STBS BREEDER'S CUP WORKS.

SUNSET CRUSADE AND BANK ON GREATNESS WORK FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP CLASSIC
HERE'S THE KING WORKS FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP SPRINT

Hello handsome. Sarah greeted the five year old grey stallion affectionately. Bank On Greatness exhaled gently, touching his nose to her hand. She smiled, rubbing its velvety softness, while sneaking him a piece of apple. The stallion seemed to smile as he chomped on it, clearly enjoying its sweetness. Sarah clipped on Greatness's lead rope, then let herself into his stall and began to brush him. With the Breeder's Cup just a week away, Sarah had finally made the decision to run Greatness in the Classic. It was only fitting that the stallion got the chance to run in the famed race, since he'd won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile, Marathon and Dirt Mile in his previous seasons.

Thinking of the Breeder's Cup made Sarah's stomach churn a little. The competition was getting fiercer every year, and she felt more anxious this year than any other. Probably because many of their horses would be running, and it was stressful to try and prepare them as well as talk to, or ward off the press. At least at home the media could not just walk into the stables, or watch them workout. Behind her, the stall door opened and Bank On Greatness watched someone walk in. Strong, muscular arms slipped around her waist and she heard her husband whisper in her ear. Ready? He asked, kissing her neck.

They'd been together for over three years, and married for nearly two. His touch still made her feel tingly, though, and she was deeply in love with him. Sarah turned around and curled her arms around James' neck, kissing him. Yes. Bank On Greatness was first to work out this morning. As if to remind her who the attention should be on, the thoroughbred nudged her, snorting. Grinning, the pair quickly saddled the horse and led him down to the dirt track.

There they were met by Marissa and Stella, who were already mounted up and warming up Sunset Crusade and Here's The King. King was due to run in the Sprint, while Sunset Crusade would also run in the Classic with Greatness. Sarah received a leg up, and last instructions from James. Then they headed off at a trot in single file on the outer edge of the dirt track. Sunset Crusade lead the trio, arching his neck with pride. There was a spring in his step, and a sparkle in his eye. The way his muscles rippled under his shining bay coat told anyone who saw him that the colt was in peak condition.

Bank On Greatness was second in line. The stallion moved with strong, purposeful strides, his head was up and his mane and tail flowed in the wind, looking like silver silk. Here's The King brought up the rear, looking relaxed and ready for a race. His muscles bulged under his bay coat as they tensed and relaxed with each stride. After a short while, they moved on into canter, and cantered side by side. The three riders discussed the upcoming races with some excitement and nervousness. Stella fell quiet as Sarah and Marissa chatted about the Classic.

They were up against Limitless Time, Moondance, and Flashy Wings. Limitless Time was the longshot of the field, recently returned after over a year off. The only race he'd won this season had not contained any of the horses in the Classic field. Moondance had won the Classic last year and was definitely a threat. The mare had recently won the Dubai World Cup against everyone in the Classic field except Sunset Crusade, who hadn't run. She was certainly one to beat. Then there was Flashy Wings. Undoubtedly an excellent colt, who had taken two legs of the Triple Crown and the Climax Cup this year. His jockey apparently had a real grudge for Sunset Crusade after Marissa's boy won the Kentucky Derby.

Sunset Crusade was to run from gate four. Three years old, and winner of ten races this year including the Kentucky Derby. His record for the season stood at 17-10-5-2, and overall at 29-13-9-6. Cruze was a strong frontrunner, and had lead all the races he had won from wire to wire. He could do it again in the Classic - there was no other front runner to pressure him, and he was certainly capable of outrunning everyone else. His strategy was to lead, wire to wire, and make his move late as possible to conserve as much energy as possible for his bid for the win. Same as always.

Bank On Greatness was five years old, and this would be the last race of his career. He'd previously won three Breeder's Cup races, and Sarah longed for a fourth. His full brother Impressario had won four, so he could too. The Classic had to be his. He'd only been lightly raced, bringing his record for the season to 15-5-7-1, and his career record to 70-24-18-12. His most recent win had been in the Dubai Colt Cup against everyone in the Classic field, excluding Moondance. Greatness's race strategy would be to coast along easily behind Sunset Crusade, who would move away from the rail at the top of the stretch to give him room to run. Obviously, both horses could not win. It could only be one of them, and they would not stand in each other's way.

