Author's Note: Wow, it's been a while! Here's a little something, if I happen to have any form of loyal readership left. Hopefully I can get this going again. Enjoy!

Dawn just barely hung over the horizon as Eva walked out the door, still struggling to lace up her paddock boots as she made her way towards the her parent's small barn. Usually, this was Jake's job but he'd managed to qualify for some big Quarter Horse show on his boss's horses. Eva was proud that her big brother was making headway into the horse industry, but she decided he could keep his morning chores as she fought a yawn.

Throwing a bale of hay into a wheelbarrow, Eva made her way down the small, four-stall barn. Both Jetty and Darling poked their heads out of their stalls and whickered hungrily. The two aged broodmares were all that was left of her parent's breeding operation and were quite spoiled because of it. Jetty, being the obstinate old mare she was, impatiently ripped a mouthful of hay from the wheelbarrow.

"Hold up, you old bat," Eva affectionately teased as she pet the mare's soft dark sorrel nose. Jetty would be sixteen this year, but didn't show it at all. Her coat gleamed and she was in impeccable condition. Martha Kavanaugh didn't let her mares become full time pasture potatoes just because they popped out a foal every once and a while. Oh no, both Jetty and Darling went for trail rides and did the occasional gymkhana when they weren't in foal. In fact, neither had been bred for a couple years. The last foal on the property had been Darling's colt, who was just as palomino and sweet natured as she was, and he'd been sold gelded as a yearling to Jake's boss, who wanted a speed prospect for his daughter.

After tossing the rest of the hay to the mares, portioning out their grain, and checking their water, Eva made one last round before the left the barn. It definitely felt weird, what with Jake and his mare, Molly, leaving right as she came back from school for the summer. Even their small barn felt a little empty.

Fishing her keys out of her pocket, Eva unlocked her truck and coaxed the old tin can to life in the cold morning air. Eva yawned as she pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Robin Glen. She and Leigha had gotten back late last night and she'd practically collapsed as soon as she got home. It'd been near midnight by the time she'd gotten Cozzy unloaded and said goodnight to both him and Glory, who she felt like she hadn't seen in ages.

It seemed like school had put a damper on her plans for Glory. She wanted so badly to be there for her training. Dan said that she was making progress on the basics, but there wasn't much more he could do without a racing outfit of his own. And plus, working with Glory between giving lessons, training horses and shows every other weekend now that the season had started? Eva was convinced that the man was a saint. Or maybe a lunatic. She really did appreciate his help though. Glory was probably the last horse he wanted to spend his free time with.

By the time Eva pulled into the drive at Robin Glen, the stable had already come to life. Terry was in the outdoor arena, working with her new reining prospect and Russ was hauling a wheelbarrow to the manure pile. Here and there she spotted the barn help, horse crazy teenage girls, walking horses in from the pasture and carrying buckets from the barn to the indoor. Eva remembered being one of them- doing every chore imaginable around the barn in order to scrounge up money for lessons or entry fees for shows.

Hopping out of her truck, Eva made her way to the barn, third to last stall on the left. Peeking inside, she saw that Cozzy was making headway into his breakfast. She figured she'd let him have the day off- they'd been working hard on the school's equestrian team. While Joan made her try different disciplines in class, she consented that Eva's heart was firmly rooted in her hunter and jumper classes. The two were always getting top ribbons at shows on the school's open team, so Joan had nothing to complain about. Leigha and Mickey did well too, but Eva's best friend constantly lamented the lack of any "serious" jumps. Of course, serious for Leigha meant jumping over a four foot pile of logs into a lake. Sometimes though, as much as she'd complain, Eva saw Leigha smile after a particularly challenging jumper course.

Once she was certain that Cozzy was settled, Eva checked the next stall over. She'd seen Glory briefly the night before and the sleepy filly woke up for a minute to say hello before retreating to the back corner of her stall to sleep. But when Eva looked into the stall, she found it empty.

"That's odd…" she said aloud to herself. Usually Russ and Terry let Eva turn her own horses out after breakfast. Marching down the aisle, Eva headed towards the paddocks, figuring she'd look there first. Surely enough, Glory was in the second paddock, cantering laps all by herself, tail held high in the air. And as Eva approached the fenceline she noticed someone else.

"Hey Blair," she greeted, taking a spot on the fence line with the girl.

Startled, Blair looked up, jumping back a ways from her restful spot half perched on the fence. "Oh… hi Eva. I didn't know you were back yet, if I'd known, I wouldn't have…"

Eva shrugged. "It's fine. Have you been helping Dan turn out horses and stuff? That's what I figured." Blair nodded.

"Where's Diva? I didn't see her in her stall," Eva asked as she watched Glory settled into a brisk trot. She was certainly feeling her oats this morning.

"My dad sold her. He said she was too much horse for me," Blair quietly replied, digging her toe into the grass.

"Oh, that sucks. Are you still riding?" Eva was surprised to hear the news. Granted, she knew that Diva was a handful, but she didn't think that Blair's father would sell her so soon.

