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Post by S u N f r O s T ~ on Nov 2, 2008 17:53:15 GMT -5
My black beauty trotted underneath me, eyes glaring out a challenge to all passers-by. His tail was help high arrogantly as he came onto the turf in a beautifully smooth canter. Just recently Impressario had made his turf debut and had won it too, over Gorgeous George no less. I was hoping we could keep our top three streak going for the rest of this season and maybe end it all with a win in the Breeder's Cup. But that was a long way off. For now we were running and working our technique on the turf.
Ario responded to the lightest of my touches. He proudly cantered to the wire, and under a firm command we began lapping the stretch to warm up. His legs eventually moved with fluidity and grace, and he was ready to go. Lately, we had suffered two straight losses to Euphoria of Green Horse Stables. Phoria was his half-sister, and after a brief period of non-success she was shooting the stars, and she was doing a good job of it too, having recently placed third in the Kentucky Derby.
Ario was facing up against On To The Spotlight today. The two had worked together before, and Onya had beaten him then. Today they ran nine furlongs on the turf, and I was aiming for Ario to win. In his seventeen races of experience Ario had perfected his front runner style. He knew how to block horses and win, but the greater experience of Phoria had gotten in the way. It was my goal not to let her beat us again.
Onya was chestnut, and she looked almost exactly like Phoria, only she had a different kind of build. Her hooves were smaller and less developed, because she hadn't been racing as long as Phoria, but their speed and tactic were kind of the same. Onya was a distance runner, and a closer, and Krytal Yhate would be riding her today.
I snapped on my helmet and headed out on the dashing chestnut. Onya shifted underneath me, her eyes looking out at the grounds like a queen would. Everybody answered to her; nobody disobeyed. She had even beaten Ario, the farm's newest star. Her speed was to be commended, but lately Ario had been meeting up with his half sister Euphoria, and had lost twice. He'd be in vengeance mode.
We cantered onto the track and, seeing that Amber was already there with Ario, I took her for a lap at the canter. Onya snorted at Ario arrogantly and made off at a fast pace. I shot a wave to Amber as we warmed up, and thought of how to beat her horse. Ario was a front runner; Onya was a closer. We would have to close at the perfect time to beat him today.
As we drew off the last turn and passed Ario and Amber, she waved to me and kept up at my side.
I watched as Krystal and Onya lapped the track. Onya was a lithe cat of the hunt, her hooves eating the turf like I had once seen Anarchi's. Her head was held high, and she snorted at us arrogantly. Ario responded with a challenging call, but I kept him cantering as Onya warmed up. When Krystal and Onya came back, I cantered alongside them much to Ario's distaste and gave instructions.
We race them at the wire. There. Simple. I accelerated Ario and met up with the gates that had been positioned beneath the wire. Without waiting for a track attendant I let Ario in. The two year old walked in confidently, used to the gates unlike many other two year olds. I grabbed fistfuls of mane and waited, eyes trained with deep concentration on the first turn.
The gates banged open and Ario was a rocket sent into space. His tail fanned out behind as a massive way of speed came, and I saw no horse ahead of us as we stayed to the outside and waited for the first turn.....
I nodded and guided Onya to the gates. We loaded into gate two. My hands wrapped around the reins, my eyes focused on Ario's gate and the first turn. Onya shifted uneasily, still not completely used to the gates, but that was understandable; she had raced six less times then Ario, after all.
In about three seconds the gates burst open, and we were off. Onya broke just as quickly as Ario, but she settled to the inside of him, her speed less. We were drifting along at about a length behind him, and I watched as Ario's muscles bunched with incredible strength, carrying him along at a feverish pace.
Ario drummed the turf flat with his mighty hooves, powering forward as the turn came on. I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw Onya confidently coming along a length behind at a beautiful pace. Ario was pushing his speed outwards, lavishing the attention he received by an imaginary announcer because he was in the lead, and he was going to win this.
The turn came, and unlike earlier that season he slid smoothly along the outside and into the backstretch. His pace didn't change, or at least it didn't seem to change, but another quick glance showed that Onya was two lengths behind and not moving at the beginning of this stretch.
