Horses for competion courses

And they are off,
The Positively Dark horse first out of the gate,
with just behind by a length
Earth Child singing into second place  
and Ahavati the proverbial third  
that is slightly slower but by no means unsure,
PoetsRevenge going strong down the lane
in fifth its no fool, Amorous_tryst  
in this damn derby in sixth is Tallen,
the Cloventongue89 just leaving square one  
thanks to a cloven hoof,
eighth is Jade-Pandora flying along like a paper bag
a strange one takes up position nine:
known only as number 24601  
speeding along, if it was a tree you'd yell timber,
from Rockhollow hails ImperfectedStone,
eleven with more than just feelings is JusTim_,
goodbye to the start line says number twelve; Sky_dancer,
Hepcat61 makes for a hopeful inception in this race,
as we segue into fourteenth position  
with FromTheAsh,
strutting in splendour is Summerrain75 in fifteenth,
storming into sixteenth is DaisyGrace,
Yelluw_always  just passing lakeside point now,
adamantly galloping on at a blaze is JohnnyBlaze,
Heaven_sent_Kathy becoming settled into nineteenth spot,
slipping into the twenty slot is Josh,
with Misfitpoet89 asking please for next place,
rather Southern from the pack is CSD1558,
Wallyroo92 making for a super flight as the twenty third,
having strong words with the track edge
while foaming at the mouth is the Lord,
with all feet simultaneous flying in the air
is SatInUGal as twenty fifth,
with a full plate if it wants to finish is Gahddess_Worship,
and way back by the water is ImperfectedStone
last but by no means least,
each one a fine steed out to finish
already on the fifth furlong of the race
but remember folks it is a marathon not a sprint
as it is not who finishes first
but whether they even finish,
so good luck to them all and be sure to cheer on your favourite,
betting is still open if interested  
even though the competitors have already bolted,
keep glued to see if any can stick to it
or if any come unstuck during the long race.