Never Expected

Keegan (Key To Flight) ridden by Jake Jones
Virus (Epidemic) ridden by Sandra Crow
Shelly (Shell Shock) ridden by Sam Lettington


The gray colt wasn't what anyone had expected. He was strong and every stride smooth, quick, and yet never with meaning. He held his head high, swirling his ears and looking about eagerly, not paying any note of my presence. His shoulders rolled and rippled, his hind quarters propelling himself forwards with little effort.

Though I would expect an unfocused, ADHD fellow. With being a new guy, I would only expect to get the annoying horses no one else wants to work with. But I rolled with it and decided not to question it and call it nothing but good luck to somehow get this great runner

Soon, his steady two strided beat turned into a three beated canter. It was just a fluid and easy as his trot, and just as powerful as well. It was slow, compared to my other racer's, but it was slightly crazy. His strides weren't even and his right front hoof swung slightly to the side as he cantered.

I cantered him along and I brought him to the inside rail just as another pair of horse and ridden whizzed by us. Keegan jumped out of his skin. His ear pricked up and he lifted his head, cantering slowly without pulling on the reins.

Just as I began to praise the colt for acting so calm, I felt something stirring inside the colt. It was familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it.

Course by the time I did, it was a tad too late.

Oh sh.it, was all I could get out as I grabbed a fistful of gray mane. Not a second later, the colt's front end came high and suddenly we were propelled forwards. The sudden shift forwards had me slide back, falling onto the very edge of the saddle and threatening to fall off the other end onto his rump.

His second stride sent me out of the saddle and I collapsed slightly onto his neck where I quickly collected myself for his next bursting stride. As his back end ducked down and his front came up, I leaned forwards, fighting gravity to stay with him. Yet when he flew forwards, I couldn't keep myself from falling back into the saddle.

Eventually, I managed to find my balance as the colt galloped head long down the backstretch. Ahead, I caught sight of the two horses that whizzed by us. Virus and Shelly. The bay and gray fillies were nearly fighting for the lead, I could see Shelly snapping at Virus who pinned her ears at the other filly.

Keegan caught up in a matter of moments. He raced behind the two fighting fillies, saving his energy and watching in almost amusement, though I was sure that the fillies' jockeys did not find it amusing in the least sense of the word.

The turn for home came up fast. The fillies finally stopped bickering and quickened their pace, both closing in towards the rail to cut back on time. Keegan paced with them, suddenly focused. His stride was powerful and straight, he knew exactly what he was doing and wasn't playing around for once.

The stretch opened up before us. The fillies headed home, racing neck and neck. Keegan didn't skip a beat. He swung wide though, to get around the fillies. Slowly, he creeped past them, his mind completely focused.

A head passed the fillies, then a shoulder, then his whole body. Still, he was putting on more and more speed, slowly pulling away from the two fillies.

Yes. This colt wasn't something anyone had expected