It's An Addiction (Please Reply)

I sighed that was horse racing for you. I turned to see Ronny shouting. "You need to get over there we can't find another jockey." He joked. I looked at Mia and her colt then ran over to him off the track to get ready.

When the track was clear there where two races Ronny had some fillies enterd. I still was worried for Mia and the colt. I rode Hummingbird Dancer one of our best filly's in a small allowance race. She was a come from beahind horse and she liked to hold third along the rail. We had a hard time getting past Far Light's a bay colt and then she came neck and neck with the leader Sunny Sky's a chestnut filly. She won by a nose.

We had a maden race for a colt we never raced before. He settled in fith along the rail. Then got stuck in some trafic when he tried to get away from me. We found our way to get to the leader Mush And Tosh a grey colt with great stanima still trying to break his maden. When got to the wire Stuck In The Moment came up beside us to take first by a neck.

Then we got ready for the lat race the Florida Derby. We came from the saddling paddock and left the tunnel that lead to the track. Storm Stride looked fit and Ronny had him in top condition. I found myself thinking of the colt and Charles where they ok? I tried to focuse. I sat perched on the colt my knee's drawn up onto his shoulder's. I had tried to talk to the pony rider to shake some nervse off. At the gate the loader's led the number horse in Day's Gon By and then Apple Sour a big brown colt. We where next. Storm Stride was a calm loader he enterd the gate with out a fuss and we waited for the rest of the field-

Mia smiled as she waited for Ray's race to start. She had a very good feeling about him. She cheered loudly and chuckled before tapping on her thigh. She watched as the horses stared at the track that waited for them, and she could only imagine how they felt at the moment.
Charles was taken to the hospital where doctors had given Mr.Moore the news. "Mr.Moore, may I speak to you for a moment?" the doctor asked, Mr.Moore standing and walking into the hallway. "Charles will be fine, but he's going to be out for a few months," he said and smiled. Mr.Moore frowned and wringed his hands.
"No, no, no... He's got a big race soon," Mr.Moore said and sighed, shaking the doctor's hand. "Thank you for the news," he said and left with the trainer.
Cyberus pawed at the metal floor in the trailer as he waited to be taken home. It was incredibley hot in there, and it was unbearable. He kicked at the sides of the trailer, but to no avail, he could not get any cool air.

As the gate door's flew open Storm Stride leaped from the gate and into the lead for a moment. The thunder of hooves sorounded me as I crouched over the colt's whither's. I blocked out the sound of the crowed as I rode Storm Stride and let him take third on the rail beahind Day's Gone By and a chuby chestnut named Cloud Niner run beside us. I waited as we rolled around the first turn, Storm Stride chewed at the bit. As we came into the stretch I moved Storm Stride up a little closer to Day's Gone By. I looked to my right seeing the black filly All Right Moves. Her small head at Storm Stride's waist. Then we moved into the second turn I had just enough room to move Storm Stride between the rail and Day's Gone By. I kept a firm hold on the rein's as we swept into the home stretch. I urged the colt on his long stride's sweeping over the track. We forged ahead sprinting away. He was racing his shadow and the clock now. As he swept under the wire I stood tall in the stirup's and pulled him up around the far turn. A pony rider came to meet us and tak us back to the winner's circle. We had won by 7 1/2 length's! The colt danced back his neck in a high crest. Ronny came up to us and took the lead from the pony rider and lead us into the winner's circle. Frank took the handsom silver cup and Sammy the groom stood next to Storm Stride. The colt won one of the bigest prep races that year for the Kentucky Derby. I looked into the crowed wondering if Mia was in there. I suddenly rememberd Charles. I pulled my riding cap off as the colt danced and posed for photo's. A reporter shouted out above the crowed "Mr. White do you think you colt will win the Derby?" Frank said "He wont just win the Derby we will win the Preakniss and Belmont as well." A reporter shouted "So he is this year's super horse?" Evrey one laughed. "Hey Ronny what about the colt's you bought, the horse in the first race came from the same farm you bought those colt's from." A reporter said. Ronny noded-I sat waiting to get out of there-

Mia saw Ronny and Frank chatting with the reporters, Ray standing still, seeming he wanted to get out of there ASAP. She quickly grabbed Ray by the wrist and chuckled lightly, leading him by the track and away from the press. "Seems like your horse there has got some fans," she said and gestured towards Storm Stride who was much loving all the attention. She sighed lightly and thought about how bored Cyberus must've been right now.

