The day dawned like any other, but there was no mistaking the palpable excitement in the air - at least among the Stride Of Perfection crew. Excitement like this preceded every declaration by Amber Black regarding future plans, be it the jockey assignments to the Breeders Cup declarations. And every person on staff knew that Amber had spent the last two days in her Plot Office (where none save Krystal Yhate could enter) scheduling debuts for the new crop of juveniles, deciding on workout pairings, and (hopefully not but let's face it, probably) making soft plans of future breedings. They were uncertain about when exactly she would emerge, but figured showing up outside the office just before dawn on the scheduled announcement date wasn't a bad idea. Amber might be secretive about her plots, but she was timely.

Krystal, of course, arrived to the office with Kylie Silverstar as her shadow. The younger woman admired Krystal for her forthright honesty and experience in the business; there was no questioning Krystal's status as second-in-command when things went awry. Krystal, on the other hand, had always admired Kylie's ability in the saddle. Once an apprentice jockey, the woman had graduated to become a full-fledged rider. Her mounts tended to be blue-blooded, but Kylie made them look even better when she rode them. The two exchanged quiet words and were soon joined by the Andrews; Valencia and Timothy were as close as brother and sister could be. Timothy hadn't stopped smirking since he'd ridden Sweet Dreams to victory in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile. Valencia looked as though she was itching to bury him in a workout, if given the chance, and the rest of the staff honestly wasn't far behind; Tim could be insufferable.

Meredith Mahon showed up alone. She eyed Valencia with a coy smirk, to which Valencia responded with interest. Krystal felt as though she'd never understand what was going on between the two prickliest members of the SOPS jockey crew; it could be love or hatred, for all that she knew. Meredith had ridden Arsenia to victory in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and seemed to want to remind Timothy of that fact with every cold look she sent his way; she really couldn't abide his how insufferable he currently was, even if he was Valencia's brother. Wanda Brown came in next. Here was somebody on staff who stayed humble regardless of how well her horses did; Odin had taken the Canadian Triple Crown and it hadn't inflated her ego one bit. She immediately engaged in active conversation with Kylie, to which Kylie enthusiastically responded. The two were very close.

And speaking of close...Violet Mereficus and Sam Johnston were currently arriving. The two newest members of the team had piqued Krystal's suspicions a while back. Now she gazed at them intently, eyes zoning in on the way their hands may have just brushed even as they unobtrusively joined the circle waiting with bated breath outside the office. The two were learning the jockey trade and doing well with their mounts - especially Sam, who had been lucky enough to be chosen to pilot the three-surface-wonder Sahadev and older turfer First Class, among others. Krystal was interested in seeing how things went with the new blood. It was needed, given that Amber would be retiring from the jockeying world to become fully invested in plotting and training when Hyperion, Everlasting Gift, and Prometheus all finished their careers. But where was Christopher Black? Amber's young cousin had joined the team a few years back and done pretty well for himself.

There was a shocked intake of breath and Krystal turned to see Christopher Black emerging from the fabled Plot Office. Her jaw couldn't help dropping either. Amber never let anybody in there. Valencia immediately made a grab for Chris, demanding intel, but Krystal still couldn't help shaking her head. She was also shocked to see Henna Turath emerge from the office, but then realized she shouldn't be too surprised. Henna wanted to become a trainer one day of sprinters and had become steadily more invested in this new career path following her jockey career. It was only natural that Amber may have wanted to involve her in some of the latter stages of planning.

Amber finally emerged with her clipboard and stopwatch, halting Valencia's howl of betrayal in its tracks with a look. Krystal had always loved that about Amber; she could command a situation with a look. And she held that attention, too, though that could simply be because of the notice she was now tacking up onto the board outside her office, left bare of all but the most important of details for precisely this moment. The notice was titled "Juvenile Workout Schedule - with Friends!", which immediately made Krystal feel intensely suspicious.

