Through The Dirt and Fame (major revisions)

Chapter Ten

-4 weeks till the Spinaway-

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I turned towards my clock, it was 5 am. We are planning to work Emily 3 times a week. I sat up and got dressed and walked over to Jacks room.

"Jack c'mon, time to go to the track!" I knocked on his door. "Lets go, Emily's waiting." Jack opened the door and handed me the keys.

"Let's go then." I smiled and we headed to the truck.

"Plans for her work out today?" I asked.

"We could, gallop her a half mile under a hold, then blow her out the other half mile or we could run her the whole mile." I thought about the plans, we could just hold her back for a half mile and let her sprint the rest of the way, or we could run her the whole way and see what she does at a mile.

"Let's see what she does at a mile, we could run her with Diana." I said.

"I thought she didn't like working with others?" I knew that, but if in a competitive race with gates, she'll work with Diana.

"She'll work with others. We just have to think like her." I smiled and Jack was still confused.

-

We walked to stable A, and found Emily and Diana.

"I'll get the horses, you find Michael and Pablo." Jack nodded and turned to go find them.

"Let's go ladies." I put their halters and leads on, and tied them to their stalls.

I groomed them before saddling them. "You guys are loving a good groom huh?" Emily snorted in response. I put their saddles on, and then their bridles and checked their saddles again and tightened their girths. "Bandages and Blinkers for Emily. Shadow roll and Blinkers for Diana."

Jack came back with Michael and Pablo. "Michael you're on Emily, Pablo you're on Diana. We are running them a mile, so make it seem like a race. It will be improving for both of them." Jack said and he helped them mount the fillies.

We lead the fillies to the track for their workouts. Then I saw the familiar big bay colt and blonde hair.

"The gates are just ahead, we'll load 'em and time 'em." I had to focus on Emily.

Two gate men grabbed Em and Diana and lead them to the gates, and Jack and I went to the rail.

"What's he working today?" I yelled to Dakota, and she stopped and looked towards me.

"He's breezing 5 furlongs, he's coming back in an Allowence. " I looked up to the rider. It was Johnny.

"Hey Johnny! How's it going?" Johnny smiled and shook my hand.

"Great, I'm coming back, that fall didn't damage much. Except my bones." I laughed.

"Well, I wish you luck. How's this boy feeling?" I pet Sphere's neck.

"Oh he feels great, he's excited to work." He pat the bay.

"Well work him good, maybe he can upset at Breeders Cup here soon." I winked and he laughed.

"Well I see 'ya around Nathan." He smiled and Dakota set them off to work.

Dakota smiled at me. "You two close?" She motioned towards Johnny.

"He gets good rides, he's riding Diana in the Spinaway." I looked to the fillies who were almost to the gates."You want to watch our little super stars?" Dakota smiled and nodded.

"Emily didn't want a timed work just wants him use to the track again." We walked to Jack, who turned to me and smiled a devious smile.

"Hey, who must you be?" He asked Dakota.

"I'm Dakota Maree. Nice to meet you. " They shook hands.

"Jack Michaels." He looked to the gates. "Here to watch the star work?"

"You mean Emily? I've always loved her. She was a sweet girl as a foal. She's got her mama's temper." Diana loaded in the gates. "Does she still have a good temper?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, she's a Princess, loves attention." Emily was lead in. "but when she runs. She ain't no princess anymore." And the gates shot and Emily and Diana sprang out together.

"Got her?" I asked Jack, he nodded.

"They're blazing so far." Emily and Diana headed for the first turn, the two fillies were stride for stride. Emily had full control of her pace, Diana didn't.

"How do you work them?" Dakota asked.

"Well Emily is so smart, she can work herself. Give her control and she knows what to do. That's what she's doing now." Dakota was mesmerized by the filly.

"Whoa..." She watched her as they they sprinted into the backstretch. Diana looked like she was struggling to keep up with Emily.

"Time?"

"40.5." Halfway down the stretch, closing on the turn soon.

"She set up the pace."

Emily started to pull away from Diana as they closed in on the turn. She was about 4 lengths in front of her.

"She may have her dams personality, but she's got her sires racing grit and power." Jack said.

Emily stormed off the turn and raced her way to the line. She had left Diana about 10 lengths back.

"Time?"

"1:08.23."

"Diana's?"

"1:14.34."

Emily ran past us and cross the finish, she was about 24 lengths in front of the fading Diana.

"Official time is 1:12.50. She is a miler my friend." She could win the Triple Tiara, or Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies in seconds. I looked at Dakota.

"She's a gonna destroy the Spinaway."

I looked to Emily who was trotting back like she had only jogged the mile. It didn't even phase her.