Post by Dante on Apr 11, 2012 15:29:35 GMT -5
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DEVIL'S CRUSADE
workout with
TOBIAS LANCASTER[/b]
for the
SUMMER CUP GRADE FIVE TURF
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The black thoroughbred danced in his spot, despite some berating with the stick for doing so, but Tobias couldn't get the three year old to hold still. Time had given him size and strength, but not manner. Devil's Crusade was still a little less than mellow when it came to the track. "Come on, man!" Tobias grumbled, as he watched Connor speak with some girl, perhaps a groom. "Hurry it up!" And hurry it did. The exchanged ended with Connor getting slapped, and Tobias had to admit he was a little relived by this; Connor would be more subdued than usual now, as they prepared for the Summer Cup.
Crux was having a decent season so far, and they were hoping to build on it. He had a fairly good record and was great on both the turf and the dirt - it was just a matter of polishing him up, and they'd have a fair stud to offer in a few years. The sun shone down, making Crux's coat hot to the touch. "Let's go, and you didn't see that." Connor said, a menacing tone in his voice. Tobias nodded, holding back a laugh, and moved for the gate. Crux was only too happy to oblige, after having stood in one place for so long. Tobias could feel the pull on his reins, the power that lurked behind. Let it go too soon and they'd have nothing, but if he timed it right Crux could go far in this race. It was all a matter of timing for this mid pack horse. All a matter of choosing when and how to best outrun the back and the front.
The turf track stretched out before them as they were loaded into the gate. Crux began to prance even more, and Tobias sighed. At least he had the blood for the job; it wouldn't be a matter of getting go, it would be a matter of controlling it for the undersized jockey. He got himself settled, and barely as soon as he did that, the gates were open once more, but from the front.
The colt broke at an average pace, one that would propel him to the middle of the pack, which was where he liked to run. They'd stay near the inside middle, which to some was counterintuitive - but not to Tobias. Crux had running power. He didn't have extensive acceleration or agility, but he was consistent. The best place for him was in the middle. They'd keep a steady pace as they moved, and then at the end, they'd be in a good place. Other mid-pack horses would have moved out of the way, either inside or outside, to try and steal first. Preceders would be pushing, and frontrunners would be calling on last reserves as closers sprinted in for the kill. In the middle of this, Crux would accelerate, in one line made clean by the motions of others. He'd slip into the front unchecked and unnoticed. It was one of the more passive strategies, but one that had worked on more than one occasion for Crux. It was timing it that was the whole issue.
Devil's Crusade held steady for the first six furlongs and into the turn, wind whipping up around him as his hooves tossed up the occasional chunk of turf. Tobias liked the powerful feeling he got riding Crux. Yes, App was the more powerful of his mounts, but there was something spirited, something different about Devil's Crusade. It was the desire to keep going, no matter what losses might be suffered. Crux had done badly in races before, but Tobias didn't care much about that. Crux, he was sure, could bounce back, and what better a time to do that than at the beginning of Summer?
In the final four furlongs, right out of the turn. Tobias let Crux go. The black colt accelerated, and went flying down the track. This was the point in the race where thre was no going back, where the way was hopefully clear, where the win was in sight. This was where Tobias gave the reign and the stick, and just rode it all out. He could do the steering, but the running was up to the horse.
The world was a blur was they crossed the finish line, and it took another minute or so before Tobias brought Crux back down from the gallop. He was sweaty, but he held his head and tail high as he trotted on back to Connor. "How'd we do?" Tobias called form his perch on Crux.
"Good, good. Here's to hoping!" Connor responded. "Now let's get out of here before that girl comes back, I actually didn't book the time for this run, so we could get arrested if we don't get out of here."------------------------
WORKOUT STATS
words| 842
workout surface| Turf
distance| 10 furlongs
horse| Devil's Crusade
jockey| Tobias Lancaster
type| closed workout (do not reply)
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