Post by Millie on Jan 25, 2013 9:33:18 GMT -5
Arlequinn ridden by Indey McCall
Livin' The Jazz ridden by Millie Daveys
Livin' The Jazz ridden by Millie Daveys
It was that time of year again; the week of the running of the magnificent Breeder’s Cup. Horses from all over were coming to compete and the competition this year was fierce. All of the best stables had entries, some even had a horse entered in each race! Oak Hill Farm, however, were only taking a select few horses this year. It was only part way into this year that Oak Hill had a revamp and begun racing again after a mystery hiatus, so to take any horses at all was an achievement. Four horses from Oak Hill would be making the journey to Green Horse Fields to partake in the prestigious Breeder’s Cup; Smarty’s Dream, Daydream, Livin’ The Jazz and Arlequinn.
Smarty’s Dream is a four year old mare. By the fine Smart As Jones and out of grade one champion from the Stables Master track, Livin’ The Dream. Smarty performed time after time as a prospect and two year old, even winning the Prospect of the Year award! However, her career came to an abrupt standstill in the early months of her three year old season after she sustained a leg injury in the paddock. Though, after a bumpy return Smarty is now storming the track again. She has bumped herself up to grade three this year managing to grab two victories, four places and two shows; making the Oak Hill team believe she has what it takes to tackle the Breeder’s Cup Ladies Classic.
Daydream has always shone for Oak Hill. Though she may have her rough patches, recently has defiantly not been one of them. Rea has shot up to grade four this season and will surely be joining the grade three ranks with Smarty in no time at all! Rea has snatched three wins, one place and three shows, including one in the Louisiana Derby*, so far this year. Rea is a hearty and talented sprinter and for sure has enough left in her to finish the year by going to the Breeder’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Livin’ The Jazz, a stunning and talented two year old colt. Jax has recently returned to Oak Hill Farm after a short time at Intrepid Racing where his two year old season really kicked off. Jax is a thriving grade five colt at the moment, and he will surely be climbing the ranks quickly and successfully in his upcoming seasons. Jax has performed excellently this season, running in races such as The Unicorn Horn, Magic Millions and Follow The Hoofprints. Jax is also half-brother to Smarty, related through the dam. The Oak Hill team are confident that taking Jax to the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Turf is the right decision and that he will perform come race day.
Arlequinn. Arley is proving to be quite the two year old. His record for this season is good, to say the least. Only placing out of the top three twice out of eleven starts and also winning two races. Arley's last race was in November week 3, where he won over at The Wire track, so he is well rested for his shot in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He is well prepared for the Cup, even though he may not be the most raced or well known 2YO out there, Oak Hill still deffinately believe he has what it takes to take everyone by surprise.
Today would be the last day that Oak Hill would get to prepare their horses for their Breeder’s Cup races. Today was vital. The horses needed to perform well and keep their confidence. First out on the track this morning was Arlequinn ridden by Indey McCall and Livin’ The Jazz ridden by Millie Daveys. Both jockeys were extremely excited to be taking their horses to the Cup and were determined to do as well as they could.
Millie urged her colt forwards onto the track, as he did so he let out a squeal of excitement and jolted forwards onto the track. Closely following was Indey and Arley. Arley was a lively and energetic colt. Not the easiest to handle, but he had a heart of gold everything was worth it in the end! Alrey lept forward, quickly catching up to Jax’s haunches and making his way level with him. The pair could be as bad as each other at times, although Arley usually came out on top in the ‘lively colt’ department. The pair of horses made their way down the track, both a little too full of energy.
Whoah boy! Indey eased Arley up a little, getting him to relax. Millie looked over to the pair and smiled. Arley definitely wasn’t the quietest ride, but she knew Indey could handle him and would be able to get the best out of him to continue his successful racing career. So, I think maybe just a two furlong blast out? Millie directed her question over to Indey. Millie didn’t want to have the horses do too much today, just let off some energy, which was much needed. Yeah, sounds great! Arley needs that for sure anyway! Indey laughed a little at her statement.
The pair of riders pushed their horses forwards into a trot. Arley fought against his rider a little, speed was his thing and he wasn’t happy until he was going as fast as he could. Jax seemed to settle a little behind Arley, as though he was just waiting to make his move. Though no horses would actually ‘win the race’ today, Millie and Indey wanted them to finish together, as to not get a confidence knock. Though both horses should be confident at the moment, after winning recent races each.
They approached the bend on the far side of the track. Together, they would have a good canter until the straight where their two furlong gallop would begin. Millie pushed Jax into canter first. This is when he really seemed to pick up. His ears perked forwards and he shot into the lead in a speedy, rhythmic pace. Arley followed instantly. He was happy of the pace change and sped up to catch Jax. The pair were both very competitive and hated to lose. Today was going to be a battle all right. The horses settled nicely aside each other and relaxed to their riders a little. Once they were off and galloping they would both be fine. They were just a little too eager to get going again.
The straight was growing closer with every passing second. The pairs of horse and rider sped around the bend and reached the straight. With a quick glance to each other and a slight nod of the head both jockeys pushed their rides forward, asking for the gallop. Both horses shot forward into the pace, setting a quick speed. Both horses were closers, so today’s workout really would be quick with pace, seen as though they had no front runners to stalk. Millie took Jax ahead by around half a length. Both horses ran quietly and settled into their positions.
One furlong flew by. Both horses were speedy and the turf flashed past them. For the final furlong both riders really pushed their horses forward into a speedy gallop. The wind ripped through Jax's black mane, whipping Millie's hands as it did so. She threw her reins at Jax's head, giving free will to him. He sped off ahead of Arley by around a length. Arley was a sprinter so we was speedier than Jax, and over this short distance could easily make up the difference. Indey noticed Millie's move and quickly reacted by jeering Arley on with in a second Arley made a move and shot into action. He was speedy, even for a two year old, and it was obvious his talent would have even more to give when he matured. Arley grew closer to Jax and quickly leveled up. They ran nose to nose. With each stride the lead horse changed. They were both as competetive as each other and neither one would back down first. They ran whole heartedly side by side, flying past the two furlong marker.
Millie and Indey both had smiles spread across their faces as they pulled their horses up to a walk. Both horses were more than deffinately ready for the Breeder's Cup now. It was just a matter of waiting and performing on race day!