An echoing whinny rang out from somewhere up in the barns, and Tigris gritted his teeth as his mount rang out a war cry, a hoarse scream that shook his entire black frame. He was agitated, angry, and the young man fought for all he was worth to keep control of the irritable colt's head - turning him, resolutely, toward the track. Time Out of Mind, one of two visiting horses from Highgrove Thoroughbreds, was a bold colt by Rochemont Equine's Wannabe Hero. The stallion had had a career studded with success, including a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, despite not reaching grade one status. He was already a proven sire, making this spitfire colt a sibling to grade one winners Blue Heroine and Game Over, as well as juvenile HOTY winner Chocolatier. It was, put frankly, a recently successful pedigree, and Highgrove had stumbled onto quite the successful counterpart to their foundation mare Game Time. Ollie, as he was known, had the strong countenance and vicious spirit that worked so well for many racehorses, and given his father he was likely to be another.

The other Highgrove horse was familiarly Intrepid-bred, a DT Jupiter filly by the name of Outlander. She fit in much better with the Perennial Racing filly who was third in the group, a quiet animal that seemed very mature for her two years. Like Time Out of Mind, Outlander was a very royally bred little filly. By the sire of Innerstellar and out of the dam of Chatoyant, she had the makings of an incredible sprinter just based on recent activity. And, Savita was thrilled to find, she was absolutely kind. The filly showed none of the eagerness of her stablemate, just following placidly but with interest behind the most striking horse on the field, the newly four-year-old Platinum Fuhr. Compared to the juveniles, Tina had only her bold appearance to make her stand out. Her pedigree was not anything to look at, with her sire only boasting a single win and her dam unplaced after a single start. However, when the horses had been brought back under the Valkyrie name, Larsa had felt that their physicals outweighed their records, which were sparse and truly untried. The resulting filly had had unlucky strike after unlucky strike, but now, when she was finally ready to take the track, she looked every bit the primed, mature racehorse that she was. Her legs were long, speckled with dirt already as they moved out onto the track, and Minske was a pale rider atop a pale steed. Her eyes looked knowingly, familiarly, out at the expanse ahead of her. The filly behind her snorted, and Tina only flicked a pinked ear back. She showed absolutely no interest in the colt, who was on the muscle and arched against the bit just ahead of them.

As the years went on, more and more horses seemed to be phenomenally bred. Valkyrie had its own fair share of those blue-blooded animals, of course, and there was always a level of anticipation when they were about to hit the track. But sometimes it was the unexpected animals that made the biggest splashes in a new year, and that was why Perennial Racing Stable had been established. Minske, more than anything in the world, loved taking an underdog and bringing it to the top. He thrived on it. Taking horses like Mourning Passion, Laddie Luck, and Toss Up to the top were the things he strived for, and would continue to strive for in his new position with each and every horse he was given the opportunity to ride and train. Tightening his reins up, Minske called to Tigris ahead of them and moved his filly to take the lead ahead of the headstrong colt. One more work, and they were ready to make their debuts. One more work, and the next time these horses saw each other on the track they would be enemies. But for now, Platinum Fuhr would be the calming influences these juveniles needed to settle into their new lifestyle.