Here's The King was running in the Breeder's Cup Sprint. He was up against just Pegasus Wings and Beltane, after Limited Bluez had been scratched. Beltane was the youngest of the field, at three, and a filly. She was not being considered too much of a threat. Pegasus Wings was King's younger half brother and arch rival. The black five year old stallion had never placed out of the top three, and his career record was incredible at 50-28-14-8. He'd won two Breeder's Cup races, and his record for this season stood at 12-7-3-2.

King was six years old, and had been only lightly raced over his entire career. In five seasons of racing, his record was at 43-17-14-7. This season, he had won five times, placed second five times, third twice and fourth twice. He was not as consistent as his little brother, but he had beaten him before and could do it again. Both Beltane and Pegasus Wings were frontunners. Stella hoped the pair would run themselves ragged with a speed duel, so King could close easily in the stretch and beat them both. But she knew Pegasus Wings was highly capable of holding high speed for an entire race, so King would have to put on a real closing kick to take him over in the stretch to win.

After over a lap of warming up, they were ready to gallop. Just four furlongs, starting at the four furlong pole. The three riders prepared to gallop by checking their balance, adjusting their grip on the reins and taking a handful of mane, if necessary. The four furlong pole flashed by, the the three stallions leaped forward, Sunset Crusade immediately taking the lead, with Bank On Greatness on his flank and King running behind Greatness. They galloped up to the turn and around it, then began to accelerate.

Cruze held his lead as King began to close. Bank On Greatness poured on the speed and began to inch up on his younger stablemate, who then put on a ferocious burst of speed to hold him off. Here's The King continued to gain, sprinting now as they quickly approached the wire. The three riders each urged their horses on, and it was Bank On Greatness who pushed his nose past Cruze's to win, with King taking third by a head. They slowed down gradually, and completed another lap at gallop, canter then trot to warm down. Although the outcome of the Breeder's Cup Classic and Sprint were not at all certain, each of them certainly felt ready to take the famed races on..

EUPHORION AND FURIOUS PASSION WORK FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP MARATHON

Dismounting Silent Fury and swinging up into his half brother Furious Passion's saddle, Marissa thought that, in all truth, Furious Passion had probably peaked about a year ago. His race performance hadn't been nearly as good this year as last year, considering he'd won the Triple Crown and the Dubai World Cup, and this year he'd been in the winner's circle just twice. But she still thought he had it in him to go for one more win, and a second Breeder's Cup win. They began their warm up on the dirt track, avoiding the fast workers by sticking to the outside rail. Euphorion and Sarah warmed up a little way behind them, since Ryan thought he was a prince and Passion thought he could be an assassin.

They were entered in the Breeder's Cup Marathon. It would not be an easy race, even though most of the horses entered were probably not as good as they had been in previous years. In gate one was Knight Rousseau. The four year old colt would have been a huge competitor for Passion in the TC last year had he not been taken off the track for more than a year. Now, he'd made a good comeback with one win, two seconds and a third in the past couple months. His record presently stood at 20-5-4-4. Xalbadora was next. The four year old Close Racing filly wasn't very consistent, but could pull a surprise at times. Her record was currently 56-7-8-8.

Dashing In The Firelight from Stride of Perfection Stables was next, and would likely be their biggest competition. Like Passion, she had run a killer season last year but this year seemed to have passed her peak. Still, she'd done better than the young stallion. Her record was 50-14-12-7 at this time. The next gate would contain Euphorion. He was the youngest of the field, but had run the best season of all of them. He'd won six times, placed second seven times and third four times, with five places out of the top three bringing his career record to 33-10-9-7. The colt was grade two, and could quite possibly go in the favourite to win.

