Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Feb 7, 2015 21:16:12 GMT -5
VENTURA AND AMBER BLACK
LIMITED EDITION AND VALENCIA ANDREWS
IMPRESSIONABLE AND KRYSTAL YHATE
EVERYBODY'S WORKOUT FOR UNICORN HORN SERIES
Morning. Birds chirping, spring breeze blowing through the open window. Amber Black stood on her toes to drink in the breeze as it flowed in through the window. It made her want to head out on the back of a thoroughbred...and she knew exactly what horse that was. The thought of it made her want to cackle. Oh, the world would have no idea what hit them with this mare. She was ready to roll through her final, somewhat limited season on the track. And the limit - twelve starts on the season - was so that the younger horses in the roster could grow, and because her dear mare was sitting on twenty-nine wins right now and goodness forbid that number grow any larger. People on the sidelines would have clamored for this mare's retirement out of fairness to the community. But Amber Black wasn't done yet, and neither was Ventura. The mare had been playing second fiddle to Forbidden To Fly all of last season. Well, away with that. This season, the dirt sprinter ranks would belong to nobody but Ventura.
Valencia Andrews was dreaming her own dreams of world domination. The brush glided down the gleaming chestnut coat of the horse she had bought with almost all of her meagre earnings a couple of years ago. Well, Limited Edition had certainly been worth the money. The Breeders Cup Juvenile winner had raced a fantastic classic season, discovering a liking for the marathon distance and other router distances not originally touted by his pedigree. And he was entered to rock and roll in the Dirt Classic at eleven furlongs against a hot field including Anodyne. It would be tough...Valencia intended to be the winner and start out Ed's four year old season with a bang regardless of any competition.
Determination was the name of the game in Krystal Yhate's face. Impressionable was three years old, one win off of grade three, and remained the toughest filly on the planet, in Krystal's opinion anyway. The princess of her heart had pulled no punches in the Breeders Cup and had taken third in the Juvenile against the boys. She was razor sharp and had only grown tougher in her three year old body. A month off from the Breeders Cup had consisted of strong workouts all leading to her first start back in the Unicorn Horn Dirt. All of the industry's top Triple Crown and Triple Tiara candidates were entered, essentially, and this would be an important race. Empress needed to stake a strong claim here or else face an even tougher season trying to claw her way into contention.
Twenty minutes whispered by. The still air was broken by the sudden rush of hooves pounding around the first turn of the track. Cold Empress flashed in the lead like a new penny, smoothly cutting the corner and racing a length ahead of her foes. It was all under her own power and Krystal sat motionless on her back enjoying the ride. Ventura was keeping them company. The five year old daughter of Impressario and Rising Fury was like a creeping wraith of death and destruction. Her focus was intense, and Amber felt as though this mare had only gotten faster. She had developed over time into a deadly sprinter and now truly relished the six furlong distance. She was coiled power stalking her enemy now. And behind the two fillies, Ed watched with a faintly amused air. He shadowed them without being an immediate threat, ready to turn on the speed at a moment's notice.
Four furlongs in a shade under forty eight. Empress was striding comfortably and well within her power. Ventura moved now, striking distance narrowed, a half length off. Ed continued to shadow, power coiling in his muscles as he readied to strike. Another quarter of a mile later, and now Valencia let her chestnut go. The four year old Ed accelerated sharply, and now he was bearing down on the two mares in a flash. Ven snorted with contemptuous fury, and suddenly she swung wide on the final turn, forcing Ed into a wider trip even as she flashed into the lead with smooth, dominant precision. She left Empress behind as she carved a path, cutting in on the stretch just to stagger Empress slightly. The chestnut filly was game enough to recover and put up a fight, sticking to Ed even as the older horse stubbornly got a quarter length on her. Ventura was rolling away with the speed of a sprinter and the stamina of a router. She was easily the fastest and most experienced here, though the two behind put on a game fight to the wire.
It was show time. Time to stake claims for their divisions and prove that they were the champions of the past, present and future.
