Author's Note

This story line was vaguely inspired by the Bonanza episode "The Sure Thing" where the Cartwright's purchased a horse from a horse trader who's teenage daughter had caught and tamed. She ends up riding him in a race and winning. Funnily enough, there was little protest to a young woman riding in that race in that episode but given that time period, a young woman racing against men would have been um-heard of (looking at you, first episode of season 2 of Dr. Quinn lol) but I feel it is still a realistic story line, hence why it has been included.

Chapter 6

With only half an hour left till the start of the race, people were scrambling to get their last minute bets in as they watched the riders warming up their horses. As Millie warmed up Tomahawk, she kept an eye on the other competitors. Out of the thirty-six other riders, there were only a handful of horses that she actually thought would prove to be decent competition. Nick's thoroughbred was at the top of the list, closely followed by the horse that the man Nick had his bet with. That horse was a real looker, well muscled with great confirmation. Those two would be the hardest to beat. A couple more horses ridden by out-of-towners looked like they'd provide a little challenge and of course there was Heath's stallion but everyone else she couldn't care less about. None of the other horses looked like they'd even come close to her mustang.

As the start time of the race neared, people began finding their spot to watch the race from. The main street was filled with the crowd, and given the turnout, some folks were even arguing over vantage points. Millie kept Tomahawk moving at a steady pace, her stallion slightly unnerved by everything happening around him but still behaving better than Nick's Red Devil.

Tempest was really giving Nick a time of it, the stallion fighting against him. He was wasting valuable energy with his fighting and as she continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, she knew that the horse was exhausting himself. Nick was struggling to control him and again, she had to shake her head as she kept Tomahawk moving in an easy canter. That stallion would make such a better gelding.

Unbeknownst to her, as she kept exercising her mustang, folks gathered around to watch the warm up began taking notice of her. Her horse was one of the most imposing looking horses in the field, his shiny coat rippling over his pronounced muscles. He was stunning and to experienced race goers, they realized that this horse appeared to be a decent contender. With the minutes to race time slipping by, a few of them went to place their bets on the girl and her mustang, leaving the bookies bewildered as to the sudden uptake of interest in their long-shot.

At the five minute call, Millie removed herself from the field and returned to where Jarrod had been standing, observing the proceedings. "I don't think Nick has a chance." She said as she halted Tomahawk beside him, turning back to look at them. Tempest was rearing, fighting Nick for the bit and she shook her head as she looked back at Jarrod. "I reckon he's gonna find he'll lose that bet he's got with the Morton's unless we win."

"I say I have to agree with you, based on how that stallion's been this whole time. It'll be an expensive race for Nick, losing the money on that horse and the five thousand to the Morton's."

"The bet with them is now seven thousand. He upped it during the race debrief."

Hearing that, Jarrod just shook his head. "Well, let's just hope then that either you or Heath wins."

"Let's hope."

Two minutes.

"We better get to the starting line." Jarrod said as he took hold of Tomahawk's bridle, leading him through the crowd to the starting line. Tomahawk looked around, his ears pricked and his nostrils flaring as he took in the other horses and the gigantic crowd of spectators. "Easy boy. You're alright."

Millie was thankful for Jarrod leading her through the crowd and she kept one hand on her mustang's shoulder to calm him. "You're alright boy. Easy."

As they came to the starting line, other riders had begun to gather and Jarrod halted Tomahawk next to Charger. "Heath, good luck." He told his younger brother. "And watch out for Millie if you can."

Heath nodded. "Good luck Millie."

"Good luck to you too." She replied, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Oh Jarrod… I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, yes you can. You and Tomahawk have trained for this for weeks. You can do it." He encouraged as he patted her knee. "You just do your best out there, Millie girl."

Millie smiled. "Thanks Jarrod."

"Be careful out there."

"I will be."

"The running of the Annual Stockton Sweepstakes is about to begin. All horses and riders to the starting line."

"Go get 'em." He patted her knee one last time as he stepped back. "Good luck."

