Chapter 10
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It was race day. All the preparations had been made. Lucky for Gidget, Wylie had agreed to buy the filly for a very small amount of money. The rest would be up to Gidget. She'd bought a pair of nice racing silks. They were white, with a china blue diamond pattern.
Lass was in quite a mood. She pranced whenever taken out of her stall. Many people came to see her after hearing of her breeding. Everyone wanted to see the daughter of the famous Black. The daughter raised and trained in the highlands for which she was named.
Henry, Wylie, Alec, and Gidget all sat outside Lass's stall in fold up chairs, enjoying the sunny weather and cool breezes. Wylie spat tobacco on the ground.
"You know," he said, "I was up early this morning looking around at all those fillies Lass'll be going up against today. Mighty nice looking filles. But they ain't as pretty as her."
"That's the truth. I was out looking at em' too. They don't got her form. And their breeding ain't near as good as hers. But you can't get too arrogant. They look fine, mighty fine. And they could pose a huge threat. Especially that grey, First Virtue. That's a good filly, from what I can tell, " Henry stated.
"Are you nervous, Gidget?" Alec asked.
"Little bit," she replied, kicking dirt over Wylie's spit.
Lass whickered, and Gidget reached her hand back to rub the filly's chin. Lass stuck her muzzle to Gidget's brown hair and blew out, blowing her hair everywhere. Gidget laughed.
"I think she's ready to go," she said.
"I think so too," Alec replied, and Henry and Wylie nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, a track official approached. "Mr. Ramsay?" He said.
"Yes?" Alec answered.
"We were wondering if, since you have your Black here, if you might pony this filly out to the starting gate when the time comes. He is, after all, her sire and it's not often these people get to see a legendary horse such as that one."
Alec looked around. After a few moments thought, he agreed. "Sure."
"Riders up!" The paddock judge called. In about ten to fifteen minutes, Lass's maiden would be underway.
Gidget's stomach fluttered with a million butterflies. "Well, this is it," she thought silently. My first race. Her first race. She waited at the side of the walking ring for Alec to finish saddling and bridling the filly. She watched the seven gorgeous fillies. There was Calm The Storm, a large brown filly. First Virtue, a dark grey, who could pose the biggest threat. Holland's Secret, another dark grey. Dizzy Autumn, a small white filly. Subtle Wisdom, a dark brown. And Irish Tempo, a light bay. All in that order in the post parade. And then there was her Lass, the only gleaming chestnut in the field. All gleamed in the sunlight, muscles rippling.
Alec lead the filly over to her. "Well, here she is," he said.
"Hey, girl." Gidget grinned, patting the filly's neck. Lass whinnied a little and pranced in place.
"She's rearing to go," Henry said. I'm gonna go find Wylie, he's already gone to get us a seat. See ya after the race, kid."
Gidget smiled and nodded. "See ya, Henry."
Alec gave Gidget a boost into the saddle. "There's not really much I can tell you," he said, going to The Black and mounting. "I don't know too much about these horses. Henry says watch First Virtue. I say do what Henry says."
Gidget smiled. "Alrighty."
"Well, let's get out there," Alec said, taking hold of Lass's rein and heading out to the track in the post parade.
Lass had drawn the number seven position, the very outside post. Gidget listened to the track announcer make the calls for the other six sleek Thoroughbred fillies ahead of her. She smiled when he announced her filly.
"And in the number seven position, a chestnut filly named Highland Lass, jockeyed by Gidget Thornton. Highland Lass is by The Black and out of Timber Run. And folks, if you'll notice, that giant black horse accompanying Highland Lass is the legendary Black himself, her famous sire, and being ridden by top American jockey, Alec Ramsay. Take a good look at that black stallion, folks. You may never see another one like him."
Gidget grinned broadly and reached out to pat the big black stallion's neck.
Moments later, all of the fillies were in the starting gate. Lass was quiet, but pawed the ground uneasily. Gidget waited for the gates to open. She wrapped her hands up in the filly's chestnut mane, preparing for the force from when the break from the gate.
