SUNSET GARDEN STUD
YEAR END GALA: OPEN DAY

Alexia was beaming as she walked around the stables, each freshly cleaned out and prepared for the day ahead. A very unusual day indeed, for she had decided to open the stud for visitors. Her hope was to reconnect with some of the local faces, to introduce the all-too-shy Chris to the local big names, and hopefully generate a little interest in the studs available for breeding. There was no guarantee it would be a success, but it was worth a try - plus, she just liked to show off.

The broodmares were out in the pasture, several of them heavily pregnant and due to birth soon. But Alexia believed that it was healthy for mares to stay active, even at this point, and there was always a staff member on watch just in case the unexpected happened.

Chris looked worried, but he'd relax soon enough. He just had to give this a chance.

This is an in character event. The minimum requirement to qualify for slots is 2 IC posts (one arriving and indicating which horse your character(s) is/are looking at and another interaction with a member of the Blackwood Equestrian Staff. Anyone which fulfills this requirement will get a reserve to a stud.
The Stallions

Available:
Autumn Storm
Chiquato
Dogma
Dragonheart
First Class (only 1)
Noadiance
Odd Number Out
Radiant Silver
Russian Agent
Waldemar
Winter Soldier

“We’re late, we’re late, for a very important date!” Abigail Fortunata, former jockey and current broodmare manager of BCM elbowed her co-worker from the passenger side of the truck.

“I see Isabelle conned you into her Disney movie marathon,” George Bergman gruffed. The younger of the two, he was stone faced and unamused, focusing on the road ahead. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes. I’ll speed if you decide to talk on the way.”

“I think a little Disney would do you some good, Mr. Sour Puss.” Receiving only a snort in response, Abigail opened the flyer in her hand. SGS was hosting an end of the year walkabout, and although they hadn’t been able to get on the road until the afternoon, she hoped they wouldn’t be too late to check things out. Being newer to the breeding scene, she was going along for the experience, and to keep George from alienating everybody. The last thing they needed was a speeding ticket, and if George was anything, it was brutally honest, so she pored over the stallion teasers in the pamphlet, and thought about the upcoming plans BCM had. It wasn’t too long before they were pulling into the long drive, past pastures of broodmares.

“Looks like we’ve missed it,” George commented as he parked, as they were the only vehicle in the corral.

“No we haven’t, they’re open all day. People are coming and going. We’ll get them all to ourselves now, though, no distractions. That’s better,” Abigail grabbed her purse and notebook. George shut his door and shoved his hands in his pockets, ambling along after the spritely dressage lover as she headed for the table set with balloons.

"I want to look at Dragonheart."

William could only roll his eyes at his boss's statement. He was quickly finding out exactly why Peter hadn't wanted to come on this trip - clearly it was not because he wanted to more time with his family, but instead due to Arthur's incessant prattling on and impulsive behaviour. "You're only saying that because you see 'dragon' and get excited like a little kid. You do realise that's not a good way of deciding how to spend money, yes?"

With a small grumbling noise - a sound that showed that Arthur knew William's words to be true yet did not want to admit it - the younger of the two looked back to the information that he had printed out about the horses that he knew he would be able to visit. There was a lot of choice! The stud clearly had a lot to offer. If he could, it would be useful to make some friends there. That couldn't be hard though, right? Arthur thought that he was quite the friendly man!

As the two men strode into the event, Arthur pointed to another horse on his sheets of paper. "Russian Agent, then? We need use of studs that run that kind of distance and he has bloodlines that we don't yet have in any of our own horses. He'd be perfect."

"That's more like it," William responded. He glanced around, wondering for a second if there were any drinks on offer anywhere, before they turned a corner and spotted their hosts. Drinks would have to wait; it seemed the business was going to come first.

"Hello!" He called, the speed of his steps increasing as he made a beeline for them, Arthur following close behind. "How are you today? Lovely place you have here."

