juvenile takeover

STRICTLY ROYAL AND KRYSTAL YHATE

He was really growing into himself now. At nearly seventeen hands high, the two year old colt had seemed awkwardly tall and unable to use his legs earlier in the year. Now, however, he moved with a type of grace befitting some growth. He still had lots of growing up to do, of course, but he was beginning to get how to move his huge body. Krystal could feel the difference from the saddle. The bay son of Royal Red Richard and Strictly Speaking was growing up. His stride was longer. As usual, it was full of confidence, but a stronger type of confidence that spoke of the ability to back up his claim to greatness. Of course, he wasn't great right now, at two, but few champions ever started out good and ended as legends. They usually built up. Of course, there were the rare few. With uncommon annoyance, Krystal thought of Flashy Wings. The colt was shining and was a nice contender for the Juvenile, though he would be facing tough competition of course.

Speaking of the Breeders Cup, it was only a week or so away, and after tough decisions Krystal had decided not to run Roy in it. He wasn't ready and would have been outclassed, and though she knew this was true she could not help being upset about it - though if he did well his three year old year, a shot in the Breeders Cup was forthcoming. But back to work. Roy moved at a trot, and then a canter. His gait was different, Krystal could feel it for sure now. There used to be a type of unsteadiness to it, a type of strangeness common to young horses. But now, he moved a bit more like an older horse. Mentally, though, he was still a young horse. Roy thought he was the world and a leader. He ran like he had no limits, though every horse did. Just the memory of how in his latest race he had stubbornly refused to give up the lead made Krystal flinch. They definitely had to work on that. Roy needed to learn to listen to his jockey. Only more riding together would rectify that problem, though.

At the right moment, Krystal leaned forward and coaxed Roy into a gallop. The colt exploded forward, transitioning into the faster pace with joy. He was quick at picking it up; out of all the two year olds, he was one of the fastest at breaking from the gate. Flying into his gallop like he was, he looked like a runaway horse. Krystal admitted that sometimes she didn't have him fully under control, but with every race this got better. With every race, they came closer to earning a second victory. And Roy deserved that victory. His two year old season was done and he was moving on to prepping for his three year old season. He would race hard and race strategically. Maturity would be gained, and something new would emerge. Something great.

Flashing through a half mile at a nice gallop, Krystal eased the colt up. Harder workouts were coming. This was simply a tune up. Soon, Strictly Royal would be facing off against Flashy Wings as a way for the colt to prep for the Juvenile. Krystal did not want to be shown up by that other colt. Somewhere, somehow, she knew they would get him at the wire, or go down trying.





AXIS MUNDAE AND AMBER BLACK

The brilliant black filly was a sight to behold. She was really rather pretty, with a shiny coat and a nice length of mane and tail. The difference, though, was her amount of muscle. Axia did not have a slim frame; rather, she was built like a colt, and the boisterous manner with which she handled herself had often gotten others to mistake her for one. But Amber knew this was simply Axia's external personality. She was not all too comfortable with expressing her true personality around those she didn't know. Rather, she put up a strong shield and acted tough, so that few if any horses messed with her. Her biggest strategy was to get other horses to back down, and this had actually worked on some occasions. She was a hard filly to deny. Only veterans or equally competitive horses could honestly succeed.

Aboard the filly, Amber looked out at the world and sighed. The filly strutted out onto the turf track and then took off at her barest command, nose pointing straight forward and ears listening to what the breeze didn't blow away. There was a small choice before Amber, and that was what race to run Axia in. She was going to the Breeders Cup, of course, but her race would depend on competition and where she was most likely to win. Amber would have preferred the Juvenile Sprint, but she was unsure if it was on turf and pretty sure that it wasn't. That left the Juvenile Turf or the Juvenile Turf Fillies. Axia could handle colts, but Amber questioned if she really wanted to push Axia that far. True, Sillenia had won the Juvenile Turf Fillies last year, so SOPS had a filly title to defend...yet, Amber wasn't sure if Axia could take them on and win. Not that she wasn't classy, as she was, but it would be a tough battle.

And preparations began now for it.

The wind whipped through Amber's hair. The ground sped by underneath Axia's hooves as the filly continued to pick up speed. Early on, Amber had learned of Axia's love of sprinting. Axia loved to feel the speed in her hooves and the air fanning her invisible wings. She loved to go fast, and she loved to be unpredictable while going fast. As such, she could be a very headstrong ride, but Amber had dealt with that well. Really, Amber planned to make Axia a top class miler, but also a well known sprinter. She definitely had the abilities in her from Little Miss Innocent - she would just have to tap into them. Flying around the final turn and into the stretch, Axia picked up even more speed, and it was hard to convince herself that they hadn't already hit top classiness. But Amber knew there was more waiting to be unlocked in her filly, and the thought definitely excited her to no end.




WILD KISS AND AMBER BLACK

The gorgeous bay filly was like a living flame. She was a small, living fire, moving restlessly underneath Amber as she checked her stirrups before trotting her out onto the turf track. Kiss listened perfectly to all of Amber's commands, but when racing it was an entirely different story. Kiss could either ignore or only semi listen to what Amber signaled her to do. Usually, Kiss chose the latter option, and this was a huge problem. Kiss had talent; she was one of the most talented closers in the barn. She could just kick it up in a matter of seconds, and whether on the final turn five wide or boxed in on the rail, her slim shape and ability let her pick out a path and race up it like wildfire. She was hard to stop when she got going.

Despite her lack of obedience during an actual run, Amber appreciated a ride aboard her filly. She was sweet and a turf runner, for one, and another reason was that she was a closer. This was a refreshing racing style for Amber, who had only ridden front runners recently. Kiss was also a talented closer, almost as good as Dark Sunrise at the practice, and that was saying something. Today, Amber wanted to feel the power Kiss locked away into her muscles. She wanted to feel the massive acceleration and the startling burst of speed. She needed to, for she wanted to know whether Kiss was going to be sent for the Breeders Cup. If she was, it would be to the Juvenile Fillies Turf for sure. Amber would not pit the delicate filly against colts.

After their warm up, Amber and Kiss began to gallop. It was a slow, easy gallop at first. Kiss was barely panting or even breathing hard as they went along. Eventually, though, she began to pick it up, a little bit more with each passing second. Within a quarter mile of the finish line Kiss really picked it up, and with an intense turn of foot she burst forward into sudden speed. There was no competition to challenge her, nothing except the blankness ahead that waited to be devoured beneath her hooves. Roaring past the finish line, Amber nearly just let the filly keep going, but recognized the need for a full stop. Rising in the irons, she patted the filly's slightly wet neck as they coasted back down to a trot. Kiss indeed was a closing machine - there was just no stopping her, no matter how tired she got. Amber knew that her determination would carry them far.