early competition (open)

Henna Turath and Flashy Wings

The blood bay colt was definitely an attention grabber. He just had the presence that many other horses lacked. One could compare him to a lion prancing across the track while looking gorgeous at the same time. Henna rode her only two year old mount of the year and felt pride trickling through her. Flash had been named Prospect of the Year and Best Prospect Colt, with good reason. He had stunning conformation, and had proven himself best in the GHF Next Top Racehorse series. He had added even more shine to his already brilliant star when he won his first start as a two year old, in the Greasy Giraffe Stakes. Of course, that had been on the turf. Now, they were out for a dirt workout.

His last workout partner had been Axis Mundae. The filly, who's full sister was Beltane, had run away with their workout race, winning by a length, all because Henna hadn't been expecting the filly's speed. Naturally, both horses had won their first starts on the track. Henna was looking forward to the opportunity to work the two together again, and would have liked to do that today, but Amber was busy. She had to work her other mount, Wild Kiss. Henna had let it go, and taken the opportunity to let Flash explore the dirt track some more. Walking and then trotting along, she looked for competition, suddenly eager for a match. She caught sight of a black filly just up ahead, and urged Flash forward. They drew up alongside, and Henna opened her mouth to greet the rider, but Henna recognized the filly, and nothing came out of her mouth in surprise.

Henna recognized Beltane, Axia's full sister. A sly smirk appeared on her face. It was as close as she would get to working Flash against Axia. Henna wondered how similar the two sisters were. That's Beltane, right? she asked, checking to make sure her sudden excitement was founded.

Henna noticed the look of pleasant surprise on the other woman's face, and guessed that she wasn't used to getting recognition. It made her feel happy that she could make the other woman's day a bit better, simply by recognizing her mount on sight. I'm Henna, Henna Turath, and this is Flashy Wings. We ride for Stride of Perfection? She wasn't sure of just how new Alice was to the racing scene. If anything, Henna was confident that Beltane would get them far. After all, her full sister had broken her maiden on the first try.

You must be wondering how I know Beltane? she asked suddenly, knowing that Alice was probably thinking exactly that. You see, SOPS owns her twin sister Axis Mundae. I worked Flash here against Axia in his last workout, which really helped him. I was hoping to work with Axia again today, but she had a solo workout yesterday, and Amber didn't want to push it. Her full sister, however...that's just as good. Henna said the last part with a smirk and a smile.

Henna nodded at hearing where Alice came from. Darkest Dreams. Not as new as the five others that had popped up over the last month, but not as old as established stables such as Riverwood Acres etc. It would be interesting to see how they did this year. Amber had gone through their stock - she was quite the stable stalker - and had told her and Krystal that they had a good foundation and could become a force to reckon with. So Henna would really enjoy this race against Alice - it would mean a chance to get out with someone new, and Henna liked that.

Yes, we would love a race she said, eyes twinkling with a challenge. Flash carried himself confidently over the dirt track, aware that there could be some competition but not paying it much attention. He was too focused. It was rare to ride such a focused two year old. Henna counted herself to have the best mount out of the two year old crop, even though he was her only one. No doubt Amber would assign her more mounts soon. How long would you like to race for? Is Beltane more of a sprinter or a classic distance horse? she inquired, curious. Axia ran six to ten furlongs, and she was wondering if her sister ran similar distances.