glory gives

[S u N f r O s T ~]

ACTUALLY STARTED WRITING DECEMBER 7, 2012
WORLDBREAKER AND AMBER BLACK
ODE TO GLORY AND KRYSTAL YHATE

These two turf colts were the coolest bunch in the barn. Worldbreaker, son of Grand Silence and Wild Flower, was the five year old chestnut with the quiet racing career and the peaceful, world-loving personality Amber Black had melded into herself. The pair was deadly. Their peace and quietness matched each other to the tee and it seemed as though World knew what his rider for the entirety of his racing career wanted even before she knew herself. World's next run was coming up this week in the Ascot Gold Cup against some good competition. The stallion was grade one, but he certainly did not have the splashiest record out there. Amber took it as the cover story for what really was. World was a running machine with a great closing kick and the best temperament imaginable. Whenever he ran he opened a few eyes with gutsy finishes and strong performances. The chestnut had always been slightly overshadowed during his career. Those shadows were falling away in the wake of brilliant sunshine to reveal his talent. Amber was head over heels in love with and proud of his strong performances.

Ode To Glory was a different story. The gray son of All For Glory and On To The Spotlight had been off to a slow and unimpressive start compared to the other SOPS juveniles. Nevertheless, a month off and some work later and he had become impressive, even notching a surprise victory last week over the Wire turf. He was racing again this week and absolutely thriving on the races after his long drought. Krystal Yhate had felt great last time. They had stuck with the pack and ended up defeating Blue Me Away, considered by many to be the top juvenile turfer around. Now they were challenging him for the crown and in with a chance for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf. They could pull an upset victory and then slowly steal up on everybody again next year for a history-making performance in the Turf Triple Crown. Slow beginnings did not matter - they just paved the way for more talent to be shown.

The two horses were nice and brilliant at the same time. Worldbreaker had begun to develop a somewhat competitive edge by now but usually his peace loving nature broke through. The stallion still loved the glory of a win due to the satisfaction it brought to satisfy his rider. Amber didn't mind what his competitive tendencies were. To her, he was who he was and he was good that way. Ode was still too young to have nurtured those tendencies and Krystal didn't find it to be concerning either. Ode wouldn't be Ode if he wasn't like that. He was still good and he was starting to shine. He had caused a stir with that last win, the nobody colt from SOPS striding home with the win and basking in the glory of the winners' circle for only the second time. There would be many more times. He would be like Lynara's Kingdom - unnoticeable and beatable, then an unstoppable winning machine. He liked that feeling. He wanted it back again.

To work the two together had been a logical idea. They fit each other like a glove and would effectively work together. World's seniority would rub off on Ode too, not that the mature colt needed it with his easy going temperament. World was the best challenger to Ode. He was a closer, and Ode, as a mid packer, would be forced to accelerate quick enough to hold him off while still winning a race. It would be a tough challenge. They had worked together before, with brilliant results. The two were stamina oriented, and they were stepping that conditioning up. More stamina meant more speed. Amber Black called out her instructions as the pace stepped up to a canter. Two mile gallop, half mile blowout. You know what I want. Coast. Don't push it. Let them decide how badly they want it.

That ended the discussion, and then they were galloping. World eased into the pace with the fluidity of an experienced predator. He was liquid gold, sweeping up the track and the picture of utmost ease. Ode's transition was unbelievably smoother. He had a light mouth and responded brilliantly to the most delicate contact Krystal could give him. They maintained their speed stride for stride with World, never slowing, and World wasn't agitated by their presence on the outside. He knew how this worked. His time would come. Ode, meanwhile, was feeling inspired. He took confidence from being alongside another horse and, unlike many horses, preferred the outside. It worked best for the sweeping motion characteristic of his runs, though it had taken lots of conditioning and practice to perfect the technique. Krystal would like to think that they had achieved this equilibrium between practical racing strategy and physical ability.

They swept through the first mile in grand fashion and started on the second. Ode and World were still stride for stride, brothers if not for the different lineage and coats. They were at peace, with riders on their backs that they knew and trusted. The springy SOPS turf felt like home to them. It was where they had taken their first gallops and where they conditioned when they were at the home barn. It smelled like spring even when cold weather set in and was secluded from the barn, surrounded by forest which only accentuated the peaceful setting. It was the place to focus on the task at hand. They were running and running was what they did. Ode and World were still side by side as they finished the two miles and felt strong, though World was clearly the stronger of the two. Ode had yet to match the older horse's conditioning level yet he wasn't backing down - much the opposite, in fact, meeting the challenge as they began the blowout.

Releasing World, Amber was overcome by sudden acceleration and whistled into the breeze as World became an inferno. Ode was slower to accelerate but he, too, suddenly came on, meeting the challenge as before and on the outside. They were sweeping and mighty, running hard, running well, running for all they were worth and not even under the urgings of their riders. They had shared two miles with each other and now wanted to pay the dues with a quick run. It felt glorious. The two challenged themselves intrinsically - there was no extrinsic reward they worked for. The riders whooped as the four furlongs ended and then slowed. Both racehorses were sweating and breathing a little faster, but felt like liquid mercury as they dropped pace. They were glorious. It was time to show the world how amazing the two truly were.