Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Jun 25, 2012 22:34:14 GMT -5
ETERNAL PHANTOM AND KRYSTAL YHATE
BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE WORKOUT
It was the beginning of the evening. The sun was just dipping beneath the edge of the world, and the darkness of night was setting in. The moon rose as though eclipsing the fall of the sun, shining a new, white light where orange warm rays had once shown. It lit the world with a silver, surreal brilliance. Into this eery illumination stepped a royal black filly with eyes that shone like stars in the sky. Their shine, however, was not as innocent. Fire burned there, cold silver fire. The head was held unnaturally still, as the filly surveyed her kingdom with a queen's arrogant gaze. Atop this majestic beast was Krystal Yhate, and she was feeling quite nervous. Their previous ride had been anything but good. Phantie had run away with her because she had displayed weakness. But the filly had also stopped after a while, as though letting the rare softness she felt for her rider shine through. And now they stood, just barely off of the dirt track in the early evening light - or darkness, if you prefer - waiting for Amber to show up.
Phantie was almost unnaturally quiet as night fell. Though her body blended into the darkness, her eyes did not. They continued to shine on. The filly was also gradually relaxing beneath Krystal. It was as though she welcomed and cherished the night. Krystal felt as though a phantom was taking possession of the filly, granting her this desire to go. It was nighttime, and she was a phantom, and they loved the night. It looked as though the filly's Night Stalker blood was shining through. Though she did express it, Krystal could feel the longing flooding the filly. She wanted to stretch out and light the ground on fire. She then wanted to bask in those flames and watch her competition melt away when they tried to do the same. All of this was expressed in the sudden electric current that flooded the reins Krystal held, and though she was slightly nervous of the filly she couldn't help being in awe. This was amazing. This was what it felt like to ride a true champion, with the heart of a racehorse glowing within.
When Amber finally showed up, it was to find Phantie and Krystal circling the stretch of the track. They had it to themselves, as nobody else would work during the night as they were. It was an effort to calm the filly, to prepare her for the race of her life. No filly had ever won the Breeders Cup Juvenile. Five colts faced her to contest for the title of Juvenile champion, and Krystal felt glorious to say that Phantie was counted as a hot contender. She had near perfect consistency, and her last win in the Horseshoe Futurity had shown the world just how good she was. It wasn't as though her bloodlines didn't hint at her talent - but for the Breeders Cup, their focus would be on the talent alone and not on the greatness that had preceded and told of this talent. Phantie and Krystal circled gracefully around to their head trainer and smoothly halted about five feet from her. Phantie's eyes glared into Amber's own, while Krystal met Amber's gaze squarely with friendliness sprinkled in their depths.
Amber's gaze had critically followed Krystal and Phantie on their trip around the stretch. It had noted critically the filly's unnatural ease in the darkness that frightened other horses and Krystal's relaxation into the saddle of the filly that had once terrified her. It was Phantie's temper that was to be feared, but right now the filly was not being expressive of her moodiness. Instead, she was silently intimidating, though Amber refused to show weakness to this filly. Krystal had told her of what had happened and she refused to show what Krystal had. As Krystal waited, she calmly evaluated Phantie. The filly was built strongly. Lithe muscles glimmered under a satiny night black coat, and the thoroughbred's eyes spoke to her of desire. Yes. A good blow out run would be excellent. So she told Krystal so, in hushed tones that did not disturb the darkness, and Krystal nodded before wheeling Phantie around and beginning to canter. They would do six furlongs, nothing more, at a gallop, and their work would not be timed. And unless there were some truly dedicated reporters camped out at the track, they would not be watched, either.
The dirt stretched endlessly in front of them. Krystal felt as though she was galloping Phantie into eternity rather than into the pages of history. She had already evaluated the field for the Juvenile, but the fact that she had run against them numerous times this season had meant only a light review was necessary. Their preparation was better spent running. So they went. Phantie's gallop was feather light. She seemed to glide over the dirt, perhaps float as a ghost would, barely brushing the track with her hooves. Her breathing seemed muted, as though she was an ethereal being not truly present in this dimension. Krystal found herself relaxing as she hadn't before on the filly. They blended together, she and Phantie. She felt the years they had ahead of them, racing, and then the years afterward, where Phantie would someday not be running like this. Instead, it would be a foal of hers, perhaps a filly, an exact replica, whom Krystal would ride.
She felt eternity stretching out in front of them. The turn was vanquished in one smooth run. The stretch rose to meet them. They graced the dirt with hooves that felt timeless and a spirit that was infinite. They would make history. History was eternity. Truly, Eternal Phantom was eternity, and even if she was denied now her spirit never would be. Pulling her up was easy for once, and Krystal felt almost breathless with awe as she did so. This filly, this beautiful creature, was hers to ride. The least she could do was ride her to victory in the Juvenile. Those colts would have to watch out, as the true queen would soon step into their midst and show them just what racing was all about.
