Post by Dante on Dec 5, 2011 15:47:59 GMT -5
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EXECUTIONER'S APPRENTICE
workout with
TOBIAS LANCASTER
for the
Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf
workout I[/color]
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Tobias initially hadn't been able to believe his ears. the Breeder's Cup? The Breeder's Cup?! He was going to ride in the Breeders Cup! He'd gone prancing around the office, literally jumping with joy, but it wasn't thank to him, it was thanks to the star of PHS, an oddly marked dapple grey. Executioner's Apprentice didn't know the meaning of slow. He had a habit of slaughtering the competition, and now it was time to show it off. Of course, they couldn't just go in there and do it, no. They needed practice.
And practice started now. Connor gave a leg up to Tobias, who hopped into the colts back, reins in hand. This was the time to shine. They'd start early, and give it their best. The conditions of the cup would also play to their strengths - 8 furlongs was a well-practiced and very comfortable distance for App, and the turf was his surface, he lived on the stuff, and was so surefooted on it, he'd run in a rainstorm (which wasn't wise, but it had happened). He'd never once been outside of the winner's circle, which was also a good sign. That was an achievement that was rare.
The duo headed for the gates, and App pulled a bit. He wasn't a weird horse, he didn't enjoy the gates, but he didn't fight going into them, or anything like that. He knew the gates meant running. And that, quite simply, was his goal, his love. Who needed fillies when you had your passion? Besides, the colt was only two - he hadn't been hit by full-on stallion hormones. They were int the gate with relative ease, and Tobias grinned the whole time. The breeder's cup! The breeder's cup! That was something to be proud of, no matter how they did, they were going to try.
The gates flew open sooner than usual, which Tobias expected Connor to do. This first gallop was to be like any other workout, but soon they'd make it harder. There would be bells handing from the gate, streamers, his brother and Erin screaming, perhaps Erin taking Ophelia (who was made of insanity) into the gate beside him, to acclimatize him to the situation the cup would be - a madhouse that was the biggest event of the year. For now, though? It was a run.
As usual, they started him in the middle, and Tobias held him there. Eight furlongs was plenty of room, so they would use it. They'd keep near the leader or the one in second, near but not passing until they showed a sign of weakness. Playing preceder was like playing close, but with the fastest horses on the track. It was trickier, because the ones behind didn't matter to him near the end, but before, the risk of boxing (something a closer should never have to deal with) was quite high. It took experience to deal with that, and while they had a lot, it was always good to nail down everything they could, then reinforce it.
App's muscles rippled as he ran, black mane and tail streaming along behind him, almost in the face of his childsized jockey, who focused ahead between the ears, still grinning, despite the wind whipping into his mouth. App was in perfect balance. He could feel it in the motions of the colt, and in how easy it was to ride. He didn't have to worry about shifting very much - he felt balanced in his stirrups, each leg bearing equal weight as they barreled down the straight. If he was balanced so easily, App was as well, and he was trusting of Tobias. That trust was important, an asset and, frankly, an honor to the jockey.
They flew around the straight, and came to the curve. Tobias shifted as best he could, and App responded well. He didn't lose his balance; he adapted his step to match the curve, rather than fly along it as straight as possible. It took some direction from Tobias, a little more rein, to do, but it was done fairly well.
What, in the real run, the two did next depended on the field size. If it was small, they'd carry on as they did before the curve for a while more. If it was large, they'd start to push and invade the space of the leader, either forcing them faster, or keeping a tie - perhaps even a minor lead before the final dash for glory to the wire. For the sake of the exercise, the blonde jockey chose a mid-size field scenario. He gave App some of the stick and some of his head, so as to keep less of a margin between the colt and the leader, but not to try and pull the front yet. A strong closer could whip away those chances if they moved prematurely in a mid or small sized field - less horses to overtake, after all. App seemed a bit displeased about not yet being able to go and not stop, but he didn't make Tobias' job hard, either. He dealt with it, and did as he was asked.
They passed five furlongs, and then hit six and a quarter. That was the time to go! Now! Tobias gave Executioner's Apprentice exactly what he wanted - a run. He gave the colt his head and a healthy dose of the stick, and he felt the horse take off, the wind screaming in his ears. The telltale red shoulder was just a blur in the morning winter light, he blue, white and silver silks that Tobias wore whipped against the jockey, giving him a slimmer profile than usual, but none of it mattered. What mattered was App was running like no Prison Hill Horse had before, and with some luck and some work, they'd keep him at the peak of his game.
They crossed the finish mark, and Connor was leaning on the rail, a scarf wrapped about his head.
"I was cold!" He whined in response to Tobias' strange look, as the horse and rider came up to him. "Shuddup, I was cold. Shuddup and look at the time, and grin at it, Jewish boy." He held up the stopwatch. "That's a time worthy of running in the cup, that is."-----------------------
WORKOUT STATS
words| 1,055
workout surface| Turf
distance| 8 furlongs
horse| Executioner's Apprentice
jockey| Tobias Lancaster
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