The day of Tony's first race started with an early morning workout supervised by Liz. Many of the days other racers were working out as well. Ponies of all colors and types were on the track. Some of them actually waved at said hello. Tony waved back and grinned to all of them. This was what he was hoping to see. Interestingly, none of the penal ponies was on the track. Tony asked about this and was told they have their own session even earlier in the morning. "The track breaks up the warm-ups to minimize prison pony attacks on the other racers."
"How considerate", Tony commented dryly.
After several hot laps on the track Liz took Tony to an area just off the track, but visible to all the ponies on the track. "Practice your kick routines", Liz instructed.
Tony did. Straight kicks, spin kicks, side kicks. Several of the ponies slowed as they passed to observe him. A few even grinned and gave him thumbs up.
Following the workout Tony was returned to his stall. The wait was excruciating. Tony could hear the track announcer and the crowd in the barn. This was opening day of the meet, and a sellout crowd was in attendance.
According to the play-by-play the first race was totally clean. The second and third races were different. There was a major tripping incident in the second race that took out one of the favorites. In the third race a fight broke out between two prison ponies. Ohio 25 and Nebraska 14 literally tried to kill each other. Nebraska won the fight and was tased by the stewards for his trouble. The crowd roared.
Liz showed up again at the start of the 4th race to give Tony a massage to loosen his muscles. Tony was too blissed out to care about the 4th race. Once she was done, Liz fitted Tony with his official Tony Farms racing silks, brown with Tony's silhouette in green. She then affixed his racing number and wished him good luck.
"Don't expect a good finish in this race", Tony told Liz. "This race is to make a different kind of statement. That's what Max's message was."
Liz nodded, "I figured as much. Just don't get hurt too bad."
Then came the call to the post for the 5th race.
A groomsman arrived and Liz handed him Tony's lead, "He's ready." The groomsman nodded and lead Tony out of the barn. The other ponies quickly assembled and were put in post order before being lead out onto the track before the crowd. The murmur of the crowd accompanied the races to the starting gate. Tony noted the prison silks were lifted directly from jail uniforms, orange, gray, and pink with block print predominating.
The gate in use was the same the track used for horse racing. This meant the ponies had lots of space. Once the groom put him in and removed the lead the gate clanged shut behind him. One advantage Tony had was a few minutes as the other ponies were loaded into the gate. Tony kicked some small divots in the track with his hooves and knelt down into a modified runner's stance using the divots as make-shift chocks.
"On your marks....." Tony tensed. He was focused and ready. "The gate flew open with a tremendous metallic slam and the ringing of a fire bell. Tony hesitated and saw hooves fly into the space he should have been in. Had he left with the field he would have been taken out by his neighbors. He took off half a second after the field in a dead sprint.
Arizona 6, an appaloosa was in his way. Arizona 6 got sent sprawling by a bodyslam from behind followed up by a quick passing kick to the ribs. Onward. Tony came up on Colorado 2, a black morgen who tried to take his hooves out. Tony caught a glancing blow to the fetlock, but did not go down. In return Tony hit him with a side kick in the thigh. Colorado 2 got knocked into Texas 7 who got knocked off stride but did not go down.
Tony and Texas 7 stopped on the track and faced off. Texas was built like a clydsdale and mad as hell. Colorado 2 quickly joined the fight. The crowd went wild. It became clear that the penal ponies had no special skills at fighting with their feet. Tony didn't let them get close enough to bite or head butt. Texas was sent sprawling with a kick to the chest. Colorado tried a body slam but Tony jumped back and delivered a spin kick accompanied by an equine scream. Colorado spun around and hit the dirt track out cold. The crowd roared.
Tony remembered where he was and resumed trotting down the track. He was dead last among finishers, but that wasn't the point. The stewards came out on the track with tasers ready. Tony simply knelt before them putting up no resistance. A lead was attached and he was returned to his stall under escort. Tony was grinning all the way and very cooperative.
Liz showed up a while later with a smirk on her face, "Well that was a shit show."
Tony laughed, "I'm happy with it."
"The stewards are calculating the fines right now. It's a good thing Max likes writing checks." Both Liz and Tony chuckled at that.
Their attention was grabbed by a grunt from across the way. The paint pony, who Tony learned was Texas 5, was back in his stall. He nodded his head, gave Tony a thumbs up and laughed through his gag.
Tony nodded in return. "I accept the compliment."