Furious Passion had won twice this year, placed second five times and third three times in sixteen starts. He was probably a long shot, but Marissa still believed he had it in him. There was no front runner in the field, so it would most likely be either Euphorion or Knight Rousseau who set the pace. Sarah was adamant that she would run Euphorion in his usual position however, so they just had to hope that the Akita Rose horse would step up. Otherwise the race was likely to be quite slow paced, because no one else would want the lead.

As instructed, the pair accelerated into gallop at the four furlong pole. They stayed neck and neck as they traveled around the turn into the stretch. Marissa waited for Euphorion to make his move patiently. Back when Passion was two, they'd discovered that he got bored if he got too far in the lead and lost interest in winning. That was why he was run in the closer position, so he had to work all the way to the end to win. Finally Euphorion put on a burst of speed, pulling away from Passion quickly. Passion immediately began to accelerate too, not about to be left behind. His legs were two inches longer that Euphorion's, and as he reached full speed he began to gain on the colt gradually.

Once again, it was going to be close. But Euphorion held out and reached the wire a neck before his stablemate, who then went on to have a tantrum about slowing down. The secret plan had worked. Now Euphorion would be confident, and Furious Passion would be furious about losing so closely, and would work extra hard in the race to beat Ryan, and whoever else challenged him. They were ready to run a Marathon.

STRIKE A POSE AND IGNACIA WORK FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF

Dismounting from Ianna, Stella gave the filly one last neck rub then collected Ignacia. After she mounted the grey mare, she trotted over to where Blaze was warming up with Strike A Pose. Good morning he said, grinning. Stella grinned back. Heey she replied. They headed off up the turf track at a trot, warming up for their workout.

Strike A Pose and Ignacia were entered in the Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Turf. It was a big field of eight, and included some of the big names like Terror Smile and Sillenia. This would be Ignacia's last race, and Stella wanted it to be a good one. But the young mare wasn't the same as last year, and Stella knew she'd peaked then. She'd been third in the BC F&M Turf. Blaze was really excited to race Strike A Pose in the Filly And Mare Turf. She'd been second in the Juvenile Fillies Turf last year under Sarah, and had raced well again this year, with six more wins to her name, bringing her career record to 33-8-7-8.

The race would definitely be a challenge. There was not only Terror Smile and Sillenia, but also Alluring Assault, Destined For Glory, Wild Kiss and Flawed Princess. Terror Smile had drawn gate one. The Triple Krown Racing filly had had an excellent season, and would certainly be one to beat. She'd won six of nine races this year and was on the verge of grade three. Intrepid Racing's Alluring Assault had made a comeback recently after over a year off. Unfortunately for the grade three filly, she hadn't won yet.

Next was grade three mare Destined For Glory. She hadn't won in a long time, and therefore wasn't being considered much of a threat. Wild Kiss of SOPS had drawn gate four, and the filly appeared to have a serious case of seconditis. Her overall record was 25-5-10-5, with seven of those second places coming from the current season. The grade four filly was possibly a threat. Next came Sillenia. The four year old mare was grade one as of her last win, and excelled on the turf. She was the winner of this race last year, and could go in the favourite this year, if Terror Smile did not.

Next was STBS bred Flawed Princess. She'd been sold earlier in the year to Silver Stride Stables, who had managed to squeeze another two wins out of the four year old. Despite their efforts, she would most likely be a long shot. As for Strike A Pose and Ignacia, Poser would be going in one of the favourites to win following her awesome winning streak that took her from grade five to grade three. Ignacia was another long shot.

As for how the race would play out, it looked to be in the front runners and preceders favour. The field was dominated by five closers - Terror Smile was a front runner, Flawed Princess and Strike A Pose were preceders. The closers would probably get in each other's way in the stretch, whereas the way would be clear for Smile, Princess and Poser.

As they'd been instructed, the pair urged their horses on into gallop at the four furlong pole. Clumps of grass and dirt flew up behind them as the two fillies dug in and accelerated. They rounded the turn quickly, and then accelerated again, this time to top speed in the stretch. Strike A Pose pulled away quickly, beating Ignacia by more than a length. Stella sighed. Maybe she should get Ignacia scratched.. Either way Strike A Pose was ready to run and maybe win in the F&M Turf.

