Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2013 2:48:04 GMT -5
Winning Touch had started an inconceivable year with an incredible win in the New Year Dirt Stakes, beating out Tears of Blood and Gamble On Peace. Bit of a slacking race you may think, but this time she was stepping up her game. Winnie was going against Georgie's Girl in her next start. The filly that beat her out to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This time she would be out to get her revenge. Georgie's Girl was starting in Gate Two, we were in Gate One, she was a strong filly and had quite a good season last year, taking six wins. She had been seen working out alongside Spitting Image on the tracks. She won the Unicorn Horn Fillies Turf, Coronation Stakes, Summer Cup Grade Four Dirt and placed in the Debutante Stakes. She was a good filly and this time Winnie was determined to come out on top.
Wild Kiss was the heavily favoured filly of this race. She was a five year old who took nine wins in her last season. She had won some of the big turf races at The Wire last year and we had beaten her in the In The Middle Stakes. This time I was determined to do so again. She was a great horse, and would make a cracking broodmare. Winnie would be racing until she was six, and dependant on how well she did, maybe until she was seven. But she placed a disappointing fourth in the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
I walked out of the changing room into the barn and Jacey had already tacked Winnie up for me. I walked round the corner to be greeted by the loud neigh of my beautiful mount, ears perked and her big gleaming eyes starting at me. I looked at Jacey and smiled, before being bounced onto the wide mare. She had definitely widened and because of that, it meant that she was maturing. I grinned and walked her on to the turf track, gazing over the sights and sounds. People thought that she was just the same old filly that they'd faced before, but what they didn't know was that she was back, bigger, better, stronger, and as powerful as ever. She was about to show the field what she had today. She was going to blow them away.
The four year old would soon be showing everyone she came and she would be pushing in every race she was entered into. After all, the filly had been getting progressively more competetive since I had first started riding her back at the end of Year 11. This was great because this year was an important one. This was the year she would show off exactly how good she was. This was the year that we were going to shine. Gating was easy and when the gates opened we moved out quickly, moving down the straight at a middle pace and quickening as we reached the corner. By the time we reached the stretch and the crop fell upon Winnie's shoulder, she was ready and the speed she showed in the stretch was faster than she had ran before, of that much Jacey was sure. She watched from the stands, her eyes gleaming as she watched us best friend and the young star speed past the post. We were going to kick some major butt in the races this year, and I was sure of it.