"What in the heck is a 'Kentucky Derby?' Is it a new brand of feed?" Barbaro pondered to himself as his owners praised him excidly.

"I cannot believe it. Our own racehorse, Barbaro. In the Kentucky Derby!" Gretchen said to her husband, Roy as they fed Barbaro another carrot.

"He can win it. I know him, he'll try his hardest." Roy turned his attention to Barbaro, who was looking for more carrots. "Won't you Barbaro?"

"So this 'Kentucky Derby' is a race. Cool! I was born to run!" Barbaro said to himself as he accepted another carrot from Gretchen.

A few weeks later.

"Oh, God! NOT THE TRAILER!" Barbaro neighed.

"Cut it off, Barbaro! You are a grown colt!" His mother, La Ville Rouge called to him.

"I know mom! Jeesh! You know I hate the trailers!" Barbaro neighed as he accepted his fate of trailers. He despised of them from day one.

Ville went back to eating her feed. He's running in one of the worlds top races and he is acting like it's a bad thing! "Have a good time dear!" She neighed as Barbaro's trailer pulled out of the driveway.

Aw well, least I got some food. Gives me something to do. Wonder where this 'Kentucky Derby' is at. I hope it's not far out of Pennsylvania.

Lexington, Kentucky.

"Oh, well it's about time we got here, my legs are sore from standing! I prefer to lay down when I sleep!" Barbaro neighed at the groom that was unloading him. He saw there were many other horses in this barn. They looked friendly.

"Ha ha ha. I don't know where you suckers came from, but in California, it's all or nothin'!" One brown horse poked his head out.

"Aw, get real will you? You about all that as girths! Damn!" A dapple grey horse said angrily.

"You BOTH are about as all that as your dams!" A black horse said, even angrier than the grey horse. The uninvolved horses snickered and laughed at the three.

"And what are YOU ALL LAUGHING AT?" The black horse said. "We'll see on Sunday how ALL THAT YOU REALLY ARE!" He continued. Barbaro now knew his true competition.

"I am up, silly!" Barbaro nickered to his exercise rider the next morning. The exercise rider was telling him to wake up, meaning start running a little quicker. Barbaro found himself back in the starting gate. Suddenly, it opened wide and Barbaro ran out faster than the first time.

"That's better!" the excercise rider hopped off. "Ughhh I hope he's not my rider for Sunday! Give him to Keyed Entry or Derek!" Barbaro snickered. Barbaro now knew most of the horse's names, being the big argument between Keyed Entry, Brother Derek, Private Vow and Sinister Minister the night before.

"Hey Bob!" Sweetnorthernsaint called to his new best buddy. They were the only two that were really uninvolved in the fight last night.

"Hey, where is everyone?"

"Excercise or paddock. Nice it's so quiet now huh?" Sweetnorthernsaint threw his stall toy up in the air and bounced it off his head, against the stall wall.

Barbaro nodded his head as the groom walked him around his stall. "Especially after last night! My goodness! They hate each other."

"No joke! So where did you say you were from?" He asked as he stomped on the toy, making it produce a funny noise.

"This place called 'Pennsylvania.' What about you?" Barbaro looked at his crazy friend and his stall toy.

"Not bad. I'm from the place called 'Maryland.'" Sweetnorthernsaint said as he played with his stall toy. He kicked it against the stall wall "Goooooooaaaaaaaaallllllllll!" He neighed happily---and loudly. Barbaro laughed at his crazy friend.

H H H H

"So, you like a filly back home?" Barbaro asked his other friend, Showing Up.

"Yeah, her name is Tequila Sunset." Showing Up said, dreaming obviously.

"She any good? On the track." Sweetnorthernsaint asked sarcastically.

"I don't know. I never talked to her, it's too nerve-racking. But she has the most beautiful star on her forehead." Showing Up said, dreaming again. He really liked this filly.

"Ha-ha. You're a real colt! Can't even talk to a filly!" Lawyer Ron snickered from across the aisle.