the grand presentation [open]

[symphony]

King's Park

Tally walked into the large entertaining room at the racecourse dressed much better than she usually was. As she did every year, she had put in only the bare minimum of effort to look nice for awards night, with a new dress and as much makeup as she was willing to put on. She wasn't much for standing in front of a mirror when she had better things to do. At her side was Darren, looking good in a black suit that was probably the same one he had worn when they attended last year. Somewhere in the room were Sonya and Selena as well, Tally knew; Selena refused to miss anything involving her rides, and having no date had offered for Sonya to tag along (much to the other girl's delight). Tally wasn't too worried about them though; they were good friends, and were probably with some of their friends from other stables.

Sitting down at a table, the trainer looked around for other people she knew. It being awards night, most trainers and jockeys would be here, even if they didn't have horses nominated for awards. Personally, Tally wouldn't have even bothered, but King's Park was one of the biggest and most successful stables around, and so naturally had nominations for almost every category. She doubted they would win many, with what had been nominated from other stables - Honored Bravery, in particular, was set to take at least two awards, she suspected - but if they did win one, she was expected to be there. And so here they were.

---

Selena and Sonya, on the other hand, had found a table near the edge of the room filled with a group of younger grooms and jockeys that they vaguely knew. The conversation around the table was all about who would win tonight - Selena was dead set on Vanquished for Champion Three Year Old, and no one could quite decide between the speedball little filly or the classy grey colt for Champion Dirt Horse. Both girls were excited for the awards, especially for their favourites from the barn.

[kyogirl]

New Hope Stables

Rachel walked in wearing a silver blue halter top dress and her long brown hair was down in elegant waves. She found a table and she sat down. She had three nominees for her barn, two year old filly champion, broodmare champion and stable of the year. She hoped to get at least one award. She looked around her and she hopped that her boyfriend, Joey would come to be with her. She sighed softly and she hoped that he would come to help support her

[flatcreek]

Flat Creek

John and Lynn walked into the entertaining room with Austin, Josh, Sarah, Freddy, and Sam following. John shrugged in his suit, the same one that he'd worn last year when Flat Creek had raked in all the awards. He wasn't going to jinx anything with the naming of the top horses on the line. As the two trainers walked towards the center of the room, the five riders spread out across the room. John scanned over the room, looking for some of the other trainers, spotting Tally and Darren from Kings Park nearby.

He nodded to Lynn, then walked over to the Kings Park table. "Hi, Tally, Darren. How are you tonight? Mind if we sit down?" Lynn smiled. "Expecting any awards tonight?" she asked.

---

Austin and Josh were wandering around the room, talking to all the other jockeys. Before long, they were at the table belonging to the newest stable. The owner, Rachel, looked lonely, sitting alone. "Hey, Rachel," Austin greeted. "How are you?" Josh nodded to her and then said, "Do you have anything up for an award?"

---

Sam and Sarah were making their way over to a table populated with some of the younger jockeys. As they walked closer, they noticed Slena and Sonya sitting at it. "Hi, Selena, hi, Sonya." Sam said as they grabbed chairs from the table next to the one everyone else was at and pulled them over. "You guys decided on the Older Horse awards, yet?" Sarah asked, wondering what they though of Wild's chances. "Constellation's probably got Older Male, but what about Older Female?" added Sam.

[symphony]

King's Park

Tally spotted John and Lynn only moments before they joined them, her grin only widening at the sight of them. Sure, there had been some tension between her and John since the incident involving Constellation and Devil I Am, but she was more than willing to put it aside and get back to the friendly competition that had long reigned between them, and she suspected the other trainer was too.

"Hey Lynn, John," she greeted them, Darren echoing her with the same goofy grin he always wore covering his face. "Come and join us; we don't have anyone else to sit with." Her tone was light-hearted and cheerful; now that the moment was getting closer, she was filling with that same nervous energy that had gotten her several years ago when it was Sola who was up for awards. The mare was up for an award now, in fact, but a smaller one; Broodmare of the Year. No, Tally was nervous for a completely different reason, and Darren knew exactly what without even having to ask.

"Tally's under the impression Vanquished can pull off a clean sweep of half the awards," he explained with a chuckle. It was obviously a joke - Tally well knew Netta's competition and they really didn't have much of a chance at Horse of the Year to be honest. It would be an interesting night, that was for sure. "I hear Mindset and Honored Bravery are sure bets for some pretty big ones," he added, almost as an afterthought.

---

"Hey guys," Selena called to Sam and Sarah, the greeting making Sonya turn to see who had joined them. "Hey," she greeted them in a much softer tone; she hadn't gotten to know many people yet, being just a groom and all. The only reason she was even here was because outgoing Selena believed that it was high time she met some of the other workers around the track.

