Post by Snowflake on Mar 31, 2012 5:41:07 GMT -5
SILVERIANNA AND SERAPHIM WORK FOR ACORN STAKES*
The two grey fillies were quite a sight. Seraphim was slightly shorter and certainly more muscular, while Silverianna was tall and lean. They looked like horsy angels to Stella, who had the pleasure of being the regular rider of both. But when their schedules clashed, Sarah was the one who rode Silverianna. As they warmed up on the dirt, they attracted the gazes from most of the spectators. Even other riders turned their heads to watch, probably mesmerized a little. Both fillies were, of course, daughters of Hall of Fame Inductees.
Silverianna was the last of Bank On Silver's offspring. Bank On Silver was a legend, as one of the first horses to race on GHF tracks, and one of the first to win multiple times. Night Stalker was Ianna's sire. He was an exceptional racehorse himself, and had so far produced some excellent offspring, including Hall Of Fame Inductee mare Sweet Stalker, and G1 mare Silver Stalker, among others. Ianna's siblings included two Hall of fame Inductees (Euphoria and Impressario) a Breeder's Cup Classic winner (Lusitania), Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner (Bank On Glory) and 3x Breeder's Cup winner (Bank On Greatness). So it was fair to say the filly had some decent bloodlines.
Seraphim was the first of her sire's offspring (Hall Of Fame Inductee Flying Colours), but her dam Requiem was also the dam of super sprinter-miler mare, Deadly Desires, winner of 3 Breeder's Cup races. As Best 2yo Filly and Best Grade Four of last year, Y10, it was also fair to say that Seraphim was made of the same stuff her stable mate was.
They rounded the turn into the backstretch for the second time, and switched to gallop. Only a quick four furlong breeze today, to work out the kinks. Derby day was in a matter of days! Thinking about the Tiara had Stella feeling a little queasy. It was difficult to ride a race against her horse's stablemates, especially when the other horse was a regular ride of hers. She wanted both to win, equally as much. But only the best horse on the day would, and it might not be either of them. Not that she doubted either filly, but there was some stiff competition.
Silver Stride's filly Afterglow, for example. She'd beaten Ianna in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies, and more recently in the Ruffian Handicap. But Ianna had beaten the other filly twice this year, so they were fairly equal. Stella didn't think Seraphim had ever faced the other filly before. As they rounded the turn, Stella imagined how the race might play out. She and Seraphim would be in the lead, with Silverianna behind them and Afterglow not far behind. Gelli Aur's fillies Quintessential and Golden Grove would be bringing up the rear.'
As the turn leveled into the stretch, Seraphim accelerated, just as she would in the race. Silverianna made her move also, keeping up with Sera easily. The other fillies also began moving up, Afterglow hot on their heels. Midway down the stretch, they would be absolutely flat out. It would come down to who had the stamina and speed. Stella imagined that she and Sarah were nose to nose aboard their grey fillies, with the rest of the field breathing down their necks. It would be too close to call.
As her little daydream came to a close, Stella grinned to herself, slowing Sera up. Hopefully, just hopefully, this dream would come true. It would take heart, it would take guts. Both fillies had it in spades.
