where should I begin?

[Socks]

Summer Season's King & Nina Ristuccia
The Cat Came Back & Lucas Stone
Crowned Cookie & Timorous Weatherly

James was elated. Shamrock's racers had done exceptionally well in February races, especially the maiden Presley and Holden. This latter had pulled off a second, something of a minor miracle, which gave James something to brag about...

In fact, his ego had gotten so large that Wingo almost wished that Holden had pulled his usual stunts and dropped out of the race altogether. He was also regretting all the things he had previously said about Holden that James could now flaunt around. Wingo still held that no person in their right mind would have thought that the short, rather homely colt with an awful temper would make a good racer. Besides, Wingo's purchase had, in his opinion, done something even more amazing - Presley had gotten a show in a mixed-grade race, against much older and more experiences horses. That two-year old had a lot of talent.

The only one who seemed less elated was Calvin. Though he wouldn't say it out loud and Wingo never suspected it, James knew that he had a fondness for Cookie and was disappointed that the mare had been the only Shamrock horse to finish off the board in February. Calvin, usually a slackard, seemed to be spending extra time picking out Cookie's stall and making sure that the pasture in which she and Cali were occasionally turned out was thoroughly picked over and the water bucket free of grime. Cookie was the glossiest horse at Shamrock, too, which likely had something to do with the daily thorough groomings she enjoyed.

In fact, James and Wingo were both pleased with Cookie's result, seeing as it was the first race she'd had in a while. In her four year old season, she'd only been raced once, and she was understandably rusty. Most people would have considered her racing days over and retired her to the breeding pasture, but Cookie was proving that she was not ready for that. All morning she had been walking circles in her stall, whinnying over the partition at Cali, who was checking out the lock, attempting to get it open mainly by brute force. Cookie was not the calm horse they'd given a workout to a mere fortnight previous - that first race had re-awakened something inside her - a fire, a glow, an eagerness.

The dancer had returned, and she was ready to prove what she was made of.

Cookie needed another workout before she got another chance in the races of the Spring Cup. James had an idea that he figured just might get Calvin cheered up. Early that morning they'd transported all four horses to the track - two trailers, with the boys going first because as usual Holden had taken forever to get loaded. Cali was coming along for the ride - she would be trying out the prospect races but wasn't ready to run a full-length workout.

Their purpose at the track? To have a little mock-racing fun. James had gotten Nina and Luke to show up at the track, as well as the jockey who had ridden Cookie in her race - an older, extremely timid man called Tim. Wingo - on the grounds that he probably wouldn't approve of any such nonsense and harder running of the horses - had been left at Shamrock to look after the weanling colt Ray. So it was James, Luke, and Calvin who tacked up the horses and got them to their respective riders.

Luke was a bit miffed to be stuck on Holden once again. Him and the colt had no love for one another, and it had been Nina, not Luke, aboard the colt during his spectacular start. Actually, Nina didn't like Holden much either, and part of the reason why she was riding Presley was that she had downright refused to ride the colt in a workout. Tim, laid-back and unassertive, would have let Holden get away with his mule act, which he was currently attempting as he was dragged by main force along the path. Ahead, on the track, Presley and Cookie were already trotting around. The former was attempting to leap forward and away again, and the latter was throwing her legs up high and pawing at the dirt.

The idea, a rather unusual and possibly even a stupid one, was to get Presley and Cookie towards the rail on the dirt track and Holden on the other side of that rail, on the turf. Luke wasn't too sure that the idea would work particularly well, but it was worth a try.

"Alright, Pres, we're gonna show them, aren't we?" Nina patted the two-year-old's neck as he tossed his head. "That's right we are." She circled him back towards the rail, where James was finally managing to drag that little mutt of a mud-colored ill-conformed colt onto the track. Tim and Cookie had slowed to a half-walk, Cookie prancing with her hind legs and occasionally giving two quick lashes with one of her front hooves, showing off her dance moves.

"Come on, Cookie, show 'em what you've got," Calvin muttered from the sidelines, gritting his teeth. Cali stuck her nose in the air near his shoulder, looking at the track and snorting, her ears fixed forward and her whole body showing the war between curiosity and fear that came with new things. The filly nickered, her sides shaking, in the general direction of Cookie, who gave a little shrill whinny back. James stood at Holden's head, holding the colt as Presley and Cookie approached.

