Through The Dirt and Fame (major revisions)

Chapter Thirteen

-Arcadia, California Santa Anita 3 weeks till Breeders Cup-

Emily had a long rest after the Spinaway, she got to go back to the farm and be a horse for a while. She was so happy to see her yearling friend Alex Jones - who is a horse. Alex is a big filly like Emily, she's a flaxen chestnut, she was a promising racehorse prospect early in her training days, but due to an injury we decided to not race her although she was happy to see Emily so we decided to bring her Santa Anita to be her lead pony - which she was pretty good at naturally,

"Super Filly Duchess Of Winter is getting a lot of Attention." Jack said to me as I entered the barn Emily was stabled at. 

I just shrugged to him. "Emily has experience. She's got dominance. She more than a wonder she's a once and a life time thing to see."

"You know what else is a once and a life time thing to see?" I shook my head. "A match race."

I shook my head at the words. "No. The filly has only raced once. I won't have a one on one race until she poses a threat to Emily."

Jack put his hands up as if surrender. "Okay, but if this big gray filly with no big horses in her pedigree, and can pull off what Emily did in her debut. She poses a threat to Emily. Not in the Breeders Cup. But the Triple Tiara. The Oaks. The Susans. In every big race for 3 year old fillies."

I turned away from Jack and looked to Emily. Her big head hung over the stall door, she turned it to me when she saw me looking at her and softly whinnied and I smiled.

"She's nominated for Horse of the Year, because no horse has equaled her brilliance this year, and Top Two Year Old Filly, for obvious reasons. She can at least secure those titles if she wins big in Breeders Cup." I said as I ran my hand down her head.

Jack walked over to Emily and grabbed her halter. "Are you going to win big in Breeders Cup? Are you going to smoke those other fillies? Are you going to win those Eclipse Awards?" Emily snorted in reply and Jack laughed and turned to me. "We got this."

- 2 Weeks until Breeders Cup -

"Just flat out race her as fast as possible going a mile and a sixteenth. I want to see if she can get under 1:35.80." Jack said to Michael, he nodded and turned the filly to the track.

We got up early to be the first ones out and on the track. Really Emily was wearing a blanket, white bandages, blinkers, a shadow roll and had her tail tied up. Michael wore a sweatshirt that had the NYRA logo and Belmont under it with a custom dark blue and black helmet that had the word Dancer on it. We were doing what was called "Daylighting" we weren't suppose to be on the track really. But we didn't want Emily having to go through all the reporters and photographers and owners that are interested in buying her.

"Okay, get your stopwatch ready." Jack and I got out watches ready to time Emily as they approached the eight pole. "Ready," I had my hand on the start button. "Set," I looked to Jack and back to Emily and Michael and the came to the sixteenth. "Go." I said, and Jack and I started the watches when they started racing.

We couldn't really see Emily through the fog, so we just listened for her and Michael.

"2 weeks. 2 weeks tuntil we face some of the best 2 year old fillies in the world." Jack said.

He was right. We would be facing French champion filly, Bon Bon, European fillies, Lantern and Fran, Kentucky super star, War Light, two California stars, Tapit's Sky and Mega Megan, Aqueduct Queen's Accusation and Unapologetic (both by Blame), then "wonders fillies" Fearless Jewel and Summer Dove and Japanese filly Paper Towns.

"We should watch out for Lantern, Fran, Bon Bon, Summer Dove and Paper Towns. They all have a late kick in the end, Fearless Jewel, Mega Megan and War Light will try and go for the front. A head of Emily. Unapologetic and Accusation should be somewhere in the pack along with Tapit's Sky." I said and we heard the fast hoof beats of Emily coming and Jack and I turned our heads toward them and Emily came charging out of the fog and towards the finish line. I could barely hear Michael urging Emily, she just did it all on her own. Almost like a bird, flew past the wire and the two of us stopped our watches at the same time.

Before we looked we looked at each other Jack laughed."She's got this." We looked at our watches. That read:

1:28 flat.

"We got this." I said and gave Jack a high five.

Most of the fillies have gone a mile and a sixteenth in their career's and gone 1:39, 1:37, 1:42 or 1:46. Emily just went about 7 seconds faster than the record time for the Juvenile Fillies.

I looked to Emily who was cantering back to us, Michael stopped her by the rail. Emily wasn't even breathing heavily.

"1:28." I told Michael, instantly eyes widened and smiled.

"Those other fillies better forfeit now. 'Cause all they will see is this fillies big butt." Michael leaned back and pat her rump.

1:28. That's spectacular.