The rest of the riders gathered, lining up for the start. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nick and Tempest, the stallion having settled only slightly as he realized his job at hand. In the crowd near the starting line she saw Jarrod with Victoria and Audra, Audra waving to her. She nodded to acknowledge her then turned her attention on the desolate street in front of her. The race went right through the middle of the town, doing a five mile loop. They'd start and finish here.

As the last of the competitors came to the post, Tomahawk shifted nervously beneath her, fighting in place along with the other horses lined up for the race. "Easy… Easy boy." An ear flicked back at her voice. "Settle. We're about to start."

"Riders, are you ready?"

"Easy. Easy boy."

"On three. One."

Tomahawk tossed his head, impatient to start as he pawed at the ground as the other horses around him shifted nervously in anticipation for the race.

Lord, keep her safe. Jarrod prayed as the race was about to begin. Keep my Millie safe.

"Two."

"Easy." Millie whispered, out of the corner of her eye noticing that Tempest had gone stock still, the Thoroughbred's entire focus lying on the track ahead. "Steady boy."

"Three."

As the sound of the gunshot punctured the air, the horses surged forward as one. Millie and Tomahawk were caught up in the wave, pushed to the front of the pack so they didn't get trampled as the crowd cheered. The race had begun; the horses were off and running.

Tempest and Destiny, Zack's horse, both shot forward from the start to an early lead. As they came to the end of the street and the pack began to separate, Millie began reining Tomahawk's early speed in and brought him closer to the end of the group of riders. The race was being run over five miles, there was no point in exhausting her horse early. With the length of the race there was plenty of time to make up the distance between her and the front runners. Reining her stallion in, Tomahawk fought her for a moment before settling down to run at the pace she set.

The horses thundered along the road, Tempest and Destiny length's ahead of the rest of the pack. Heath and Charger were in the middle of the pack, Heath glancing back every now and then to check on Millie. Millie seemed content where she was, in between the pack he was part of but ahead of the last five horses bringing up the rear. Looking forward again, Heath held Charger back. Like Millie, his strategy was the same; reserve energy by not running the horse into the ground early on in the race.

For both Nick and Zack though, neither of them had bothered to think about the logic of reserving their horses' energy for the final sprint. Both of them were so caught up in their rivalry that they were trying to overtake the other before they had even passed the first mile checkpoint. Tempest and Destiny were evenly matched as they ran, Zack's horse also a thoroughbred though not a proven racehorse like Nick's sorrel stallion. Quite a few lengths behind, leading the pack, was Jeb Morton, also mounted on another of their thoroughbreds.

Up ahead, the first mile checkpoint appeared that marked where the riders would turn off the road to go across the meadow. A rider sat ready on a fast horse, the spotter in the buggy alongside him using a telescope to watch the racers coming in. "Tempest is in the lead, followed by Destiny, both running lengths ahead of the pack. Then it's Whirlwind, followed by Cassidy." Beside him, another man sat, scribbling down on his notepad the current situation of the race. As Nick and Zack passed by the checkpoint, the note was handed up to the rider who spurred his horse back to town with their report.

Victoria, Jarrod and Audra waited, their heads turning with the rest of the crowd as the first checkpoint rider galloped into town and handed the note to the race announcer. "In the lead is Tempest, Destiny is right alongside him, they're miles in front. Back in the pack, it's Whirlwind leading, Cassidy close behind." He reported, the crowd cheering at the news.

Come on Millie. Jarrod wondered where she was placed amongst the riders. Come on.

As Millie rode past the checkpoint, turning Tomahawk off the road after the other riders, she nudged him gently in his sides with her spurs. It was time to start moving up a little. Flicking his ears back, the stallion began to speed up and when he was going as fast as she wanted for now, she held him at that speed. As they crossed over the meadow, they began to move up in the pack. First one horse, then another, then another. They were running in twenty-eighth place now, though Millie didn't know that. All she knew was that it was time to start making her move.

