Post by Dante on Apr 23, 2012 13:35:40 GMT -5
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EXECUTIONER'S APPRENTICE
workout with
TOBIAS LANCASTER
for the
THE TRUE NUT MEMORIAL STAKES[/color]
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It was a battle of will now. It was playing with the big kids, it was the grade twos, grade ones, and the older horses. Tobias was confident in the colt beneath him. Executioner's Apprentice kept on going, slaughtering the competition. But that didn't mean it was easy, and that didn't mean Tobias could rest. No. It meant that they had to work even harder than the others, just to keep their heads above the water.
The next race was to have the same stiff competition they were used to, and that was why they'd give a good, strong practice run before that race became real. Eight furlongs, and on turf of course. Skylark was waiting by the gate for the dapple grey colt and his blonde jockey. "Get him out there, Tobias, then do your thing. His style is merciless, let's use it. Stalk 'em hard, you've got some stiff competition from the big guys."
"Don't I know it." Tobias nodded, as App was loaded into the gate. The colt with the 'bloodstain' took it well. It was nothing less than Tobias expected from the colt, who had the mind of a champion. He shifted in his stirrups, got ready, and the gates opened in the blink of an eye. Executioner's Apprentice broke wright with them, moving fast to get an ideal position. He wasn't a frontrunner, but he needed to get in the clear so as to more easily fall back into the right spot. As a preceder, it was all about
strategy, reading the race and then driving it.
The colt thundered over the turf, ears pricked forwards. Tobias could feel the smooth motion of the colt, the feeling of flying, the suspension, everything. There was power, but controlled power. In the imaginary field, Tobias put in at about third, keeping a the shoulders of the two in front. The trick was the pressure. He kept App going strong, aggressively so, to drive them a little faster. Frontrunners liked the front and they would do anything to keep it. Tobias wouldn't push App too fast too soon, but he'd encroach enough to make the frotrunners faster than they wanted to be.
They thundered through the first few furlongs, the sun and the wind at their backs, blue sky and green turf ahead of them. This was how he liked it, the height of summer. App's eyes were bright and his steps sure as they took the corner, six furlongs in, and as soon as they were around it, they moved.
Tobias could practically hear the thundering hooves behind him, smell the popcorn from the stands, and hear the drunken betters. He was in his element now, and so was Executioner's Apprentice. His nostrils flared and his telltale shoulder was a blur as they race down the turf. Tobias let App have his head, and the stick. This was where they moved for first, when they lost the mid pack runners and the closers coming up, where they watched the frontrunners fade. This was where they were, with the wind in their faces and the sun beaming down. He was sure they could do this. It was all a matter of practicing for excellence.
Horse and rider looped around after passing the eight furlong marker, and back to Skylark, who was waiting for them with the clipboard and stopwatch. "Better and better!" Skylark said with a grin, showing Tobias the time. "We'll knock 'em dead."-----------------------
WORKOUT STATS
words| 505
workout surface| Turf
distance| 8 furlongs
horse| Executioner's Apprentice
jockey| Tobias Lancaster
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