Seconds later, the gates flew open, and the six furlong turf race was underway! The seven sleek Thoroughbred fillies surged forward as one. A roar from the packed stands went up, then died under the sounds of hooves.
Dizzy Autumn, the white filly, was out in front. Then came Calm The Storm, Holland's Secret, First Virtue, Subtle Wisdom, Irish Tempo, and Highland Lass, running lone on the outside, off to a slow start.
Gidget felt her filly's muscles hurtle them foreward. She used her hands to guide the filly over the grass. She could see the other jockeys already fanning their sticks. She didn't have a stick to fan. She didn't feel she needed one. Lass was two lengths behind Irish Tempo. With all the horses packed there together on the inside rail, Gidget saw no reason to bring Lass in closer.
Gidget noticed that the lead was changing back and forth between Calm The Storm and Holland's Secret now. First Virtue was settled in easy at third. Lass began to move her way up on the outside. She passed Irish Tempo and Subtle Wisdom. Dizzy Autumn had fallen back, and soon Lass passed her as well. The three front runners were four lengths ahead, running strong.
Finally, Gidget began to bring Lass in a little closer to the rail. She clucked to the filly and extended her rein, giving her a little more head to work with. The filly surged forward at a blinding speed. Gidget felt her breath being taken away. She saw Holland's Secret fall back, and within seconds, they flew past the grey filly. Calm The Storm and First Virtue were battling neck and neck for the lead now.
Gidget extended Lass's reins a little more. The filly lengthened her stride and rapidly closed the gap between herself and the two leaders. As they came nearer and nearer to the finish, Gidget realized that she couldn't manuever her filly around either horse, on the inside or outside without losing ground and losing the race, for the horses were a far enough distance apart. There was no place to go but between them. But that was a tight space as well.
As the two filly's battled head-to-head, Gidget saw the gap between them grow slightly wider. She leaned far over the filly's neck and gave her all the rein. Gidget closed her eyes momentarily as they headed between the two fillies.
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing ahead! She looked down beneath her armpit and realized that they were ahead! She settled in for the last several yards of the race, and Highland Lass swept under the wire, winner by two and a half lengths!
It took a little while to slow the filly, who still had plenty of run left. But finally, she slowed to a canter, then a trot, and finally, a walk. Gidget grinned and pointed her toward the winner's circle.
Inside the winner's circle, Alec, Henry, and Wylie stood by the filly. Pictures were taken, and The Black was lead to the circle as well for photos. Gidget beamed at Lass, who was enjoying all the attention. She patted her gently, and kissed her nose. And when it was all over, they all lead the victorious filly back to the barns together.
Gidget stood quietly with Alec and Henry and The Black as they waited for the animal cargo part of the airplane to be opened. It was time for them to leave, and get back to their own world of Thoroughbred racing.
Finally, the door was opened, and it was time for Alec to lead The Black on. Gidget walked up to the black stallion and laid a hand on his neck.
"You're the best, old man. I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you've done. And I'll never forget you. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
He whickered gently, and she wrapped her arms around his large neck in a long hug. She then pulled away, patting his neck. She turned to Alec and Henry.
"Thank you, Alec. And you too, Henry. If you ever wanna come back, you're always welcome at my place."
"Thank you, Gidget. You've got a great filly," Alec said.
"She has a great sire," Gidget replied.
"That's true too," Alec said. Henry nodded.
"Well, I reckon it's time to go," Henry said.
"Yep," Gidget replied. "Thanks again, for all you've done."
She gave them each a hug. Even Henry hugged her back for a fleeting second, which was odd.
"Oh, and Alec?"
"Yes?"
"He's mountain horse in my book."
Alec smiled, and he and Henry began to lead The Black up the ramp. Before entering, The Black turned his head back to look at Gidget. They locked eyes for a moment, then the mightly black stallion reared to the sky, calling loudly. Gidget grinned and laughed, throwing up her hand at him. He came back down, and they all disappeared inside the plane.
"Mountain horse in my book," Gidget repeated, with the faintest trace of a tear in her eye.
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THE END
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Hope everyone enjoyed the story! It was my first fan fiction ever!