I look at Storm Stride smiling "Yeah he is a ham." I look at her. "Hey I'm sure he is fine let's go check up on your colt, after I get changed I dont need to be walking around in my silk's." I left the crowed to go to the locker room's wuickly then come back and try to cheer up Mia. I finally got done and left find her by the stable's. "Where is Cyberus?" I asked-

Mia rubbed her neck before glancing behind her. "In the trailer," she answered. "We should go check up on him." She started to walk out of the stadium, seeing the special trailer parking area packed. She groaned, knowing it would take a long time before finding Cyberus. But then she smiled; Cyberus responded when his name was called. "Cyberus!" she shouted and listened for his answer.
Cyberus perked his ears and stomped in the trailer as he heard Mia. He whinnied loudly that lasted a few seconds before thrashing around in the trailer once more.

"What's he doing in a trailer shouldn't he be in the stable?" I asked. I went over to the trailer "He sure don't like it in there." I said-"Do you want help getting him out?" I asked-

Mia nodded and started to unlatch the bottom part of the trailer. "Thanks Ray," she said with a smile as she heard Cyberus nicker impatiently at her.

I looked at the colt inside the trailer. "Was he walked after he ran beacuse horses get sick if you don't walk them after races?" I looked at the colt and went over to them. I bent down to fell his leg's they were not hot but they where not cold eather? I looked at Mia "You might want to get him in the stable area to be walked?" I said-

Mia rubbed Cyberus's legs and sighed, grabbing a lead and halter. "I guess they forgot when Charles got hurt," she said and shuddered at the memory of Charles's leg being scrunched on Cyberus's side. She wrapped the halter around Cyberus's face and strapped the lead rope onto the halter, moving him out of the trailer.

I frowned "He will be fine he just broke his leg not his neck." I ponted at my shoulder. "I got a scar reminding me evrey day I'm lucky I did not land on my neck." I laughed a little. "It is a risk evrey rider takes when they get in the saddle." I said as she lead the colt out of the trailer. "I had a freind who broke his spin in a horse race but did not die. Charles will be fine he will be up and walking around in no time." I said-

Mia smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the words of comfort," she said softly and stroked Cyberus on his neck. "So what exactly happened to your shoulder?" she asked and gestured towards his shoulder while resuming to walk to the stables with Cyberus in hand. She found Ray very kind, but also very up front, and he definatley was not afraid to speak his mind.

(Yep you nailed his persanality LOL)

"Well I think I said this before but I might give more detale. I was about 16 in my first race season. I was a green or bug rider on a green horse bad mix." I laughed a little. "Any way I rode this green filly into the starting gate well the trainer did not tell me she never loaded into the gate well. She started twisting her body and bucking and kikin. It took two starter's to keep her from throwing her head and hiting it. She calmed down and all the sudden she bolted forward. The gate door's are made to make a emergancy exsit if the horses spook's so it does not hurt it's self. Well she bucked up or reared coming out of the gate and slamed me agianst the top bar and I hit my shoulder. I tried to stay in the saddle and gather the rien's and the next thing I know I hit the ground and my foot is in the stirup and she almost draged me if I had not got my foot out in time. It was crazy I dislocated my shoulder and there is a scar on it." I frown feeling my left shoulder. "That was the worst day in my life." I said-

Mia sighed and felt the scar over his shoulder. "Well, I think the scar makes you even more unique than you already are," she commented and smiled, "Besides, we all make mistakes, right?" She chuckled lightly as they approached Cyberus's stall. She lead him into his stall and took off the tack, hanging it on the nails near the gate of the stall. She looked at Ray and smiled softly.