Again, Blair nodded. "Dan has me riding a couple different horses, but I don't know who I'm going to ride in the show next month…"

Blair sort of trailed off, still digging the toe of her boot into the grass. Eva figured it was probably a tough subject for the fourteen year old. She could remember being in her position- when she lost Rainy, everything turned upside down. Not only did she miss her old mare's companionship, but having to bum rides off of everyone else's horses wasn't much fun. You always felt like a burden.

"How's our favorite hellion today?" Dan asked, bright and chipper, as he walked up to the girls. True to form, he had a cup of coffee in one hand and some piece of tack in the other.

"She's ready to run," Blair said. "She chowed down on breakfast and almost ran me over when I went to get her out of her stall."

By now, Glory had almost tired herself out and trotted over to her audience. Immediately, she thrust her head into Blair, her soft lips searching her pockets for treats. For the first time this morning, Eva saw Blair smile and laugh, pushing the filly's head away and fishing out a piece of a horse cookie for her.

"I see how it is," Eva teased, reaching over to tussle the filly's forelock. "I'm gone for two months and I'm already replaced. Some horse you are, Glory."

Glory tossed her head, almost daring Eva to mess with her luxurious locks again. Though despite her mock offense, the filly gladly leaned into Eva as she scratched her neck. Behind them, Dan laughed, "What a little brat."

"How is her training going?" Eva asked, continuing to scratch the eager filly.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

Eva's stomach fell. Did Dan have bad news? Was Glory not cut out to race? Eva hadn't seen Glory run for herself, but she knew that she would make a great racehorse. And she was preparing to fight Dan on it.

"Don't look so worried, she's actually doing decently," Dan consoled. "But-"

"Oh there's always a "but" isn't there?" Eva moaned.

"Well, if you'll let me talk, worry wart," Dan retorted. "But, I think I've reached a plateau with her. I've done plenty of strength and stamina training here- as well as knocking some manners into her –but I've only been able to get her on a real track a handful of times. And you know with my schedule, I was lucky to get that at all. Blair's been a really big help with that, getting her tacked up and lounged and everything. But if you want to get serious about this, we're going to have to take the next step."

"And what is that?"

"Well, I have one of my old trainer buddies who has a nice ranch about an hour and a half north of here. He has his own practice track and a real racing outfit and everything. He mainly deals with Quarters and Paints, but he said he'd be willing to take on Glory's training too. He thinks she's pretty nice for 'one of them Appy ponies.'"

As if on command, Glory gave a snort and Eva felt her frustration. It seemed like that's all anyone ever thought of Glory- as "one of them Appy ponies." Eva knew her filly had potential, why couldn't anyone else see it? It seemed like no one could get far enough past her spots to see the horse inside.

"I don't know… do you really think he's that good? Do you think he'll treat Glory right?" Eva asked, unsure about this new trainer.

"I've known the guy for years- your dad and I met him at the track when we were exercising and helping train racing Quarter Horses in Wyoming. He's probably one of the best in the state, he's got stakes winners out the wazoo."

Looking over at Glory, Eva realized that Dan was right. There was only so much they could accomplish at Robin Glen. After all, Dan did hunters and jumpers and Terry only knew about reining and working cow horses. They would have to take a leap of faith if they wanted to get anywhere with their dream.

It had rained the night before and mist hung in the pre-dawn air. The sun probably wouldn't even begin to rise for another couple hours, but Eva was up at this ungodly hour, unloading Glory while Dan went to go find Scott. Eva had to admit that Dan was right- Scott's stable was an authentic racing outfit. From the picturesque winding drive, situated between two manicured lawns, Eva could see three barns, painted a crisp white with vivid red trim, white fenced paddocks and a half mile dirt racing oval illuminated by a halo of stadium lights. Even Glory seemed in awe of the place as she stood perfectly still with her head raised, tail flagged and nostrils wide, sucking in all the new and enticing scents.

"Exciting, isn't it Glory?" Eva asked the filly as she tied her to the side of the trailer and stripped off her blue shipping blanket. A soft snort was Glory's only reply as she curiously looked around the stable yard. Smiling, Eva stroked the filly's roaning neck as she began to tack her up. And just as Eva finished fastening Glory's bridle, she heard Dan come up behind her.

"Hey, Eva, I want you to meet Scott," Dan introduced.

Scott was about Dan's age, though he was a hair or so taller and broader, though he still looked moderately athletic from years of dealing with high strung racehorses. Eva thought he looked nice enough, but she couldn't help but feel defensive when she saw him give Glory an appraising look.

"Morning," Scott greeted, holding out his head.

Eva managed a smile and took his hand. "It's nice to meet you finally."

"You too. I think you have a pretty nice filly on your hands, maybe I could do something with her if we got her into regular training," Scott said, continuing to look over the filly. "Let's go see what she can do."

