SUN N' GLORY (81)

She ate the ground, like a storm ate the earth. Racing up from behind and passing, without jostling, the larger, broader horses around her. Glory had never grown particularly large, standing just barely 15 hands and incredibly narrow in the shoulders and hips - she'd never make a good brood mare! - she was low set in her carriage with a fairly straight topline and well angled shoulders allowing her to reach as far ahead of her as possible. Often the white fiend bumped her now chin with how large her steps were but not today. She was not having anything to do with games today. "Look at her go!" the trainer called from the white pole fence he leaned again. A stop watch ticked away in his hands, the gates receeding swiftly behind the 6 youngsters. Her owner nodded quietly, watching her. "Should have called her White Lightning." the trainer laughed. She squealed- they knew it was her because no one else would have gotten frustrated when a jockey moved to block her. Without waiting for her rider to signal she darted through a narrow opening to her right at an angle, barely making it through between the black colts hindquarters and the chestnuts muzzle. She could have been kicked- she wouldn't have noticed. She wanted to run unhindered, with the only line in front of her being that of the horizon- and the swooping curve of the first turn, of course. "Easy girl." The rider coaxed, trying to rein her in. She snorted, tossed her head and hopped, lurching forward to unbalance the rider before speeding up, quickly catching the front horse- a velvet gray - to run neck and neck with the beast. "Dear lord, she's challenging him! She's actually challenging your prospective champion." The trainer gasped. The owner said nothing, observing the mock race in silence. His mouth a firm, pale line. He was not happy with how she was running. Pushing herself and ignoring her rider. Finally as the filly passed the gray by a nose to win he turned to the trainer. "Scratch her, James. I won't have a horse race if she won't listen to her rider. She'll hurt herself and then where will I be? One less champion that's where!"