Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Jun 27, 2012 15:06:42 GMT -5
SUGAR JAYDE AND HENNA TURATH
BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT WORKOUT
Henna stroked the heart shaped marking on the two year old's forehead and smiled as she did so. Jayde was obviously enjoying the massage; she nickered occasionally but otherwise just breathed contentedly into Henna's face. It was the most relaxing and joyful experience of the week. Unlike Henna's other rides, she was actually really looking forward to Jayde's race. She felt confident about her odds of winning the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Two others had decided to challenge her, and she had defeated them both on at least one occasion. Spitting Image, the Star Thoroughbreds entry, had defeated them once - Jayde had defeated her three times. Not only that, but Jayde had won every turf sprint title for juveniles so far this year. This included the Unicorn Horn Juvenile Turf Sprint, Magic Millions Fillies Turf Sprint and the Azalea Cup Fillies.
So overall, Henna was confident, but she wasn't going to get cocky. The race would be a race, and they would have only five furlongs to prove that Jayde was indeed the best.
It was convenient, then, that she would be the speed of the race. There were no other front runners in the field. Therefore, they would lead the pack. Spitting Image and Feline Frenzy, their competition, were both mid packers. They wouldn't want any part of the speed up front. So why not be a bit ambitious? They would go out fast and run the feet off of the other horses. Five furlongs was a sprinting distance, and Jayde loved to sprint. She had proven her love all year. She could easily handle a full five furlongs of dead on sprinting. It was what she was built for. Well muscled legs, powerful hind quarters that would give her a good push off of the ground, and more than all a desire to win. This all added up to a winner in Henna's mind, and she hoped the sweet natured filly would get a chance to show the world the depths of her desire.
She fed Jayde a small bit of sugar cube, her favorite treat, and then tacked her up quickly. Leading her out onto the track, she stopped for a moment to observe traffic before continuing. The dirt track was being used by a lot of horses this morning, but the turf track appeared suspiciously empty. That was just perfect - the limelight would be on them. Henna mounted up and walked her over the dirt track. They entered the turf and immediately began to warm up. Jayde looked like a two year old - she wasn't fully grown, though she was close, and she was just a little anxious at being around all these other horses. However, she responded to Henna's commands, and she trotted at a sprightly pace up the track. The fact that a horse was working on the turf track attracted a couple eyes, and those that recognized the Sweet Sugar Cane and Queen Of Hearts daughter kept their eyes glued to the bay filly.
Henna ignored the crowd, though on the inside she was happy to have their attention. A small smile curved her face as she trotted Jayde along and then began to canter her. Jayde was obedient, though a bit skittish of course, being two years old. Henna kept her as controlled as she could manage, smiling as Jayde calmed under her control. They cantered for a couple furlongs and then began to gallop. Jayde's gallop was fast and a bit jerky. It lacked the graceful control of an older horse, of course, but that was to be expected. Henna rode to the familiar motion with a smile curving her lips. Jayde felt great. She seemed to be loose and ready to roll, just the way Henna wanted it. They needed to be fast out of the gates to secure that front spot. Then, for three furlongs, they would sprint just beneath her top speed, and then at furlong four they would release all of their speed and hopefully blow away the oncoming competition.
Henna saw this in her mind's eye and grinned. It was glorious. She slowed Jayde to a stop and rode her off of the track with the same grin on her face. She would feed Jayde her favorite treat now as a reward for a good workout, and stroke her a bit more on that heart shaped marking. They could have this in the bag, if she just rode it right.
