fire burns

[S u N f r O s t ~]

DASHING IN THE FIRELIGHT AND HENNA TURATH
TDI LIVE THIS LIE AND AMBER BLACK

Stage two of Fire's recovery was underway. Today was her match race against TDI Live This Lie, and Henna was looking forward to crushing the competition. After this they would have a pair workout with another horse, and then they would do a solo work. Their workout from yesterday had left Fire feeling refreshed. Henna felt the energy in her stride as they trotted a tight circle, and nodded. No irregularities. Fire wasn't even tired from yesterday. She was fit and ready to run her heart out against Falsehood. So as they transitioned from their trotting circles to wider cantering circles, Henna considered the competition before them. Falsehood was a horse with fantastic bloodlines. By TDI Secrets of Excalibur and out of Definite Glory, his blood was the last of Tropicana Dreams, Inc. at the track. And as a grade three, he was showing it off proudly. Though his season had been rough, he was still a good horse, and just the right one to face Fire today. He was also a front runner, the type that liked to run away with the lead when it was offered. Fire was a midpacker. She would hang around behind him and then hopefully run him down as the race progressed.

As they finished another wide cantering circle, Henna saw their competition approaching. Falsehood looked good today. He obeyed Amber's commands instantly, and his well groomed gray coat positively glowed in the light. Henna admired him briefly before snapping into competition mode and focusing completely on her own mount. She slowed Fire's canter to let Amber and Falsehood catch up, flashing a quick greeting smile at them. Fire's feeling good today. How long do we have to beat your butts? Amber grinned. You will have one mile. Think you can handle it? Henna nodded confidently, and Amber got Falsehood going in a faster canter. The battle for dominance was on, and already the flames were burning. Falsehood and Fire challenged each other even as they cantered. Fire was not backing down, and Falsehood was just rising to the challenge she presented like a true racehorse would.

Soon, some steam was rising off of their bodies, and the jockeys felt that they were ready to go. They pulled the horses to a standstill. Seemingly out of nowhere, Krystal popped into existence at the rail. She was holding a stopwatch and looked eager to watch the workout commence. One mile was one exact lap around the track, and she couldn't wait to see what times were pulled by the due. Fire was a grade two, and Falsehood was a grade three. Both would put in excellent shows of talent and power today. The riders readied themselves, checking their grip on the reins and the crops they both carried. Krystal gave the signal, and like bullets the two horses broke and dove straight into their respective positions. Falsehood, as expected, took the lead, and opened up an easy three lengths on Fire. Fire was content to take to the rail behind him and wait for the right moment to go. Henna's hands followed the movement of her neck, neither urging nor holding back. Fire was experienced enough to rate herself, after all.

Falsehood led the race through some comfortable first fractions. After all, he was not being challenged for his lead, so Amber had him running reasonable times. This suited Henna and Fire just fine. The duo tracked them from behind, and the margin between them and the leader remained the same. To any watching person, it would appear as though Falsehood had it comfortably and could pull off a whole lot more, but they would be underestimating the mighty power than could be unleashed from Fire in one swift movement. Amber knew of Fire's kick at the end, and was being smart about rating Falsehood. Against a lesser opponent, Henna might have been slightly more comfortable with letting them have the lead, but Amber was smart and she definitely knew her mount. To let her go unchallenged for much longer could be bad in terms of speed. Thus, she encouraged Fire up a little bit as they passed the half. They needed to put some pressure on Falsehood and see if they could even out the chances here.

Amber was sensitive to Henna's pressuring, but she did not react. She simply let Falsehood continue to lope along at his regular speed, not bothering to prod him. She wasn't going to fall for Henna's tricks. Fire, on the other hand, was slightly annoyed. She had gained speed, but Falsehood was going no faster. She wanted to make the gray stallion either run faster or catch up and leave him behind. Slowly, they began to accelerate. Henna sensed that they needed to make up some ground if they wanted to stand a chance of running the gray down. Falsehood continued to run as they continued to narrow the distance. Finally, when they were a mere length off, Amber and Falsehood finally reacted. Amber urged the stallion faster, wanting to create the distance again, and Henna was faced with two options. She could either move up and engage them earlier than planned, or she could wait and take a chance with running out of distance.

Henna's response was to urge Fire on. They weren't going to back off of this one. Fire responded joyfully, roaring into a faster pace and flying to the outside of Falsehood. As expected, Amber and Falsehood also hit sprint speed, giving a worthy challenge to their competitors. They flew into the stretch, constantly challenging each other. It appeared that Falsehood's easy lead was paying off, as he was still fresh. Fire was hard pressed to battle with that energy, but she wasn't giving up. Neck to neck, the veterans challenged each other with steel in their eyes and desire in their hearts. It was too close to call as they passed under the wire. Perhaps with more distance, there would have been a conclusion. Nevertheless, Amber and Henna pulled up their mounts with happiness in their hearts. This had been a good workout, and Henna was confident that her mare was going to make a comeback that would surprise the entire racing world.