"Thank's." I said akwerdly. When she touched me on the shoulder I thought about how lucky I was not to be in a hopspital bed like Charles. "By the way how did you end up working for Mr. Moore? I mean have you ever considerd beeing a jockey?" I asked-"You can ride and you have worked with Thoroughbred's most your life right?"

Mia frowned and nodded. "Yes, I've considered being a jockey for a while now. But I'm not quite sure if Mr.Moore would let me," she answered and sighed. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes, knowing how stubborn Mr.Moore would be if she were to ask. "I started working for Mr.Moore when I was 17. I really needed to money to save up for college, and that's what I'm kind of doing now. I still need the money, but if I can convince Mr.Moore to let me have the job of a jockey, then maybe I won't have to actually go to college," she said, but then gave a strange look, realizing she rambled on and on about her past.

My brow furrowed "You don't need his say to become a jockey. All you have to do well all I did was work at if for three year's then went to try for my license, you don't need a trainer's promission." I said. "If you take the test and the steward's pass you, you can ride for who ever will have you." I said. "I quit thinking about colleg long ago." I said laughing. "Some day I will regret it. Out of the thousand's of jockey's who ride only a couple of hundred can manige to slip by. People only think we make a lot beacuse they only hear about famouse jockey's." I said. "So you might wan to stick with colleg. One day we may meet I will be in a wheel chair traning claimer's and you will hav a colleg dagree." I smiled a little "Lot's of people in this sport regret never going to school or finishing it." I said "Most of us don't make a hundred dollar's a week!" I was a little worried for her to but all I said was true that's how it was-

Mia's frown deeped as she shook her head. "I could never regret going to college if all I want to do is be a jockey," she said. "There is nothing I would rather do than race on a horse's back, feeling the air pound against my face as I ride by," she said and snapped out of her fantasy. "Bottom line is, I'm not going to college." She ran her fingers along Cyberus's neck before offering him a sugar cube she stuffed in her pocket before she left home. She looked back at Ray and sighed. "I know, but at least I would make it by. Besides, I'd much rather do something I like then do something that's dreadful," she said and brushed her hair away from her face using her slim fingers.

"Sure ok." I said. "We are heading for Kentucky in a couple of week's, Love's Fool and Sweet Ravenge will be coming along, with Hummingbird Dancer, Funny Feet, and of course the reason we are even going Storm Stride." I said patting Cyberus-

"Sounds like it'll be quite the experience," Mia said and rubbed Cyberus's neck. "Do you have high hopes for Storm Stride?" she asked and glanced at him from an angle. She tilted her head and chuckled as Cyberus's nipped at her fingertips.

"Well you can call wining the Triple Crown high hope's sure." I said. "Storm Stride is sired by Magic Man he is a top stud at River Bend Stud's and won the last two races of the Triple Crown but never raced in the Kentucky Derby. Frank was never had a horse that won the Triple Crown, his family has tried for year's but never acoplished it. I think he can win it if we stay out of trouble and his ruten is not interferd." I said. "But lot's of people think it wont ever happen agian. Lot's of jockey's dont even dare dream of wining the Triple Crown it's almost imposable now."

Mia gave him a bewildering look. "You mean the jockeys don't even try?" she asked. "That's just weird... I would try it if I were a jockey. Everything is worth at least one try," she said and tickled Cyberus's snout with her finger tips.

"No I meant they don't dream of winning beacuse it well it happen's like evrey 30 year's. It was not even called the Triple Crown untill Sir Barton won it." I said smiling. "Only one jockey has won the Triple Crown twice and that was Eddie Arcardo." I said. "He died in like the 70's or 80's, but like I said try not to be temped by such fantisy's." I looked at my wrist watch. "Hey I need to go and pack for the flight I will see you at the races, good luck with Cyberus. Hey you might want to reconsider aybe Mr. Moore will let you ride him in the morning's?" I said good by and went to go pack-