AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A few minutes later the group who’d participated in the walkover had dispersed and returned to their viewing positions near the track. The competitors lined up and the pony horses escorted each horse to the starting gate.
Jo, Brooks, Cheyenne, Nancy, Frankie, and Earl all stood on the sidelines, their attention fixed on Another Round and Lee as they warmed up near the starting gate. The crowds behind and above them continued chatting, shouting, and cheering for their favorite horses, adding to the nervous anticipation that gradually grew thicker with each second that passed.
Jo glanced around her, observing the other owners, trainers, grooms, and their respective friends and family who were gathered in groups along the sidelines of the track, eagerly anticipating the start of the race.
She had the same thought as the one that had struck years ago when she’d stood near the very same spot prior to Sweet Dash placing first.
“We’re a very small fish in a very, very big pond.” She looked up at Brooks. “Most of these teams have dozens of people working with their thoroughbreds.”
Brooks smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her temple. “But we have you. That makes all the difference in the world.”
Jo groaned and pressed her face against his chest, mumbling, “Oh, I can’t take this. Just let me know when it’s over.”
“You’ll know when it’s over from the deafening sounds behind you.” Brooks laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest beneath her cheek. “But I’ll let you know when it starts.” His blunt finger tapped her chin, then nudged it upright and turned her face toward the starting gate. “And that’s right about now.”
All the competitors had taken their places at the starting gate, the gates swung open, and a bell rang, signaling the competition had begun.
Twenty thoroughbreds barreled out of the gates and galloped along the track, each vying for an advantageous position.
“Go, boy!” Cheyenne shouted. “Go!”
The crowd roared louder than ever before, screams and wails punctuating the shouts behind and above them. Jo craned her neck, straining to find Another Round in the pack. There he was, trailing at the back as usual.
“Give him time,” Brooks shouted beside her. His gaze fixed on Another Round as the pack rounded a turn and headed toward the backstretch. “Just give him a little more time. He’s a closer. He’ll kick it into gear.”
Frankie and Earl stood on the other side of Brooks, clutching each other’s arms and cheering Another Round on, their shouts lost among the collective yell of the crowd.
“And here they come,” the announcer shouted over the stadium speakers. “Around the bend and down the homestretch. It’s Surfer Girl, followed by Mad Warrior and Gemini Cry.”
“Come on, come on . . .” Brooks chanted as the pack surged along the track. “There he goes! Look! There he—”
“And it’s Another Round!” the announcer shouted. “He’s blazing from the back, dashing through the pack and finding his way to the front. We saw him do this before, folks. He pulled this trick at the Jeff Ruby and I think he’s gonna pull it again today.”
The crowd erupted, feet stomping on the stands, shrieks and bellows punctuating the spring air as the horses thundered down the final leg of the race.
“Mad Warrior is putting up a fight,” the announcer shouted. “Now it’s Another Round and Gemini Cry. No! It’s Mad Warrior—oh, Another Round just took over! He’s taken it, folks! He’s taking it—he took it! There you have it, folks! Another Round just rose to the top of the pack and has won the Kentucky Derby!”
The crowd burst into riotous applause, shouts, and raucous cheers.
“He did it!” Cheyenne shouted, pumping her fists in the air. “He won!”
“I can’t believe it,” Frankie yelled, leaning over Cheyenne to smile at Jo. “He did it again!”
Jo, her heart thundering in her chest, blinked back tears at the pride shining in Earl’s eyes as he looked at her.
“My girl,” he said, raising his fist in the air like Cheyenne.
The air left Jo’s lungs as Brooks dragged her close, wrapped her in a bear hug, and squeezed. Her heart melted at the throb of affection in his tone on his next whispered words. “We did it, baby! We did it!”
* * *
After Another Round won the Derby, the next few hours flew by so fast Brooks barely had time to take it all in.
He remembered the winning moment clearly, the exhilaration he felt as Another Round shot to the front of the pack and crossed the finish line, the shout of joy that had erupted from his chest as his colt was announced as the official winner and, most vividly, the feel of Jo in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest and her head tucked under his chin, celebrating the moment with him.
He couldn’t have asked for a better day at the Derby.
Once Another Round had cooled down a bit, a garland of roses had been draped over his neck and Lee had escorted him to the Winner’s Circle to meet up with the rest of the team. It had been a surreal moment, standing there before a cheering crowd with his winning colt nearby and the woman he loved by his side.
