you're my wonderwall. [BC Workouts]

[Kirsten Jade]

WORKOUTS for the Breeder's Cup Championship

you're my wonderwall.
and maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me.

Kirsten sat on the uncomfortable chair she had put in front of a tiny desk in the tack room. This was her little office away from the office. She barely did any work here but when she was too busy at GHF it was good to come and pour over the stats books.

Melanie walked in and plopped down on a small stool. "Does it really have to be this early?" Kirsten looked at her younger sister and nodded. She knew the reasons and knew that Kirsten was not going to change her mind. Today was going to be a major long day. Melanie plopped her head back and groaned.

Limitless Time

Today is gonna be the day
that they're gonna throw it back to you

The silent click of a horse's hooves could barely be heard as Kirsten and Limitless crept towards the GHF race track. Not a horse was on the track and they could barely even hear the sound of any animal stirring. It was complete silence. Just as they planned it.

It was getting difficult to train Limitless for a big race because of the constant interruptions and the media that has been lingering around the track, always hoping to catch a glimpse of the top racehorses around the world. The worst was when Impressario was on the track since he is the only horse to have won the Triple Crown since it relocated to the GHF racetrack.

It also doesn't help that it is nearing the Breeder's Cup Championships and the media is freaking out about who is going to win these prestigious races. Kirsten hopes to sweep the series but also knows that will pretty much be impossible. It couldn't hurt to hope though.

Kirsten lead the quiet colt to the mounting block and Kirsten quickly mounted. She didn't need an audience to ride this colt, he was as calm and laid back as can be, especially so early in the morning. Limitless flicked his ears back and forth as if expecting to find sound somewhere, anywhere, but there was none.

They moved out in early morning dark thankful for the track lights. So much was riding on a possible win for Limitless in the Breeder's Cup. He was entered in the most important race of all: the Classic. Competition was going to be tough as usual and every horse and rider are going to be on the top of their game.

Limitless was having a good season so far by winning the Belmont Stakes (he is the first horses from Akita Rose Stables to win a Triple Crown race on GHF) and the Climax Cup. He also won other major races but that was all done already, their ultimate goal was the Breeder's Cup Classic. Every horse on that field will do anything they can to win.

This was going to be the ultimate test for Limitless and Kirsten wanted to make sure he was at the top of his game. They had planned for Limitless to be working either late at night or early in the morning to make sure they would be alone. Limitless has always been known as the "silent threat" and they wanted to keep it that way.

Kirsten clicked her heels and cued Limitless to the inside rail. They were going to do a two mile gallop today, not a full racing gallop, but a good conditioning gallop. Limitless has really filled out over the year with muscle and has smoothed out his stride. It was like riding a seasoned veteran already.

Horse and rider moved over the track effortlessly in the dark. They were going to win the Classic. They had to. Limitless was ready.

Knight Rousseau
Pride Stalker

By now you should've somehow
realized what you gotta do

Kirsten exchanged reins with a barely awake Melanie, switching her precious Limitless for her darling Pride. The two boys prepping for the Juvenile were their next rides because of the ruckus Rousseau made the last time he was on the track when it was full. She accepted a leg up from her sister, gave a quick hug to the young race horse and headed towards the gap.

Knight Rousseau was already exercising his rider out on the track. Kirsten had decided on taking him out earlier so that Aaron would have more time to calm down the beast. From the looks of things though Rousseau was giving Aaron quite the handful already.

Pride perked up as they stepped on to the track and he saw his racing buddy already warming up. Technically Pride was older then his uncle but only by a few days but that doesn't really matter since they have no idea what being related even means.

Kirsten started warming up her colt while keeping an eye on her Night Stalker colt. Rousseau was really a handful but he was just too good to give up. He was going to go far and if any horse should beat Pride Stalker it should be one of her own horses after all.

It seems like everyone was beating Pride these days. Kirsten doesn't understand what it going on. Normally the colt is a speed bomb coming down the stretch but lately he's just been a bomb. It's been a real confusing last couple of races. "What's wrong boy?" Pride snorted and tossed his head.

After just controlling Rousseau while he warms up Aaron was already exhausted and felt like his arms have been yanked out of their sockets. He quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to look at Kirsten. Rousseau was huffing and puffing with probably hatred and was ready to start running.

They moved to use the starting gate and Rousseau tried to buck at the sight of it. Pretty sure he was doing it more out of excitement then fear. The colt was not a fearful type. They moved into the second slot while Kirsten and Pride went into the first.

