Through The Dirt and Fame (major revisions)

Chapter Thirty-Six

-4 weeks later, Arcadia, California Santa Anita, Zenyatta Stakes day-

It was Super Saturday. 5 Graded stakes races at Santa Anita and 5 Graded stakes races at Belmont Park, Emily was racing in the Zenyatta Stakes. She was facing filly and mares once again. After the Whitney we decided to let Emily go back to her division after performing dominantly on the East Coast.

The in the Zenyatta were:

1. Seaholder 4/1 (going for second win in the Zenyatta)

2. Zeara 2/1

3. Sad Your Way 8/1

4. Conquest Beauty 12/1

5. Emily The First 2/5

6. Tonalist's Princess 25/1

7. Open Hatches 5/1

All these fillies were looking to find a way into the Breeders Cup Distaff, Emily was obviously one of them.

"She looks good," Jack said, I looked at Emily who was prancing around the paddock and tossing her head. "she's ready to make them run." Jack smiled.

Unwanted won the Jockey Club Gold cup just a few minutes ago, he won by an impressive 6 lengths over Prince Sham. He had gotten his ticket to the Classic. This year Unwanted had started 10 times winning 7 races, those being when he finally broke his maiden, the Risen Star and Wood Memorial, and the Derby, Preakness, Belmont and now Jockey Club Gold Cup.

There was 12 minutes to post and they were heading to the track, I looked at Jack and we headed to the stands to watch the race.

We got to our seats and sat down and watched the post parade.

"What'd you tell Nicole?" I asked.

"I told her to stalk Seaholder and Open Hatches, also watch out for Zeara who had a strong closing kick like her dam." He said, I nodded. Zeara was by Zenyatta out of Curlin. She was a well made filly, very impressive, she's dominated then California races along with Seaholder, who's dam, Beholder, had done the same.

"How do you think she's going to do?" I asked as they approached the gates.

"I think she's going to do fabulous. Run them right off their feet. She's been waiting for a race like this, seems more relaxed here." He smiled at me. "Nothing's bothering her today."

-Nicole's POV-

We loaded into the gates for the Zenyatta. Emily's first race back since the Whitney. I chose to never think back to the fatal race, or to the day. Accidents happen. I can't let one get to me.

I looked to the 4 stall, Conquest Beauty was there and on my other side was Tonalist's Princess. Who has been doing pretty well at Parx and Remington over the Summer, she was now setting her goal for the Breeders Cup. I looked forward to the track, but once again, I couldn't see it all with the bars blocking the whole view. The clanging and ringing would be the time I the small stall leads a field of horses to the open track.

Ring!

The gates shot open and Emily ran out and I quickly got her settled in on the rail behind Seaholder and Open Hatches, who lead the way into the first turn. Behind me was Sad Your Way and Conquest Beauty, and Tonalist's Princess and Zeara trailing the field. I had a tight hold on the reins, making sure she didn't try to run past the leaders. They are going to set a fast pace.

Seaholder had a length lead over Open Hatches as they lead the field in to the backstretch. As soon as we entered it, Sad Your Way ran up beside me and Conquest Beauty behind me and Seaholder in front of me. They boxed me in. I didn't panic, I just had a tight hold on Emily making sure she didn't try anything that could possibly disqualify us. We had little running space on the rail, and Emily was starting to get hot headed with the space. I lightly loosed my grip and she flicked her ears forward and I saw a hole, and I pointed Emily to it and she squeezed in between Open Hatches and Sad Your Way and found herself on the lead. Emily lead the way into the final turn and her ears were still pointed forward, she knew where she was going. I looked behind us and saw Zeara and charging around the field. I looked forward and leaned into Emily's mane and slid my hands up and pushed her along and she responded powerfully. Emily flew out of the turn and she flew home, I looked back and saw Zeara was abut 8 lengths back and I chirped to Emily and she gave another gear, it seemed to me, that this filly had an infinite number of gears, an that if I kept asking her to give me more, she would always give me a new one. We flew past the wire and I pat Emily's neck and pulled her up as we galloped out.

I turned to see the unofficial time was 1:37.00 knocking 3 seconds of the Great Zenyatta's record. Second place was Zeara, third was Seaholder and fourth was Tonalist's Princess.

"Your Zenyatta Stakes and Breeders Cup Win And Your In champion, Emily Your First is your official winner this year. Emily The First is a 3 year old daughter of champion race horse First War and out of Emerald Downs champion mare Emmy's Love, Emily The First is officially heading to the Breeders Cup Distaff to face champion older mares Gal Of Arcadia, Tag n' Jinx, Cleopatra's Beauty and Native Charlie. The official time is 1:37.00 and she won by a strong 10 lengths."

Emily was lead into the Winners Circle for her winning photo and I smiled for a moment and then hopped off. I pat Emily's neck and unsaddled her, weighed in and turned to Jack.

"I'll see you soon." I said smiling to him.

"Breeders Cup, here we come."

-3 weeks later-

Breeders Cup was being held at Churchill Downs this year, so we let Emily train at Santa Anita for a while then flew her to Kentucky and trained at Keeneland for a week and now she had been training at Churchill Downs. The last time we were here, Emily faced defeat by a nose. Now she was going to be facing the best fillies in the world.

There were 3 weeks until Emily returned to the Breeders Cup stage. She won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies last year impressively, she was now going to return and run in the Breeders Cup Distaff.

She had worked out strongly over the surface like usual. We didn't put in any official works, we just let her gallop around the track and get use to the feel of it.

The front page of the Daily Racing Form read:

Emily The First official for BC Distaff

The column read:

"Haskell, Travers and Whitney champion Emily The First is deciding to not run in the Breeders Cup Classic and run against the top fillies and mares in the world in the Breeders Cup Distaff. Australia champion Gentle Kingdom is in the Distaff, European champion Sea The Sky is in the Distaff and Japanese champion Legendary Lady is also in the Distaff. Other great American fillies and mares are racing against Emily The First, such as Zeara, Seaholder, Tonalist's Princess, Scandalous, Monarcha and Red Hot Rose. There are 3 long weeks until the Breeders Cup series starts, where upsets loom a chance to win and favorites pay the price of being great."

These 3 weeks were going to be really the longest.