The horses in the stable went wild; they knew of the coming storm. After months of the same routines with the same noises and smells, the twenty horses spread down the alley knew exactly what was in store for them. Their bodies reacted to the stimulation around them before their minds could find any sort of rationalization or recognition of what was about to happen. The pawing of hooves and the chorus of nickers spread down the alley as more and more of the herd recognized what was to come. The Storm the humans called it. To the horses, it was just another work day, another chance to do what their bodies pulsed to do above all else. There's something special about the heart of a racehorse. A true winner has a special vibration through their core when it comes to race day. And it was palpable in the rows of stalls today. As the jockeys and trainers and owners hurried around to make final preparations, it became increasingly difficult for the horses to contain their energy. There was nothing like the feeling of being able to stretch your legs further than you thought was ever possible before you felt the adrenaline of a race day. As they strutted past the crowds doing their warm-up laps, everyone's pulses - horse and human alike - were beating so fast and so hard you could practically feel the earth shake beneath their feet. The call was made over the loudspeakers and the athletes began their parade to the track. The deafening noise from the warm-up area was muted as they entered the tunnel to pass under the grandstands and enter the race track; the final moment of the closest thing they could find to calm before the greatest storm of their career. The final preparations were made and horses with their jockeys were led into the starting gate. 20 gates clicked shut. 20 horses huffed with anticipation. 20 jockeys secured their goggles. 40 hearts raced with anticipation. Everything around them slowed down as everyone on the track and in the grandstands took a collective and final deep breath. As everyone's lungs filled with air with an eerie momentarily falling over the anxious audience, the buzzer went off and the gates flew open. With that, the crowds erupted with cheers and they were off. The storm of hooves and dirt and racing hearts hit them like a category 5 hurricane. The kind of storm you can't look away from while it steals the air from your lungs. For 10 furlongs, horse and rider faced it all together. The push and the pull of the fury of wind and waves of earth-quaking hoof falls swooped through Churchill Downs. The most beautiful storm you ever did see and the best seat in the house was on the backs of the animal athletes who would run until their hearts burst if the jockeys allowed it. The only storm anyone in Kentucky ever prayed for and one that came but once a year. To the horses, it was just another day of working the job they love. They lived for the storm they created.