commencement

[S u N f r O s T ~]

PROMETHEUS AND AMBER BLACK
DAUNTLESS AND VALENCIA ANDREWS
HYSTERIA AND HENNA TURATH
TIGER HEART AND KYLIE SILVERSTAR

A more prideful horse there never was. That was Amber Black's opinion as her mount swaggered onto the dirt track as though he owned it. Healthy arrogance and utter pride poured off of this tall bay colt. He moved like a king, acted like a king - he might as well be a king to SOPS. The first son of Flashy Wings, two time Breeders Cup Classic winner, and with lines to foundation broodmares like Forbidden Wings and On To Dancing...what more did this colt need to improve his resume? To top it off, Theus had speed. He thrived off of competition and loved to flaunt every ounce of talent he possessed. Amber Black simply could not wait to get this horse moving in January Week Three. She was ready for him to hit that track and take no prisoners.

Henna eyed Theus with a note of wistfulness in her eyes. Theus was the image of his sire, a horse Henna had ridden for four glorious years. Yet she would not trade spots for the world right now. She was riding Hysteria, and the filly would have none of her distraction. She reared in her usual over-the-top fashion, bugled loudly to make sure all eyes were on her and pranced like an energizer bunny down the dirt track. She was practically skipping, and it never failed to warm Henna's heart. Here was a blue blooded horse, a half sister to Euphoria's Warrior. She carried the lines of Queen Of Hearts and Bank On Silver in her veins, two of the best producers ever. To say the barn was excited for Teri was like saying the barn was excited for the new year - it was such an understatement. Henna sat to Teri's skippy stride, enjoying her filly's flighty speed. The bay was daintily built, more dainty than Theus, but she made up for that in speed and absolute knowledge in how to run. If there was something Teri was good at, boy was it running.

But if there was one horse on the track that was the self-made queen, it was Dauntless. The black filly towered over everybody else and made it known in her usual quiet fashion. Valencia sat aboard her filly was nothing else than a smirk on her face. Her horse had the look of a loaded cannon waiting to be pointed at the target and lit. She always looked like she was about to explode. Dauntless strode over the track like a loaded weapon, easy power flowing off of her and intelligence gleaming in her eyes. Dauntless was already familiar with the track; she had been working out over it long before the other horses in her crop. She had been one of the quickest horses to train ever, and her condition was nothing short of impressive. Valencia shook the reins, grinned as Dauntless responded and stretched out into a cool canter. Let's go blow this track wide open, shall we? It appeared to be an echoed sentiment; Dauntless coasted up just behind her workmates and suspended her position there, flowing over the dirt with all the lazy power in the world.

Kylie watched the juveniles run from her spot on Tiger Heart's back. The bay three year old would work directly after the juveniles did. Right now, her role was to observe. She was not up on any juveniles at the present moment, but that didn't mean she couldn't observe. Tiger shifted, snorting loudly, eyes rolling as he watched the other three horses race up the backstretch. He wanted to get out and racing. Tiger had come to SOPS as a strong colt already, having hit grade three while avoiding a lot of major races as a juvenile. It was time to make his class known. Amber had volunteered to ride the colt, but time would tell who his real jockey would be. For now, Kylie would watch and keep Tiger warmed up. They would be patient and wait for their turn to flaunt their speed.

The three thoroughbreds were poetry in motion as they flowed up the backstretch. Amber had painstakingly bred them and she was not disappointed. Theus had the kind of class that overtly showed, and the racing instinct that was necessary for success. He kept his opponents in sight as he snapped off fractions, sharp at the rail and letting no horse by. Dauntless continued to ghost at the back, the threat looming. Teri happily grabbed the lead and ran as she was asked to gallop. Teri was one heck of a youthful horse; the way she skipped over the track bellied her great level of energy. Theus had a princely way of moving even at the gallop, and the way Dauntless moved simply defied categorization. There was more than one ticking time bomb on the track, but for now Dauntless was the most notable one.

The pace thickened, accelerating towards the final turn. The horses swapped leads with the ease of experience, but now Dauntless's terrifying intelligence shined through. The black filly, quick as a snake, sinuously stretched out, flowed up the outside and exploded into a superbly fast pace coming off the turn. She put two lengths between herself and the rest in the blink of an eye. Valencia whooped, the loud one as per usual, as the other horses gave chase. Theus dug in without being asked, pace increasing, and Teri's pursuit carried a sort of insulted fervor to it. Neither horse was going to be left behind. Dauntless played with them, letting them catch up to her before accelerating again...to find the other horses keeping pace and accelerating as well. It was a three way tie at the line, much to the horses' displeasure but to the joy of their riders.

Kylie nodded at Amber as she passed by and let Tiger finally out into his workout gallop. The bay thoroughbred eclipsed the power and speed of the others despite not being an SOPS bred horse. He had a really smooth, efficient way of moving that would make any trainer envious. Kylie let the colt run at his own pace until the backstretch, at which point the command to run was given. Tiger needed no encouragement. The bay colt stretched out, guns blazing, into the four furlong workout. He took no prisoners as he smoothly clicked off a quarter in twenty three and a half in forty seven without being truly asked. Kylie's smile was apparent to all as she pulled the horse up. Tiger tossed his head, having clearly enjoyed his workout, joining the juveniles in their cool down.

The hand was stacked and the excitement was building for the SOPS debuts of these horses in just a few short week or sooner.