the world's eyes ~

MOONDANCE & SILENT WINGS & RADIANCE

DECLARATIONS
Moondance - Breeders Cup Ladies Classic
Silent Wings - Breeders Cup Dirt Mile
Radiance - Breeders Cup Classic

Amber sighed as she dropped into the saddle of her bay True Enough son. Radiance shifted underneath her weight, then began to paw the ground, eager to head off. His eyes looked at the world around him, entrusting himself to the beauty of it. His heart sang as Amber asked him to move forward and he stepped foot on the dirt track. At four years old, the bay thoroughbred had filled out. He was at the peak of his power, and he moved confidently, each stride ringing with purpose. He knew what he was here to do; he had done that job for the past two seasons, and would again when he was five. He was nothing if not talented. As a three year old, he had won the Belmont Stakes, the Palm Tree Paradise Invitational and the Breeders Cup Marathon. The year before that, he had won the Breeders Cup Juvenile. Winning a Breeders Cup race was in the bay's blood, and Amber was hoping to not fail the tradition that he had set for himself.

This time, though, they were eyeing the Breeders Cup Classic. The crown jewel of the Breeders Cup, with a competitive field conditioned to run well from their season running the Triple Crown or other prestigious races. Amber felt familiarity sing in her as she though to SOPS's last Classic mount. That had been Impressario, and he had won. Amber hoped to win again, this time aboard Radiance. It would be funny if a son of True Enough won the Classic as well as a son of Merry Bay King. It seemed that even after their racing careers were over, those two continued to compete for honors in the breeding shed.

Henna whispered hushed praises to the bay three year old filly. Moondance appeared to not react to her words, but on the inside Henna knew that the filly was satisfied. She moved out at her command, tail held showily in the air. It was obvious what the filly thought of herself; she was imperious, impervious to the imperfections of ugliness, a queen because she said so. Such was her attitude, and such was her determination to win. Henna felt burdened by the task ahead of her. Mona was entered into the Ladies Classic. While she had placed second in the Juvenile Fillies last year, this year things could be different. Her two competitors in the Ladies Classic were packed with talent. Mona had her own talent too; she had won the Kentucky Oaks this year. However, that was her only win this year, aside from the Autumn Cup Grade Four Dirt.

Henna worried about the filly's performance; she was young, but not inexperienced. She knew how to win, but did not consistently. However, Henna realized that after working with Radi and Dara before the Autumn Cup, she had been pushed to win that race. Perhaps this time, working with the same horses again, they would win once again. She was no inexperienced two year old; she knew what she had to do in a race. Her running style of stalking the leaders conserved energy while still putting her in a good position to run. However, there was no doubt in Henna's mind that her filly was the long shot in the field. Time to prove them wrong she thought, and urged the filly out onto the dirt track, feeling a sudden spark of determination. Mona was Mona; she had talent.

Krystal smirked at her mare's coldly calm attitude as she legged up into her saddle. Silent Wings was, as per usual, silent. She waited for Krystal's command with the businesslike attitude of the professional athlete. When it came, she moved out at a walk, and upon setting hoof on the dirt track did not change her attitude whatsoever. Unlike the other two horses she was working with today, Dara was cold and uncaring. Not uncaring about her race, but uncaring about showing off and drawing attention to herself. Radi and Mona were the horses that got along well because they both enjoyed attracting attention; Dara, on the other hand, preferred to be a "silent threat", if they were stealing from Limitless Time's title. Thus, she was quiet and composed, and Krystal liked that.

Dara was Dara; she had talent, and had been declared for the Dirt Mile against a competitive field consisting of Prize Me Proud, Buccaneer and Vindictive Fury. All of those horses were quite accomplished; however, none of them had attained grade one status. At the most, they were grade threes. Dara was grade one, with fifteen wins to her name and a quiet reputation. She was the horse to watch out for, and Krystal bet that they would be the favorites on race day. They had the experience, grade and achievements to back them up. What achievements? Well, Dara was the winner of The Natural Memorial Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks last year. This year, however, had been a quiet year for her, with only two wins. Krystal, however, attributed that to the smaller amount of races she had run in, rather than a lack of talent or motivation. She had won the Unicorn Horn Mile and the Autumn Cup Grade One Dirt. Krystal knew that she had a lot of things going for her.

