eternal flight

[S u N f r O s T ~]

FORBIDDEN TO FLY AND HENNA TURATH
ETERNAL PHANTOM AND KRYSTAL YHATE

FLY'S AND PHANTIE'S WORKOUT FOR THE YOUTH CHALLENGE

They were polar opposites. Fly was fixated on noise, games and fun. Phantie was fixated on competition, fierceness and determination. Yet despite this, they were both extremely successful racehorses about to take on Instant Success, Paradise Island and Euphoria's Warrior in the Youth Challenge, the final leg of the so-called "two year old Triple Crown". And it would be the match of the ages. The horses entered were undoubtedly the top on the track right now, and the results could decide just what two year old was the best. Krystal and Henna respectively wanted that title. They had worked hard with their mounts and felt that they were each deserving. However, their success stories were each very different.

From the moment he was born, Fly had been a difficult horse to get along with, let alone train. The gray colt was predisposed toward not taking anything seriously. He had not learned anything they had taught him at first, seeing it as some sort of game, and Krystal and Amber had been unwilling and unable to put up with him. So Henna had stepped in. Seeing as Fly was out of Forbidden Wings, Fly had already been declared as hers from the time of his birth. Henna alone had possessed the patience to teach the colt what he needed to know. Eventually, Fly had begun to take Henna and what she was teaching him seriously, and had begun learning quickly from that point on. He adopted learning as a new type of game, and Henna had learned to fiercely love teaching him new things. More than all, Henna had played with Fly as she would a child. The colt was all about games, and she loved playing them with him.

As for Krystal, her story sharply contrasted Henna's. Phantie had not been born or bred on the stable. Instead, she had been bred as the twin sister of Midnight Thriller between Battle Brook Stables and Akita Rose Stables. Battle Brook had been destined to take Phantie; however, they had gone out of business, or disappeared - nobody really knew. Akita Rose had contacted Amber about taking in Phantie and Amber had been only too happy to do so. A horse with Phantie's bloodlines was something too good to pass up. Immediately upon arriving, the stable became aware of Phantie's dark, unfriendly and even ferocious temper. She was anti-social and quiet, hard to bond with. Amber had wanted to take Phantie as her own mount due to the difficulties that would have been associated with riding her; however, Phantie had shown an interest in Krystal and bonded with her instead. Krystal did seem to have a way with those distrusting horses, after all, like Passionate Class. Anyway, the filly and woman had hit it off and were now running a successful two year old season.

Enter the Youth Challenge. Pitted against the very best to prove who was the best, Fly and Phantie needed to be on their toes. Phantie had actually been off the racetrack for maybe a month or more by now. She had been worked only and was fresh and full of run. Fly had run the entire Youth Challenge series. It was planned to keep the colt racing after it, too, right up to the Breeders Cup. The colt was extremely energetic and absolutely ate up any races threw his way. He had a lot of vitality and could take a heavy race load. Phantie had needed some time off to restart her engines and was now faster than ever. So for today's workout, they would gallop half a mile, side by side. The race was nine furlongs, a distance at the edge of Fly's range but at the beginning of Phantie's, and race strategy would be important throughout this race. Instant Success was a closer, Paradise Island a front runner or preceder and Euphoria's Warrior also a closer. At it were, Fly was a mid packer, and Phantie was either a front runner or a closer. So the pace would be set by Sonja. Phantie would probably settle just behind her, with Fly behind them and Warrior and Isa bringing up the rear. The race truly worked out for everybody in terms of pace. It would be all about the talent, and luck, on race day.

The two riders had been walking; now they trotted, circling a little bit, before cantering. Their horses warmed up quickly, muscles seasoned through months of racing conditioning at this point in time. They were soon ready to gallop. Grabbing some mane and holding tight to the reins, the riders cued their horses to gallop. Fly attempted to jump to the front, which surprised Henna. Her horse was usually not very competitive. However, Phantie was practically egging him on already. The black filly was just behind him on his shoulder, crowding him, her eyes challenging him. It was a good thing that Henna and Krystal had such tight holds on their mounts, or else the whole thing would have spiraled down into disaster.

Due to the increased competitiveness, the four furlongs passed quickly, and the two year olds were soon pulled up. They were barely panting, but were sweating lightly, and they felt loose. They were ready to prove themselves in the Youth Challenge, which was aptly named, for it would be the challenge of their lifetime.