Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 8:27:01 GMT -5
Wannabe Hero & Tanya Stratt
What a race it had been! The Breeder's Cup Juvenile Sprint had been a true test of racing spirit and potential, and it had certainly been a close race. The Prison Hill Stables Royal Assassin had come in a close second, but it was amazing that a stewards enquiry had not occurred following the rather violent tactics that his jockey had opted for. Last Tanya had checked, purposefully barging other horses was against the rules, and it had been confirmed by a recent blog entry that the collisions during the race had in fact been intentional. Still, there was no doubt that the officials had seen it and would keep a closer eye on the jockey from now on. Especially considering there had been threats of the violence continuing on the track this year.
The jockey was due to do a workout with the recent Breeder's Cup winner and she was looking forward to the year which lay ahead of them. After all, Hero had shown himself to have class when he had performed as well as he had in the year-ending series and was sure to come off better for it. Not just anyone won those races, and he had beaten a colt that had for a while been tipped to be one of the better sprinters in their year.
As she walked down to the track she was smiling. This year was sure to be a good one and everyone was hyped for it. She knew that there would be a lot of work, especially considering that she would be running the triple tiara with Sonja while chasing down the sprints with Hero as well as working with the new two year olds. But she could handle it, and she was ready to get a positive start to the year.
The race was set. The Missile Stakes, a race for grade fives over seven furlongs on the dirt. It was a distance he could handle with ease, on a surface that he loved. So far, there were only two other entrants - Dawn Of Silence, owned by Kacey Hill Stables, and Cold Mountain who was owned by Dream Valley Stables. Neither had any real achievements, where as Hero had wins and places in major races. In other words, he was the strongest in the field and his recent race in the Breeder's Cup hadn't really tired him. He was ready for the race, and Tanya was sure that they could pull it off and break into Grade Four.
When she arrived at the track, things got under way quickly. She had a short discussion with Matthias, mounted the colt and checked her stirrups. Once she was sure she was ready and everything was correct, Lucas led her and the colt to the starting gates. The colt was excited. He had a bounce in his step and a glint in his eye. As he was led to the starting gate he seemed eager and ready to go and he walked into his position without an issue. Then they waited.
Tanya knew the colt well by now, and when the gates opened she was not surprised as he broke quickly and moved out onto the track at a high pace. She reined him in slightly and pulled him to the rail where he continued forwards at the pace she had held him at. He was a powerhouse, and the dirt was no obstacle for him. His confidence was clear as he moved onwards, and soon two furlongs had passed. Now, Tanya pushed him forwards a little and allowed him to move at a slightly high pace.
There were only two furlongs remaining, and she had to make it count. The colt was moving well, responding to her commands and showing all the signs of being ready to make a real show of himself. He certainly had the class. One and a half furlongs left. Tanya drove the colt, and she drove hard. He sped up a little and started to fight as the ground moved quickly beneath them. The crop contacted his rump and they really fought as they passed the post. He definitely had class, and he was ready.