Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Dec 22, 2011 15:17:47 GMT -5
DEADLY DESIRES AND AMBER BLACK
DESIREE'S WORKOUT FOR THE BREEDERS CUP MILE
The last time Amber would work her brilliant black mare was now. As Amber swung herself into the sleek racing saddle aboard the indifferent five year old, she felt a sense of great sadness. Deadly Desires was finally five years old and ready to retire after one last race. Amber had been working with the mare since she was two years old. They had won several amazing races together. They had transcended to the thirty win mark whilst working with each other. Desiree had set the standard for Sweet Sugar Cane's progeny and given Requiem's foals even more prestige. And her season had been perfect, with only five losses out of thirteen starts. Many of those races had been sprints, but there were plenty at one mile. For Desiree's last Breeders Cup appearance, she was going to be trying to win the Breeders Cup Mile. She had won the Juvenile Fillies Turf three years ago at that distance. She was perfectly capable of taking the win again.
Though she was facing two males, she could easily beat them. She had won more times than one had raced, and carried a more prestigious record than the other. Not to mention that she was a deadly foe. She would break and go straight for the lead. From there, she would stay. Other front runners would attempt to get at her lead, but they would fail. They could not compare to her sprint stamina. Amber was half relying on this for the Mile. Indian Delight was also a front runner, but Amber thought that, unlike Desiree, he lacked moderation. He would go for the lead and fight for it. Desiree would fight back at first, goading him on until he was too tired to continue, and then sweep away. But Studly Dudley could definitely manage to take the win if Desiree got too tired in the early stages of the race. Amber would have to rate her mare extremely well in order to prevent that from happening.
As they walked out onto the turf track, Amber shaded her eyes and looked out across it. There were no other horses working right now, so the track was empty. Amber savored the sight - rarely was it to empty, especially at Breeders Cup time. Briefly, she wondered where all the other horses were. Cuing Desiree to canter, they began their customary warm up. Desiree knew the drill. She began working it, focused completely on the world around her as well as the beat of her own stride against the slightly mushy turf track. Calm, cool and collected - that was Desiree from head to toe. Year seven best two year old filly, year eight best sprinter and a good candidate for this year's best older mare and perhaps some other awards. Thirty wins...Amber shook her head, hardly daring to believe. That was as impressive as Impressario, and that was saying something.
Warm up completed, Amber cued Desiree to gallop. They would go at it for a bit, and then sprint before pulling up. Amber wanted her legs loose. She also wanted to let Desiree have a bit of freedom during this workout while still following a structured plan. She would sprint when Amber felt the time was right. Desiree's gallop was fast and efficient; they covered ground quickly. Desiree hugged the rail as only an experienced or well trained racehorse did, taking a ground saving journey that could mean victory or defeat for a front runner like her. A mile was a piece of cake. It was well within her preferences and a distance that she had won at before. Anything was possible with that for a distance.
The time came, and Amber had Desiree begin sprinting. She made the transition smoothly, sticking her head down slightly lower so that the reins were pulled slightly from Amber's hands, opening up the speed. Then, it was like a shot going off. She was gone, and Amber had to remind her body how to stay on the back of a galloping racehorse. It was so fast, so amazing, that Amber could do nothing but hold on. Desiree continued to increase her pace. Like a sprinter, she held out top speed for a little bit, then began to drop back to slower paces. Without Amber's command to do so, she slowed of her own accord. Her eyes gleamed and her hooves danced. A light sheen of sweat covered her. And Amber was breathless, both with the beauty of it and the anticipation.
Leaning over her mare's neck, she looked down from Desiree's back onto the turf track for what was their last workout. And she whispered to Desiree Remember your desire, Desiree. This is it. Prove it to me one last time, girl. Prove to the world that you're a champion. And though there was no response from the typically cold filly, Amber knew that the mare understood the request based on the soft urgency in her rider's voice, and smiled softly. Theirs was a true partnership; there was understanding on both sides. Feeling considerably less gloomy than when she started, Amber slowed Desiree to a walk and then rode her off of the turf track and back to the barn for a meticulous grooming session and carrots.