"I still think Spring's Delight deserves something," Selena said firmly. "Though I know Queen got a nomination too, and she's all for stealing everyone else's spotlight. The Wild Life looks pretty good too though." She paused for a moment, struggling to decide between the two, already having convinced herself that Pollen wouldn't even be considered properly. "It's hard to pick."

"Who do you think for Champion Dirt Horse and overall Three Year Old?" Sonya asked. "Apparently it's between Mindset and Vanquished for both."

---

Jay was one of the last to arrive, straightening his tie as he searched Rachel out in the crowd and slipped over to her table, taking a seat. "Hey," he said with a smile. "Sorry I'm late."

[kyogirl]

New Hope Stables

Rachel looked up and saw her two friends, Austin and Josh. "I"m good. I have three nominees. I bet you guys have nominees" she said smiling. She finally saw her boyfriend and she smiled at him. She kissed Jay's cheek. "Its okay. I'm just happy that you came."she said smiling. She took his hand and she was happy to have her two friends and her amazing boyfriend here.

[flatcreek]

John and Lynn sat down at the invitation. Things had been tense for a while between the two stables, after the accident between Dev and Constellation. However, it now seemed as if Tally was ready to go back to being friendly rivals. "How's things at Kings Park?" asked Lynn with a smile on her face. 

"I don't blame her," said John with a grin. "Although, to tell the truth I am hoping my horses win." Flat Creek had come back from a few years with less big wins the past couple of years. Honored Bravery was their last big horse and John was honestly hoping he would get the big one. "I don't know about that, but we're hopeful they can pull them off. Netta had a really good year, though."

---

"Oh, sorry, I'm Sarah and this is Sam, from Flat Creek," Sarah said when she saw the look of confusion on Sonya's face. "I guess Selena must have pointed you out before." Word had a way of getting around the track. She wasn't going to mention it to the girl, but Sarah knew that Sonya was the one who was leading Constellation when Dev had attacked. 

Sam nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It'll be close, whichever one gets it. I'm leaning towards Wild though, since she's Flat Creek." Wild had really ramped up in her last couple of seasons, running better than ever. A couple more wins, and she would be GII. "As for Netta and Seth, it could go either way. I could see one of them getting Three Year Old and the other getting Dirt Horse." Sarah nodded in agreement. "What about Stallion and Broodmare? Who are your picks?"

---

Josh smiled at Rachel's comment about having three nominations. "That's great for a first year stable that's so small." All the other major stables in the area, including Flat Creek, had fifty or more horses at any given time. FCR was the largest with over eighty. "Yeah, we have a horse nominated for everything. We're hoping we can pull in some big ones tonight. 

Austin turned when he saw Jay walk up and Rachel give him a kiss. Apparently the two were together, not something he would have guessed. "Hi, Jay. How are you doing?" asked Austin. 

[symphony]

King's Park

"How's things at King's Park?" Lynn asked with a smile as they sat down. "Pretty good," Tally replied before Darren could say anything. "Constellation's on the mend, and most of the two year olds are looking pretty good. How's Flat Creek?" Most, of course, was not including Eidolon, whose mind they were far from figuring out.

Before any conversation could continue, a sound came from the stage, a man calling for the room's attention, and soon quiet fell over the crowd as the rest of the people in attendance hurried to their seats. "Alright so, first off, we'd like to welcome you all to our awards presentation night for Y9, and thank you all for coming. Tonight, we will be acknowledging some of the great horses we've seen running this year, all of which have been picked by you to receive their individual awards. The awards being presented tonight are as follows; Horse of the Year. Champion Two Year Old Colt. Champion Two Year Old Filly. Overall Champion Two Year Old. Champion Three Year Old Colt. Champion Three Year Old Filly..." With each award he listed he paused, looking around the room with a large grin on his face, until finally he reached 'Breeder of the Year'. At that point, he stopped and glanced to the side, before welcoming the president of the Jockey Club, Phillip Holt, to the stage to present the awards.

You could almost feel the tension in the room rising as the two men turned to the table placed at the back of the stage, Phillip picking up the first trophy to be awarded and Ian Martin, the host of the evening, picking up the adjoining envelope, before returning to the microphone. "The first awards to be presented tonight are the Champion Two Year Olds. I'll ask you to please hold your applause until the overall winner has been announced for each section, and for the owners and trainers of each horse to come to the stage." Again he paused, fumbling with the envelope and paper inside while Phillip stood beside him smiling. "For Champion Two Year Old Male, an outstanding colt who put in a terrific effort this season to win three Features; Honoured Bravery of Flat Creek Racing!" Ian waited for the prize to be collected before moving on. "And for Champion Two Year Old Filly, representing a newer stable for this track; Princess Diamond of New Hope Stables!" Again he waited. "And now, for Overall Champion Two Year Old..." He paused in pretense of dramatic effect. "Honoured Bravery of Flat Creek Racing!" The room erupted into loud applause as Phillip offered Flat Creek's representatives the overall award, shaking their hands once again before turning to offer another handshake to New Hope.