1. Amaranth [Sam], Wildly Waylaid [Chris], Piece Of Me [Violet], Material Girl [Valencia]

2. Black Widow [Kylie], Mitsu [Violet], Zephyrus [Sam] (Henna presiding!)

3. Cathmora [Violet], Kaida [Meredith], Siren's Secret [Chris], Solo's Song [Valencia]

4. Linnette [Valencia], Ashkenaz [Meredith], Pardon My French [Sam], Moonshine [Krystal]

5. Catastrophe [Kylie], Kratos [Krystal], Indigo Dream [Sam]

6. Dobhailen [Tim], First Class [Sam]

7. Foreboding Shadow [Wanda Brown], Darkness Falls [Timothy Andrews], Hemingway [Meredith Mahon] (Henna presiding!)

Krystal couldn't help but wonder exactly how these workouts were going to go...

seasons unending: spring

Nothing symbolized spring more than a pack of juveniles headed out to the dirt track for their first official pre-debut workout. So thought James Greyson, who was comfortably situated along the clubhouse turn. These workouts were all taking place at the SOPS home track, once open to the public and a host of races but now closed down and re-purposed specifically for SOPS horses. Though that didn't stop some curious people from coming onto the grounds - they just had to apply for a pass and be escorted by somebody while on the premises - it did afford these new SOPS juveniles a cool degree of privacy that some other juveniles might not be getting. And for head youngstock trainer Greyson, that was all some of these juveniles would need before they either wowed the road or slowly gained acclaim in their debuts and over the next few months of racing.

First up, it seemed, would be the 4-juvenile workout; the most insane bunch of speed that they could gather up in one place. James let his eyes trace admiringly over each horse's form as they were walked out onto the dirt. Some of these horses were a whole lot calmer than others.

Kaida was perhaps the easiest horse to make out at a distance. The dark bay filly was a tower of muscle mass and power. Her long strides made it seem difficult for any horse to be able to keep up with her. One would never be able to guess that the horse was a sprinter and not some sort of miler or classic horse. Meredith Mahon looked happy to be perched up on the tower of speed, but perhaps that was because she had a true idea of what kind of workout she'd be in for on top of this horse. Kai was an affectionate horse off the track, but on the track she was ice cold and a consummate professional - though she didn't tolerate being warmed up near other horses as well. That'd be why Meredith had brought her out first. James let his thoughts of the filly from her training days slip through his head. On paper. Kai looked perfect. Her sire was Breeding Hall of Fame inductee Shiver Me Timbers, himself a grade one racehorse who had produced multiple grade one Breeders Cup winning sprinters after him. Most recently, his daughter Luminous Wave had taken the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Sprint over SOPS's own Dauntless. Kaida's dam - and where she got the intimidating stature from - was Battle Wings, winner of the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies and two legs of the Triple Tiara among other accolades. Battle Wings brought a rich pedigree of stamina and class to the fore, herself a descendant of Breeding Hall of Fame inductee Akuma Battlecry and Silent Wings, themselves both descendants of outstanding producers such as Admiral's Revenge and Forbidden Wings. Battle Wings so far had only one other foal on the track, Valiant, but by the looks of Kaida, Greyson had no doubt that damage would be inflicted.

Speaking of damage...there was Cathmora. The chestnut was of the same height as her female stablemate, but she was an absolute handful. She wasn't a nice horse and had been the hardest horse to train out of her yearmates, though only by a percentage point or two. Her temper tantrums had been atrocious. Greyson remembered dodging her teeth far more than just a few times and couldn't help flinching. Mora needed a firm hand on the track and was a bit of a learning mount for Violet Mereficus, who was gradually improving her jockeying technique. The filly had speed though - she was by With A Snap and out of Born To Fly, both proven producers and making Mora related to such names as Triple Tiara winner Born To Soar, Born To Impress, Hall of Fame inductee Lynara's Kingdom, Restricted Access, and Silent Snap. The filly was built for speed but also possessed the talent to carry said speed over longer-than-expected distances, which made her absolutely deadly on the track - and likely the perfect companion horse for Kaida for this workout.

