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Description
Horse: MSR Absolut Royalty
Horse Age: 2
Rider: Jillian Hayes
Show: 2018 Breeders' Cup Series | Sentient Jet Juvenile
Placed: 1st

Extra Image: Dance Dance
Features: HTS Skipping Stones - Vizslan | OHF Cat N' Fiddle - ScunnyElse | Ghost of Sunday Morning - CapNRCubey
Detail shots: horses & background | bonus: walkthrough

Story (1096 words)
Another year had passed, and horse racing in North America was drawing to a close. With the end of the season came the prestigious race series that was known for its massive victories, the heartbreaking defeats, but most of all, the champions that it made.
Morning Star's team had been to the Breeders' Cup once before with a prospect that was expected to contend in the three Triple Crown races. He captured the first jewel of the Canadian one, but his legs caught up to him far too fast. Skye was off of stall rest now, but he still walked with a boot around the injury. Now, the team was back at the race they'd tried to capture the year before, something they never would've imagined.
Prince was now a graded stakes winner at two, and thankfully didn't have to move around too much. His only starts were on the East side of the continent, and he'd won at Churchill Downs. The transition from synthetic to dirt didn't seem to bother him, but the track was a cause for concern.
The weather forecasted snow and freezing rain. The temperatures would hover right around freezing. While Prince knew snow, freezing rain, and subzero temperatures – even Kelowna dropped below freezing a few days in the course of a year – he had no experience racing in those conditions. He freaked at the sight of snow when he first saw it. Now, he would be racing in it.

The Breeders' Cup weekend arrived, and with it, the plummeting temperatures. Prince was slated to run during in the second-last race on the card, and the forecast did not look promising. Clouds had settled over the city, and the snow flurries and freezing rain was slowly going to make its way in over the course of the day. The temperature would hover just above freezing, and it was going to be miserable all day.
That didn't stop the waves of people flooding into the grandstands, ready to catch a glimpse of the future stars. Possible Derby and Oaks contenders, European shippers ready to score big, and future graded stakes contenders were ready to take the stage.
The recent win at Churchill Downs in the Iroquois had turned the heads of many handicappers. While it was not a race usually given much when it came to judging a horse's ability, some of the fans had seen him run previously. However, the constant mention of his gate problems made his odds bounce multiple times.
"He clearly has talent, but can he get over the gate problems?"
"He's shown that he likes Churchill Downs, having won here, but the conditions aren't exactly suitable. Some of the other horses in this field have run in mud before."
They weren't wrong with any of their observations. The Iroquois had its problems, so much so that he was nearly scratched at the gate. Aaron had tried working with the young colt over the span of several weeks to try and get him accustomed to the gate. Prince's mother missed out on her career because of her hatred of the gate, and Aaron didn't want her son to fall victim to it as well.
It was difficult to pinpoint why exactly Prince didn't like the gate. When he was training during the spring back in Kelowna, he seemed fine with the three-horse gate. He would dance around behind it at first, and sometimes he would back out of it, but never did he rear or kick. It was only once he was in a full gate where he stated to freak out. If he stood in the gate for too long, he would start kicking. He reared in training for the Breeders' Cup, and had nearly sat in it during the Iroquois. The stewards were less than pleased with his antics, but the colt had raw talent. Aaron wasn't about to give up on him. The winter would likely be spent training with the gate and seeing how he responded. For now, he was loaded last.

The two year-olds walked out to the track, the muddy track splashing against their legs. Snow flew around them, adding to the massive amount of distractions. While some of them had been training in the wet weather, it still came as a shock to the system. Prince danced over it, picking up his feet as he walked. His personality was on full display as he tossed his head. The crowds were unlike anything he'd seen before, and even in the terrible weather, they'd packed the stands to watch. Prince's ears swivelled around in every direction, and Jillian ran her hand over his mane, trying to calm him. He had a soft spot for the colt, more than some of her other mounts she'd been given. As they walked past the massive crowds, the pair eased into a canter, the sound of two sets of hooves on the mud deafening any other sounds.

The warmup was over quickly, and the field approached the gate. Jillian tried to remain calm, but she'd be lying of she wasn't nervous. When they were in the gate, she had no choice but to trust that Prince was not going to do anything that would put them in a bad spot. With the way the gate was positioned – right in front of the crowd – there were a lot of aspects of the race that Prince could get distracted by or freak out over. She patted his mane again, and his head shot up, his nostrils flared.
"Steady, Prince," Jillian said. "You've seen this before."
The crowd started to rumble as the sounds of the gates closing began to echo around. Prince walked behind the gate, his eyes rolling to stare at it when he passed. He would be the last to load, but he already had it in his mind that the gate was an evil thing. The snow was not letting up, and Jillian knew that visibility was going to be limited.
Finally, it was Prince's turn to load. "Act nicely, shall we?" she said, leaning forward onto his neck before straightening up. Of course, it would've been too easy if we went in the gate on the first try. He stopped, backing up and kicking out at one of the gate grow members. However, the whack he received on his hindquarters from one of them forced him forward. For once, he stood in the gate with his head straight and all four legs on the ground.

And they're off in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile!

