Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Jun 6, 2012 17:20:51 GMT -5
FORBIDDEN TO FLY AND HENNA TURATH
LYNARA'S KINGDOM AND AMBER BLACK
FLY'S AND LYNARA'S WORKOUT FOR THE GALLOP TO THE GALLOWS STAKES
The bugling call was unmistakable - only one horse could be that loud, and his name was Forbidden To Fly. Fondly named the "alarm clock" of the stables, he was as full of it as usual today, impatiently tugging on the reins and wanting to play his favorite game. Henna had a hard time containing the colt, and sweat already beaded her brow, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Fly had gone out two weeks ago and won with style in the Just A Trot Futurity. Now he was back for the next leg in the Youth Challenge series, that leg being the Gallop To The Gallows Stakes. If he captured this leg, he would unofficially be the Youth Challenge champion. Capturing all three legs would be like winning the juvenile Triple Crown. Henna desired the win greatly. Though Fly apparently didn't take racing more seriously than as a game, he deserved it for his talent. And contrary to popular belief, Fly was as much a sprinter as a miler. This eight furlong distance was perfect for him.
As for Lynara's Kingdom, it was the last leg that she would run in the series. The moody gray filly had placed fourth in the first, gallantly, and had bounced back with a good workout the week after. Lynara was the most moody and uncontrollable horse in the stable. You could never tell exactly what she was thinking or what she planned to do next. She kept some habits, but it took a lot of time to learn them. Amber had taken the filly as hers to ride due to the sheer amount of skill it took to control the With A Snap daughter. Nearing the end of her two year old season, Lynara didn't look like she was calming down anytime soon. She was being sent to the Breeders Cup Juvenile Sprint in one month's time as the doubtless long-shot entry, but Amber had faith in the filly's ability, which only grew by leaps and bounds with each passing day.
They were both sharp as tack and ready to go. Henna and Amber had both obsessively studied the racing styles of the field they were facing. Gamble On Peace was a closer and Paradise Island was a front runner or a preceder. This nicely balanced out their own running styles. Fly was a mid packer and Lynara was variable. This meant that when the race started, Sonja would likely take the lead, with Lynara just behind and Fly and Gambler bringing up the rear. It wouldn't be too quick of a pace either, unless Lynara decided to push it. Her longest distance was at a mile, and the filly was a sprinter, but she could handle it. Amber wasn't worried about any distance issues. As for Fly, it was a bread and butter distance, and Henna looked forward to the ride.
How they broke could really determine the outcome of the race. Thus, Amber and Henna had set up some gate time. The gates were empty as they approached after their classic prequel canter. Krystal was waiting there for them. She grinned encouragingly as the two year olds came and waited for them to loud, hands hovering over the button. Henna loaded Fly in first. The colt bugled loudly and stomped his hoof a bit before going in, and then set up a racket within the confines of the gate. Amber loaded Lynara next, the filly's ears pinned back moodily as she was nudged in. There was a reason she was last - Amber wanted to avoid as much madness as possible. You never knew what the filly would do next!
All loaded in, Krystal sent them off within seconds. They were doing a half mile gallop focused on finding a good starting speed. Lynara broke the quickest and immediately rocketed into the lead, opening up some lengths of daylight before Fly had even really started running. The speed of her acceleration left Amber blinking. She was definitely a sprinter, with some mile capabilities that had yet to be showcased. They blew away from Fly, who was contentedly plodding along six lengths or so behind them, happy to be just off the pace and actually adopting a closing speed. He seemed happy to just be running and playing his game right now, not overly concerned about the end results and just enjoying speed.
Two furlongs blew by, and the positions remained unchanged. Lynara actually put on some more speed, and Fly appeared unconcerned. Henna was motionless on his back, occasionally giving him a prod to refocus. The colt definitely had some problems with focus. This was expected for two year olds, yes, but for Fly he was a special case. He was just hyper, and he wasn't calming down. Only Henna actually possessed the patience necessary to deal with him. As such, they had formed a strong bond together due to hours of training. With Lynara, Amber shared a weaker bond simply because of the filly's moody and independent personality. The strength of the bond did not contribute too much to Lynara's racing, as it was an inborn trait of hers, but for Fly it was vitally important. Fly needed a rider that understood him and his moods. Henna was definitely that rider, as she had been for all of his dam's foals.
The half mile was up, and Lynara was ten lengths ahead and settling into her stride a bit more. She was pulled up, moodily, and she resisted the decrease in speed every stride of the way. As for Fly, he pulled up with some confusion, wondering why the race was over so soon. Amber and Lynara turned and cantered back to Fly and Henna, and the two jockeys exchanged grins. Their mounts felt good, and their hopes were high.