Back at their table, Tally and Darren clapped just as loud as the rest of them with big smiles, only a little disappointed at not winning anything so far. Their two year olds hadn't had nearly as stellar a season as the two winners. "Nice job!" they congratulated John and Lynn when they returned to the table, really meaning it. Selena and Sonya repeated the words to Sam and Sarah over at their table, while Jay offered Rachel a quick kiss on her return to their table. "You deserved it," he told her with a grin before turning his attention back to the stage for the three year old awards.

[kyogirl]

She smiled happily and she stood up. She went to the front to accept the award and shooked his hand. She took the award and carried it back to her table. She was one cloud nine and she sat down. She was still smiling and she put the award down in front of her. She turned to look at Jay and smiled. "Princess Diamond deserves it, she did most of the work and she's a great horse." she said smiling.

[flatcreek]

John nodded at Tally's comment. "I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Dev's been fairly well behaved as of late. Everything has been pretty quiet, aside from all the fiasco that comes from seventeen foals. Rissy dropped twins, had you heard?" The conversation was cut off by Ian Martin, who was hosting the awards stepping up onto the stage, signaling that the presentation would be starting. You could almost feel the tension that came into the room. 

Lynn and John tensed up when they announced that the to year old awards would be the first ones. John sucked in a breath for Champion Two Year Old Male, releasing it in a rush when Honored Bravery was announced the winner. The roan son of Syllable and Laugh It Off had performed amazingly over the past year, almost winning the Treble. The two trainers stood from their seats, seeing the other people from Flat Creek do the same and they met on the stage. John shook hands with Phillip, then took the trophy as the group stood to one side of the stage, smiles on their faces. As the filly award was announced, the group cheered loudly for the new stable, although slightly disappointed that Wand Hand hadn't taken it. 

After New Hope had received their award, the group tensed, waiting for the results of the Overall Two Year Old. After a dramatic pause, they burst into cheers when Brave was announced the winner. They shook hands once more, Josh taking the trophy this time, since it was his mount. They were all grinning ear to ear as they stepped off the stage and walked back to their tables. 

"Thanks!" Lynn replied for both of them, eyes shining with excitement. John smiled at them. "Thanks, ready for three year olds?"

Over at Sarah and Sam's table, they had much the same response, both happy for Josh and the stable. Josh and Austin sat down with Rachel and Jay, saying, "Congrats, Rachel. She had a great year." Josh couldn't help but grin, though. His colt had come a long way, becoming a fearsome competitor on the track. 

[symphony]

King's Park

Three year olds time. There was another short pause as the two presenters brought forth the three year old awards, and then Ian returned to the microphone, all the while opening another envelope.

"And now, we will move onto the three year olds," he began with a smile. "As you all know, we had a crop of absolutely brilliant three year olds this year who all put in outstanding performances, six of which earned nominations for this award. For our Champion Three Year Old Male, a demolition force of a colt; Mindset of Flat Creek Racing!" He couldn't hide the broad grin on his face as he waited for the award to be collected, continually glancing at the sheet in his hands. "And for Champion Three Year Old Female; you all know her as the Freak - Vanquished of King's Park Racing!"

Ecstatic, Tally and Darren leapt out of their seats and made their way to the stage, Selena following close behind as Netta's jockey. The rider took the prize, all of them shaking Phillip's hand before moving to the side to await the announcement of the overall winner. It felt like the entire room was holding its breath - Tally and Darren certainly were. The rivalry between these horses was famous, and now they had taken it to the stage as well, in a battle to be overall champion. For once, Tally was afraid; Mindset had every chance of coming out over Vanquished. Both sprinters had had killer seasons.

Ian even seemed a little lost for words as to how to describe the situation. "For Overall Champion Three Year Old," he began slowly, deciding to skip straight to the point. "In a very, very close vote, is..." He paused again, loving the rising frustration of the crowd as they strained to hear his next words. "...Vanquished, from King's Park Racing by one vote!" Tally was all relieved smiles at that, while Selena let out a squeal of delight, hugging first Darren, then Tally, before turning to offer Flat Creek's people hugs as well, congratulating them on Mindset's success. It was almost as if they had won Horse of the Year. Tally and Darren were a little calmer, Tally shaking Ian and Phillip's hands and taking the award, and both turning to offer Lynn and John handshakes as well, offering congratulations and comfort. It had been very, very close, but today, Netta seemed to have the upper hand.

Still grinning, they returned to their seats with a bounce in their step to await the next awards.

[kyogirl]

Rachel looked at the trophy that she got for Princess Diamond getting two year old filly champion and she smiled happily. She took Jay's hand and held it. She didn't know which was next but she only had two more nominees left and she hopped that she won them. She moved her chair closer to Jay's and kept holding his hand. After the grand presentation was over, she wanted to spend some time with him alone to celebrate.