Setting stone
One night in the cold
I want it all; All for you
Said I wouldn’t make it
But it’s said and done
Staring down the barrel of a loaded gun
I can make you satisfied
Hope you go crazy in your sleep tonightDelusions of Grandeur - Miss Fortune

asdfghjkl
stay hot

212 layers, was over 300+ before photoshop got mad at me
probably around 30+ hours of work
Definitely the toughest and most detailed entry I've done to date and PRINCE HAS A REALLY SHINY BUTT

Pose reference (used under a Creative Commons License )
A bunch of images of the spires

Description
Horse: MSR Absolut Royalty
Horse Age: 2
Rider: Jillian Hayes
Show: 2018 Breeders' Cup Series | Sentient Jet Juvenile
Placed: 1st

Extra Image: Dance Dance
Features: HTS Skipping Stones - Vizslan | OHF Cat N' Fiddle - ScunnyElse | Ghost of Sunday Morning - CapNRCubey
Detail shots: horses & background | bonus: walkthrough

Story (1096 words)
Another year had passed, and horse racing in North America was drawing to a close. With the end of the season came the prestigious race series that was known for its massive victories, the heartbreaking defeats, but most of all, the champions that it made.
Morning Star's team had been to the Breeders' Cup once before with a prospect that was expected to contend in the three Triple Crown races. He captured the first jewel of the Canadian one, but his legs caught up to him far too fast. Skye was off of stall rest now, but he still walked with a boot around the injury. Now, the team was back at the race they'd tried to capture the year before, something they never would've imagined.
Prince was now a graded stakes winner at two, and thankfully didn't have to move around too much. His only starts were on the East side of the continent, and he'd won at Churchill Downs. The transition from synthetic to dirt didn't seem to bother him, but the track was a cause for concern.
The weather forecasted snow and freezing rain. The temperatures would hover right around freezing. While Prince knew snow, freezing rain, and subzero temperatures – even Kelowna dropped below freezing a few days in the course of a year – he had no experience racing in those conditions. He freaked at the sight of snow when he first saw it. Now, he would be racing in it.

The Breeders' Cup weekend arrived, and with it, the plummeting temperatures. Prince was slated to run during in the second-last race on the card, and the forecast did not look promising. Clouds had settled over the city, and the snow flurries and freezing rain was slowly going to make its way in over the course of the day. The temperature would hover just above freezing, and it was going to be miserable all day.
That didn't stop the waves of people flooding into the grandstands, ready to catch a glimpse of the future stars. Possible Derby and Oaks contenders, European shippers ready to score big, and future graded stakes contenders were ready to take the stage.
The recent win at Churchill Downs in the Iroquois had turned the heads of many handicappers. While it was not a race usually given much when it came to judging a horse's ability, some of the fans had seen him run previously. However, the constant mention of his gate problems made his odds bounce multiple times.
"He clearly has talent, but can he get over the gate problems?"
"He's shown that he likes Churchill Downs, having won here, but the conditions aren't exactly suitable. Some of the other horses in this field have run in mud before."
They weren't wrong with any of their observations. The Iroquois had its problems, so much so that he was nearly scratched at the gate. Aaron had tried working with the young colt over the span of several weeks to try and get him accustomed to the gate. Prince's mother missed out on her career because of her hatred of the gate, and Aaron didn't want her son to fall victim to it as well.
It was difficult to pinpoint why exactly Prince didn't like the gate. When he was training during the spring back in Kelowna, he seemed fine with the three-horse gate. He would dance around behind it at first, and sometimes he would back out of it, but never did he rear or kick. It was only once he was in a full gate where he stated to freak out. If he stood in the gate for too long, he would start kicking. He reared in training for the Breeders' Cup, and had nearly sat in it during the Iroquois. The stewards were less than pleased with his antics, but the colt had raw talent. Aaron wasn't about to give up on him. The winter would likely be spent training with the gate and seeing how he responded. For now, he was loaded last.

The two year-olds walked out to the track, the muddy track splashing against their legs. Snow flew around them, adding to the massive amount of distractions. While some of them had been training in the wet weather, it still came as a shock to the system. Prince danced over it, picking up his feet as he walked. His personality was on full display as he tossed his head. The crowds were unlike anything he'd seen before, and even in the terrible weather, they'd packed the stands to watch. Prince's ears swivelled around in every direction, and Jillian ran her hand over his mane, trying to calm him. He had a soft spot for the colt, more than some of her other mounts she'd been given. As they walked past the massive crowds, the pair eased into a canter, the sound of two sets of hooves on the mud deafening any other sounds.

The warmup was over quickly, and the field approached the gate. Jillian tried to remain calm, but she'd be lying of she wasn't nervous. When they were in the gate, she had no choice but to trust that Prince was not going to do anything that would put them in a bad spot. With the way the gate was positioned – right in front of the crowd – there were a lot of aspects of the race that Prince could get distracted by or freak out over. She patted his mane again, and his head shot up, his nostrils flared.
"Steady, Prince," Jillian said. "You've seen this before."
The crowd started to rumble as the sounds of the gates closing began to echo around. Prince walked behind the gate, his eyes rolling to stare at it when he passed. He would be the last to load, but he already had it in his mind that the gate was an evil thing. The snow was not letting up, and Jillian knew that visibility was going to be limited.
Finally, it was Prince's turn to load. "Act nicely, shall we?" she said, leaning forward onto his neck before straightening up. Of course, it would've been too easy if we went in the gate on the first try. He stopped, backing up and kicking out at one of the gate grow members. However, the whack he received on his hindquarters from one of them forced him forward. For once, he stood in the gate with his head straight and all four legs on the ground.

And they're off in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile!

Setting stone
One night in the cold
I want it all; All for you
Said I wouldn’t make it
But it’s said and done
Staring down the barrel of a loaded gun
I can make you satisfied
Hope you go crazy in your sleep tonightDelusions of Grandeur - Miss Fortune

asdfghjkl
stay hot

212 layers, was over 300+ before photoshop got mad at me
probably around 30+ hours of work
Definitely the toughest and most detailed entry I've done to date and PRINCE HAS A REALLY SHINY BUTT

Pose reference (used under a Creative Commons License )
A bunch of images of the spires