Hands_down 〈RELIABLE • Edition〉

She surged. The wind whipped Elias’s silks until they snapped like flags. Fifty yards from the finish, the gap between Cinder and the rest of the field grew from two lengths to five, then ten. The roar of the crowd became a distant hum.

Elias looked to his left and right. There was no one close enough to challenge them. He felt a strange, sudden peace. This was the moment his grandfather had told him about—the moment you knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the race was yours. hands_down

Elias was not the fastest jockey at the Briarwood Derby, but he was certainly the most patient. His horse, a stubborn chestnut mare named Cinder, had a habit of fighting the bit. Most riders would saw at the reins, forcing her into submission, but Elias knew that Cinder only ran her best when she felt she was choosing the path herself. She surged