As all approached the first turn, the horses broke into canters. Rhythmic rocking strides and small smiles on each woman's face made the perfect picture as the horses wordlessly approached their starting point. They were racing ten furlongs from the pole, a lengthy workout but necessary. This time around, things would make more sense. The Breeders Cup was far enough away for Amber to work the horses as she was. They would start before the final turn, and let things play out. As they entered the backstretch, every horse accelerated into a canter, and the riders skillfully got every horse lined up side by side and cantering at the same speed in preparation for the start.

The start came, and, as if practiced before, every horse took off at the same time. Dara immediately took the lead, Krystal flush against her back as the mare found her cruising speed. Mona took a place about one and a half lengths off, not letting the mare get too far ahead. Radi comfortably took a place six lengths off of the leader, loping along in with easy, swinging stride. All three thoroughbreds had taken their preferred positions in a race; now, the fitness and will dynamics would take center stage.

For six furlongs nothing changed; the distances between horses would occasionally narrow and then lengthen again. However, it was now the last half mile, and Radiance was beginning to quicken his stride. He made up a couple lengths as the three slammed into the turn. Henna glanced under her arm to see Radiance pouring it on and asked Mona to go. Krystal waited for the other two to come. She would not ask Dara to go any sooner, or else the mare would burn out. Dara impatiently pulled at the reins, but she had grown to listen more to her rider. This meant more victories!

The final two furlongs were upon them. Radi and Mona were now a length off of Dara, so Henna let her mare go. The black mare flew powerfully forward, racing as though she hadn't been for the past mile. Radi was not perturbed by her increase in power; he continued to gallop forward himself, soon drawing up alongside. Krystal desperately looked for an opening between the two horses in front of her, and finding none steered her filly to the outside. Mona flew as fast as she could, attempting to catch up, but the block up had done its work. As they crossed the wire, it was Radi and Dara neck and neck, with Mona a length back on the outside.

Each horse was pulled up by his or her rider. Each rider exchanged glances with each other, as well as quick nods. Pride shone in each pair of eyes. This batch of horses was ready for the Breeders Cup.

MYSTICAL MELODY & TDI LIVE THIS LIE

DECLARATIONS
Mystical Melody in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies
TDI Live This Lie in the Breeders Cup Juvenile

The filly we basically jumping up and down when Henna legged up into the saddle. As soon as Mel felt the weight she snorted excitedly and pulled on the reins, obviously eager to get started. She was nearly as small as Pegasus Wings, and just as energetic, even similar in her running style. Perhaps that was why she and Henna worked so well together. Henna easily kept the filly in hand, conditioned to it by Asus. She let the filly pull her out onto the dirt track, and then let her enter a trot. Her mount's excitement rubbed off on her; Henna, too, was looking forward to the workout ahead. She always became enthusiastic for a workout because of the energy of the mounts she rode.

Mel was quite possibly the top two year old SoPS had right now. With five wins in eleven starts, she was quite the one to look out for. The most distinctive quality about her was her energy level. She had so much energy it was like lightning in a bottle. She released this energy during her races, when she ran in the front and somehow had enough sprint stamina to succeed. It was eye catching, and Henna liked that in her horses. Mel was her younger energizer bunny; Asus was the mount she used to learn how to ride Mel the best. Mel was success; the field for the Juvenile Fillies had been drawn up and was tough, but she was class, one of the three two year olds that had broken into grade four ranks this year.

