Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2012 13:17:11 GMT -5
Sophie's Voice & Jacob Donovan
A new year meant that a new batch of two year olds were about to debut on the track, and those two year olds needed to be prepared. For the last year, they had undergone serious training programmes which had introduced them to many of the things they would come across on the track. However, until now they had not been mature enough to be raced, and the racing world was on edge to see how the new horses would perform. After all, there was nothing more exciting than seeing the new talent perform.
Soph had performed well in prospect shows, winning four and placing in five. She had never placed outside of the top two, and was a horse for whom many had a lot of anticipation for when it came to racing. Sophie’s Voice, as she was known as on the track, was a sprinter who would be running on both surfaces during her career. She was half to the three year old Lynara’s Kingdom, and definitely had the talent to become a great. She was paired with Jacob Donovan, who was definitely a talented jockey in himself and would be more than ready to show the world just how talented the filly was.
The chestnut filly had been in a vocal mood all day, calling out to the staff as they had passed her stall and generally vying for attention. But until now, her attempts had been unsuccessful – everyone was busy preparing for the new season. However, her turn had come around and Lucas had arrived with several grooms to prepare the filly for her workout. As he entered the stall, he pushed her back into it – fighting her attempt to burst through the small gap and stroked her noe. ”Patient, Soph.” he spoke before running his hand down her legs one by one, testing for heat. There was none, he had not expected there to be either. If there had been heat, it would have meant delaying her work and her debut which he did not want to do. As he confirmed her to be fit the grooms walked into the stall and began to put on her tack.
Lucas left the stall, walking across the yard to his brother’s office. He knocked once, entered. ”Soph is being tacked up now, Matthias. She’s free of heat and ready to run.” the older brother looked up and smiled at the younger, rising from his seat behind the desk where he had been dealing with paperwork. He was watching all of the two year old works, and he had been somewhat excited for the sprinter, who he felt had a good chance this year.
The first workout for the filly had been planned for the dirt, the surface on which Matthias had penned her debut for her. He was pretty sure the filly would be a challenger for the sprinting titles next year, but he also knew that for her to get there they would need a good start from her this season. Him and the team would put the work in which was needed, and the filly was sure to try her best. As he reached the track he walked into the stands, just in time to see Jake mounting the chestnut filly. While the jockey did last minute checks, Matthias ran over the field for the race - the Dirty Duck Stakes - in his mind.
Gate One held Mastermind, a filly by Speed Demon and out of El Sol Del Mar - she was literally bred to sprint, and she was sure to be a monster on the track. The combination of two Hall Of Fame parents was definitely a strong one and she would be a challenge. Gate Two would hold Wind Reader of Dream Valley Stables, an unknown who had not competed as a prospect and so was a bit of a surprise for race day. Gate Three would be the starting point for Soph's half sister, Loud And Clear which was sure to make a great showdown in the first week of the year. Gate Four would also hold an unknown horse, known as C'est Impossible - she was owned by Prison Hill Stables and had placed second in the GHF's Next Top Racehorse seventh round. In gate five, Ventura was a definite threat. The Impressario filly was strong, competitive and ready for action. Matthias had already marked her as one of the main competitors for this year, and she had not even debuted yet. Dirty Diana of Akita Rose Stables would start in Gate Six, her bloodlines were like gold dust and she had been well liked in the prospect show she had been entered in, finishing third. Another Akita Rose Stables filly was starting in Gate Seven, Silver Secret, whose sire had never placed outside of the money and whose mother had very nice lines. Matthias knew very little of the filly, but was certainly intrigued. In Gate Eight, Close Racing had entered their filly Barely Legal who was a pretty filly that had not been over popular in the prospect shows. Finally, Soph would start in Gate Nine. She had never placed out of the top two as a prospect, and she was certainly ready to take on the competition in this race.
Due to the fact that Jacob knew the filly was not yet completely over her fear of the gate, he had decided not to stress her out unnecessarily by loading her. Instead, they would just breeze and avoid causing any drama or upset. Matthias knew of the plan, and he approved. He did not wish to cause problems with the maidens; he wanted to give them the best chance possible and to do that he needed to keep them calm. Jake had his head in the right place, and his heart was definitely into making a good impression with the filly on their first start. Jake finished making adjustments and moved the filly out onto the track, first testing her responsiveness to his commands. Alone on the track, she was easy to deal with and she was definitely responding to him. He tried her in walk, trot and canter before pulling her back down, lining her up with the post.
Three furlongs; that was all they would run today. A three furlong breeze, which would enable the filly to stretch her legs in preparation for the race. She shifted under-saddle, tossing her head impatiently. Jacob stared up the track, rose in his stirrups, and then pushed her forwards. She moved from standing quickly into gallop, having practiced breaking quite a bit in training, and settled into a high pace. In a race, she would be in the lead and she would not be willing to give it up. She liked to be at the front, to build a lead as she made her way up the track. It was how she did things, and it worked for her. She was handling the dirt with ease, a powerful sprinter who could also handle a mile. Yes, it was at the top of her distance range but she could definitely handle it.
Jacob urged the filly on, feeling amazing as they soared down the short stretch. She was a powerhouse, determined to prove herself, and Jacob was just as determined. The distance closed quickly, Jacob did not drive her hard or use to crop but instead just encouraged her forwards a little with the occasional push. She moved past the post, adept and confident, and Jacob knew that they were ready for the competition.