Another year had gone by, which means it was Firestone’s favourite time of year. Before, it used to be Carter’s least favourite time of year because it meant he had to stand outside in the freezing January cold and suffer frostbite. However, with a sudden spike in his horses’ earnings Carter and his crew were able to keep the Firestone coming 2yos in training down in the sunny state of Florida. The air was bearable and his fingers and toes thanked him from staying away from the snow. It was almost time to ship them back to Kentucky for their first races of the Y18 season.

The three juveniles he had paired together for their workout was probably a mistake on his part, but they surprisingly worked the best when they were together. Sipping on his coffee, Carter heard a scream of frustration followed by a large chestnut colt trotting down the lane, a glimmer of mischief in his eye. Some Attitude had poor Sammie dragging behind, holding onto the reins for dear life.

“What a prick…” Carter muttered under his breath as he stepped out from the rail to catch the mischievous colt. Sammie was covered in dirt as she righted herself and readjusted her helmet.

“What happened to someone giving you a hand out?” Carter teased the small woman, who just shook her head and looked visibly agitated.

“This stupid cow bolted off before Johnny could grab a hold of his bridle.” Sammie was given a leg up by Carter as he balanced his coffee in one hand and she shortened her reins instantly, anticipating the large colt to bolt again.

“Just walk him around the outside of the track while the other two get themselves sorted.” Sammie could feel Archie wanting to explode, but she kept playing with his bit to keep his attention. Not too long after Archie stepped onto the track, Carter could hear hoof beats behind him as Borealis came trotting onto the track like she was on a mission. Talia looked like she had her hands full with the first Sophie’s Voice baby. The filly was massive and almost looked like a colt beside Archie. Bo had a resting bitch face, which consisted of her ears pinned against her head and the whites of her eyes showing a distaste for work. Her long legs were gangly compared to her large body and the filly made Talia look like an even smaller version of herself when she was sitting on top of her. Following closely behind her, James finally stepped onto the track with another Tempered Passion baby, Executioner. The bay colt did not want to walk forward and was doing everything in his will to turn back and head to the barn. Ed was squealing and crow hopping beside the handler on the ground and James looked amused at the colt’s antics.

“You got yourself a handful of crazy horses there, Carter. I only hope they’ll be as crazy competitive on the track.” Carter heard a female voice behind him and smirked slightly as Jenna came to stand beside him on the rail. She had raised these babies from birth and it was exciting to see another crop of her foals start on the track.

“If these babies didn’t have talent, I would’ve listed them in the January Mixed Sale a long time ago. They’re all full of piss and vinegar these three.” He took another sip of his coffee as he watched the three babies trot a lap around the track before heading to the gate to school. They were only going 3 furlongs but it would be enough for them to get a good workout before their first race.

Ed, who was a full brother to Foxy Passion, seemed to settle down and was now enjoying his time on the soft dirt. His ears were forward and he looked happy to be moving around. James stroked his neck as they trotted around the last turn to head to the gates. Bo was tossing her head, trying to run away from Talia’s grip on the reins but the experienced jockey knew how to handle the youngsters. The tall chestnut filly was full of fire and Carter could already tell she would be a fighting machine on the track. Archie, too, was trying to run away from Sammie but it was almost like he was feeding off of Bo’s energy. All three had arrived at the gates and the handlers that were waiting for them rushed to grab their respective horses. Ed was the first to go in, giving his handler little problems. James praised the colt profusely, readying himself for the awkward start that he knew was to come. Archie followed suit, balking a little at the gates but with encouragement he went in. Sammie stroked his neck in praise. Bo refused to step a pretty foot near the contraption. She planted her feet and shook her head, ignoring the pressure from both jockey and handler. Talia was forced to dismount so that the gate crew could force her into the slot. It wasn’t like Bo was scared – she was just extremely hard-headed and if she didn’t want to get in the gate, well, you had to force her. Talia remounted and composed herself for the start.

The buzzer sounded and all three horses shot out of the gate. Archie ambled out nonchalantly, stumbling at the start which put him at a disadvantage. Bo was the quickest out of the gate, settling for the front seeing as Ed was matching her pace and didn’t seem like he wanted to move up right now. Archie’s long lanky legs caught up with the other two pretty quickly and he comfortably stayed positioned right behind them. One furlong passed and the positions of the horses did not change. Bo galloped on confidently, keeping a watchful eye on the smaller bay colt beside her. Archie was only half a furlong behind but their finish marker was looming closer so Sammie allowed him to kick into another gear. Urging him with her hands, his stride opened up and he was now running beside the other two horses. Bo didn’t like that she had challengers and opened up her stride, running slightly ahead of the two colts. Ed was in his element however, trapped between two horses he knew he was able to shimmy his way out easily. The three horses pounded down the track in a flurry of legs and Carter clicked his stopwatch as they passed the final pole. His eyebrows raised at the sight of the time and he smiled to himself, turning the watch to show Jenna.

“You did a good job raising these kids, Jenna. Could’ve made them less psycho, but they sure can run.”