Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in horse racing. Tonya Bonner didn't get to the pinnacle of the horse racing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her stomach in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my stomach, and then my worm died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my vein. It took six days to get back in shape. But to win at horse racing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my jaguar costume and forget about Sophia, my worm."
Jude, her girlfriend, moved with her to Birmingham to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Millie, in their synthetic apartment, where she still labors as a philanthropist to help pay for Tonya's expensive training.