I waited atop Onya as we hit the turn. She, like always, slid smoothly alongside and then sped up slightly. Surprisingly, Ario only drew farther away. I noticed the bunching muscles in his hind legs; he was putting on speed, and now leading by two lengths.
Beneath me, Onya refused to become worried. She continued to run at the slightly faster pace, but her ears were pinned flat, a sure sign she was unhappy. I felt another gear coming and then breaking to the surface as she accelerated. Suddenly, Ario didn't seem so far anymore.....no, we were right alongside and still gaining now. I realized we had reached the middle of the backstretch.
I let Ario run a bit faster in the lead, and so concentrated was I that I didn't hear the sudden beat of hooves. And quite suddenly, just as the middle of the backstretch was reached, a chestnut blur caught my eye, and quietly panting breaths reached my ears; Onya had caught up quickly. Man, she had some devilish closing speed!
I kneaded my hands along the slightly sweaty Ario's neck, urging for a burst of speed. The final turn was approaching, and we needed to be ready for Onya's even faster stretch-close speed. Ario had already accelerated at the sight of Onya, but at my urging he put the speed on and we were speeding towards the final turn, a length ahead of our challengers.
Onya coolly galloped along, not paying any mind to my weight on her back. My eyes were glued as we finished the three-quarter mark of the backstretch and bore down on the final turn. Instantly Onya seemed to accelerate, her huge strides eating up ground, but Ario had gained speed as well, and despite her speed he was leading by a length.
I gritted my teeth and passed judgement. Should I let Onya out now? Or should I wait? Onya answered for me, a loud snort echoing through the grounds. I nodded in response and let the reins out, and suddenly her ties were gone. In the span of five seconds she closed the distance, and just as the final turn came she angled to the inside and whipped past Ario.
I was now tuned in to the hoofbeats of Onya and Krystal, and they increased in tempo so fast that I was shocked. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a chestnut filly suddenly roar past us on the inside, putting two lengths between her and Ario quickly and trapping us on the outside just as the turn came on.
Impressario heaved against my hold, which instantly broke. Never would a horse dominate him! He broke through his stamina walls and raced his heart out, quickly closing the distance despite him being on the outside. We were going all out, and he was whipping past the chestnut filly, his challenger, his fellow two year old at SOPS.
It was time for action. I saw the black colt come and whip past, and he broke away to one length and was widening. Onya was coolly moving with predatory grace, not yet closing the distance, waiting for the stretch.....and then it came! Her legs flashed with stunning speed, and she was racing at top notch to Ario.
Ario seemed to take hold of his senses and increased his speed. We were flying side by side, chestnut against black, just as I'd seen Euphoria and Impressario in the final stages of Ario's past two races. Only this time, surely the chestnut On To The Spotlight masquerading as Euphoria would win? Surely we would beat them again?
I was wrong.
A fury seized Ario, a fury rivaled only by Little Miss Innocent's. He pounded forward, hoofbeats no longer light, waiting for the wire to pass. I saw the chestnut horse slip past us on the inside, slip behind us as we passed under the wire in a funnel of speed. It was amazing. We had reached a greater height on Ario today.
Ario was sweating hard, and panting, but he cantered along arrogantly at the wire, glorifying in the fact that he had won. I smiled at Krystal and Onya as the chestnut horse appeared at our side, also sweating hard and appearing angry. She glared once at Ario, and Ario responded with an arrogant snort.
Well done Krystal! You've become so good with her lately.....I think you should be her jockey in races now.
I took her expression of instant love as a yes and, smiling, trotted Ario off the track. Ario still moved energetically, but he seemed tired to me; I could feel no strain on the tight reins now.
I saw a sudden power go into Ario, and the black Merry Bay King son accelerated and was away. Onya was stretching out her body more now, but they were a length ahead, a length and a half.....and then the wire came. I cursed under my breath as I slowed Onya. I didn't like losing.
The words of praise I got from Amber were good, though, and both horses had tried hard at this workout. I smiled good-naturedly at Amber and trotted Onya around to cool her down after Amber and Ario left. We were still going places, even if Amber's monstrous champion could beat us.
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