she's a bullet

LYNARA'S KINGDOM AND AMBER BLACK
BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE SPRINT WORKOUT

So what mood was the gray daughter of With A Snap and Sophie Might going to be in today? Was she furious, motivated, obedient (ha!), irrationally furious? Lynara's mood changed every day. Sometimes she was obedient, other times she was cruel, and other times she just didn't listen. Even after two years with the filly Amber was uncertain of just what determined her mood swings. Was it the weather? Or was it just completely and utterly random? Amber hoped that one day she would crack the code. The day that she did would be the day that she finally understood her filly, who was right now incomprehensible.

Today she appeared to be...quiet. Intimidating. Her eyes looked scornfully at the world around her as though daring it to touch her. Her hooves stomped on the ground as though denying their existence and disliking the earthy feel. Well, she'd have to get over the ground eventually. The dirt track awaited them, as did their final prep workout for the Juvenile Sprint this weekend. Four horses and them had showed up to contend for the race over a speedy five furlongs. Just the way Lynara liked it. Amber could feel it now - the filly would be moody the day of and explode into the lead, most likely. Or maybe she would close? Either way, the pace was fast, and they would be hard pressed to tire before the end of the race. Therefore, their only problems would lie in crowd control. Amber would have to make sure Lynara didn't decide to take chunks out of the horses around her. She would also have to ride her cleverly if they were to stand a chance.

Wannabe Hero of Silver Stride was a front runner with a chance to contend, especially since the race was so short. Royal Assassin of Prison Hill was the other front runner, and Amber felt that the colt was a major threat in the race. After Dusk was the other major threat, of Star Thoroughbreds. She and her stablemate Sweetness Unlimited (who she hadn't seen a whole lot of that year) would be behind those two front runners. So where would Lynara be? Somewhere behind them, with them or in front of them? Given her moodiness, Amber didn't want her at the front. Lynara would tire herself out competing with the other two. The best place to be would be just off the pace. While the race was short, nothing would rile Lynara up more then seeing horses in front of her and being unable to catch them. Amber would probably be in for a rough ride for the first three furlongs, but in the fourth and fifth furlongs they would be bullets.

Amber was riding her easily on the inner dirt track, and Lynara was actually being half obedient. She listened to every cue, and almost immediately behaved. It was unusual behavior for the filly. Perhaps she was maturing? Amber thoroughly doubted it and focused on an analysis of the filly as they cantered along. Lynara was moving freely and lightly, her hooves just skimming the dirt as she took off after a landing. She felt good and full of energy, and almost quietly enjoying the workout thus far. She knew what racing was about now, and though she was far from the most successful on the track she had her own version of how to run it - by feel, and not by some set and predictable strategy. Their opponents were likely predicting that they would be near the pace with the rest due to the distance of the race. Amber smirked. She couldn't wait to surprise them.

Galloping was an art form. How did a sprinter gallop? Well, that depended on the sprinter. Some had very long strides and just moved them enough to make them as fast as a horse with short strides that moved their legs very quickly. Others had average strides, and they picked either of those two styles. Lynara's varied, just like the rest of her did. She could be long strided and slow or short strided and blurring. Either way, she could cover ground fast, and in the end Amber loved to sprint with her. It was hell to work with the filly usually, but there was a method that could be utilized to work with her most effectively. Amber utilized it now.

She merely dropped the reins and hung on.

Lynara burst forward without warning, simply eating up all the slack in a blur of speed. She went from horse to bullet in seconds, and she didn't want to stop. Amber let her have her head for about a furlong before pulling her in, not wanting her to overextend herself as well as reminding the filly just who was in charge. Lynara resisted furiously, but you can't resist the iron grip of Amber on you for too long. She slowed angrily and snorted, her head shaking everywhere and her ears almost pinned back to her head. Amber ignored the obvious signs of anger and just cooled the filly down. Eventually she was calmer, and not as angry, though Amber knew she was simmering on the inside. But that was all right. Lynara couldn't injure herself before the biggest race of her career thus far.

Amber hoped Lynara showed this bullet speed on race day. If she did and they raced well, the race could very well become theirs. She looked forward to the results.