Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Jul 2, 2012 9:30:51 GMT -5
INNOCENT PASSION AND KRYSTAL YHATE
ANNA'S WORKOUT FOR THE FLIPPING FROG STAKES
Anna should be okay in her first maiden race, right? With bloodlines like hers and a distance that was her favorite, they couldn't go wrong...yet Krystal still worried as she saddled up the very small bay filly. Anna was about as tall as Pegasus Wings. That was small! At fifteen hands high, the filly was short and not much of a monster in height. Yet the filly had this crazy need to compete. At every moment of her life she was challenging and competing in turn, always trying to prove her dominance. Just like every other crazy filly in this crop.
The only good thing about this was the motivation it gave Anna on the track. She loved to race because she loved to compete. She loved to sprint because it provided competing opportunities. But the mile was her favorite distance, and that was the distance of the Flipping Frog Stakes. Four other nice horses faced them, and Krystal wanted to defeat them. She wanted Anna to show off the royalty of her bloodlines and her prowess on the turf. She also didn't want to deal with a moody Anna if she didn't win.
You see, Anna is a bit of a perfectionist. She has to win by the right amount or she gets moody. If she doesn't win at all she gets especially moody. It was how the filly rolled. As long as Anna loved to race, though, Krystal was willing to put up with her antics. She, like Anna, loved to compete, though Anna took competitiveness up to a new level. Kind of like how Amber had in that last workout with Nick Landing. Krystal knew something was going on there, something just beginning to sprout. She was eager to see the result.
Sensing distraction, Anna tossed her head, loosening the reins, and nearly bolted. Krystal clenched her teeth and performed a quick rein back, bringing the small filly under control. Being so small, you'd think she was less horse to have to deal with, but what Anna didn't have in size she made up for with attitude. This filly was a born racehorse and a born turfer. She loved the turf and she loved to sprint. She loved everything about the track, except maybe the gates. She loved to think her way out of tough situations in a race and ghost away with the lead. Her cunning came from her Hall Of Fame mother Little Miss Innocent, and with it a small sense of humor. When Anna wasn't competing, she was playing. But competing made up a large part of her daily schedule, even if she wasn't racing.
The smooth turf track greeted them. Krystal warmed Anna up, and the two year old obeyed. She sensed that they were working out today, and indeed they were. They were going a half mile from the gates, their final prep before their initial start. Krystal didn't want a moody Anna. She wanted an Anna that would win and keep winning. She would be as swift as the wind and as powerful as a hurricane. That was the plan and Anna would live up to it.
In no time at all they were loading into the gate. Anna took a moment to sniff and stomp a hoof before loading in. She became impatient as they waited a bit longer than she wanted to. Krystal made a mental note to load last if they could. The gates burst open and Anna was off fast. Her legs swept forward in a great bound as she accelerated quickly into her preferred pace.
Anna liked to have the field behind her. Krystal wanted to keep stoking her competitive fire. Thus, she was a preceder, kept just behind one or two horses and out of the lead for as much of the race as they could. Anna needed to be kept gunning for the lead or she would lost interest and not be on top of things. Then some closer or other horse could nab their lead and steal it from them. Krystal hated that.
They galloped and soared. Anna had a gallop similar to Asus's. It was short strided but fast, with her head pointing straight forward and ears alert. Though she looked alert, she was likely a bit distracted by the track, and that was okay. She would be seeing a lot of this turf track in the future, so it was good she was getting used to it now.
Four furlongs later Krystal slowed the filly with some difficulty and grinned. They had run like the breeze and Anna's fire was sizzling. They were ready to go!
