Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Feb 13, 2012 20:46:26 GMT -5
THE INNOCENT SKIER AND KRYSTAL YHATE
WORLDBREAKER AND AMBER BLACK
IAN'S AND WORLD'S WORKOUT FOR THE SPRING CUP GRADE FOUR TURF
They were a team unlike any other.
The two stallions did not work together to achieve a goal that they could both share; instead, they worked together to defeat the other in a quest for the glory only one could have. They raced over the same distances over the same surface and even had the same racing style; closers. Often, the two were seen closing together from the back to grapple for the lead. But when racing, it would seem that they were enemies, out to topple the other. In reality, World and Ian were the best of friends. They may face each other in basically every race imaginable and they may sometimes deny other their chance to shine, but the rivalry between them was built on brotherhood. They had worked together countless times, raced against each other, and they had come to understand and acknowledge each other. Their dams had been equals in a sense; Little Miss Innocent and Wild Flower were both Hall Of Fame turfers who had won Best Turf Horse and countless major turf races. They should have been rivals, yet they were friends. Such was the case with Ian and World.
Trotting side by side, the two actually remained in stride with each other. World was aloof, slightly dragging his hooves, but alongside Ian he was poetry in motion, suddenly energized at the appearance of his best friend in horse form. Ian was definitely setting the trend here; the dark bay stallion seemingly guided himself under the gentle hand of Krystal Yhate. All in all, the two four year olds looked gorgeous. And they had been seen a lot of this year. World had already won two of his three starts, and while Ian had not won any of his he had placed in the top three in all three of them. Competition was tough, but the two were incredibly close to finally making it to grade three. World was one win away, while Ian only had three wins to go. They had already beaten some of the top stars from last year. If World continued to win, he would add more shine to a growing star. Ian also had the potential, but was consistently denied either by World or by traffic conditions. Krystal was working extra hard with him on finding the will where there was no power to get through the last furlong with a nose in front.
With the Spring Cup Grade Four Turf looming before them, World and Ian were being seriously prepared. It was a major race for them, and a place or win here would look seriously good on their records. Amber and Krystal were determined to get these young stallions going out there on the turf. They had extremely high expectations to live up to, and the two riders wanted to make sure no horse stood in their path of achieving these expectations. Among them was the quiet agreement to make grade one sometime this year or the next, as well as one to fight to the near death in the Breeders Cup Turf next year. This year, Amber had made it quite clear that the Turf was her mare Wildly Natural's territory, and none were going to challenge that claim in the stable, with it being Tura's final season. So the boys had their eyes set on other prizes and some juicy recognition this year.
For today's workout, they were doing a bonding mile at a gallop. The two stallions had been racing enough already without adding some strenuous work to the plate, and the two women wanted them to simply enjoy themselves a bit before facing the hard competition in the Spring Cup. Thus, after about five minutes of trotting, the pair began to canter. This rocking pace was kept up for another five minutes before the duo finally started to gallop. As was typical, the experienced racehorses smoothly transitioned to the pace. Staying side by side, they ran comfortably through the first eighth of the mile without once challenging the other. In fact, it was like they ran with the familiarity of those that had run with each other before, and often at that. And this was indeed true of the pair; they had run and raced together so often, it was like they were the same horse - each with their own special characteristics, of course.
When half a mile had elapsed, the women began to feel slight tugging on the reins. The closers were ready to turn it on if necessary. Their quiet contentedness to run with the other had mutated into a need to defeat and win. The women held the reins in, Krystal somewhat more tightly because of Ian's more apparent eagerness. World, on the other hand, had already quietly accepted Amber's command to stand down from his challenge and was once again simply running, chestnut legs gliding over the turf. Ian eventually calmed down with a quarter of the workout remaining. He latched on to his workout partner's calm mood and fed it into his own psyche. Soon, he moved with the same fluid calmness that World was exhibiting. Once again, the pair was back to looking like twins.
As the thoroughbreds finally exited their eighth furlong, they were pulled up by their riders. Both women wore quiet smiles of pride and eagerness. They were looking forward to the fight that would occur in the Spring Cup, and both were hoping to defeat the other even though they would work together to get that victory. And though one would be formally recognized as the victor, the other would know that it was their own recognition as well.
