Post by Dante on Feb 9, 2012 15:16:53 GMT -5
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EXECUTIONER'S APPRENTICE
workout with
TOBIAS LANCASTER[/b]
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They were on fire! Not literally, of course, Tobias would be worried in that case, but nothing seemed to be holding the colt under him back. Executioner's Apprentice showed great promise, and they weren't going to let that slip away. They were gonna keep practicing, and give every race their best. Today's workout? Nine furlongs on the turf track, a distance App had raced at plenty of times before. The jockey looked down over App's "bloodstained" shoulder, at the man with two prosthetic legs poking out from shorts.
"Ready?" Skylark asked Tobias, as App looked over the track, at some birds that landed there briefly, then up and scattered to the grandstands, as though they knew a run was to come. "Let's show 'em, again and again." It was all about practice. Practice made perfect, and for App, perfect was his goal. The colt liked perfect, it seemed. And they'd strive for it. They'd had a taste of glory, and were coming back for more.
The dapple grey colt moved well towards the gate, ears pricked forward in eagerness, steps anticipating what was to come. He never seemed to be short on energy, which was a good thing, and Tobias was always practicing how to harness it. They got into the gate with no issues, and the two prepared to run. Nine furlongs. They'd hold up for the first six or so, staying at the leader's heels, and then make their move when the frontrunners fell. Having ridden frontrunners, Tobias knew that there was a point where they faltered. For that horse, it was giving them the final push that was everything. Now, on a preceder like App, it was capitalizing on that one moment where there was a falter, and taking off, leaving the fronts vying for second with closers. That was the strategy. Push 'em until they faltered, then move before the closers. It had worked well so far.
The gates clattered open and App was off with a leap out of the gates, and they were off, albeit to imaginary races. They started at the middle gate, and given their next race was a smaller field, Tobias moved App in a little. The sure-footed colt responded easily, well-used to what Tobias asked of him. It was nice having a smart horse, Tobias had to concede. Yes, App could get himself out of most stalls, but this brainpower meant that he was well and capable of working with, not against, his jockey on the track, an asset that was invaluable with Tobias' love of strategy.
They held steady but strong for the first two or three furlongs, tailing the imaginary leader for a bit, while apply little pressure to them, before adding more. To Tobias, he had to think like he was riding all the other horses on the field, too. To keep the frontrunner up front, that jockey would have to add more power - power he has to take from somewhere, and that's later in the race. He had to ride the closers and move before them, and focus on App. While he was typically a modest fellow, he liked to think he was good at it, and he was going to keep getting better. Executioner's Apprentice was going to do great things, he knew it. He was literally just along for the ride.
They accelerated out of the curve, at around the five furlong mark, just about to make their move. Tobias could feel the power that App was gaining from the practicing the races themselves. The power, the speed, and the skill, and he excited him. They could do it, they'd keep trying until it killed them or it brought them to the top. He could feel that will in the colt, the will to go all or nothing.
And all or nothing it quickly came to, for the six furlong marker zoomed by against the spring backdrop, and they were off again, faster than before. Tobias gave App his head and the stick, and the colt responded by giving it his all. Tobias held only just enough to keep the colt going in the right line and not swerve in yet, but he needn't have worried so much - App knew what he was doing, too.
They passed the seven furlong, moving ever faster, then the eighth furlong marker, ahead of the imaginary field, and Tobias piloted App in closer to the rail now, just to seal the deal and shave off those extra milliseconds form Skylark's stopwatch as they went past the wire, and kept going briefly. App still wanted to go, and it took a little doing to bring him back down and around to Skylark. He had plenty of energy, and that was good, given they had a race coming up.
"Every time, I'm impressed." Skylark held up the stopwatch for Tobias to see while App sniffed the trainer's shirt. "And God knows, Tobie, you're becoming a halfway decent jockey." He added teasingly with a laugh.-----------------------
WORKOUT STATS
words| 836
workout surface| Turf
distance| 9 furlongs
horse| Executioner's Apprentice
jockey| Tobias Lancaster
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