I LUV U Cupcake

She had been fine as they wound their way through the nearly silent ghost town of barns, the mark of an after hours backtrack.

She had been fine as they neared the track, passing the small knot of hotwalkers and grooms gathered around the backtrack betting window. Their yells of good luck to the race grooms didn't even earn a flinch.

She had been fine as they entered the second to last gap onto the damp dirt. Passed the clockers' stands like a blooded veteran.

She lost it when they passed the first horse coming back from the last race. The secondhand nerves jumped the wide space between them and combined with the swell of noise from the crowd oohing and awwing over the first fresh steed to make it past the cheap seats and in front of the main stands. It was a live wire, not an untried filly, at the end of that shank.

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Name: Heytharcupcake
Age: 2
Gender: Filly
Race: The Juvenile
Ref: [link]

Event: LIVE Race
Results: 2nd in a field of 8


Well, no jockey. I saw it as a challenge. Hell yes, I can both avoid adding a jock AND still have the saddle towel color shown Poor Cupcake is going through that awkward, scribbly stage in her life. But she did finally get to grow up no thanks to any speed on my part. And I stole the title from one of my favorite cartoons.