Not excusing the male stablemates, of course. Siren's Secret was one Greyson himself had convinced Amber to buy. By Sea Siren and out of Samantha's Wisdom, the colt was almost a blank slate and could bring some desperately needed blood to Indigo Morning. Sir Ren was just a nice horse - mischievous at times, but otherwise perfectly awesome to be around. Greyson had enjoyed training a horse that was completely uninterested in eating him, instead seeking to demand treats and nose rubs instead. And the horse himself was classy; he was easy to ride and generally knew how to run a race by himself. Nothing bothered him during a race, literally nothing; Greyson had yet to see the colt spook at anything. He was also gorgeous to look at, his bay coat catching beautifully in the sun and each stride measured with purpose. This was the horse who Greyson thought would shock the roster with his performance. Nobody really seemed to know what to expect of him, but Greyson knew, as he always knew when he trained his horses, that this one was special. Not many horses could rate themselves effectively both as a front runner and as a closer. The colt had talent.

Another interesting horse on the roster was the lone gray in this workout - Solo's Song, purchased for his bloodlines. By Flying Solo and out of Silver Serendipity, two premier sprinters in their own right, Greyson really couldn't blame Amber for acquiring this one. At least he wasn't another random project like the others he had seen her picking up lately. Solo was quirky, a barn favorite who seemed nice aside from his odd moments of fire. He had been an average horse to train but truly was something else when in full flight or when he was on the track. Then Greyson could see all the power that had attracted her to the horse in the first place. Solo didn't have the overt fire that Greyson knew Valencia was a big fan of in her horses, but he did have that IT factor that was hard to place and define. This was a horse who could close into any pace, make up any amount of ground, and could come swinging home for the victory while looking like he wasn't trying. He exuded the quiet class that SOPS sought to breed into all of their horses, yet he wasn't an SOPS homebred himself. Greyson smirked - another reason why he was well acquired, then.

Greyson wished he could've stuck around to see the outcome of this workout, but he also knew that another was going on at SOPS's neighboring turf track. He had seen what he wanted to see from this bunch - classy movement, keen competitive spirit, and carefully contained speed. They would knock it out of the park once they started racing. No, what he wanted to see now was the showdown occurring on the turf track. While Amber was presiding over this workout, the turf workout would be presided over by Henna Turath, who was exercising her trainer's muscles for the first time with a lovely bunch of turf sprinters.

Getting up, Greyson hopped over the back rail and took off at a light jog for his next destination. He could just see Henna orienting herself in the trainer's box, binoculars at hand and a light smile on her face. Henna loved her sprinters and she loved her speed. He arrived just in time to see a pack of three horses - one coal black, one a small bay, one gray - sweep by, locked into a ferocious speed duel and neck to neck. Greyson's jaw dropped slightly as suddenly, the horse in black was cued by her jockey - was that Kylie Silverstar in the irons? - and she opened up a two length lead in the snap of a second. He knew without a doubt which horse Kylie had to have been riding - Black Widow. The filly hadn't even been bred for them but had come home after her original owners took a leave of absence. By Passionate Class and out of Deadly Desires, the filly truly was the epitome of an SOPS classic horse, and she showed it in her speed and immensely prodigal talent. Greyson hadn't seen the likes of her speed over turf since Everlasting Gift. She was a front running type with a whole lot of fire and stamina, qualities bred from generations of careful breeding into one beautiful package.

But even as Greyson watched, the small bay horse suddenly rebroke and accelerated sharply to reach Widow's throatlatch. This was a colt who was completely unphased by what was going on around him. Greyson knew without a doubt that this must be Zephyrus, by the sprinter Phantasm Frost and out of the router Wild Kiss, thus capable of running at just about any distance imaginable. Zephyr was stoic and unmoved even as Greyson could practically feel the threat of violence emanating off of Widow. Then again, that would be Zephyr's style. Nothing seemed to bother the colt, literally nothing; he liked to be left alone to do his own thing and had been a cinch to train because of his easygoing attitude. There was also something immensely talented about how this colt could stay poised behind the raging speed that was Widow and then break into it and catch up to the black filly, who was probably intimidating their lone other competitor. Zephyr and Widow looked alive out there, pounding it out...and then suddenly, they were joined.

