memories

[S u N f r O s T ~]

WILD KISS AND AMBER BLACK

Those big ears flicked back at me with all the attentiveness I wanted to command. I grinned and reached forward a hand to scratch at the base of the forelock. Kiss nickered in contentment and stretched our her neck gladly, adjusting the area which my fingers touched. She purred like a cat as I grinned and settled back in the seat of the saddle and clucked her forward. Kiss picked it up instantly, and we glided along in the direction of the turf track. There was class in her strides now, new class and impulsion that had recently developed after a sudden maturation. Kiss had always been a sidelines turfer. She had gained some acclaim when she won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with style, closing strongly to take that win. The year after her form had fallen, with a sole win in the beginning of the season. Now this season she was out there winning and achieving. She had just placed second in the Continental Cup after Silent Fury, the colt that always seemed to beat her. She had managed to cut ten lengths into his fifteenth length lead by the end of the race. I had vowed not to let him run away from us again.

The flow of her stride was brilliant and reflected her growing maturity. The grin on my face lapsed into blankness as I began our workout. We were now trotting along the springy turf and Kiss felt energetic and refreshed. She had the Wild Flower Memorial Stakes next week against Terror Smile and god knew that I wanted us to win. Three wins to grade one. We could do it. We were on a roll and I didn't want that roll to stop. The competition would only get fiercer from here and I wanted to be ready. It was time to show Kiss off to the world and I was both excited and daunted by the prospect. The daughter of DW Flamekissed and Wild Flower had inherited talent and heart. I wanted her to finally rise in the ranks.

With springy movement we trotted and then cantered along the turf course. It was a relatively flat course. I occasionally wished it was hilly for further training but the flatness allowed us to host races here if we wanted to, such as the Perfection Invitational which would be hosted this year. I grinned at the thought. The Invitational was a race I had wanted to host for years but never had. I would run the race the first year, but next year I might want the opportunity to enter it. Enter it with Kiss, that is. The four year old blood bay was dear to my heart after years of working together. She had been born and bred here and had been mine since she was a weanling.

Kiss flared at the canter. Her sweet exterior became sly as she intelligently searched for ways to escape my hands. She tried slowing, then speeding, then playfully cocked her head to the side as she ran in an attempt to loosen. Kiss always searched for ways to get faster. She was becoming addicted to the speed. Though a closer at the races, she was fast becoming a fan of acceleration. Though a router, she had a love for sprinting as well. It was all very becoming of a thoroughbred racehorse in my opinion - to love running in any form at any distance. Never mind surface - Kiss hated the dirt - but any condition was something Kiss was fine with. I rated her speed and guided her to victory. Kiss had a brain but trusted me to assist in the pursuit of her wins.

Finally, it was time for the gallop. I flicked out the reins and Kiss accelerated quickly. She was off like a shot and running. I usually found that it was at the gallop I truly understood how a horse functioned. For Kiss, it was a gallop of calm play, with determination edged in. Always determination, the trademark of her sire. I let the mare run and she swallowed the green turf happily. Had their been an opponent ahead of her I would have sensed the excitement of the chase sizzling through the reins. Instead I felt only the happiness pervading her being as the ground was stoked with flame. This was Wild Kiss. There was a hint of wildness in her stride indeed as a quarter mile passed and her legs loosened further into their rhythm. The pace was quick enough and I was enjoying myself.

I felt flecks of greatness in the strides of this wondrous creature. The greatness I had felt in all the past turfers I had ridden. Horses like Wild Flower, Little Miss Innocent, Merry Bay King, Impressario...the countless number. I was briefly overwhelmed by the memories of their power, their surge, their classiness, and also their base personalities of power and competitiveness. Kiss had all these qualities and just had to make them known. We increased the speed and I saw flashes of the past greats within Kiss. Imagery from my past behind my eyelids, imagery of those greats running to victory, or even defeat. Impressario's clashes with Anarchi. Little Miss Innocent versus Comeuppance. Merry Bay King and True Enough. The list just went on.

I slowed Kiss following the workouts, a hazy look on my face as I continued recall. The piercing whinny of my filly drew me back to the present, and I returned to myself to feel Kiss vibrating with the excitement of the post run, flecks of wild speed in her eyes and form. She had felt as great as any of those horses and I hoped the greatness would show in our next race. We could take the wins from the classiest. We could do this.