexperience over the course. Pride gutted out a win, eyes furious that Noc had put him through an acid test. Who was she to suddenly be competitive with him? Few had managed to take him down and now this gray filly thought she could. Justin was happy with the effort for Noc had only lost by a head to the best turf miler two year old in the country. They were making strides and it was nearly time to make a claim for a win of their own.
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