"You are going to love this one." Alexia could not help but grin at Lucas as he walked into her office. It was early morning, and she had a full morning of workouts planned but she'd decided to put this one first - mostly because Madam never failed to amuse her and everybody needed a little humor in their life. "Coffee?"
"Miss Murder, right? Unusual choice for a race name, Lexi." Alexia shrugged, pouring herself a mug of coffee. It might have been the start of a new season, but it was pretty much life as normal. Well, almost. Except that the new juveniles would be debuting soon, and their was always a sense of excitement about that. Who knew if they had a gem in their midsts? Even the most humble horse could had the potential to be a star. Not to mention that stardom wasn't always immediately apparent - some took a little time to refine. "So, what can you tell me about this filly?"
"I can tell you that you'll love her." she paused dramatically. "Once you get used to her."

Lucas wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous. Alexia's choice in horses could sometimes be a complete mystery to him and something told him that this was not going to be a straight forward case.
"Well, are we going to go see her then? It's not like you to sit around drinking coffee."
"I'd normally say yes, but Madam is already at the track. I had her exercise rider warm her up for you."
"Oh... Okay."

It was something he normally liked to do himself, but he chose not to say anything, instead sitting back in his chair and watching Alexia finish her drink. Once she was done she rose, straightened out her clothing, and headed to the door.
"Come on, then. You won't achieve anything sat on your ass." Oh, she did have such a way with words... Lucas rolled his eyes as he rose.
"Shush now, I've been waiting for you and you know it."
"Maybe you are right."

The filly was the first thing Lucas honed in on when they reached the track. A beautifully slender chestnut with flashy white markings, one could easily call her beautiful. But the other thing he noticed was her movement, the youngster seeming to dance on her toes. He rose an eyebrow and looked at Alexia, who just smiled.
"Trust me, she is always like this." Lucas didn't doubt it, he'd seen such balls of energy before and he knew that generally the issue was getting them to focus on the task at hand.
"Okay. One of those. I can handle this." Alexia just giggled, wondering who was about to come out on top. She really hoped it would be Lucas.

As the jockey ducked under the rail the filly stared straight at him. Her head rose slightly, her tail snapping at her rump before she backed away slightly. Lucas shook his head, for the most part ignoring her mannerisms and allowed the lad to turn her around and calm her.
"Madam, they call you. Well at least this should be interesting then." Moving to her side, he took hold of the saddle and pulled himself up. The filly tensed as his weight settled into the saddle, and he prepared himself for the worse, but after a moment she relaxed. That was more like it.

Two things quickly became apparent - first, that this filly was on her toes and bouncing; and second, that it would be quite the ride. Perhaps it was the look of the rider on the lead pony, but something just told Lucas he had seen nothing yet. He gulped, patting the filly's powerful neck, and readied himself. They approached the gate, and the filly was loaded fairly easily. That, at least, was a relief. The shutters were closed behind them, and he gathered up his reins.

This isn't so bad... he told himself.

The gates opened, and Madam broke forwards smoothly. It was a nice break, and as she cruised forwards, gaining pace with each stride, the jockey felt fairly confident. She wasn't anywhere near as much trouble as he had anticipated and he was able to let her run at her own speed for a furlong, just getting used to the chestnut beneath him. Still, the pace was not slow and Lucas was impressed with how she moved. She felt sturdy, strong, and ready. He lifted his head as they passed the first marker, shortening the rein. Now that he knew what he was working with, he could begin the push.

He urged her forwards and felt her react almost instantaneously. She was willing, and he suspected that she was enjoying the run. Still, he didn't push her too hard and just slowly built the pace as they continued. He still didn't exactly know her, and wasn't entirely certain what she was capable of. But he just needed to see, and as they passed that final marker he really began to drive her, feeling as she stretched out. Her pace built faily quickly, although she lacked the kick of some closers, and he felt confident in her as they surged through that final furlong. He felt almost victorious as they passed the post, although he struggled to bring her back down. This filly just wanted to keep going!

When he eventually managed to get her to stop he slipped from the saddle, grinning. Oh, what a ride that had been. Strangely enough, Madam was still fairly bouncy and he wondered just what it would take to ebb that energy away.