Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2012 3:31:04 GMT -5
Wannabe Hero & Tanya Stratt work for the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Sprint
He may not have been the greatest, but he certainly was not the worst, and Hero had a chance in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Sprint. He might not have been the favourite, but he definitely had a good chance. He had proven himself in Horse Of The Year races previously, and he was not incapable of doing so again. In fact, the team had faith that the underdog stood a chance in the race due to his heart, desire, and his simple love for running. They did not make him race, he chose to. To him, a race was nothing more than a game and like all games there was a competition.
Tanya would be riding the colt in the race, and while she felt less confident in the colt than she did in Sonja she knew Hero was one for pulling these things out of the bag when you least expected it. As she walked down to the track, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before putting on her helmet and fastening it. She rolled her shoulders, jogged a little, and generally warmed up for the workout. She knew that, at the track, Lucas was warming the colt up for a good workout this morning.
When she reached the track, Lucas was just pulling the colt to a walk and it was clear they had been trotting. The black colt, seeing her, tossed his head and she walked over to stroke his nose as Lucas dismounted. "He's doing well. Responsive to what he's asked and certainly eager. I think that after this work he'll be more than ready to give it his all.. And remember, it isn't all about winning. Hero will do what he can, and he has a lot of time to grow up." she nodded, allowing Lucas to take the reins while she mounted quietly, her eyes gleaming with some kind of inside knowledge. But it was no more than her knowledge of the colt, and of herself.
As soon as she was comfortable in the saddle, Lucas walked her and the colt to the gates - Hero trying to push into trot - and loaded them into the stall. The black colt behaved, walking in confidently into the small area and Lucas patted the colt's rump as he closed the shutters behind them "You can do it, Tan, don't worry about a thing." he told her confidently as he walked away into the stands. Seconds later, the shutters opened.
Hero broke well, making an amazing move out onto the dirt, his head held high and ears perked. It was fast, and there was no doubt that in the race he would be the first out of the gate and onto the track if he broke like that. Which was good for them, as the colt was a front runner and being ahead was exactly what they needed if they were to be successful. Tanya urged him a little, though the action was not really needed, and the colt continued to power down the short stretch.
Long, powerful strides carried them forwards. A regular pattern, and Tanya patted the colt's neck encouragingly. He could maintain this pace for the work, until the final two furlongs when they would make their move. She glanced behind them, at the mud which the colt was kicking up, and then looked ahead once more. The track didn't seem to be improving, and as they continued forwards Tanya bit her lip. If the track stayed like this, would the horse's performance be affected? it didn't seem like it, but it was not exactly impossible.
Three furlongs down, two remaining. Tanya cracked the crop against the colt's rump and drove him forwards. As he responded with a very slight increase in speed she pushed harder and harder. The pace was quick and they passed the post at a very high speed. They would see how he performed on race day.