The meadow changed into the creek they had to go through and as other riders began slowing down in the water, Millie kept Tomahawk going at the same pace. Her mustang was sure footed and smart, able to cope with the uneven terrain that was slowing the other horses down. She passed another five riders, moving along closer to the middle of the pack now as they were about to come out of the creek. Ahead of her, a horse went down, taking another three out with it and she quickly swerved Tomahawk around them to avoid the wreck. Their swerve cost them a little ground but they were still in the race, unlike the four riders who were now disqualified.

Checkpoint two was up ahead and as they galloped past it, Nick and Zack were still engaged in a race of their own. Like before at the previous checkpoint, a rider, spotter and scribe were waiting to report on the progress of the race. The horses were still in pretty much the same order, Tempest and Destiny fighting for the lead while in the pack, Jeb's horse fought for its place with a couple of horses ridden by out-of-towners. Behind them, Heath was coming up fast. Like Millie, Heath had also started moving up, pressing closer towards the front of the pack. As the scribe hurriedly scribbled the placings of the horses, the pack thundered by the checkpoint, the rider quickly off and galloping towards town when the note had been passed to him.

Mile two down, three more ahead. As the race progressed Millie kept Tomahawk moving at a good pace and was able to overtake another handful of riders. She was amongst the pack now, not the place she wanted to be but where she had to ride for now. She wasn't ready to let Tomahawk really move just yet. That would come soon enough. Up ahead, quite a few lengths in front, she recognized Heath's horse. Soon enough they'd be up there too, contesting with the others to lead the pack before she set her sights on the final two front runners.

Back in town the rider rode in fast, handing off his note to the announcer. "Tempest and Destiny are still fighting tooth and nail for the lead way out in front of the rest of the pack. Leading the pack it's still Whirlwind but Charger is quickly moving up…"

Mile three. Nick and Zack still way out in front but back in the pack, the rankings were really beginning to get mixed up. Jeb's horse Whirlwind had fallen back, Heath and Charger now out in front. As they came to cross the creek again, just behind Heath, another horse and rider fell. Millie winched as she saw them fall heavily, guiding her stallion around them. That fall had to hurt and behind her, another horse and rider tripped over them.

Nudging Tomahawk with her spurs again, the stallion sped up once more. It was time to get out of the middle of the pack and towards the front. In the pack, if something went wrong, there was more chance of getting caught in the carnage. It was better to be running out front and tapping her mustang again, Millie and Tomahawk began to move up.

His ears flat against his neck, Tomahawk began to really move. This was what he'd been waiting for all along. It was time for him to really stretch out and cover some ground. Weaving him through the remainder of the pack, Millie soon set her sights on the last few riders ahead of her. There were another five, apart from Nick and Zack far off in the lead, Heath being one of them. She was buying her time, waiting a little longer before asking him to speed up again. At the touch of her spurs, Tomahawk increased his speed and as the final checkpoint was spotted in the distance, the black was matching Heath's bay stride for stride in front of the pack.

The rider at the final checkpoint was ready as Nick and Zack rode by, the spotter quickly identifying the other horses in the lead of the pack to report to his scribe. Again, as soon as the note was in the rider's hand he was off and galloping back towards Stockton. Riding into town, he delivered the rankings to the race announcer. "At the final checkpoint, it's still Tempest and Destiny out front fighting for the lead but back in the pack, what's this? Whirlwind has fallen behind and now it's Charger and Tomahawk leading them."

With the final checkpoint that signaled the start of the last mile behind them, it was then that Millie really began to move the stallion on. She was alongside Heath now, the two of them running neck and neck ahead of the pack. Further in front, Nick and Zack were still fighting for the lead but because of their early speed, their horses were beginning to tire and slow, the distance between Heath and Millie and them slowly decreasing.

As Millie looked over at Heath, their eyes met and giving him a mischievous grin, she nudged Tomahawk with her heels again. Heath too urged Charger on but as the yards of the last mile slipped away, Millie and Tomahawk steadily pulled out in front. Her stallion was running fast but still not yet at his top speed, the young woman holding that in reserve for the last sprint towards the finish line.