Seconds ticked by and both horses shifted nervously before Melanie rang the bell and opened the gates.

Pride and Kirsten shot forward a split second before Rousseau and placed right at the rail. I hope that bell didn't alert anyone to what they were doing out here... Oh well, they had gotten permission to use the gate this early. Hopefully no one heard anything.

Rousseau inched ahead of Pride with his eyes flashing warning signs. Even though the colts loved each other in a race they were rivals. They were racing five furlongs today, a short race for the two distance runners but a good prep for the Breeder's Cup.

Pride seemed to sense Rousseau's attitude towards him and slipped down a notch. Kirsten tried moving the colt forward again but he just seemed to be losing speed. Huh? What was going on?

There was only one furlong to go and Pride refused to pick up speed. Kirsten reached over in the spur of the moment and covered Pride's right ear. Pride's ears immediately flicked back in her direction. Taking advantage of the opportunity Kirsten whispered a quick series of encouraging words directly into his ear. Pride perked up and suddenly seemed to find his legs.

All at once the colt was off in a fury. Kirsten continued to whisper to the colt and felt him pick up his speed even more. There was barely any time left until the wire...

Pride flashed under with only a length behind his rival. He had done a lot of catching up at the end. Kirsten had found the trick to Pride's speed.

Fleet Goddess

I don't believe that anybody
feels the way I do about you now

Kirsten spent a few minutes congratulating Pride in his stall before making her way over to Goddess' stall. The dark bay mare stood tall and glamorous as usual. Kirsten leaned over her stall and rubbed the mare's half-heart star on her forehead. "You ready to run again my dear?" Goddess stared at Kirsten like she was retarded for even asking. Kirsten laughed and grabbed her lead shank hanging by the door. "Let's go."

After tacking up Fleet Goddess she lead her out of the stable row. The sun was starting to come up in the East and already people were starting to gather at the rail. Everyone wanted to practice early close to a big race to avoid the press and Kirsten had probably woken everyone up with her starting gate start. Kirsten glanced around at the crowd and recognized many people, most people were from SOPS, GHS and RW but there were a lot of random bystanders as well.

She lead her mare over to Aaron, who was waiting near the gap for her and gave him a look. He nodded and shrugged. Kirsten sighed. Hopefully no one had seen them practice before. She smiled and nodded at a few owners around her and they gave her pretty much the same look. No one was talking. She pretended to gaze around as though this was her first horse of the day.

Aaron gave her a leg up aboard Goddess just as she saw a man speed walk her way with a notepad in his hands. Kirsten turned her mount away from him and kicked Goddess into gear.

The grade one race horse pranced on to the track as though she was still a young filly. She loved attention and thrived off of it. Always a little show off Goddess is.

Kirsten urged into a trot and held back a giggle as Goddess flipped her mane and pranced along. Many people were gathering at the rail near Kirsten now and Goddess put on quite the show for them. Kirsten ground her teeth and tried to concentrate on the horse under her. Sure, Goddess tended to race better with a big audience but it was easier for them to concentrate on a work out when they were alone. But it was too hard to be mad at the young mare. Kirsten loved her Goddess.

She hadn't been winning too many races in her four year old season but has been still winning a few. Her three year old season had been better with winning the Acorn Stakes and the Breeder's Cup Distaff. She had also won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies the year before. The only way to continue her streak is if she blew the field away for the Distaff this year.

Goddess usually did better against the girls because then she felt more competitive and less show-off-y. Kirsten tugged the prancing mare towards the inside rail. It was time to get down to business.

She increased her speed as she placed herself next to the rail and lengthened her stride. Kirsten was going to make her run 12 furlongs at a semi-racing speed and then sprint the last furlong. Goddess would be running just off the pace in the Distaff so that she doesn't fool around and get caught at the wire.

They moved as one, horse and rider in the dark shadows of the rising sun. Faster and faster they ran... Breeder's Cup Distaff here we come... again!

Jazzman

Backbeat the word was on the street
that the fire in your heart is out

Melanie rubbed her eyes as she made her way over to the turf track. It was still pretty early in the morning but the track was bustling with activity. Kirsten just finished riding her early morning mounts and now it was time for Melanie to start.

She mounted the small black stallion and was right away given some spirit. "Whoa, Jazz!" Melanie shook her head. Poor Jazzman, the stallion has been racing his heart out for three years now and he still hasn't made it to grade 1 standards yet. Everyone seemed to think that the fire is burnt out under the small boy but in fact it isn't.

