Race With the Wind

Chapter 45

I'm all tacked up and ready for my training session on the racetrack. Sarah comes with her gear on. It's really cloudy. Sarah jumps lightly onto my back and sits light in the saddle. We walk across the yard and stand beside the white railings of the huge sandtrack. It's beautiful! It is a foggy but bright morning. We stand as we see a silhouette in the distant galloping. It's a big English Thoroughbred racehorse. They are a different build to my breed. I'm an Irish Thoroughbred. The English Thoroughbred racehorses is a taller build to my breed. The Irish Thoroughbred is a bit smaller. We were bred to run and jump. The English Thoroughbred done mostly flat racing centuries and centuries ago when racing was invented. The silhouette gallops at top speed down the track. The horse becomes clearer as he gallops towards us. It is a black stallion. He has no markings. Just black. He gallops pass the finish line and onto the next corner. I look at Sarah who is sitting with wide eyes on my back. She also stares at the black stallion as he gallops down the backstretch. "Who is that?", she asks Elizabeth. ''That is Sandy Oak's Thunder Storm", she answers with pride. "He's our best racehorse yet. He can gallop this whole sandtrack in under 1 minute and 2 seconds. That's a fast time for a big track like this", Elizabeth says with a smile. Sarah looks at her in surprise. We all turn our eyes to look at the black racehorse as he thunders down the track towards the finish. They pass the finish at a quick speed. The stallion's jockey slows him up to a trot. They turn around and walk to the gates of the track. The stallion stops and looks at me. He sniffs the air for a little while. He looks at me grumpily. "Who are you? You're not one of my mares?", he asks grumpily. "No sir, I am not one of mares and I hope to never be", I answer cheekily. He has a big frown on hiss face. "You are one of the cheeky mares", he says frowning. He gives a big frustrated snort. "I hate them. They are too feisty and they give a lot cheek", he says angrily. "I'm glad you hate me and yes you are right, I give a lot of cheek", I say with a smirk. He looks even angrier now. "I will only talk to you mare when you beat my track record, good luck", he says as he clops off to the barn with his tail held up high. I laugh to myself. Sarah pats me. "Elizabeth, you don't mind timing us, do you?", Sarah asks. Elizabeth takes her phone and sets up a timer. "No, not at all!", she answers. ''Thanks, I'll just go warm up Scooter!'', Sarah says. She squeezes my sides and spring into a lively walk.

I prick my ears as I walk onto the sand track. It is neatly harrowed. The only tracks that are visible on the sand is Thunder's hoof tracks. I examine them. He takes a big stride. A big stride! He is much taller and stronger than me. Let's see if I can impress this grumpy English Thoroughbred stallion. Sarah takes me for a easy lap around the track at a trot. She then squeezes my sides and a leap into a smooth canter for a lap. Sarah slows me down once we were finished. ''Now girl, this is our last lap of training for the big race. Take your time. I don't want you lame", Sarah says as she pats my neck. I don't feel like taking it easy. I'm going to show that stuck up stallion that I have accepted his ridiculous challenge.

"We're ready", Sarah says as we walk over to Elizabeth and Leona. Sarah's dad is there too. "Okay, take yourselves to the "starting gates", I'll ring the bell and the gates will fly open.", Elizabeth explains. What are "starting gates"? Never heard of them in my life. Elizabeth points to where the starting gates are. They look very scary. It is basically a metal frame that has compartments where the horse has to stand and gates will open. It looks cramped. I look at Sarah who is staring at the gates. I look over the railing to see Thunder Storm staring at me with a smirk. "What's wrong darling? Never seen a starting gate before? Ridiculous mare", he shouts to me. "I'm ridiculous? How about you get over here and race me like a real racehorse!", I shout back. He grunts and stamps the ground. "Alright then! You better be ready!", he shouts.

I walk up to the starting gates. I stare at them. They open the middle gate. I stop in my tracks. I have never seen such little space in my life. Sarah squeezes my sides. I take a few steps forward and as I stare at the little compartment a jump onto my hindlegs and rear. Sarah sits tight. "Easy Scooter", she says soothingly. She gives me a pat. Leona clips a leadrope onto my bridle and leads me in. I walk behind Leona, following each of her steps.Leona unclips the leadrope and closes the front gate. I prepare to walk backwards out of the starting gate but, they close it in time. I neigh to Storm. Storm bares his teeth and races into the sandtrack with no rider. "Don't mind Storm. He just like to challenge new horses. If you want you can challenge him?", Elizabeth says. I nod. Sarah looks at me surprised. "Alright", Sarah says worried. "Scooter what are you doing?", she asks me. "Just leave her be, Sarah. She knows", Leona says. Sarah looks at me again. "Don't hurt yourself Scooter", Sarah says as she pulls down her racing goggles. I grunt to her. I won't.

Once they have Storm under control and with a rider, he loads up into the starting gate. I have noticed that everyone in the yard is looking. They all know this is a challenge. A big challenge. I'm racing against their best racer. What am I doing? Storm loads up on my right. We have to run 10,000 metres. Help. "Oh mother please help me. I didn't think about this!", I pray. We stand in silence. Sarah wraps her fingers around my mane and squeezes my sides. I prepare to leap out of the gates. Storm chews his bit. It starts to rain. I look ahead of me and wait for the bell. I pray again to my mother. Hoping she hears me and makes sure nothing bad happens to me. The bell rings and gates open. I instantly react by leaping out of the gates and into a gallop. Storm right beside me.

The two horses put their heads down as they leave the starting gates. The big black stallion and the small petite mare neck and neck. We all stand in the rain watching a champion and a new comer race against each other. Their hooves hit the ground like thunder as the gallop still neck and neck as the pass by us. The rain gets heavier and heavier. A streak of lighting lights up the sky with a clash of deafening thunder. The two horses don't flinch, as they are too concentrated. They enter the first corner. The black stallion charges in front of the mare. The mare struggles to keep up. The mare's jockey pushes her. The mare leaps forward and catches up with bold stallion. They gallop down the backstretch neck and neck. The black stallion looking like he has a likely chance of winning. The little mare struggles to keep beside him, she has no chance.

My breathing is loud and hard. My feet hit the damp sand. The rain slaps my face. Storm gallops with his mouth open and his teeth bared. His face shows nothing but determination. A bang of thunder fills the atmosphere. I pray to my mother. I grunt and pant. I feel a gust of wind hit behind me. I take everything slow. I take the same stride as Storm. I look at him. This is exactly what I did when I last raced The Sky Princess. I looked at her and I told her who's boss. I'm going to tell this stallion who's boss. I throw my head up high and I give a sharp neigh. I put my head down and I gallop a head in front of Storm. Sarah gives me rein and sits a bit lower. We gallop around the final corner. Storm catches up with me. I grunt and gallop faster. My breathing becoming more under pressure. My lungs on fire. My nostrils flaring. I gallop a length in front. "That's it Scooter!", Sarah shouts. Sarah sits lower. I hear Leona shouting 'faster'. I take a leap and breath in. Once a land I exhale and a gallop faster. I gallop in my own short choppy stride. I gallop towards the finish.

The black stallion falls behind by three lengths. The mare gallops towards the finish. I streak of lightning lights up the sky behind her followed by a clash of thunder. She passes the finish unstoppable. The crowd looks at her in surprise. The new comer beat the champion.

The mare loads up into the truck the next day. She sets off with a victory. Will she win the Grand National and beat the Queen of Fillies? She sets off with her head up high. She looks unstoppable, She is unstoppable but, will She be going out with the same attitude she had when she beat Britain's best stallion. They set off to Aintree where her life would change. She is small but mighty.

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