"Alright, guys, are you ready to have a little fun?" James asked, with his lopsided mischievous grin, "because we're gonna really turn 'em loose today, ok? Run 'em for a mile just like you would in a race, ok? Let's see how they measure up. Just keep 'em even to the next pole and then let 'em go."

"Alright! Come on, Pres, we're gonna show them who's the boss around here," Nina said, grinning. Luke looked down at Holden's neck. He desperately wanted to win, just to show that he could be a good jockey to Nina, who had been making fun of him before.

"...You have to give me your best, Holden," he murmured, as James let go of the bridle and slapped the colt on the hindquarters to get him moving into a trot, "we'll show her who's a 'little bugger'..." He smacked Holden with the riding crop in an attempt to get him caught up with Presley and Cookie.

"Oh come on," Nina snapped, looking back, "can't you even get that ugly cow to trot? I don't think we can possibly get our horses to go any slower." She rolled her eyes, staying to the inside of Cookie. Presley tossed his head against the bit - she was having to keep him to almost a walk to keep him even with Holden. Luke gritted his teeth and kicked Holden in the ribs. Holden sped up for a few strides before settling back down into his lazy trot.

At the starting pole, Holden was still behind the other two, but Nina was fed up with waiting and let Presley leap forward into a gallop with Cookie close behind. The mare was glad to run, but didn't immediately charge off like Presley did, staying on his heels but a little bit behind, stretching out low. Holden broke into a canter, but it took several more strides of kicking and cussing and crop before Luke managed to get him going, four lengths behind the others and with no drive behind his running. Holden seemed to day-dream while we ran.

Nina, in her haste and competitive spirit, didn't even try to collect Presley, letting the colt to his mad dash thing and break away from Cookie. The chestnut mare sped up a little, but not a lot, keeping within a shot of the win and Tim keeping out of her way except to adjust her course a little and let her run. About four furlongs in, Holden finally realized what exactly was going on and went on fast, closing up the gap.... three lengths behind, two lengths, one length and then he ran even to Cookie's hindquarters. At five furlongs, Cookie made her move, accelerating easily around the turn and catching up with the fading Presley. The colt had spent a lot of his energy in his crazy dash at the beginning and was now struggling to keep up the pace.

Through main force, Luke managed to get Holden up with the other horses, and in the sixth furlong Holden suddenly focused, going like a shark after Presley, who was still leading but barely, with Cookie's nose level with his neck. Holden suddenly dashed ahead until he was eye-to-eye with the two year old, and Presley almost immediately relinquished the lead, tired, and now with a horse on his left, which he absolutely hated. The two-year-old fell back with Nina kicking him, trying to get him to go... only two furlongs left and Holden was leading with Cookie catching up and moving to the rail and Presley barely hanging on at her heels...

But there was no leader left for Holden to challenge, and his burst of speed was fading fast. Tim gave Cookie a gentle tap with the crop and she was off, showing her experience now, outstripping Holden with one furlong to go. Holden saw this new challenger almost too late, picking up the speed again, but she was leading by a head now. Presley was running his heart out on the outside, desperately trying to regain the wing or at least get ahead of Holden, but he, too was too late.

As Cookie took her crown, Calvin let out a whoop from the rail that made Cali snap her head up in sudden alarm and James look up with an amused grin on his face. Calvin immediately tried to conceal his excitement, without success. On the other hand, Nina was looking rather disappointed. Presley was winded, slowing immediately to a trot with his head down in shame. She patted his neck all the same, chalking it up to his youth rather than her own failure, as she always would.

"Hey, bug boy!" she called, over the rail. Luke looked up, almost challenging, he had beaten her against the odds. "That wasn't a bad ride at all." Luke's bitter expression transformed into a grin. Tim was silent despite his win, murmuring to Cookie and no one else.

"...All the same, I should have won," Nina said, a little coldly, as Presley trotted off his weariness. She had learned a lesson, and perhaps so had Presley, but if there was ever a chance to ride against Luke again, she promised herself that she would beat him. She wouldn't lose to a bug boy again.