Alexandria Winchester was the new face in the game, but that bothered her none. It was the new year and perhaps the most important time of year - breeding season. Lexi had always been fascinated by the breeding side of racing - pedigrees, genetics, the works. Arriving at the stud farm she was more ecstatic than ever - the first stud gala of the year. An opportunity to both find a new addition to her breeding stock but also a wonderful opportunity to meet other faces in the game. Winchester Racing had only reopened a few months before but she and her assistant trainer, Sean Courtney, had already managed to scrape together a formidable band of broodmares and stallions. The only area they seemed to be lacking in was their sprinter department - hence, their goal today.

“Oh! What about this one?” Sean flashed the stud pamphlet once again, his finger pointing at Radiant Silver, a multiple graded stakes winner. She had to admit he was tempting, with a killer pedigree but nonetheless, a router. “Hmm, not exactly what we’re looking for - plus we already have more than enough True Enough blood in our ranks. We need something fresh.” They wandered through the barn, her eyes observing the stallions while Sean’s were glued to the pamphlet. Suddenly Lexi stopped, which caught Sean off guard. Her grey gaze trained on the big bay stallion in the stall in front of her, her lips slightly parted in thought. Sean glanced up from his pamphlet, before letting his eyes wander to the plaque mounted on the stall door, Waldemar.

“Isn’t this the son of Wannabe Hero?” Lexi asked her assistant without moving her gaze from the stallion who stood, giving her a bit of a side glare. Sean gave a curt nod as he flipped through the studbook, "Correct.. dual sprinter and out the Sweet Sugar Cane mare, Windbreaker." He tilted his head as he examined the stallion in the pamphlet before him, "Not bad at all," he murmured under his breath. Lexi nodded excitedly, a light smile playing across her lips. “This is the one, I think.” She then turned to look for a staff member to consult with, her dark auburn hair spiraling behind her. Sean gave a slight chuckle. In his mind, Lexi would always remain the excited little horse crazy girl he had always known, no matter how much of a businesslike mask she wore.

Holly set forth to Sunset Garden Stud, alone. With her slim stud stock, she was hoping to choose a stud for an upcoming future foal. She had a few of the studs in mind and needed to see them for herself. Being away from the action, on and off, for so long had really put a damper on the dreams and plans that she had. She needed to make the trip alone to clear her mind of everything going on around her. Her horses were training impressively and she just needed some time away before racing picked back up again.

She pulled her truck down the long drive to the stud barn area. She already seen a few vehicles sitting outside. She wasn't early enough, but she wasn't late either. So she still had plenty of time to take a look around. She gawked at the beautiful scenery as she made her way inside the barn. She saw a few familiar faces in Sunset Garden's stallions. The first one was Waldemar, a colt she bred back when she owned his dam, Windbreaker, with the help of Isabelle. He was one that she thought about, as Wannabe Hero was such a fresh line.

She walked on down the line and there was Dogma, the flashy chestnut with the big white blaze. He nuzzled her shoulder gently. He spent some time running under her silks. She stroked his nose and walked on. There was Russian Agent. He, too, ran under her silks. He had really filled out. He would be a fresh new sire for a fresh new line. She saw Chiquato and Dragonheart. They were contenders for what she needed. But, then she made her way to the one she really had her eyes on.... Autumn Storm. 

Her gaze fell upon the flashy chestnut stallion. She had a diverse line of dirt broodmares and felt he would be the perfect suit for one of her dirt ladies, possibly for Beyond Expectations' final foal. Her mind was made as soon as she saw the stallion in person. She knew she had to find somebody to see if she could make that possible.

The team, at least, were excited to show off the stock that was on offer today. They were scattered at various parts around the yard ready to help if they were needed while Sally handled the refreshments table - a very important job, she has assured Chris, and one which would help set the right impression.

