the heiress [open?]

[symphony]

Tallianna Cremer and Autumn Fun, Vanquished, Eidolon, Conclusion and Pleasant Disposition

Tally couldn't help smiling when she collected Sola from her stall for her daily turn-out, the chestnut mare nickering a greeting as Tally offered her a piece of carrot and clipped a lead onto her halter. Most of the other horses ignored them as they walked through the barn; really, only Pioneer bothered to react at all to their passing, swinging his head over the door in hopes of a carrot, though all he got was a pet on the nose. Once, everyone had turned to watch as this mare walked past, Tally remembered with a sigh. Sola, known better as Autumn Fun, had been the champion who had dragged King's Park out of debt and carried them all the way to the Hall of Fame. She was the queen of the track once, a young thoroughbred in prime condition, doing what she loved.

She seemed to carry herself differently now, Tally observed as she let the mare out into the front pasture, leaning on the gate as the chestnut let out a half-hearted pigroot and went for a short canter to join her paddock-mates. The mare had filled out quite a lot in retirement, becoming fat and fuzzy rather than sleek and stream-lined. Her attitude had changed too; Sola was a much calmer presence around the stables these days, spending much of her time dozing in the sunshine rather than running around madly. You would hardly pick her as a Grade I champion.

And now here she was, grazing beside her two daughters, with two of the most promising yearlings in the stable playing nearby. Vanquished stood closest to her mother, currently the next greatest thing for Sola's surface and distance; the filly was known as 'the freak' around the track, and a freak she most certainly was - the runty little sister of the great Conquistador, her ability had once been doubted by many, but boy had she proven them wrong. Tally - and indeed most people who saw her run - loved the filly's fire and drive to win, especially against the brilliant colt she had decided was her rival, Mindset.

And then there was Eidolon, in the front pasture for the very first time. Sola's third foal was Tally's biggest secret, and she expected great things from the bay filly in only a few weeks time. Sola's sweet little palomino yearling was there too, along with his best friend, a full brother to Constellation. Tally felt quite safe turning those two out where the passing world could observe them - looking at Pleasant Disposition and Conclusion, you would never be able to tell their pedigree; Phe, like Otto, was an oddity in Sola's offspring, a golden palomino colour, and Conks looked nothing like Connor.