Falsehood waited, patient and impatient, as Amber vaulted into his saddle. He set out at once, keen to get going, though not quite as enthusiastic as Mel. His coat was beginning to become a lighter gray, which made it more eye catching. He already caught a couple eyes due to his foreign and rare bloodlines, though; TDI Secrets of Excalibur and Definite Glory were shards of GHF's past, and their blood only ran through him. He was their only bloodline descendant racing on GHF. This made him a very treasured colt. Amber, however, liked him for his personality. Racing was in his blood; he was analytic and intelligent, perceptive and capable, with tons of potential. The Juvenile had drawn up one of the tougher fields in the whole Breeders Cup; Amber wanted Falsehood as ready as he could be.

Falsehood, like Mel, ran in the lead, and attempted to run away with the field. While he didn't have Mel's energy, he did have the intelligence to rate his pace based off of the rest of the field, and the stamina to win a race from gate to wire. It was truly a matter of riding him well and hoping for good luck throughout the race. Falsehood could manage himself well enough alone, but he didn't have the experience backing him yet that would enable him to run better and make better decisions. That was what Amber was there for; to prepare him to gain that experience, and then to be along for the ride when he did.

The workout plan was to race the two eight furlongs from the gates. It would be a lighter race, as both were seasoned enough to know the game by now. They had a bit of experience to back them up. As the two trotted into the backstretch they began to canter. The workouts had become repetitive to Amber at this point, so she varied the pace with Falsehood, slowing him to a trot and then accelerating him to a canter. Not only did it keep her from getting bored, but it enhanced the quality of communication between horse and rider, as well as made Falsehood more attentive. It was taking Henna all she had to hold in Mel, or else she would have done the same. Together they moved along the track, and then approached the gate. Krystal was waiting for them.

Falsehood loaded calmly, with the attitude of a more seasoned racehorse. Mel fidgeted nervously, afraid of being in a confined space, and too full of energy to feel any more willing to do so. Krystal eventually came around to grab Mel's rein and lead her in. Surrounded by two people she at least was familiar with, Mel calmed down and allowed herself to be led in, but was still uneasy in the gate. However, both two year olds were facing straight ahead and ready, so Krystal released the gates, and with a loud ring of bells the two year olds exploded out onto the dirt track.

Mel broke the fastest and bolted into the lead, flying freely and joyfully. Falsehood perceptively picked up on her energy and settled a half length off of her flank, as though goading her to run faster. Unfortunately, Mel fell for the bait, and increased her stride. Falsehood maintained the same pace; he seemed to know that Mel's current speed would tire her out. Henna knew it too, and calmly began to collect the filly. A quarter mile later, the filly was going at a far more reasonable pace, though she had run the quarter in speedy 23 flat. Falsehood stayed about a length off of her, needing no urging or direction from Amber for now. There the two stayed, until finally the final quarter mile was upon them.

Falsehood was given free rein, and he exploded forward, rocketing to Mel's side. Mel was beginning to tire slightly from her fast pace before, but managed to dig deep and keep pace with Falsehood. The two often worked together; she knew her competitor well. After a brief struggle though, she was forced to yield to Falsehood, who shot ahead to a two length lead before the wire. Falsehood's intelligence had won over Mel's energy; however, communication between the two riders was unnecessary, as both realized what they had to work on with their mounts. Thus, they left the track to prepare their next mounts.

SILLENIA & WILDLY NATURAL

DECLARATIONS
Sillenia - Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf
Wildly Natural - Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf

Tura pranced excitedly in place beneath Amber, who with a tight rein focused on getting the filly to do her refocus exercises. Wildly Natural got distracted easily; right now, she was preoccupied with attracting attention to herself. Amber had her walk forward, stop, back up, walk back forward, walk in a circle and then perform a rein back. With each successive move, Tura became more relaxed and focused. Now, Amber trotted her out onto the turf track, and the filly's complete attention was, for now, on her rider and what they were setting out to do today. They were, of course, preparing for the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf. The field contained experienced turf horses, but Tura had many things on her side. She was the lone grade one in the field. Her accomplishments involved winning the first two legs of the Turf Triple Crown this year, winning the grand Universal Cup and winning the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. There was no doubt in Amber's mind that Tura would go in as the favorite.