In an almighty move, Mitsu sprang into the lead with the lithe grace of a jungle cat taking off from the forest floor. Greyson's jaw actually did drop this time, and he heard Henna cheer as the little gray filly stormed into the lead and took the overall workout by a nose at the wire. Greyson knew the filly was good, but even he hadn't expected what he had just seen. The filly was cute, cool, but moody. She could be difficult to ride because she ran wherever she pleased, though she always gave one hundred percent once asked to do so. What made her particularly interesting, perhaps, was how she had these hidden depths. By Spitz and out of Terror Smile, Mitsu had been bred with the full intention to have these depths and put them on display, but seeing them still surprised Greyson sometimes. She was a horse to watch, just as her dam Terror Smile had given their Sillenia a run for their money despite all odds in their time period and Spitz's son Frozen Motion had been the bane of their existence at one point.

Greyson snapped a glance at Henna, who was gazing down at the stopwatch in her hand with a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face. He really didn't even need to hear her speak to know that the workout he had just witnessed the last part of had been scintillating and impressive. He could feel his own mouth stretching out in a grin of his own, echoing the dominant mood of hope and excitement in seeing just what these talented juveniles could do in the real races.

seasons unending: summer

Kylie couldn’t help it; she was actually truly excited to be on the ground for these two workouts. True, it meant that she hadn’t landed the ride on any of the horses involved, but that was fine; she had a mount in the next one. For now…she got to watch and admire, and since both workouts were over the turf there wouldn’t be a problem of movement to worry about. She had seen out of the corner of her eye the scurrying that had taken place during the last workout and had felt deeply amused by all of it, but now…now it was her turn to watch.

The four horses coming onto the track now were led by Piece Of Me. She was a high energy horse with a classic SOPS turf pedigree, four years old, and seemed disdainful of all the horses accompanying her. She was truly here for the exposure and the workout, as this could be her breakout year, and her challenger would likely be Material Girl, the gray daughter of Foolish Lad and Lawliet’s Girl who had been off the track since late October and was looking fired up for her Year Nineteen debut. Kylie could already see how a workout between those two would go, and indeed they were allowed to begin working out before the two juveniles that shadowed them – all the better. Kylie let her eyes trace their forms, so graceful over the turf. Both were more than just bred for the turf surface; it was in the fiber of their beings, and few horses could go as well over the grass.

The minute the older horses took off, both of the fillies behind expressed their discontent – Amaranth because she was a brat, and Wildly Waylaid because she wanted attention. Both of the fillies were impeccably bred. Amaranth was by Breeding Hall of Fame inductee Dancing In The Moonlight, thereby slightly related to Piece Of Me, and out of Admiral’s Holiday, who was by Augusto, thereby making the filly related to Adrasteia (whom she looked the spitting image of) as well as last year’s retiree Devil’s Flair. And she was gorgeous. She was intelligent, pushy, and, unfortunately, difficult to deal with. Kylie had no idea how Sam Johnston, her jockey, managed to put up with her, but Kylie had caught a glimpse of the filly galloping before. She knew how quick she could be.

Wildly Waylaid, on the other hand, was beyond quick. The filly was by FS Waylay Attack and out of Wildly Natural, so to say she had been destined for the turf classic races was an understatement. She was just as gorgeous as Amaranth, but also a complete media and attention hog. Kylie had seen the filly do some truly insane things for a drop of attention, things as insane as random rearing for literally no reason whatsoever. Her racing style was interesting, being a straight gradual closer. In fact – and Kylie did a double take once she figured this out – every horse in this workout was a closer. It seemed as though Amber perhaps wanted them to push each other’s acceleration capabilities. Unlike the other three, however, Amaranth was a gradual closer, the kind of horse who started at the back and worked her way to the front.

