The two horses loaded into the gate easily, allowing the people nearby to let out sighs of relief. Not that the horses were ones that would normally get anxious in the gate, but with one of them still a juvenile, there was still a chance he could freak out. The sprinters waited patiently in the gates until the doors opened, allowing the horses to race forwards.

Without another dirt sprinter in their Y16 ranks, George made the decision to pair Connor with North. Both were relatively easy-going colts, so no problems were foreseen between the two of them. Not to mention, it'd been a while since North had been on the track, the colt been given a break to see if that's what he needed.

North surged to the front, a bit quicker out of the gates than Connor. The chestnut 3 year-old was content to allow Connor to get ahead of him, ears pricked forward. The two year-old galloped onwards, unconcerned with the fact that he was alone on the track. He was just thrilled at being able to run and couldn't help but give a small buck. But being alone also meant his attention was allowed to wander, and his strides were no longer as fast as they'd been. North took full advantage of the fact and lengthened his own strides, urged on by his rider.

Hailey looked over her shoulder to see the other pair baring down on them. An cluck of encouragement to the colt and his attention was back on the track. The bay colt started to pull away from the other, but it was too late. North surged forward past the pair and it was only thanks to Bradley that they didn't get too far. Seeing North ahead of him, Connor pinned his ears against his head, the challenge accepted. He raced forwards but only managed to get his head level with North's flank before both horses were pulled up as they passed the finish line. Connor shook his head, obviously annoyed that it had to end so soon.

Bradley turned to Hailey, a grin on his face. "Maybe that'll remind him to keep his mind in the game," he said.

"Hopefully. He did pretty well after realizing that North had a chance to get away," she replied.

"He'll do alright once he learns."