flight of lies

TDI LIVE THIS LIE AND AMBER BLACK
FORBIDDEN TO FLY AND HENNA TURATH

The two were both grays, though one was lighter than the other. They walked with purposeful strides, their eyes taking everything in. Or at least the lighter gray's did. Falsehood looked and saw everything. He analyzed it and filed it away for future reference. His intelligent gaze did not miss a single detail. He moved of his own volition, calmly walking along, fully aware of the youthful colt at his side. Forbidden To Fly was three years old and the Breeders Cup Juvenile champion. He had come into the season with a win, crowning himself as another grade three three year old, and his class was endless. Becoming three changed a lot of things. For one thing, he was more physically mature. He could stand up to older horses now. Older horses like Falsehood, a seasoned veteran grade two with only a couple wins to grade one.

Though not related, the two males looked strikingly similar. They had the same rangy build and muscle. However, they couldn't react more different. Falsehood had a true racehorse's mind. He analyzed, evaluated, pawed at the ground as he considered his next move. He was cunning and it showed. He had the arrogant tilt of his head and the superior look in his eyes. Despite this, he was not by any means a top of the line racehorse. But this was his last season, and Amber wanted him to win the Classic. So here they were, working out in the hopes of meeting this goal. As for Fly and Henna, Henna just wanted to dominate this year. Fly had surprised the world with his upset win in the Juvenile over the fan favorite Instant Success. He had proved his class and still had more to do. The Triple Crown was too lengthy for him, but there were other races to take ownership of. They would be working to win any and all opportunities.

Amber and Henna had long since mastered the art of working in sync. They trotted and cued to canter at the same time as each other. No words were spoken. Fly was bugling loudly as he ran along, taking no notice of his competitor. Falsehood, however, was all ears. He was quite aware that Fly was the horse he was facing today and was already noting his opponent's mannerisms. Loud. Deceptively juvenile. Quick and light on his feet though. Obedient enough to his rider's commands. Appearing to lack a cunning mind. Falsehood had the brains here, but did Fly have the speed over the older veteran? They would be racing a mile on the dirt track to find out today. Krystal had her money, surprisingly, on Fly. She had witnessed the colt's talent firsthand and knew what he was capable of. Yet Falsehood was older and tons more experienced. Surely he would have the advantage?

The five year old and three year old finished their warm ups and approached the gate. It was small, a non professional size. It only held about five stalls and was driven by a golf cart. Yet it worked, and that was all that mattered. Due to Fly's energy, Henna let Amber load first. Amber clucked and brought Falsehood forward. The stallion imperiously strode in as though questioning those around him. He looked sure of himself and experienced. However, Fly practically danced into the gate, not afraid of it at all, just raring to go. He looked a lot more flashy as he did so. Krystal took note of this and kept her money on him. Fly was light on his feet and a mile was his primary distance. He had won the Juvenile at the peak of his range. The mile would not be very different.

This race would no doubt play out interestingly. Falsehood was a front runner. He would break and just take the lead. He had a head on his shoulders and wouldn't overdo the pace. Fly was not a preceder or a front runner. He was a mid packer. Therefore, though he would probably break faster, he was likely to hang back and wait for a bit before going to attack Falsehood. This admittedly threw the odds in Falsehood's favor. The stallion could run as he wanted the entire race and still have plenty left at the end. Unless Fly pressured him, the race would come down to stamina, speed and positioning. Henna was okay with these odds. She trusted in her mount, as did Amber. The race could be solely decided by the talent in each of the horses at this moment.

Krystal let the horses stay for a bit in the gates just to tick off Henna and make her mount even more antsy before pressing the button. The gates opened and Fly was out of there in a flash. He briefly took the lead but dropped back as Falsehood came up and grabbed his accustomed position. Falsehood was running at dueling pace, but when he realized that Fly was contentedly running behind him he slowed down and rated himself. There was no need to rush. Racing was about winning. Flashing speed would come later. Amber was still upon his back, just letting the stallion run. Meanwhile, Henna was a bit stiff on Fly's. The colt was always a handful and was almost not taking the race seriously. This was his problem. He loved to run, but sometimes just fooled around and became unfocused.

Henna skillfully steered Fly sideways so that he was facing Falsehood' behind. This seemed to get him going, and his pace increased. They paced their way through a reasonable quarter and then a half before making a move on the leader. Henna just let Fly fly, and the gray thoroughbred responded. He loved to run, and he accelerated rapidly. But by the time they caught up, Falsehood was just turning on the engines. With an ease found only from experience, the gray stallion put them away and ran. His eyes were focused ahead, and he was completely aware of and in control of what he was doing. He had played the race perfectly and was still fresh. He left Fly behind and strode out for the wire.

Not that Fly was going down without a fight. The focus that the colt had been lacking until this moment appeared as his competitor put him away. For once, the colt's eyes spit fire. He accelerated suddenly, and they were chasing down Falsehood. But it was not enough. The gap was too large. They were defeated. Yet it was a fine defeat, for Henna had felt Fly's supercharged focus and was excited. Meanwhile, Falsehood was smug and full of himself and speed. The two were on their toes and feeling good.