Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Sept 15, 2011 21:00:33 GMT -5
TDI LIVE THIS LIE AND AMBER BLACK
MYSTICAL MELODY AND HENNA TURATH
WORKOUT FOR THE KENTUCKY DERBY
Her bouncy energy never waned. It never became less, and always became more. It could be the end of a race, and she could be exhausted, but Mel would always be bouncing on her toes, ready to go and ready to kick butt. Henna sighed contentedly as she settled more firmly into the three year old filly's saddle. Her recently stressed mind had been relieved as she solved the problem that had been before her. For the Triple Crown, but could either ride Mel or Sunny. She had chosen Mel, due to their much stronger bond. Sunny was the type to bond to only one person, and had begun the process with Henna - thus, no other person but Henna could ride her successfully. It had been an unpleasant obstacle, but they were dealing with it now, and Mel was a good choice.
Beside them, the gray thoroughbred colt trotted seriously forward. Alongside Mel, he looked like he was four or five years old, not especially since Mel was so much shorter than him. He looked out at the track with interest, and Amber held him tightly as she spotted some photographers. They were out to work for the Kentucky Derby, and Amber couldn't help her feelings of anxiety. The Triple Crown was huge, and she was the only rider to ride a single horse to victory in all three races. Did she believe she could duplicate the feat right now with Falsehood? Well, one could hope. Falsehood had won the Santa Anita Derby and constantly placed against other Derby hopefuls. Mel herself had won the Kentucky Oaks and placed against hopefuls. Both had a chance, but the field was tough.
Flashabelle. Platinum Fox. Furious Passion. Mr Hat and Clogs. Key To Flight. All with skill, all with respectable records. Flashabelle was a surprise, as Amber thought to find her in the Acorn, but she did have talent, and was sired by quickly-becoming-hot News Flash. Platinum Fox was in as a wild card. Amber was anxious about any surprises he could pull. Furious Passion was impressive, as was Mr Hat and Clogs. In truth, Amber considered Mr Hat and Clogs the biggest threat in the field. He had won the most Derby prep races. Key To Flight had been a flying two year old who had gone unstarted this year. His performance would be interesting. Either way, Amber wanted to get this workout in, and she wanted it to be good.
With a nod at Henna, the two women cued their horses to canter, and then into a slow gallop. Mel snorted excitedly and immediately attempted to bolt, energy running through her like electricity. Falsehood was a bit more serious, and stayed right beside her at an even pace. The two were both front runners, and as far as Amber could tell they would have an uncontested lead. The rest of the field were stalkers, mid packers or, most numerously, closers. Amber intended for her and Henna to treat the race like this workout. Come out at a nice fast run, but don't get the horses too clear and overextended. Gradually increase the pace to an all out sprint for the last quarter, and hope they were fast enough. They were demoing their strategy today, one week before the race.
As planned, both women let their horses enter racing stride. Mel kept trying to go faster, but Henna held her fast, and didn't let her run away. Falsehood was calmly waiting for Mel to blow her top off. He occasionally took on this closer-ish mindset, and was more tactical than Mel. Mel, however, had a bit more energy, stamina and speed, much as Amber would never admit it. This balanced them out, and the two often worked together to further refine their respective traits. By this point in the workout, the two were breathing a bit harder, and were becoming rather pressured. Henna was having a hard time holding Mel in, and Amber was starting to have difficulties with Falsehood as well, who just wanted to blow the top and go after Mel.
The quarter pole and final turn were fast approaching by the time Henna let Mel go. The change was very apparent - the bay filly, who had been vibrating before, suddenly rocketed forward, opening two lengths of daylight. Amber caught on quickly and let Falsehood out as well, and quickly the gray colt caught up to Mel. But she was just getting started, and fought back fiercely for more speed. Amber growled, and let Falsehood all the way out. They wouldn't be working this hard for the rest of the week, so could afford a hard day today. Henna responded in kind, and going all out filly and colt went racing into the stretch, super-glued to each other and looking like neither was giving up.
It was stamina and speed versus tactical mindedness. Who would win? But alas, the result remained unknown, as the wire came too soon for the speedy thoroughbreds. Soon, though, the answer would be known, in the Kentucky Derby, which Mel and Falsehood were now absolutely ready to rock in.