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It was race day. All the preparations had been made. Lucky for Gidget, Wylie had agreed to buy the filly for a very small amount of money. The rest would be up to Gidget. She'd bought a pair of nice racing silks. They were white, with a china blue diamond pattern.
Lass was in quite a mood. She pranced whenever taken out of her stall. Many people came to see her after hearing of her breeding. Everyone wanted to see the daughter of the famous Black. The daughter raised and trained in the highlands for which she was named.
Henry, Wylie, Alec, and Gidget all sat outside Lass's stall in fold up chairs, enjoying the sunny weather and cool breezes. Wylie spat tobacco on the ground.
"You know," he said, "I was up early this morning looking around at all those fillies Lass'll be going up against today. Mighty nice looking filles. But they ain't as pretty as her."
"That's the truth. I was out looking at em' too. They don't got her form. And their breeding ain't near as good as hers. But you can't get too arrogant. They look fine, mighty fine. And they could pose a huge threat. Especially that grey, First Virtue. That's a good filly, from what I can tell, " Henry stated.
"Are you nervous, Gidget?" Alec asked.
"Little bit," she replied, kicking dirt over Wylie's spit.
Lass whickered, and Gidget reached her hand back to rub the filly's chin. Lass stuck her muzzle to Gidget's brown hair and blew out, blowing her hair everywhere. Gidget laughed.
"I think she's ready to go," she said.
"I think so too," Alec replied, and Henry and Wylie nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, a track official approached. "Mr. Ramsay?" He said.
"Yes?" Alec answered.
"We were wondering if, since you have your Black here, if you might pony this filly out to the starting gate when the time comes. He is, after all, her sire and it's not often these people get to see a legendary horse such as that one."
Alec looked around. After a few moments thought, he agreed. "Sure."
"Riders up!" The paddock judge called. In about ten to fifteen minutes, Lass's maiden would be underway.
Gidget's stomach fluttered with a million butterflies. "Well, this is it," she thought silently. My first race. Her first race. She waited at the side of the walking ring for Alec to finish saddling and bridling the filly. She watched the seven gorgeous fillies. There was Calm The Storm, a large brown filly. First Virtue, a dark grey, who could pose the biggest threat. Holland's Secret, another dark grey. Dizzy Autumn, a small white filly. Subtle Wisdom, a dark brown. And Irish Tempo, a light bay. All in that order in the post parade. And then there was her Lass, the only gleaming chestnut in the field. All gleamed in the sunlight, muscles rippling.
Alec lead the filly over to her. "Well, here she is," he said.
"Hey, girl." Gidget grinned, patting the filly's neck. Lass whinnied a little and pranced in place.
"She's rearing to go," Henry said. I'm gonna go find Wylie, he's already gone to get us a seat. See ya after the race, kid."
Gidget smiled and nodded. "See ya, Henry."
Alec gave Gidget a boost into the saddle. "There's not really much I can tell you," he said, going to The Black and mounting. "I don't know too much about these horses. Henry says watch First Virtue. I say do what Henry says."
Gidget smiled. "Alrighty."
"Well, let's get out there," Alec said, taking hold of Lass's rein and heading out to the track in the post parade.
Lass had drawn the number seven position, the very outside post. Gidget listened to the track announcer make the calls for the other six sleek Thoroughbred fillies ahead of her. She smiled when he announced her filly.
"And in the number seven position, a chestnut filly named Highland Lass, jockeyed by Gidget Thornton. Highland Lass is by The Black and out of Timber Run. And folks, if you'll notice, that giant black horse accompanying Highland Lass is the legendary Black himself, her famous sire, and being ridden by top American jockey, Alec Ramsay. Take a good look at that black stallion, folks. You may never see another one like him."
Gidget grinned broadly and reached out to pat the big black stallion's neck.
Moments later, all of the fillies were in the starting gate. Lass was quiet, but pawed the ground uneasily. Gidget waited for the gates to open. She wrapped her hands up in the filly's chestnut mane, preparing for the force from when the break from the gate.