SPITTING IMAGE WORKS FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT
GEORGIE'S GIRL WORKS FOR BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE FILLES TURF
PASSIONATE FLYER WORKS FOR THE BREEDER'S CUP JUVENILE TURF

Hey Image Blaze greeted his filly, grinning. James boosted him into the saddle, and the trio set off to begin their warm up on the turf. The three two year olds danced and played as the trotted, keen to get to the galloping part. As they warmed up, the riders discussed their horses chances in the races ahead.

Georgie's Girl was entered in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. It was for two year old fillies only, G5+ and run over nine furlongs on turf. The field was small, only four horses. Other than GG, there were three other talented fillies running. Dazzling Dame had drawn gate one. she was grade five and had a record of 12-1-3-2. Mizadori would break from gate three. The Silver Stride Stables filly had a record of 8-1-2-1. The last competitor was Winning Touch, from Kacey Hill Racing. She hadn't been seen since early in the year, sparking injury rumors. The filly's record however was impressive at 5-1-2-2.

Georgie's Girl herself had drawn gate two. She was grade five with two wins, but her consistency was low, bringing her record to 11-2-1-1. However most of her placings off the board had been before she won her maiden race, so since then she'd been much improved. In the small field, three of the fillies liked to run behind the leaders, and one of them liked midpack. Stella hoped one of the other fillies stepped up as she didn't want GG to burn all her energy as the pace setter. If no one did, well, it would just have to be a slow pace race with no real leader.

Passionate Flyer was entered in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf. The two year old colt had barely raced this season, but as the son of Simply A Flyer, he deserved a shot in the famed race. As for his competition, Dawn of Silence had drawn gate one. The Kacey Hill colt had raced more than Prince, for the same results. His record was 10-1-0-3. Stride Of Perfection's colt Canjun Moon was to start from gate two. His record stood at 12-2-3-5 and as the winner of the Unicorn Horn Juvenile Turf back in January, he'd be a top contender here. Infinite Warcry was also from Stride Of Perfection Stables, and was the favourite to win. the Grade four colt had a record of 7-4-1-1.

Passionate Flyer himself had a record of 7-1-0-3. he'd hardly raced this season, needing time to mature. He'd certainly done that, and his times were much faster than they were seven months ago, when he'd last raced. He'd also grown three inches taller. Sarah expected that Dawn of Silence would set the pace, being a preceder, then she and Passionate Flyer, also a preceder, would run in second. Then the two SOPS colts would follow, as closers.

Spitting Image was entered in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She was in a very small field of just three, including herself. Her only competition was Sugar Jayde and Feline Frenzy. Sugar Jayde was from Stride Of Perfection Stables, and would be the bigger threat of the two. She was grade four, and had won five of her ten starts, placing third in another two. Not only that, but she'd beaten Image more than Image had beaten her, which was highly annoying to the competitive filly. Feline Frenzy was not considered a threat at all really, with her record of 8-1-2-1.

Spitting Image herself was grade four, with a record of 13-4-7-1. Blaze really hoped the filly would win this, and would do everything in his power to help her do so. He wanted more wins than second places, and he wanted to beat Sugar Jayde. Sugar Jayde would have to set the pace, so hopefully she'd be too tired to put up much of a fight against Image and Frenzy, who both ran mid pack.

After trotting and cantering more than a lap, they transitioned to gallop at the four furlong pole, as planned. They stayed together, head to head, to try and keep the horses competitive and boost their confidence. They headed towards the turn quickly, clumps of turf and dirt flicking up behind them. As the stretch straightened out before them, they simultaneously made their moves. Passionate Flyer showed his breeding and pulled ahead, while Spitting Image kept up furiously. Georgie's Girl also kept up with him, but slowly lost ground until they flashed by the finish. It was Image by a nose, then Prince, then GG a half length behind. They were ready for the Breeder's Cup.