With that, the group headed towards the track, Eva leading Glory. The ground was still soft and Eva wondered what the track would be like. Glory, however, was thoroughly enjoying herself as she dashed through mud puddles, ruining her spotless spotted coat. Scott's farm, Circle Six Ranch, was alive with activity and looked like it was used to all the commotion. Horses were led back and forth from barns and paddocks and the track and various people intercepted Scott on their way to the training track. Eva could feel Glory tense. Though Dan said he'd brought her here before, Glory still wasn't used to all the commotion. Or maybe she was just ready to run.

As Scott turned to talk to an exercise rider leading a sorrel over Paint colt, Dan turned to Eva. "Nervous?" he asked.

"A little," Eva responded.

"Don't be," he comforted, patting her on the shoulder. "This is what you wanted, right? Just do it. You know Glory and you know you. Just show off Glory to Scott. If he likes her, he'll take her on for training and if not… well, Robin Glen will have its favorite troublemaker all summer."

"Need a leg up?" Scott asked as he finished up with the Paint colt.

"No, I'm good," Eva replied, sticking her foot into the stirrup of her old Stubben.

We must look pretty out of place, Eva thought as she walked Glory out onto the track, keeping to the outside rail. An Appaloosa filly with a tall, gangly rider galloping on a race track in English tack? They didn't exactly fit in amongst the other horses and riders, who looked right at home. Taking a deep breath, Eva reassured herself that this was where Glory belonged.

Just as Eva cued Glory to pick up the trot, she filly squealed and skittered to the right, throwing Eva off balance. Steadying herself on Glory's neck, Eva looked behind her to see what had spooked the filly. The overo colt she'd seen earlier was giving his rider a hard time and he'd bumped into Glory.

"Watch where you're going!" the colt's rider yelled as he passed Eva and Glory, cantering towards the inside of the track.

"Good morning to you too," Eva grumbled, again asking Glory to trot.

Glory seemed on edge after their encounter. She was obedient, but Eva noticed that she felt tense and a little worried. Eva couldn't really blame her though. Glory was in a brand new environment and she didn't exactly have the best welcoming committee. The filly felt a little more relaxed at the canter, but there was still something there.

As she neared Scott and Dan's position on the outside rail, Scott motioned for her to come in. Slowing Glory, she steered her towards the two trainers. Of course, Glory wasn't too keen on slowing, a jiggy trot and abrupt stop being the best Eva could get out of her. What was her problem?

"Whenever you're ready," Scott started. "Go ahead and let me see what you got. She looks to be in pretty good shape, but only take her about 300 yards, if that."

Nodding, Eva pushed Glory back into motion. Glory was more than happy to be moving again, as she pulled at the bit and Eva needed a tight rein to keep her back. After cantering for a while, Eva decided to let the filly go at the turn before the straightaway so Scott could get a good look at her. But despite her anxious behavior, Glory was sluggish. Eva felt that she just wasn't putting her heart into it. It felt nothing like that run across the field when they pursued Diva. Glory was just moving for the sake of moving. Despite encouragement from Eva, Glory kept her steady, if unimpressive pace.

But as they rounded the corner, the filly's black ears flicked forward. As they entered the top of the straightaway, Glory began to pick up the pace. Ahead of them was the same sorrel overo colt that'd bumped into them earlier. With competition ahead of her, Glory switched gears. Eva felt the powerful horse beneath her gain momentum with every stride, the thunder of her hooves pounding in Eva's head. The colt was getting closer with every stride and Glory wasn't about to give up. And in no time at all, Eva and Glory surged past the colt and his rider, with energy to spare.

When Eva was sure they that were sufficiently ahead of them, she slowed Glory, first to a canter and then a trot. The filly's attitude was quite changed- she seemed more confident and a little full of herself. She even gave a playful half buck to show it. When they reached Scott and Dan again, Eva slowed and stopped the filly, parking her right next to them.

"That was pretty good. Much more than I expected," Scott said, nodding his head as he gave Glory another appraising look. This time Eva didn't mind him looking her over.

"And there's more where that came from, I promise you," Eva replied, patting the filly's slightly damp and mud speckled neck.

"So you want to be a real race horse, girl?" Scott asked Glory, reaching his hand out to pat her nose. Glory accepted the attention, if with a little bit of a snobby attitude. "You'll have to be serious about this, Eva. It'll take a lot, probably more than you'd expect."

"Oh trust me, she's ready," Dan assured him.

"Well, first thing in order is some proper tack. A close contact may work well for hunters, but it's too big and too heavy for racing. You'll have to invest in some new racing tack. I might have an old saddle I can sell you. It's not much, but it'll get you started.

"And you'll need to put her in full time training with me. Which would also mean boarding her here, unless you want to trailer her out here every morning. I can cut you a deal since your dad and Dan are friends of mine, but it'll still run you about 500 a month. The earliest I'd race her would be in July at Arapahoe in the Paint and Appaloosa maiden and you'll have to pay all the fees for that. It won't be cheap."

Taking a deep breath, Eva nodded. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but reality, especially the financial reality, was a little hard to take. But as she sat atop Glory, who looked infinitely full of herself, despite being covered with mud and the obvious odd one out, she decided that she owed it to her filly. This was their chance to shine and to prove to everyone that they had what it took to make it at the track.