As it was, Material Girl and Piece Of Me were going stride for stride, and Wildly Waylaid and Amaranth were just beginning their warpath. Kylie blinked and went for her stopwatch a second before the juveniles started running. She wanted to time their workout, see what she could find. She tracked them hungrily, the two horses’ chestnut bodies easy to see over the turf. Their first quarter was the unimpressive fraction of a closer – twenty-four, twenty-five seconds. It was then that Amaranth started to draw off, her gradual closing style becoming readily apparent. She clipped the half in forty-seven. Wild was three lengths back and seemingly content, Christopher Black dead silent in the irons. They hit the sixth furlong – one ten for Amar, one twelve for Wild. But then things started changing…Christopher shook the reins once, and suddenly Wild pounced. There was no other word for it. The chestnut came alive, accelerating so smoothly you would never have been able to tell if there hadn’t been a gap that obviously closed between the horses. Kylie watched and admired as the two horses swept through the mile stride for stride and then began to be slowed. It was true that this next generation of turf could be among SOPS’s finest. She couldn’t help wondering how the next workout would turn out…and found she didn’t have long to wait.

Kylie spied Henna Turath settling into the trainer’s favorite spot – the final turn – as three horses appeared. It seemed that in this workout, the three involved would be sticking together. Darkness Falls led this group out. The horse was insane. Strong willed with a mild temper to match, he had shown all the traits of a son of Little Miss Innocent and then some. Under careful training, the horse had truly come alive in the latter part of last season, reeling off three wins including the Special Ring Derby. The whole barn had really high hopes for the now four-year-old this season, and he’d likely run at five when hopefully he’d be a mainstay HoTY turf sprinter. He was shadowed by the barn’s Turf Triple Sprinter Crown hopeful, Hemingway, by Sweet Sugar Cane. He had been bred outside, come home to SOPS, taken the Sprinty Sprint Sprint, and never stepped foot out of HoTY company during his whole career. He had finished sixth in the Breeders Cup, but that wasn’t stopping him – so many horses improved by leaps and bounds from poor finishes in the Breeders Cup.

What interested Kylie about this workout, though, was the inclusion of the juvenile participant – Foreboding Shadow. To put him with these two showed mountains about his estimated talent level, but that wouldn’t surprise Kylie. The bay colt was by Pegasus Wings and the last Pegasus Wings colt SOPS had campaigned was Everlasting Gift, the prodigious juvenile who was now preparing for the Dubai World Sprint to begin his Year Nineteen campaign. Shade had the liquid motion of his half-brother and the classic speed of his sireline – Kylie could already see how quickly the colt was putting each hoof in front of the other. He had a ridiculously high cruising speed and was a natural front runner. Hemingway was somewhat like him, also possessing a fast break and a ridiculous cruising speed, but Shade was definitely not far behind. And Shadow…well, he would shadow them, it seemed. Kylie watched the four-year-old stick to just behind the two others as they were finally given the cue to run.

Surprisingly, Shade was going stride for stride with Hemi – the juvenile was able to keep up, but who knew how long it would last for? And unsurprisingly, Shadow went easily behind. Kylie looked at the ease of the horse’s motion and shook her head. It wouldn’t be long until he caught the younger two and ate them alive. But for now…Kylie let herself trace the motion of the three and dream. Here were three generations of SOPS turf sprinters, all in one place, and she barely wanted to blink so that she could avoid missing a single movement. Shadow and Hemi were both amassing renown and prestige and Shade had a lot to live up to. It would be amazing to watch them as their careers developed further. Especially – and her jaw did drop open as this happened – if they ran like this workout, with Shadow suddenly bursting forward, nabbing the lead, and going away, and Hemi and Shade continuing undeterred just behind. It was pure control and pure speed – the stuff of addiction. No wonder Henna had such a rapturous look on her face as the three went under the wire! Kylie could barely keep her own excitement to herself.

seasons unending: autumn

Amber sat down to review her training notes. The day had passed in a blur and there had been seemingly little time to record how each of her charges had been doing other than by dashing quick notes into her handy trainer’s notebook, as well as times and anything else. For these last few workouts…well, quite a lot had occurred.

