Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Feb 13, 2012 20:51:55 GMT -5
FLASHY WINGS AND HENNA TURATH
TDI LIVE THIS LIE AND AMBER BLACK
FLASH'S AND FALSEHOOD'S WORKOUT FOR THE SPRING CUP GRADE THREE DIRT
The concentrated gaze of Henna Turath beneath the beautiful blood bay two year old was focused on the dirt track with a kind of intensity that was not normally present. If one was around Henna enough, they knew that she was usually light hearted and could share a good joke. The Henna that was here right now could not be described as that person. She was far too intense and focused on her current workout to be even partially related to that person from before. Her hands gripped the reins firmly, and her eyes glared with challenge at the world. She was almost as fiercely competitive right now as the colt she rode. Flashy Wings was absolutely full of it today; he strode along with pride in his stride and a challenge in the proud curvature of his neck. He was bursting with youthful energy, but he held it with dignified calm, as though showing the world he was too good for actions that would deem him immature. He was the picture of eloquent grace, guided by Henna's hand into a sprightly, energetic trot.
Alongside the three year old blood bay, a four year old stallion painted gray like storm clouds moved along at an equally prideful pace. This horse, however, was not afraid to express his dominance in more vocal and physical ways. He stubbornly had his head up at a higher level than Flash's, and he made sure to keep a step ahead of the younger thoroughbred. Falsehood was full of it as always; to have an equally arrogant horse to prove his dominance to only added to his antics. Falsehood was having a good year; he had won his first start and then placed second in the Unicorn Horn Dirt Mile. He was showing noticeably more class, and Amber was proud that the stallion's blood was actually showing through. Out of now extinct bloodlines, Falsehood was the lone carrier of Tropicana Dreams' Inc. lines right now. He was valuable both as bloodstock and as a racehorse.
But what Flashy Wings didn't have in bloodline prestige was made up for with his racing performance. The beautiful three year old had absolutely stormed the racing world last year with wins upon wins. He had, so far, won nine races out of sixteen and had only placed out of the top three once, against older horses. He had proved himself as dominant in the juvenile class, winning the Breeders Cup Juvenile among various other titles and earning himself the awards Best 2yo Colt and Best Grade Three to add to his previous titles of Prospect of the Year and Best Prospect Colt. He was certainly proving his sire News Flash as a potential star producer, and his dam Forbidden Wings had already earned herself that title at SOPS. But for now, these two promising thoroughbreds were preparing for the Spring Cup Grade Three Dirt. This would be the first in a dirt campaign for the Triple Crown that Flash was undertaking. Henna harbored hopes of winning the Crown, and every person at the stable knew Flash had the class for it. Amber was just hoping for Falsehood to reach grade one by the end of the year. He had five wins left to go to achieve that coveted title.
As appeared to be the norm for big prep workouts nowadays, the two women were going to be taking it easy. Falsehood had already worked for his two other starts this year, and Flash had a huge campaign ahead of him. The women wanted their mounts ready to go. Thus, a half mile short sprint would suffice. Falsehood, being a front runner, needed a quick sprint to make him happy, while Flash, being a stalker, just needed to stretch his legs. It was hoped that Flash would start beating some older horses now. He already had done that as a juvenile, and his talent was definitely growing, so Henna was confident that he could do it again now. As of this moment, Flash and Falsehood were trotting, with Falsehood a willful stride ahead. Every muscle in the gray stallion's body screamed to run and prove his claim to the dirt, but Amber had to hold him back. When the race came though, of course, the barrier she exerted on him would disappear, and Falsehood would be given his opportunity to prove and conquer.
The pace was quickly upped to a canter. Falsehood was nearly uncontrollable now; his stride quivered and threatened to break into a gallop. Flash was also becoming more feisty. His eyes glowed mischievously as he stopped exerting pressure on the reins. Henna knew it was a show of obedience and kept her guard up; her colt was smart and could be a trickster. It definitely came from his dam, who had also been a joker and had taken great pride in throwing her handlers into a haze of confusion. As the pressure approached its climax, Henna and Amber prepared to release the hounds, so to speak. As they passed the half mile mark, the two women dropped the reins and let the missiles shoot.
Falsehood was the quickest to pick up the pace. Being a front runner, he was used to having to break fast in order to get his preferred position. Flash was a stalker; he broke only fast enough to snatch a position just off the leaders. His favorite sensation was to soar around them on the final turn and take the lead. Henna loved the feeling just as much as he did. Winning agreed with both of them, fantastically enough. The two settled into a sparring match of sorts. Falsehood maintained a slight lead. Flash was closer to the pace than usual. All that pent up desire to run was leaking out into Flash, and he wanted a faster pace for today. If this had been an actual race he would have, of course, been a length or so off of Falsehood. But this was a workout, and Flash enjoyed racing differently for a bit of variation. And just like that, half of their workout passed.
The pace was pressed by Falsehood. Flash matched it eagerly, exhilaration flowing through him. Henna grinned, proud of her colt's ability to keep up with his senior. Falsehood, however, was annoyed. The stretch was in front of his nose, and he didn't like Flash's proximity to him. He attempted to up the ante even more, but Amber just barely held him back. As mentioned before, she didn't want him to push himself too far for this race. Meanwhile, Henna was being a little bit less cautious with Flash. She let Flash match the pace and draw up exactly alongside before holding him in. And just as soon as he drew up alongside, the workout was over. The women struggled to slow the eager racehorses down. They weren't done yet. But now they would save this eagerness for the big race they were prepped for in the Spring Cup.
