Post by S u N f r O s T ~ on Sept 28, 2019 6:07:03 GMT -5
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Basics
Horse Name: Hemlock
YOB: Y19
Height: 16.3hh
Color: Black
Gender: Male
Sire: HoF Black Thriller [Black Wire (Determination x Regency) x Midnight Thriller (BHoF Night Stalker x HoF El Sol Del Mar)]
Dam: HoF Nightshade [Frontier (Raider x Fly High Silver) x BHoF Requiem (Augusto x BHoF Rosalind)]
Hemlock was bred to epitomize equine perfection. When Triple Crown winner Black Thriller retired, it seemed a natural choice to send him to fellow Hall of Fame inductee Nightshade. Like Black Thriller, Nightshade had also won the Breeders Cup Juvenile, Dubai World Cup, and Dubai World Championship. Combining the lines from both sire and dam had resulted in success before, and Amber Black therefore felt confident in using her lucrative Nightshade reserve for this purpose. Born to be great, Hemlock was born great, with the classically flawless conformation you'd expect of a horse born to the blood.
Racing Bio
Classification: Grade Five
Dirt: Great
Turf: Good
Distance: 9-12 Furlongs
Notes: No special extensions applied
Hemlock was born to high expectations. Contrary to those expectations, Hem delights in confusing onlookers and his handlers on a daily basis. Expected to be bold, serious, and almost deadly to the touch, Hem tends to act ridiculous instead. He's not the most focused horse out there, tending to be distracted by the sights and sounds of the track and always needing blinkers on the minute he steps out on race day. He's easily distracted, probably because he is observant to a high degree. Nothing escapes Hem's notice. He's virtually impossible to sneak up on and always seems to know what's going on around him, despite him once again seeming to not pay attention to any one thing for any significant period of time. Though his distracted nature could draw one to underestimate him, Hem is not a horse who should be underestimated. He is frightfully intelligent and was one of the first to take to being under saddle and loading into the gate. Hem usually gets along with others provided they don't try to boss him around. He won't take another horse's dominance sitting down, but also won't go out of his way to be a jerk lording it over those around him. He plays nicely with others, at least until he gets out onto the track. Hem is reliable, his personality never changing from day to day. You won't find any surprises with this one once you have him figured out, though exactly what and how he'll be distracted day by day is not as predictable by any means.
Leg Type: Front Runner
Out on the track, the switch is thrown and Hem becomes deadly quiet, seeming to stare at those around him with a gaze as poisonous as the plant he is named for. The blinkers probably help him with gaining this deadly focus, as without them we imagine he'd take life quite a bit less seriously. Hem is the picture of cool grace before a race. He warms up and loads without a hitch, the consummate professional from start to finish. Open those gates, though, and suddenly you have a horse launching into the lead with enough ferocity to scorch the very track beneath his hooves. Hemlock is a ferocious front runner. He'll break first, rip into the lead, set a blistering first quarter, and then hit the brakes, drifting back into a pace that appears acceptable compared to the first. He has a high cruising speed, helped by the length of his stride, but never goes for broke from start to finish. He likes to establish himself at the start, stay fast but slow a bit towards the middle, and absolutely throw down the gauntlet towards the end of the race, aiming to win by open lengths if possible in a show of heart against his foes. You almost wouldn't recognize this black horse roaring down the stretch as the same one distracted by a random butterfly in the paddock. Hem is all business out there, and it shows.
Leg Type: Front Runner
Out on the track, the switch is thrown and Hem becomes deadly quiet, seeming to stare at those around him with a gaze as poisonous as the plant he is named for. The blinkers probably help him with gaining this deadly focus, as without them we imagine he'd take life quite a bit less seriously. Hem is the picture of cool grace before a race. He warms up and loads without a hitch, the consummate professional from start to finish. Open those gates, though, and suddenly you have a horse launching into the lead with enough ferocity to scorch the very track beneath his hooves. Hemlock is a ferocious front runner. He'll break first, rip into the lead, set a blistering first quarter, and then hit the brakes, drifting back into a pace that appears acceptable compared to the first. He has a high cruising speed, helped by the length of his stride, but never goes for broke from start to finish. He likes to establish himself at the start, stay fast but slow a bit towards the middle, and absolutely throw down the gauntlet towards the end of the race, aiming to win by open lengths if possible in a show of heart against his foes. You almost wouldn't recognize this black horse roaring down the stretch as the same one distracted by a random butterfly in the paddock. Hem is all business out there, and it shows.
Racing (Current Season)
Race Record: 12 2/5/3
Workouts:
Jockey: Kylie Silverstar
Last Ran: February Week Two
HOTY Points:
Current Points Total: 23
Start Points Record: 5 starter points +5 run previous season +5 HoTY winner = 15
2nd in Y22 Princess Turia Stakes//Jan Wk1 BSD [11F D] [+3]
3rd in Y22 GET AHEAD STAKES*//Feb Wk2 GHF [9F D] [+4]
4th in Y22 Halfbridled Stakes//Jan Wk3 BSD [9F D] [+1]