flashborne

ACTUALLY STARTED WRITING DECEMBER 22, 2012
FLASHY WINGS AND HENNA TURATH
VENTURA AND AMBER BLACK

The day was borne light and glorious. The blood bay stallion greeted the rising of the sun with an impatient snort and a pawing of the ground. Flashy Wings was flashy as ever, with head raised proudly and eyes ever alert, taking in the world around him. The horse was characterized by energetic eagerness and amazing talent. Flash was a top of the life colt going places. Henna knew where she wanted him to be at the end of the year and she knew that Flash was capable of being even more amazing than his current ten wins said he could be. But the only way for them to get where she wanted them to be was through hard work, and she worked ceaselessly with the colt. He had become a partner to her, the type of partner that went deeper than companionship and more into great friendship.

Enter Ventura. The daughter of Impressario and Rising Fury had been born to impress and was doing just that, having already risen to the ranks of grade three. The black had just lost to older and more experienced Ashes To Ashes last week, but that was a defeat Amber could forgive. They had reaped the benefits of that defeat against the much more experienced cold and were now looking forward to greater possibilities. The Youth Challenge series was here and Ven was taking to at least one of the three legs. Sweet Inferno was being sent to the last one, while Sizzling Dawn would get one as well. All three of the classic dirt oriented fillies deserved their chance in the races, and Amber hoped she could work out a way to make this happen again in the Breeders Cup. There were only so many races they could enter, and for the fillies it was either the Juvenile or the Juvenile Fillies. But that was a problem for another time.

Ven was sleek as a predator and lithe as a snake. She moved with cobra quickness and roaring energy in each stride, dark eyes glaring and head tossing. She looked like a picture of her dam today. Amber could feel the rolling energy in her, the wild, untamable passion for running that threatened to consume her black frame today. Ven was not to be directed today. She was to be let out over the track for a run. Any defeat rubbed Ven the wrong way, and the strong rivalries she had built with the other fillies in her age group attested to this. She was being sent to the Juvenile Fillies of course against those competitive fillies and Amber hoped a victory lay in their future. Similarly, Henna was hoping to win the Classic aboard Flash. The ambitions of the two riders were high.

The plan for today was a mile long gallop, side by side, a tune up of two furlongs at the end, maybe longer depending on how the horses felt. That was just how SOPS horses functioned – the workout was planned beforehand and no words were spoken when the horses were finally on the track. That just disturbed the silent concentration of the horses and riders. They could function fine in a loud crowd during a race but here at the home track the preference was to silence. Only the song of nature was allowed to be played. Amber Black rode Ventura in her trademark style. They functioned as two cogs of the same machine, seamlessly blending movements into each other. There was rarely a rider who managed to ride all of her horses the way Amber did. Each and every horse had a special bond with her. As for Henna Turath, the one unifying factor and trademark between her and her mounts was their shared desire for the win. This tradition had started with Pegasus Wings and now resonated strongly with younger brother Flashy Wings. Unified by the strength of their desires for glory, the two made the powerful couple typical of Henna Turath.

The black filly stalked onto the track while Flash essentially pranced. Flash was the energetic, youthful one who never gave up and always looked classy. Ven was the stalking, silent type with the potential to be deadly no matter the race. True, Flash could never be counted out either, but Ven just looked the part. The bay and black made the scene as they cantered side by side down the track. Twin torpedoes already with the potential for more. Amber’s face was furrowed in thought as she felt out Ven’s movements. They were sleek and powerful and not the least bit intimidated by the bulk of the blood bay at her side. Flash was very much aware of his opponent for today’s workout. Henna could feel the awareness through the reins and she grinned and kept him in hand. They would have time to demolish her later. Flash had been developing a very competitive spirit since the start of this season and his performance had clearly shown improvement because of it. The dual surfaced stallion was going into his final season next year and he was going in strong and established. They would defend their reputation admirably, Henna hoped.

The canter snoozed by and soon they were galloping. Asking to pick up the gallop from the two thoroughbreds was easy as pie. Flash and Ven transitioned smoothly and settled side by side each other, hugging the inner rail and breathing in the clean air of SOPS. It was steady, smooth and powerful. The conditioning levels of each horse had been stepped up, what with the consistent racing and the need to maintain condition and avoid injury. Especially for the Breeders Cup. Big races were coming up and the expectations were extremely high. If the horses wanted to maintain their condition and their potential places in the Breeders Cup they needed to continue performing at a high level. Ventura already performed like a much older filly in terms of attitude and experience. She was a shoo in, hopefully. And Flash was specifically engineered for the racetrack, in some way. The product of the cross between News Flash and Forbidden Wings had been a pure blooded racehorse that loved what he did.

The gallop coasted into the sprint and the riders hung on tight as their horses opened up. Flash was quickest on the uptake, but Ven certainly was not far behind. In a matter of seconds she was glued to his side and Flash was still steadily gaining in speed, feeling the freedom and relishing it. He stuck the speed in Ven’s face and Ven said right back that she wasn’t backing down. The air crackled as the two continued to go onwards but the two furlongs were past them and big races were coming up. They were slowed down and then made to stop at long last. The faces of their riders were windblown and race bright. The horses felt flashy and ready for more. There would be more as the season continued to come to a finale.