Naomi Cross smiled to herself as she admired the massive grey filly who stood regally in the cross-ties, chewing on a metal chain that was hooked to her bridle. Flightpath's cute pink nose was what caught the young woman's attention as soon as she was hired at Firestone. Flit's bloodlines were nothing special, out of a relatively unproven stud and a maiden mare, but her older brother had been dominating his division this season. Flit's nose wiggled side to side as she mouthed the toy hanging from the side of her face. There was a hint of mischief in her big brown eyes as she raised a hoof, threatening to paw the ground. The baby brain was active and impatient as Naomi tried to bandage her legs, but the massive filly wasn't having any of it. Legs flailed around in mischief and Naomi let out a sigh of frustration. 

"Having a little bit of trouble there?" Naomi swivelled away from Flit's legs, rising from her squatting position to meet Devon face to face, him standing beside a quiet bay colt by the name of Inner Storm. Naomi rolled her eyes but smiled. "Not at all. Baby brain over here won't stand still." Naomi looked past Devon to the colt, who was starting to mimic Flit by bouncing around in the cross ties. Thunder looked petite standing next to the filly, who was already at 16.3hh and was expected to mature at least a few more inches. Patches of sweat started to form around Thunder's neck as he waited (im)patiently for the riders to finish tacking up. 

The last horse in the cross ties seemed to ignore the two antsy babies. Instead, he stood regally with a quiet look in his eye. Roy's expression was soft, and he was enjoying a nice scratch from James, who seemed to be off in his own little world. Roy was one of Firestone's quietest babies, and was something that all riders and trainers enjoyed handling. James liked to think of it as a break from all of the other psycho horses Firestone owned. Even for a baby, the colt seemed to be developing a very level-headed brain but still had a huge drive to work and win. 

"How have they been? Cooperating?" All three jockeys turned towards the source of the noise and nodded to their boss as Carter walked into the stables. Flit responded by blasting a whinny directly in his ear. "Well, I think I know my answer. Let's get them to the track and out for a run." The three riders finished tacking up their horses and led them outside, the brisk January sun barely heating up the riders. It took three people to hold Flit still for Carter to toss Naomi up into the saddle. The filly refused to stand still, almost taking one of the grooms on a grass-ski ride down to the track. As soon as Naomi settled in the saddle Flit let out a crow hop, almost unseating the small girl but she held on and sent Flit forwards onto the track. 

Thunder was covered in a sheen of sweat as Devon took him for a few laps around the track, the colt feeling powerful and energetic underneath his guidance. There was much room for improvement in all three horses, but Thunder seemed to really have a drive to win. Roy was calm with James as well, making their way around the Firestone track with ease. All three horses still needed to gain a bit more muscle and strength, but they were well on their way to a good start in 2018.