set the embers alight

[S u N f r O s T ~]

FIERY TOUCH AND KRYSTAL YHATE
FORBIDDEN TO FLY AND HENNA TURATH

FIE'S WORKOUT FOR THE JULY MAIDEN DIRT

Their most recent start had been a fifth place finish in the highly competitive Seaspray Cup Maiden, and Krystal was tired of her mount getting outshown. The rest of the two year old crop had three wins each, at least, while Fie, half sister of the acclaimed The Devil's Touch, had a mere one placing in the top three out of six attempts. Krystal wouldn't take no for an answer from her filly in their next race, the July Maiden Dirt. She wanted the win, and she knew that Fie wanted it, too. The filly had taken longer than the rest to get used to the idea of racing. She hadn't known what to do at first. She had accelerated too slowly or accelerated too late for her previous starts, but was starting to get her strategy now. Fie liked nothing more than opening up a huge lead with sudden speed. The only problem had been their timing. They had to get it at the right spot if they wanted to win. And Krystal wanted Fie to catch up to the others of their crop.

Take Forbidden To Fly, for example. The royally bred son of Flying Colours and Forbidden Wings was just coming off of a win in the Auraria Stakes. He looked fit, and he also looked seriously energetic. Henna held him in with the ease of practice, an amused expression playing on her face, as they met Fie and Krystal at the track gap. Fly was, as per usual, bugling loudly, announcing his presence. Seeing as they were on the home track, there was honestly nobody to announce it too. Amber was supposed to meet them there and time their next workout. It was supposed to be over six furlongs at race pace. The advantage was given to Fly in this race, due to the distance, but Krystal and Fie were nearing the point where very little would stop them from fighting back.

Your horse is a better alarm clock than a rooster, I swear teased Krystal lightly of Henna. Henna smiled and nodded. Krystal was relieved to note that the woman was looking a bit less stressed now that the Triple Crown was over, but couldn't help but still notice visible signs of stress on her. Now Henna was working with Flash even harder because even though they had been the first to attain grade one status among the three year olds, now she felt it was necessary to defeat Sunset Crusade next time they met in order to prove it. And she wasn't taking no for an answer. Flash had been king too long to give up the crown. In a way, riding Fly, Flash's half brother, was a way of calming herself down in reassurance. After all, all of Forbidden Wings' foals had reached grade one. Fly was next. She had a guaranteed champion on her hands.

Krystal wished that Fie had as good a chance. From a once proven sire out of a non proven dam, despite her relation to The Devil's Touch - it really wasn't all that convincing of Fie's potential talent. Krystal just hoped that with even more work things would be more peachy for them. And speaking of peachy, the pair had begun to warm up in smooth tandem, cantering side by side with their horse's breaths fanning the air. It was calming, being on the home track. No paparazzi, no distractions - the perfect place for juveniles to work out. Henna was already planning her Azalea Cup workouts. The race wasn't for two weeks, but she would be riding Sugar Jayde in the Fillies and Canjun Moon in the Colts. She would work them here, not at the main track, for the benefits of silence.

But back to the workout. The horses were ready now, and with a glance at each other Krystal counted down. At one, the two year olds were urged into a gallop and the race was on! Fly hesitantly took the lead, with Fie dogging his every step two lengths behind. Neither one was a front runner, so the pace was slow and measured. The riders nearly chafed at the slowness but didn't push their mounts just yet. At the half, the two year olds started to accelerate. Fie continued dogging Fly's steps, not breaking into the two length gap, while Henna urged Fly into a faster pace and increased the distance. Fie appeared unconcerned - but that was the problem that had faced them so many times. They never had enough time to catch up. Thus, Krystal pushed her mount a bit faster, and the filly responded slightly, increasing her stride and beginning to close on the gap.

The stretch was in sight, and Fly was released like a cannon. But due to Krystal's prodding, she and Fie were right there with him to challenge, and were even faster. Like a freight train, Fie just managed to bolt past as the wire hit, and the smile of victory on Krystal's face was dazzling. Henna was also smiling, happy for Krystal, while on the inside she cursed herself for not getting Fly to go sooner. But it all ended well, and Fie had declared her readiness for the July Maiden Dirt with the sudden mastery of her race strategy. The odds would surely be more in their favor come race day because of that.