Seconds later, the gates flew open, and the six furlong turf race was underway! The seven sleek Thoroughbred fillies surged forward as one. A roar from the packed stands went up, then died under the sounds of hooves.
Dizzy Autumn, the white filly, was out in front. Then came Calm The Storm, Holland's Secret, First Virtue, Subtle Wisdom, Irish Tempo, and Highland Lass, running lone on the outside, off to a slow start.
Gidget felt her filly's muscles hurtle them foreward. She used her hands to guide the filly over the grass. She could see the other jockeys already fanning their sticks. She didn't have a stick to fan. She didn't feel she needed one. Lass was two lengths behind Irish Tempo. With all the horses packed there together on the inside rail, Gidget saw no reason to bring Lass in closer.
Gidget noticed that the lead was changing back and forth between Calm The Storm and Holland's Secret now. First Virtue was settled in easy at third. Lass began to move her way up on the outside. She passed Irish Tempo and Subtle Wisdom. Dizzy Autumn had fallen back, and soon Lass passed her as well. The three front runners were four lengths ahead, running strong.
Finally, Gidget began to bring Lass in a little closer to the rail. She clucked to the filly and extended her rein, giving her a little more head to work with. The filly surged forward at a blinding speed. Gidget felt her breath being taken away. She saw Holland's Secret fall back, and within seconds, they flew past the grey filly. Calm The Storm and First Virtue were battling neck and neck for the lead now.
Gidget extended Lass's reins a little more. The filly lengthened her stride and rapidly closed the gap between herself and the two leaders. As they came nearer and nearer to the finish, Gidget realized that she couldn't manuever her filly around either horse, on the inside or outside without losing ground and losing the race, for the horses were a far enough distance apart. There was no place to go but between them. But that was a tight space as well.
As the two filly's battled head-to-head, Gidget saw the gap between them grow slightly wider. She leaned far over the filly's neck and gave her all the rein. Gidget closed her eyes momentarily as they headed between the two fillies.
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing ahead! She looked down beneath her armpit and realized that they were ahead! She settled in for the last several yards of the race, and Highland Lass swept under the wire, winner by two and a half lengths!
It took a little while to slow the filly, who still had plenty of run left. But finally, she slowed to a canter, then a trot, and finally, a walk. Gidget grinned and pointed her toward the winner's circle.
Inside the winner's circle, Alec, Henry, and Wylie stood by the filly. Pictures were taken, and The Black was lead to the circle as well for photos. Gidget beamed at Lass, who was enjoying all the attention. She patted her gently, and kissed her nose. And when it was all over, they all lead the victorious filly back to the barns together.
Gidget stood quietly with Alec and Henry and The Black as they waited for the animal cargo part of the airplane to be opened. It was time for them to leave, and get back to their own world of Thoroughbred racing.
Finally, the door was opened, and it was time for Alec to lead The Black on. Gidget walked up to the black stallion and laid a hand on his neck.
"You're the best, old man. I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you've done. And I'll never forget you. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
He whickered gently, and she wrapped her arms around his large neck in a long hug. She then pulled away, patting his neck. She turned to Alec and Henry.
"Thank you, Alec. And you too, Henry. If you ever wanna come back, you're always welcome at my place."
"Thank you, Gidget. You've got a great filly," Alec said.
"She has a great sire," Gidget replied.
"That's true too," Alec said. Henry nodded.
"Well, I reckon it's time to go," Henry said.
"Yep," Gidget replied. "Thanks again, for all you've done."
She gave them each a hug. Even Henry hugged her back for a fleeting second, which was odd.
"Oh, and Alec?"
"Yes?"
"He's mountain horse in my book."
Alec smiled, and he and Henry began to lead The Black up the ramp. Before entering, The Black turned his head back to look at Gidget. They locked eyes for a moment, then the mightly black stallion reared to the sky, calling loudly. Gidget grinned and laughed, throwing up her hand at him. He came back down, and they all disappeared inside the plane.
"Mountain horse in my book," Gidget repeated, with the faintest trace of a tear in her eye.
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THE END
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Hope everyone enjoyed the story! It was my first fan fiction ever!