______________________

Isabelle

Adam had been making a point of keeping himself busy, ensuring the stables were running at peak efficiency with all this activity, but he knew he needed to do his own part so eventually he gave in and started looking for someone - anyone - that he could help and saw a pair arriving a little later than most of the other guests, seemingly led by a young woman who made her way to the information table and decided to take the chance while it was there. He walked over and leant back on the stable, an imposing figure of a man but certainly not threatening (and far from as formal as most of his counterparts).
"Afternoon, guess you're here to see the studs? Anyone in particular your interested in or ya wanna just take a gander? 'Appy to show ya a few out if tha'd 'elp."

((For reference, Adam is 6'4 and broadly built. His hair is grey and long, kept tied back, and has a goatee. His eyes are brown.))

______________________

KingHarry

Alexia stepped forwards as she recognized the team from King Of The Hill Stables, based in England of all places (where she had grown up, before coming overseas to follow her dreams with Matthias) eager to converse with them. She gave Chris a quick thumbs up.
"You've got this." she assured him before walking to the group.

"Good morning, fine weather for it." She smiled to herself, questioning why on earth the first thing she would bring up would be the weather. She could have asked them about so many things and instead she commented on the weather. Still, she brushed it off and quickly moved on. "It's wonderful to see you here today. I am Alexia Harshing, bloodstock manager here at Sunset Garden Stud, and I am at your disposal."

((For reference, Alexia is a slender woman with wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She's only around 5'2 and a former jockey.))

______________________

Lex

Joseph smoothed his clothes before stepping toward the gathering near Waldemar's stall and smiled widely. He worked with the stallion every day and had grown used to his odd mannerisms. At least today the bay was in his usual confident mood - stood calmly in the stable although not making any attempt to come over and greet his visitors.

"You've got a good eye." He commented, nodding toward the stallion. "Demar is a good boy, and I think he could make some amazing foals. If I can help at all let me know and I'll answer any questions you might have."

((For reference, Joseph is a tall man (6'1) with a naturally tanned complexion. His hair is dark, mid length, and tied back into a neat ponytail.))

______________________

Holly

Chris had seen the woman arrive on her own, quietly walking around and seeming to consider the boys on their own merits and had as such left her to her own devices until he noticed her looking around and seemingly looking for someone to speak to which is when he headed over with a warm smile.

"Welcome to Sunset Garden Stud. My name is Chris Tipton, one of the owners here. I see you've found Autumn Storm, this guy is a promising sire, I don't know if you know but his only son was a Breeders' Cup winner and his second foal is only starting in this coming year so he's been overlooked a lot considering."

((Chris is 5'7 with mid-brown hair, kept trimmed short and neat. Green eyes.))[/b]

The tiny former jockey had to crane her neck considerably, and shade her eyes, to look at the stocky man who greeted her. She beamed at him, extending her hand. "Thank you, that would be very kind. We're here from Braidwood Creek Manor, with direct orders not to put a hoof before our cart, so to speak. Isabelle is most interested a freshly lined stud for us who would sire a sprinter or miler. In particular, she was extremely insistent that we not look too closely at initial appearances. She wants a sound mind, as well as a stud with excellent legs and a jolly personality. We have several ladies who are a might . . um . . " Abigail glanced to George.

"The word you're looking for dear, is 'bitchy'." George gruffed, crossing his arms over his chest in a rather disheartening manner.

Abigail inhaled, looking a bit miffed. "Obstinate," she inserted, giving another smile to the man. "A pleasing temperament and obedience are quite high on our list of requirements. Now we're not too picky in terms of results for a stallion to have been a major star, per say, however we'd like a well rounded, solidly run boy who had a lifetime of keeping up with his peers. Should you happen to have anyone that fits a few of those qualities?"

George coughed. "If you don't, we'll take anything, so long as it's breathing."

"George Bergman!" Abigail nearly stamped a foot. "Isabelle said-"

"What she says and what she does are two wildly different categories. May I remind you of what she brought home last week, Abby?" George pointedly gave Abigail a look.

Opening her mouth, the blonde closed her lips again. "Right, anything you've got, we'll be happy with. I beg of you, please, please, please . . . above all else . . . don't let it . . . come with an herd of emus attached."