Post by Kenren on Jul 31, 2015 20:40:41 GMT -5
Valine & Clarimonde Tusaint for the Starshine Sprint
Chiquato & Desmond Drake for the Valorizzare Derby
Chiquato & Desmond Drake for the Valorizzare Derby
What worse pain could there be than to run second, time and again, to a horse that wins a triple crown? It was maddening, and heartbreaking, and Clarimonde had taken it hard. He was used to being good. He knew he was good, and that his horse had been as well. But Phantasm Frost would not even go down in the books as the horse who could have won the Turf Triple Sprinter Crown - he would not be remembered a few years down the road at all. And it seemed so incredibly unfair. And yet, such was the pain and trial of the Thoroughbred industry. One chance, and Clarimonde had not been able to seal even one of the races. To say that he was going into the last leg of the Triple Sprinter Tiara with a chip on his shoulder was an understatement.
Valine had not been running poorly this year by any stretch of the imagination. While the filly had only nabbed three wins, she complemented that with seven seconds, three of those in HOTY-level competition. She's come second to Siren Call in the first leg of the tiara, taken off the second leg to secure a win in the Autumn Cup, and was now returning to see if she could shake up these ranks. And though things had not been going his way lately, Clarimonde's belief in the hard-trying filly was not shaken. He was not going into the race cowed or scared, though he was sitting in the same situation as only a week ago. There was not an ounce of defeat in his eyes - everything in his heart said he would win this race. And nobody doubted that resolve.
Valine's work partner was Chiquato, the big, mean-tempered stallion who was running in the Risorgimento Cup. While the stallion was hard to handle at the best of times, he'd proven himself a phenomenal racehorse. Starting the season with only one win and a mediocre record, Chicken had stunned everyone by getting six wins already on the season, including a four-win streak. He had finished worse than second only twice in twelve Y15 races, hard-knocking his way to grade three status. He was riding a win going into the race, and though Desmond Drake would never be a fan of the horse himself, he knew he was riding a horse with more than a passing chance of nabbing the win.
Cole was having them run a sort of staggered work together, with Chicken starting his work at the 5/8 pole and Valine breaking off at the 3/8 pole. Though he was headstrong and nearly impossible, Desmond wrangled the horse into position and let him loose at the right time. The stallion was not the explosive sort, but he gained speed with every few strides and by the time they'd come across the filly, he was absolutely charging ahead. Valine, exhibiting a much quicker turn of foot when the stallion flew past, gave chase. The filly gained to a length behind the stallion before her forward momentum on him stalled, Chicken having picked up his speed even more to match her. However, Valine had a shorter distance and a sprinter's pedigree on her side, so with a little more urging from Clarimonde, the filly began inching on the stallion again. About half a furlong out, Valine sat a head behind the other horse. Eerie deja vu hit Clarimonde - second by a head. And again. But not this time. Pushing along the filly's neck and shouting for a response, the filly gave it and gave it well. She threw herself past the big bay before the wire, and Clarimonde gave something of a triumphant smile back at Desmond. That in and of itself was a rarity, but the boy couldn't help it. Even though the stallion hadn't been under much urging, his attitude didn't change.
He would not fail this time. He would win.