With her lead over Heath lengthening, Millie set her sights on the final two riders they needed to pass. They were still quite a distance ahead but this was why Millie had done her match race training with Tomahawk in preparation for the sweepstakes; with those two final horses in their sights, her stallion wouldn't stop until he had overtaken them. Nudging him with her heels, she let him run into almost his top speed, slowly beginning to gain ground on the two leaders.

"And here they come!" The race announcer exclaimed into his foghorn, having been watching with his telescope for the horses coming into the final stretch. The crowd began to cheer and roar, folks looking excitedly down the main street for their first glimpse of the runners. "Out front it's Tempest. No, it's Destiny. Now it's Tempest again. These two have been fighting for the lead the whole race folks but now as we're coming into the final stretch, there's someone else gaining on them…. Wait! Wait! It's Tomahawk coming in after them. The one-hundred to one longshot! Believe me folks, I've never seen anything like this. That little mustang pony is really covering ground."

Hearing that, Victoria, Jarrod and Audra burst into cheers along with the rest of the crowd.

As the town came into view, Nick and Zack's horses were now only lengths ahead of Millie. Tomahawk was gaining ground on them with every stride, the two thoroughbreds almost spent from their flat run and had nothing more left to give. Hearing the sound of a horse gaining on him, Nick looked back and seeing that Millie was almost upon him, he kicked the stallion harder to make him go faster. Tempest responded with a slight increase of speed but the sorrel was almost run into the ground; he had nothing more to give. Zack, upon noticing what Nick was doing, also looked over his shoulder to see the black mustang right on their tail and began encouraging his horse on also. Like Tempest though, Destiny also had nothing more to give.

With the final five hundred yards left to go, it was finally time to let Tomahawk fly. Millie lent down low over his neck and kissed at the stallion, Tomahawk's ears going flat against his neck as he responded to her cue with a huge burst of speed that blew her hat off. In mere strides they had passed both Tempest and Destiny, the finish line looming up ahead.

"Look at this folks! Tempest and Destiny are falling behind! Tomahawk is in the lead. If that little mustang was moving before, he's flying now. They're three lengths ahead. Now four. Now five and still moving! There's no catching them now. Tomahawk is moving like a locomotive. Nothing can stop him from winning this race!"

Millie glanced over at her shoulder, Nick and Zack falling lengths behind them and she looked back to the finish line ahead. They were just entering town now, the cheers of the crowd loud in their ears as they flew by. "Come on boy, come on!" She encouraged, nudging him with her spurs one last time. "Go boy, go!"

"It's Tomahawk! Tomahawk has this race in the bag! There's no way they can catch him now! Bring him home Miss Anders! Tomahawk! Tomahawk!"

Spurred on by the race announcer, the crowd began to chant the name of Millie's horse as they came racing up the street. The finish line was just ahead and with the girl kissing at the mustang once more, Tomahawk gave his all and surged forward with everything he had left, increasing his lead over Nick and Zack by another eight lengths as they came across the finish line.

The crowd roared with cheers, shouts and whistles as the mustang made it across the finish line, clapping and hollering as the rest of the riders came after them. Nick was in front of Zack by two lengths, his sorrel stallion crossing the finish line next after the black mustang. After Zack, Heath rode across next, followed by the remainder of the pack.

"It's Tomahawk! Tomahawk has won the race folks! That little mustang has defied the odds to win the Twelfth Annual Stockton Sweepstakes."

Galloping down the street, Millie began to rein her stallion in as the continued cheers and applause of the crowd reached her ears. They'd done it. They'd actually done it! As she brought Tomahawk back to a halt, she lent down and patted his shoulder. "Well done boy. Well done."

The other riders, finishing the race, also slowed their horses. Heath rode through them to Millie, the girl hugging her stallion from the saddle. "Well done." He told her. "You ran a perfect race."

Millie beamed as she sat up again. "You two were pretty good yourselves. Fourth out of a field of thirty-seven isn't nothing to sneeze at."

"Millie-" Jarrod had made his way over to her, taking hold of Tomahawk's bridle. "that was a fantastic ride, my girl. See? I told you two that you could do it."

Her grin reached her ears at his praise and she patted her stallion's neck again. "Thanks Jarrod."