She would start with her notes from workout number one. There, Indigo Dream had truly stolen the show. He had been taken in last season and was by Limited Bluez and out of Smarty’s Dream, making him half to Breeders Cup Dirt Mile winner Sweet Dreams and distantly related to Hall of Fame inductee Limited Edition. The now five-year-old chestnut was still a grade four, but Amber could tell when the winds of change were blowing. Bright, cunning, energetic, fast – the horse fit right into SOPS life. His incredible versality on the track required smooth operational skills. He had been a learning mount for Sam Johnston, who was now far more flexible as a jockey than ever before. Indigo Dream had been good for him. Under SOPS tutelage, he had won his last two starts and was entering Year Nineteen off the win streak. Amber felt as though he was sitting on a massive year. This was also going to be the first complete-length season that he had ever run. The results…Amber licked her lips.

The chestnut had utterly destroyed his two competitors in the workout. True, said competitors were only two years old, but even then the five year old had dispatched them with contemptuous ease, and it wasn’t as though the two he had defeated were talentless. Amber sat back to consider this, her face quirking into another small smile.

It was hard to say which of the new juveniles had performed better in that workout. Catastrophe, by Mastermind and out of Ventura, had exerted the most classy aura. The horse was incredibly fleet of foot, quick and strong, and possessed an amazing versatility, able to run five to ten furlongs over both surfaces with ease. The limits didn’t exist for the tall chestnut. He was similar to older sister Tisiphone in terms of his versatility, and Amber had little idea of what distance range the chestnut would end up preferring. But the colt had been named Catastrophe for a reason; things were liable to break and be damaged around him. The colt acted out all the time and possessed a ferocious mischievous streak. He had to be constantly entertained, constantly stimulated, hence why his workout was done with horses near him. Cat was insane.

Amber had thought of the way the colt ran, though, and smiled. Cat was a pace presser. He was a horse the crowd loved and his competitors hated, as he took it upon himself to plant himself right by the leaders and bother them for the entirety of the race. There was literally no other way to describe the colt’s actions. He would push them faster and faster, then actually accelerate like he means it to take the lead and win going away. The horse loved winning more than he loved tormenting – something Amber was relieved about.

His workmate, Kratos, hadn’t been so entertained. The son of Vagabond and Sillenia was continuing the tradition of SOPS breeding their Hall of Fame mare to hard-working, stamina-ridden, and talented Battle Brook studs, the most recent example being Breeders Cup Turf winner Melusine out of Sweeto Cheeto. Krat was the toughest horse in the barn and that was why he had been selected to work against Cat. He was strong and even Catastrophe thought twice before attempting to torment the other horse, which showed that at least Cat didn’t completely lack in sense. Unlike Cat, Krat could get overstimulated on the track, but he was far easier to handle. Krat was also a mid pack time, able to sit behind pace pressers like Cat and thereby annoy the crap out of them. Watching the workout had been amusing to Amber – she had even scrawled a laughing face doodle next to some of her commentary. The workout had convinced her that the two colts were machines not to mess with, and also that Indigo Dream was sitting on the biggest year imaginable.

The second workout, this one run over the turf, had been about tempering arrogance. Dobhailen had been bred to be classy and to be SOPS’s next turf sensation, as he was by Intrepid Racing’s Abastor and out of their very own Wish Upon A Star, whose daughter Arsenia had capped off Year Eighteen by defeating Alethea in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Dob was hotly anticipated but definitely not as intelligent as his sister. He didn’t know his own strength whatsoever, but was actually endearing in his antics. It hadn’t taken long for the staff to fall in love with the bay colt. Dob was also an intensely curious horse, impossible to control on a busy track. Timothy Andrews had been the logical choice to muscle the colt around when necessary, because Dob just got distracted by just about everything on the track. Dob wore blinkers to aid in his focus because of everything.

His talent was in spades, though. Dob could run any position you asked him to – his only condition was to focus and be happy. That’s why his workout against older horse First Class had been so informative. First Class had been adopted in Year Eighteen and was the stable’s premier turf router alongside Hyperion. There were a lot of hopes riding on the performance of the colt in future races. Amber had put him in the workout with Dob not only to boost First Class’s confidence, but also to make the talent of Dobhailen completely obvious to anybody watching. First Class hadn’t slowed down once throughout the workout, but Dob had stuck to him like glue all the way to the end, when First Class finally made an actual effort and thus pulled away. It had been so impressive that Amber had exclamation points all over her workout report.