Tura's running style was that of a closer. She hung around rather far back of the field, biding her time, and then shot forward in the last half mile to hopefully take the win. That was why her distance range was eight to sixteen furlongs, with twelve furlongs being her favorite distance. The Filly and Mare Turf was run at ten furlongs. She had run in and won races at this distance, so the distance was no problem. She had her strategy and back up strategy figured out. All that remained was to make sure she was in the mood and had the correct fitness level on race day.

Sillenia pulled against the reins impatiently, stomping her hoof as Krystal took her time checking the position of her feet in the irons. After a million years, or so it seemed to Sill, Krystal asked her to walk out onto the turf track. More people were showing up now; a steady hum filled the air. Some horses were beginning to appear from the stables, making their way down to the track for their morning workout. No doubt this would lead to Tura freaking out and attempting to attract attention, while Sill would maintain her composure. Headstrong composure, yes, but she wouldn't be as hard to handle as Tura, hopefully.


The media buzz heightened; Krystal glanced over to see people leaning over the rails of the track, watching the two horses and attempting to identify them. Wildly Natural threw her head up into the air and began prancing; she had now unmistakably identified herself, and the media became even more excited. Krystal shook her head at Tura's antics, and wondered how they were going to get through their last workout of the day, with the two horses everybody wanted to see. Of course, Tura had recently beaten one of them, so was attracting many eyes as a strong competitor for her four year old season. Sill, too, was attracting eyes with her accomplishments; however, enough of that. They had a workout to run.

Amber and Krystal began to canter their horses to the gate. The two ran side by side, both pulling at the reins and eager to race. They were competitive fillies, and running side by side meant a race. Racing was in their blood; it was time to get down to business. The gate rose before them. Tura snorted loudly to attract some more attention to herself before going in; Amber was shaking her head in quiet amusement at her mount's antics. Sill hesitated slightly, but then strode right in. She was too eager to get going to make a fuss about the big, scary gate. Krystal grinned, proud of the two year old, before refocusing on the eight furlong race ahead.

Henna opened the gates, and off the two went. Both were closers, so both showed instant discomfort when there was nothing but open track in front of them. Deciding she didn't care for the day, Tura took the lead, leading by a length, not going too far from her comfort zone. Sill took her last place spot comfortably, loping along as though without a care in the world. She was a muscular filly, easily mistaken for a colt. Krystal knew that she could handle the level of competition she'd find in the Juvenile Turf. She was skilled; besides, Goldie deserved her shot in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. But back to the big picture.

A half mile passed, and Sill began to creep up on Tura. Tura hadn't started her stretch run yet; she was comfortably awaiting a challenge, and enjoying the extra attention she got as the horse in front. Sill impatiently pulled on the reins as another furlong swept by; Krystal gradually let her out, slowly letting the filly enter her stretch drive run. By slowly letting her out, she continued to remain a hidden threat, hopefully unnoticed until it was too late to do anything about her oncoming charge. Tura, however, was not an average horse, and she did not have an average rider. Amber saw Sill coming and let Tura out gradually too, guessing at the rate of change that Krystal was doing so that the distance between the two horses remained the same. With two furlongs left to go, Krystal growled and just let Sill go. The filly ground into a breathtaking sprint immediately, accelerating quickly. She was so fast in so few seconds that she managed to draw up alongside Tura before the black thoroughbred fought back.

Tura dug in and attempted to power away, finally being fully released. Sill struggled to keep up, blown away by the sudden explosive power of her competitor. In the final furlong Sill seemed to find another gear and fully drew up alongside Tura. Tura was looking for another gear to put the younger filly away when the two crossed the wire, Tura a nose in front. The women pulled up their horses and glanced uneasily at the media crowd that was getting larger by the second. Their next workout involved two amazing horses; it was not going to be enjoyable to put up with the media. But deep down inside, both women felt thrilled to be able to show their respective mounts off. Grinning slightly, they rode Tura and Sill off the track and to their well deserved rests. They were both ready to go.