"They want you and Tomahawk up at the stand for the trophy presentation."

She nodded and Jarrod led them through the dispersing crowd of riders to the stand where the race announcer stood with the current Mayor of Stockton, Charles Belding. "Folks, may I present to you this year's winner of the Stockton Sweepstakes, Millie Anders and her stallion, Tomahawk!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause again, Audra jumping up and down in excitement for Millie. She'd won! She'd actually won! Victoria beside her clapped, a smile on her face as Jarrod led the girl and her horse to the stand.

Charles stepped down to meet them, carrying the silver trophy cup and the cheque for the winner as his assistant brought over a flower garland that he placed over the stallion's withers. "On behalf of the people of Stockton, it is my privilege and pleasure to present to you the cup and cheque for fifteen-hundred dollars as the winner of this year's Sweepstakes." He said to her, handing her the gold cup and an envelope. "It was a fantastic ride, Miss Anders and I think I speak for everyone in saying that this was one of the most thrilling and unexpected wins we've ever witnessed."

"Thank you sir." She replied politely, beginning to feel uncomfortable with everyone's eyes being on her.

"Now, if you'd please look in the direction of Mrs. Stevens," The Mayor motioned to where the photographer was set up behind him. "the city photographer, we'll take a picture to be added to the wall in Town Hall."

Caught up in the thrill of the event, Millie didn't even think of the ramifications of having her picture taken as the photographer went to capture their photo. Jarrod stepped back, as did the Mayor and his assistant so that only the girl and her horses were visible in the frame. As the photographer raised the flash to take the picture, Tomahawk turned his head with his ears pricked to look at the strange box thing and their picture was taken.

With the photo taken, Jarrod stepped back up to Millie as the crowd began to disperse to celebrate and those who had placed bets on the long-shot left to go and collect their winnings from the stunned bookies. "It was a great race my girl. A great race."

Millie just smiled, handing the trophy down to Jarrod to hold so she could pick up Tomahawk's reins again. "I'd have loved to see the look on Nick and the other guys' faces when we passed them." She chuckled. "We left them in the dust."

"That you did. They were over twenty lengths behind when you two crossed the finish line."

"Havin' a fancy pedigree doesn't seem that important after all, two thoroughbreds being beaten by a mustang."

"It's sure going to be a story for the newspapers."

As Jarrod stood with Millie, other folks stopping to offer their congratulations to her, Victoria and Audra made their way through the others in the street to meet them. "Well done Millie." Victoria told her, proud of what she and her horse had been able to achieve. "It was a splendid race to watch."

"I told you you could do it." Audra added as she rubbed the stallion's forehead, producing a sugar cube from her pocket to give the mustang. "None of those other horses stood a chance against this boy."

"They really didn't." Heath agreed, joining the family gathered around Millie and her horse. "Soon as you grinned at me like you did when we were comin' in, I knew it was all over for us."

The girl chuckled at that. "So, you reckon Nick will believe me now that I had a chance of winning the race?"

"I think someone has to have his share of humble pie now. I didn't doubt you for a minute Millie, even put a couple dollars on you myself which I should probably go collect…" He realized, beginning to leave. "Excuse me."

"Well, at least thanks to you, he didn't lose that bet with the Morton's." Jarrod said as he spotted Nick coming towards them. "Here he comes."

Millie grinned as he joined them. "Hi Nick. Did you enjoy the view of Tomahawk's tail end leaving you behind?"

"Oh ha-de-ha-ha young lady." He played along as he stopped in front of the mustang, his hands on his hips as he looked at the stallion for a moment. "Well, I've got to admit, you were fast boy."

"What about me? He didn't manage all this on his own you know."

Clearing his throat, he looked up at Millie. "Well, my dear lil Miss Millie, it would seem that congratulations are in order. It appears you won after all."

She giggled a little. "Told you I didn't need luck."

"Yeah yeah. I'll never underestimate this little mustang again though."

"No hard feelings for me winning?" Millie questioned.

"No hard feelin's." He agreed with a grin. "Come on, let's get this winner home."