Jazzman has been running in big races all season and has barely ever placed out of the top three. Problem was he is always a little bit short getting the win. Their goal was to get Jazzman up in the ranks of a grade 1 racehorse before the season was over and then retire him on a good note but that only left one race: The Breeder's Cup Mile.

Jazzman pranced on to the turf track full of energy, he had just come off a win in the MELBOURNE CUP and was feeling good about himself. He started working through his warm ups without even a cue from his rider. He knew what to do and wanted to race.

Melanie concentrated on Jazz's gait and movements to make sure he came out of his last race in good shape. When she was satisfied she pointed him towards the inner track and let him go.

Jazzman immediately bounded into a ground eating gallop. Because he was a smaller horse he had to work twice as hard to cover more ground, that is one of the reasons they think he doesn't have a lot of wins. He never stops trying though, which is a great quality in a racehorse.

It was amazing how much Jazz has improved over the years, he used to be a clumsy little colt and now he was a seasoned four year old. It was great.

Jazzman ran a mile under a full racing gallop with barely any insistence from his rider. He knew what to do and how to do it. Now it just depends on how the real race plays out.

The Innocent Skier
Thunderstrike

I'm sure you've heard it all before
but you never really had a doubt

Twelfth! Thunderstrike had ended up at the bottom of the barrel in his last race. Sure the competition was extremely challenging but twelfth!? Come on now!

Melanie lead Striker over to the track in one hand and held the reins of Ian in the other while Aaron quickly went back to the stable row to drop off Jazzman. Both colts were flaring their nostrils and leaning forward, excited to get on the track. Hurry up Aaron...

Aaron came running back and grabbed the reins of the tall dark bay colt. Eh, Ian. It was weird how both colts were almost identical in color, shape, height and maturity. It was no wonder they raced each other all the time.

Each rider mounted their colt and went through the drills. Today was going to be a fun workout for the young colts. They were going to race each other six furlongs. Fun fun. Aaron and Melanie had a competition thing going so it was always fun to challenge each other.

After a good warm up both colts loaded easily in the gate. They loved racing each other alone, that meant at least one of them would win and not get lost in a sea of horses. The fields on GHF have been huge since the track has been fixed and both colts have been getting confused, frustrated, blocked and bumped.

They were off in a hurry from the gate with Striker in the lead like usual and hugging the rail to save energy. Ian just behind his stable mate and tried to push the pace. This is how they always ran. Striker had to try and keep a good speed to lead the pack and hold on to the lead. Ian liked to stalk the leaders and try and push the pace while still maintaining his own energy.

Four furlongs to go and Ian has dropped three lengths behind. Melanie struggled to keep Striker from wearing himself out too much. There was much distance to go. Striker wasn't a sprinter though so he usually did a good job at maintaining his lead.

At one furlong to go Aaron and Ian started to make their move to the front. They were five lengths off the pace. Four, Three, Two... They were almost there.

The colts flew under the wire too close to tell. Melanie was pretty sure Striker's nose was still in front but they will never know for sure...

Prize Me Proud
-
Song of the Fiddle

And all the roads we have to walk along are winding

Aaron patted the dark bay stallion beneath him. Polo was working up a sweat on the track today, it doesn't help that's it's just so darn hot out today. For once Polo was actually quiet, probably because he was already tired.

Aaron was super pumped about Polo's success on the track as of lately. The stallion had a slow start but now he was winning races left and right. One more win and he would be considered a grade two racehorse. Because of his latest successes Kirsten had entered him in the prestigious Breeder's Cup, in the Dirt Mile against killer competition even.

Aaron had a lot of faith in Polo lately but he wasn't sure if he had that much faith! Suddenly, Polo let out a shrill whinny throughout the racetrack. Aaron flushed as he saw another jockey look his way, along with many people at the rail. "Shh Polo, of course I have faith in you." He gave him one last pat and turned him towards the inside rail.

The plan was an easy work today since Polo has been just coming off a major win in the WINTER CUP. He was just supposed to have him do an easy gallop for 12 furlongs, so a mile and a half.

Aaron kicked the Beyond the Limits son into gear and leaned forward to enjoy the ride. It was always a smoother ride once a horse got to four years old since they are more experienced and generally calmer. calm is never an option for Polo though, he's the loudest stallion in the barn.

Aaron felt the wind rush at his cheeks as they passed by their stopping mark. He didn't want it to end yet. Polo was a very enjoyable ride. At least there was the Breeder's Cup to look forward to... they better be on their game...
-
Kirsten sat atop one of the newest fillies in the barn and watched the end of Aaron's work. Polo was looking good. It was definitely not a mistake entering the tall stallion in the Breeder's Cup, even if he comes in last it will be great experience for him and give him stiffer competition.

