Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2012 7:55:49 GMT -5
Damn it, they had been so close and yet it was not good enough. Once again they had managed to lose, this time to the Star Thoroughbreds colt Euphoria's Warrior. He had come from nowhere to be the best two year old on the track right now but that was not enough to scare Tanya, in fact it only fired her up more. There was still one leg of the Youth Challenge series, the challenge itself, and she was determined to claim it. They had taken second in both of the previous races, and they could take first this time. She knew that they could. No, not could... They would. Tanya would not lose again, she refused to. It was getting frustrating, coming just short in both of the legs so far had her wired and itching to show the world just which two year old filly was a real threat for the Triple Tiara the following year. But not only that... This would be their last race before the Breeder's Cup, and she needed to perform well to ensure they entered the race on a good note. The better they performed here, the more likely they were to be able to pull off the win in the year-end series. After that, they would be fighting for a Horse Of The Year award. After all, there was no doubt that Sonja was one of the best two year olds out there. She had taken colts and fillies, she had raised to Grade Four, and she would be able to rise further. It had been a great start to the career of a filly from unknown origins and it would be a great thing to see such an unknown take home the award she deserved.
As Tanya walked out of the changing room, she was thinking about many things. Perhaps most importantly, she was thinking about Sonja. The bay filly had been rather immature when she had arrived here, had been unpredictable with her mood swings. Now, she had matured and through training her behaviour had been modified. She very rarely swung into her bad days now, and so was a much easier animal to work with than she had been at the beginning of the year. In fact, her desire to race seemed to be getting stronger too and that could only bode well for her future.
The workout had been planned several days before in a very focussed conversation with Matthias. Instant Success, the Kacey Hill colt, had been scratched but they would still be going up against Forbidden To Fly (who had won the first leg of the series) and Eternal Phantom. Not to mention that Star Thoroughbreds had yet to make their entries for the race. It would be a very strong field, but luckily Sonja was a very strong horse. Todays workout would be four furlongs on the dirt. A short distance, but good for the filly. They could do longer works in her month of rest, but this was all about ensuring the filly was prepared and yet not too tired for the race.
As she reached the track, Tanya stared up the dirt track. The dirt was a little on the soft side, heading toward sloppy from rain in recent days. It would likely be a muddy race, and while they had worked on soft surfaces before this was likely the softest yet. It was nothing to really worry about, although she was not sure how the filly ran on these very soft surfaces. They were about to find out, and there was no way that she was scratching. Not a chance. This race would be theirs... It would. She refused to lose. She would not fail the filly for the third race in a row.
Soon, Lucas arrived with Sonja and Tanya mounted the filly, casting a grin to Matthias who nodded his approval. He too was determined to see success in this race, and he understood the jockey's frustration. As Tanya adjusted the stirrups and checked everything was ok she listened to Matthias talk his usual babble before works like these - let her run at her own speed until the two furlong mark, then drive her to the post. As if they hadn't already discussed this. She nodded to his words and made herself comfortable before pushing the filly to walk toward the gates.
Gating was a quick process, and the challenge was on. Their last work before the race, and her heart was pounding. They could do this, she knew they could, but she still got nervous at times like these. Her excitement became too much, she didn't want to mess up and end up costing the filly this vital race. But she did not have time to worry, for soon enough the gates were open and the work was on. As usual, Sonja broke well once the gates were open. Quick, clean, the filly was obviously on the ball and her energy levels were showing as she moved from the gates. Her speed was high, her ears perked atop her head as Tanya settled with the filly's stride.
It was cold, and the cold air stung as it hit Tanya's face. She bit her lip, closed her eyes for a moment as the filly moved onwards. She could feel each stride, each movement through the horse. Muscles contracted and relaxed as legs moved quickly, carrying them forwards. From the feel of things, the filly was handling the ground well and as Tanya opened her eyes again she shifted slightly in the stirrups, balancing herself as she looked ahead of them and the distance was closing quickly.
Two furlongs had passed, and now Tanya's role would begin. She tucked herself closer to the filly's neck, cracking the crop on her rump and driving. Hard. With each stride the filly took, Tanya was willing her to move faster. The work which went into the motion was something she had practised a lot. The filly responded, her speed increasing as they closed in on the post. Stride after stride they fought together and as they passed the post their was a feeling of joy spreading through Tanya. The youth challenge would be seeing a real challenge this year.
As Tanya walked out of the changing room, she was thinking about many things. Perhaps most importantly, she was thinking about Sonja. The bay filly had been rather immature when she had arrived here, had been unpredictable with her mood swings. Now, she had matured and through training her behaviour had been modified. She very rarely swung into her bad days now, and so was a much easier animal to work with than she had been at the beginning of the year. In fact, her desire to race seemed to be getting stronger too and that could only bode well for her future.
The workout had been planned several days before in a very focussed conversation with Matthias. Instant Success, the Kacey Hill colt, had been scratched but they would still be going up against Forbidden To Fly (who had won the first leg of the series) and Eternal Phantom. Not to mention that Star Thoroughbreds had yet to make their entries for the race. It would be a very strong field, but luckily Sonja was a very strong horse. Todays workout would be four furlongs on the dirt. A short distance, but good for the filly. They could do longer works in her month of rest, but this was all about ensuring the filly was prepared and yet not too tired for the race.
As she reached the track, Tanya stared up the dirt track. The dirt was a little on the soft side, heading toward sloppy from rain in recent days. It would likely be a muddy race, and while they had worked on soft surfaces before this was likely the softest yet. It was nothing to really worry about, although she was not sure how the filly ran on these very soft surfaces. They were about to find out, and there was no way that she was scratching. Not a chance. This race would be theirs... It would. She refused to lose. She would not fail the filly for the third race in a row.
Soon, Lucas arrived with Sonja and Tanya mounted the filly, casting a grin to Matthias who nodded his approval. He too was determined to see success in this race, and he understood the jockey's frustration. As Tanya adjusted the stirrups and checked everything was ok she listened to Matthias talk his usual babble before works like these - let her run at her own speed until the two furlong mark, then drive her to the post. As if they hadn't already discussed this. She nodded to his words and made herself comfortable before pushing the filly to walk toward the gates.
Gating was a quick process, and the challenge was on. Their last work before the race, and her heart was pounding. They could do this, she knew they could, but she still got nervous at times like these. Her excitement became too much, she didn't want to mess up and end up costing the filly this vital race. But she did not have time to worry, for soon enough the gates were open and the work was on. As usual, Sonja broke well once the gates were open. Quick, clean, the filly was obviously on the ball and her energy levels were showing as she moved from the gates. Her speed was high, her ears perked atop her head as Tanya settled with the filly's stride.
It was cold, and the cold air stung as it hit Tanya's face. She bit her lip, closed her eyes for a moment as the filly moved onwards. She could feel each stride, each movement through the horse. Muscles contracted and relaxed as legs moved quickly, carrying them forwards. From the feel of things, the filly was handling the ground well and as Tanya opened her eyes again she shifted slightly in the stirrups, balancing herself as she looked ahead of them and the distance was closing quickly.
Two furlongs had passed, and now Tanya's role would begin. She tucked herself closer to the filly's neck, cracking the crop on her rump and driving. Hard. With each stride the filly took, Tanya was willing her to move faster. The work which went into the motion was something she had practised a lot. The filly responded, her speed increasing as they closed in on the post. Stride after stride they fought together and as they passed the post their was a feeling of joy spreading through Tanya. The youth challenge would be seeing a real challenge this year.