13. Clear For Launch

June 13th - Multitasking here. I've got so many outstanding race entries I can't even joke about it. *sigh* my eyes were bigger than my drawing hand wants to handle at the moment. I give you a speed painting of PJ that just managed to come together at an hour on the nose. One down for this show, three more in the oven.

Event: 1st Annual Haskell Invitational
Race: 1. Maiden Special Weight
Distance/Surface: 7 furlongs/Turf
Horse: #8 Tie Me To The Bedpost
Jockey: Dane Wescott

Results: 5th in a field of 5

This race was set up to be near to impossible for the stocky colt. He had never gone beyond a standard sprint distance when it counted. He was shorter legged than the competition and built all wrong for going almost a mile. All hope rested on a slow pace and keeping him in check until the stretch where Dane crossed his fingers and prayed he'd have enough horse to take advantage of PJ's sprinting prowess.

Even though he had broke clean and eager to head out full throttle, gas wide open, the jockey choked his speed and pulled him in behind the main body of the pack. The colt faltered in his stride, confused beyond his ability to comprehend. His anxious looks and tense stride didn't ease up until Dane had him fall in along side another of the back runners giving him a buddy to focus on.

For the rest of the flight down the back of the track PJ remained quietly wired. When Dane's hands moved forward he was beyond ready. The great breath he took was almost an inward sigh of relief as he poured all 16.2 hands of himself into running the way he had been trained, like it was a race to the feed bucket and not just the finish line.