Sara flicked her ears in all directions, trying to see and hear everything possible on the track. Kirsten flicked the reins to get her attention. The filly needed to be concentrating on her work. She was being entered in her first big race ever and Kirsten put her in as a last minute entry. She was sure that she won't win but at least the filly could get some experience.

She was entered in the Filly & Mare Sprint, a race that no one will expect to see Sara in. Sara is NOT a sprinter but she has won a mile race and does have good times on seven furlongs so she might get in the top three if she was lucky. Once again it was purely for experience.

Sara ran only one race as a two year old and barely ran much as a three year old so she will really have to start picking up her game if she ever wanted to create a name for herself on the track.

Kirsten reined her in again and made her way to the left side of the track. It was running time.

Her plan for today was to get Sara to sprint three furlongs to learn to break fast and keep a quick pace. She made her way to the pole and waited until Sara calmed down before she kicked her into a fast gallop from a stand still position.

Sara was confused, she had never done that before but quickly found her legs and took off in a fury. When they passed their mark Kirsten raised her whip with victory. Sara was just taught how to sprint from the beginning. Hopefully this will help her break fast and get to the front before the leaders do and then take off leaving Sara behind.

That was not going to happen. Sara was going to leave them behind.

Carabella

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

Kirsten plopped down on a stool as one of her grooms was preparing her next mount. She was exhausted. Totally exhausted and there were still more horses to work. It was tough work having a large racing string. She should really hire another jockey. She shook her head, she hates to hire new jockeys. She likes having a small staff that she can trust, even though it is pretty hard on her, and on her staff members.

At least she will possibly consider it. She didn't want to stop riding her own horses though so it will definitely be tough letting a new person in. She dropped her chin in her hands and watched one of her grooms brush down Carabella and apply sunscreen to her entire coat.

Since Cara was an albino racehorse they had to take extra precautions and handle her with care. It took extra long to get her ready to work or race because of the care they have to take to prevent the sun from burning her or killing her.

A brown haired younger version of Kirsten came skipping down the stable row towards the tired woman. "Hey Mom!" Kirsten smiled and held out her arms for her daughter to come running into. She hugged her tight and smelt her hair. It has been a while since she said her baby girl. "Hey Emma, how was camp?"

Emma grinned wide and starting talking a mile a minute. "It was awesome!............" She went on and on excitingly using her arms to emphasize every word. It had only been a four day camp but had felt like forever for Kirsten who wasn't used to having her baby girl gone for more than a day. She grabbed her once more and hugged her again.

Suddenly Emma spotted Carabella watching her from the cross-ties and stopped in mid-sentence. "What?... Who? Huh?" She looked at her mom in awe. "She looks like Babie! What's going on?" She turned to stare at Carabella some more with her mouth dropped down.

Kirsten burst out laughing and couldn't stop. There was nothing better in the world than being a mom. "Honey this is Carabella, Cara for short. She is full sister to Blanchette that's why she looks like her. We got her two weeks ago." She smiled at Emma, whose eyes were still huge and in shock. Emma had always had a special fondness for Blanchette ever since she was a baby.

"Wow it's like Babie all over again! How old is she? What's her record? Is she good? How fast? When is her next race? Can I ride her? Please mum please please please?" Kirsten held up her hand to stop her. "We'll talk about her later I promise! But now she needs a good work. Wanna come watch?" She grinned already knowing the answer. Emma shrieked and jumped up and down.

Carabella watched the young girl with amusement herself. Kirsten nodded to her groom and took the reins from her and grabbed Emma's hand with her other hand. It was great that now Emma was old enough to hang around the barns and tracks without her nanny so she can start being independent and helpful. Kirsten's brain worked over the situation. She didn't let Emma hang out too much around the business horses and the track in the past because of her young age but now she is more trustworthy, helpful and mature. Plus her daughter has been riding since she was three so she knew horses.

Kirsten made a personal pact that from now on Emma could be around her whenever she wanted. Kirsten smiled down at her daughter. Emma is going to be so excited when Kirsten decided to tell her.

She mounted the small filly and trotted on to the turf track. Time for work. They warmed up quickly and then turned towards the inner rail. Competition was going to be extremely tough in the BC and Cara has only won one race so far but she did have a lot of potential and speed. She can do it.

There are many things that I would
like to say to you

Because maybe
you're gonna be the one that saves me?

And after all
you're my wonderwall.