The head trainer sat back in her chair and put her arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling. It was impossible to avoid being excited when she had this much hot talent all sitting in one place!

seasons unending: winter
The stable was abuzz. Amber had apparently decided to let Prometheus go with an old friend for the season of Y19 and she was now riding one of her new year purchases, All In, and had bought another horse, Paragon. The roster was quite full of project ponies and new recruits already, but it seemed like there was no stopping an Amber on a mission.

The other reason would have to be how the last workout had gone – two older project ponies versus two unproven but talented juveniles. Krystal grinned as she recalled how the workout had ended. She had been up on Moonshine, a rising four year old son of Dancing In The Moonlight and Fleet Murderess, on the brink of grade two and showing some insane improvement in all his races and workouts. Milo had been a reclaim and a welcome one at that; it wasn’t everyday that SOPS had a son of one of their foundation studs in the barn. He was gorgeous and a strong closer type whose speed and acceleration Krystal had learned to harness. He’d caught some eyes at two and then reeled off more than a few wins in the latter quarter of Year Eighteen, over both surfaces. And this season…Krystal was feeling it. He had finished off Y18 with a fourth place finish in the Sarava Stakes at Battlestone, but it had only made the horse even more motivated.

And speaking of motivated…Sam Johnston had given them a truly ferocious fight with Pardon My French. The five year old was a solid grade three sired by Knight Rousseau and out of Lumiera, making his connections nothing short of impressive, and he had been part of an exchange between SOPS and Battle Brook, the latter who had taken in Altercation and given them this gorgeous and elegant bay. French was stubborn, strong, and all speed during a race. Milo and her had been hard pressed to close into his speed at the end of the workout, but they had still managed it. Frenchie was probably the stronger horse of the two, but Milo had been with them for longer and had a kick that Frenchie couldn’t quite match yet. It had taken the barn a little while to figure Frenchie out, but in December the horse had won both of his starts and SOPS was truly hopeful that his upward climb would continue. Sometimes Krystal looked at the stallion and thought of the Breeders Cup Classic…but climbing to such heights would take time and talent. The horse was probably capable of it, but not immediately.

Their juvenile competitors though…Ashkenaz had been the life of the workout. The coal black colt was the light of anything, really, and the barn’s future Triple Crown hopeful. He was by Born To Impress and out of the much loved Sweet Inferno, who had gifted him with mountains of stamina and the ability to lead and set the pace despite the length of his races. He was nearly as powerful as Pardon My French already, despite his younger age, and possessed insane cruising speed. He was truly a classic dirt horse. His competitor…was strange. Whereas Animatia had started late due to her temperament and energy levels, Linnette was starting late because she had been slow to develop. The massive bay daughter of Barely A Moment and Fire Dancer hardly seemed able to command her current size.

Lin was the calmest horse in the barn at any given time. Nothing bothered her and nothing could rouse her. She was relaxed enough that they had been nervous about her attitude on the track, though Valencia had spent supposedly only an hour with the filly before declaring that she wanted to be her rider, and Valencia knew how to spot the fiery ones. Lin had the most stamina of any juvenile Amber had trained and the most Krystal had seen in a juvenile. She required the filly’s effortless motion, her ability to take one stride seemingly for every other horse’s three…but the problem was that the filly just wasn’t ready to race yet. Ash had defeated her because he could actually use his body to accelerate and win. Lin…just couldn’t do that yet. It took her ages to hit full flight speed, though Krystal had seen it once Ash was being cooled and the bay filly had just continued running. It had been…astounding. The filly was like a freight train whose motion could not be stopped. And Krystal knew that while Lin wouldn’t be starting until later in the year – and even then, in nothing shorter than eleven furlongs, most likely – she would be deadly once she developed into herself.

Overall, though, Krystal felt positive. Things were in the works, the juveniles looked good, and now all that remained was seeing how they commanded themselves in the actual races.