There was nothing more satisfying than watching two horses go head to head down the stretch, Carter thought to himself. Running Through Fire was chasing Insouciant, and quickly catching up to him at that when they crossed the wire side by side. The younger grade five stallion was trying to make a comeback to racing after sitting for months on end, and he was doing a damn good job at keeping up with the seasoned sprinter beside him. Carter nodded to himself, pleased with the way both horses were looking as their respective riders cooled them out. A sharp squeal and a loud male curse made Carter turn on his heel as the first group of juveniles stepped out onto the track. 

Luna Crescente was a sight to see – an almost coal black coat void of any white markings contrasted against the thin layer of snow that blanketed the property in the wee hours of the morning. Puffs of smoke billowed out of his nostrils as he let out a high-pitched scream and dipped his shoulder to the inside, spinning hard to the right and almost unseating the veteran jockey, Johnny, who muttered a string of profanities trying to calm the wild stallion. Nobody else would have the pleasure of sitting on Lenny’s back, Carter was sure of it. The colt was too unpredictable, sometimes even for Johnny. 

Before Lenny was even backed, there was a lot of groundwork and learning to do with the mischievous colt. It was only a few weeks ago that both Johnny and Carter came to an agreement with Lenny and boy did it make a difference on the track. Lenny tossed his head straight in the air, almost whacking Johnny in the nose before bolting forward unexpectedly. Carter could never understand what would go through the colt’s mind, but he’ll be damned if he didn’t pull through on the track. 

Following a few feet behind – for their own safety – was the smallest horse of the group at 15.3hh. Sweet Passion, also the lone filly in the group workout, had an excited pep in her step as she trotted out onto the synthetic surface. Guided expertly by Devon, who had an abundance of experience in the ‘all things sweet department’, Passion looked well-muscled and fit even for a gangly, growing juvenile. With a deep chest and refined head, Passion seemed to glide over the track as she caught up to Lenny within a few paces, her black tail bouncing behind her in the wind. 

Lenny and Passion waltzed away to start their warm-up jogs while Carter watched as the next two strode onto the track with purpose. First Strike, piloted by James, walked onto the track snorting with this head curled to his chest. Striker was currently Firestone’s only ridgling with an unknown breeding future as it was still too early to tell if he would drop or not. Carter wasn’t horribly worried; it clearly didn’t seem to affect his performance at home although time would tell. Striker’s lips were already covered in foam as James stroked his neck, giving the ridgling some love as they waited for their partner. Striker wasn’t a nervous horse, but to the undiscerning eye he definitely looked the part. He walked with a fluidity in his step, barely making a noise as he touched the track. Carter had to admit he was a good-looking horse, much like his sire and grand sire. His pedigree was stacked with talent and it was only a matter of time for Striker to live up to that. 

Sky Kingdom mirrored Striker’s disposition. While Lenny’s coat contrasted against the snow, Kye blended in with his surroundings. If not beside the bay ridgeling, Kye would surely just be a blur to the crowd of now two. Evelyn Cartier-McDowell took her place beside her now-husband and smiled as she watched her own boys jog their warmup lap. She had taken to First Strike and Sky Kingdom as soon as they popped out of their dams; Evelyn hated having favourites, but the gray colt just tugged at her heart strings without really knowing why. 

Sammie was trying to control Kye’s excitement, but the colt just wanted to run, and she knew it. The seasoned jockey sang her praises and cooed to him softly to see if that would help at all – and it surprisingly did. The way he moved exuded confidence that was sometimes mistaken for arrogance; Kye was an extremely surefooted horse and Evelyn knew from watching him that he already knew what he was supposed to be doing, even at the young age of two. 

At the top of the backstretch, Carter and Evelyn watched as Johnny asked the black colt to move from a canter to a stronger gallop into his hands, to which the colt immediately responded by bounding forwards. It caught Passion off guard, who automatically followed suit. Her strides were shorter and faster than the black colt in front of her, but Passion didn’t back down and stayed put near his flank. Lenny pinned his ears at the sudden burst of speed from his opponent, not liking the fact that she was keeping up with him. Devon could feel Passion tracking the black colt’s every move - the jockey really didn’t have to do much as Passion adjusted her speed at will. Devon wasn’t lying when he told people she was an autopilot ride. 

A few hundred feet behind was First Strike and Sky Kingdom, galloping strongly and effortlessly. Kye was a few strides ahead of Striker, but the pair were quickly catching up to the two that had started out 30 seconds before them. Evelyn stared at the horses on the sideline, shocked at what she was witnessing. The two boys were literally eating up the track and looked like they weren’t even putting any effort in whatsoever. Sammie lowered her hands and grabbed a fist full of Kye’s silver and black mane, asking him to open up inch by inch and the colt responded eagerly. Striker was one step ahead of James, speeding up so he was now at Kye’s rump as they galloped around the far turn. 

Lenny, not liking that three horses were now bearing down on his lead, sped up and powered forwards, almost catching Johnny off guard, who had to grab a small piece of mane to prevent himself from flying backwards. The true power of the colt was ridiculous and something Johnny hadn’t really encountered since Speak Easy. All Devon had to do was wiggle his reins and kiss to his filly before she opened her stride, easily matching Lenny’s pace. Her jockey was grinning ear to ear as she kept her strength and speed. He could feel the power that she possessed, and it wasn’t even at max capacity yet. 

In a matter of seconds, Kye and Striker were now neck and neck, and at the flanks of both Lenny and Passion. Sammie didn’t need to urge the gray colt on any further, letting him head towards the outside of the pack, which forced Striker to the far outside. The wide position didn’t seem to faze Striker or James, who pushed his hands forward to allow the ridgling to stretch out. The horses were all extra competitive when they thundered down the stretch, no one wanting to surrender the lead. While the juveniles weren’t completely stretched out, their gallop down the long side was full of unreleased energy and each horse individually looked like they could go an extra mile. They all crossed the wire together as a group of four, Passion taking the inside rail spot with Lenny, Kye, and Striker all rounding the field. Carter couldn’t really see Passion cross the wire, as she seemed dwarfed by the three giant colts to her outside. 

When they all came cantering and trotting back to Carter and his wife, each jockey had a shit-eating grin on their faces as they praised their respective horses. It was an exciting first group of juveniles that both Carter and his wife trained, and what they just witnessed was horses out for a strong gallop. The first race was only just the beginning of a new era of Firestone champions.