[Think I’ll take a shot at this]
Tension mounted in the air, sending shivers down the young girl’s spine. A clenched fist made it obvious to onlookers that she was either angry, uncomfortable, or nervous. The emotion was left for their interpretation. Only she knew how she really felt, but of course Brooke would never openly admit she was nervous.
After just aquiring a stable of her own and beginning the exhilarating business of thoroughbred racing, she was on her to possibly purchase her first horse. She had been informed of a horse for a sale by a mutual friend and was eager to see the horse of whom he spoke of.
She traveled through a small maze of barns on the backside of the track, before finally arriving at her destination. She stood several yards back, eyes scanning over the shedrow and looking at the horses which stood silently in their stalls. Well, some were silent atleast. There were a few pacing back and forth, whinnying with defiance. They practically demanded attention, those noisy ones did. Brooke was looking for a grey colt, one with a unique face. He had a bald face she had been told, so she carefully depicted which ones could be classified as “bald”.
It didn’t take long as her stare fell upon a completely white face, accented by a grey coat. She smiled to herself and began approaching the barn. Withing a few strides, the trainer emerged from the shadows. An old weather battered hat sat atop his leathery skin head. He was older, and wiser, but his green eyes spoke volumes. They could tell the tale of a hard, yet rewarding life.
“Ah, you must be Brooke. I’m Kenneth. Pleased to meet you.” the words rolled smoothly from his lips as he extended an arm
With a swift motion of her arm and firm shake of her hand, Brooke spoke, “Yes, that’s me. And the pleasure’s mine. I hear you have a horse. A good one, I suppose?”
Although her remark was said with a hint of sarcasm the old trainer smiled, “Oh he could be good, one day.”
She followed his steps down the barn aisle and slowed when he did. The musty air swept into her lungs, and it eased her. She enjoyed all the aromas of the track, the horses, as did most real horse people. He grabbed a chain lead shank, and disappeared into the stall for a few seconds, before reappearing again with a nice sized three-year-old grey stallion in tow.
"This is Wind, or as most track announcer’s know him, RunliketheWind."the gruffled voice echoed through the shedrow
The colt pricked his ears and gazed intensely at Brooke, almost like he looked right through her. He was sporting his tack, and flashy red bandages.
“He’s a looker, that’s for sure.”, Brooke commented on the colt’s looks.
Kenneth went over all of RunliketheWind’s papers and past history with his potential buyer, before grabbing ahold of bug boy, Darwin to take the colt for a ride.
The track seemed to beckon for RunliketheWind, for as soon as he stepped foot on the main track, a whole new light fell upon the whole area. In the jog he stretched his legs out, gracfully manuevering himself about. He went through your usual warm up proceedures, before slipping through the gap and taking a nice 3 furlong breeze over the grass. His roared to his marker, and was let loose, blazing into the turn. Darwin let the colt have his head and just made sure he knew the correct course. His grey legs churned beneath his body, then dug for more ground, welcoming the spray of grass behind him. “Wind” was sent flying into the stretch and allowed to run at his own pace, until just before the wire, where he was pressed for a bit more.
The colt’s magnificently white face was a blur to all who had watched him. He pulled up nice and easy, dapples shining in the pale morning sun. He jogged out a bit before relaxing along the rail and then starting the short walk back to the barn.
Brooke sat in awe, it was confirmed now. RunliketheWind would be her’s. With a long exchange of words, and ownership changed, Foxwood Stables would have their first horse. RunliketheWind. And he was good.
