Post by Deleted on May 9, 2013 4:07:06 GMT -5
Trickling Blood
The latest arrival at In Stride Racing would be a good one. A very good one at that… The grade two sprinter was the twin brother of the filly, Tears of an Angel who had just placed second in the first leg of the Triple Tiara. She wouldn’t be racing in any other races for the Tiara. Sanguis would be racing in the May Turf Stakes against arch rival, Mastermind. The two had been at it since they were youngsters and now it was time to prove to Witch Creek that he wasn’t just any old colt that was going to get beaten in every race by the same horse, but a powerhouse that with the right training would romp the tracks.
Jacey had woken up at 4:45am that morning and as she did so, she avoided awakening her husband Matthias. She’d been sat in the barn since 5:15am and the time was now swiftly approaching 5:45am. Sanguis stood in his stall, gazing round as he did so. Suddenly, a loud bang alerted her. She stood up and walked to the end of the barn before looking round. With long strides and flowing blonde hair, Beth sprinted from her car and into the barn. ”I am so sorry,” She said. ”I completely lost track of time, it’s just, Miles was round and…” Jacey’s eyes widened. ”Miles?” She said, shocked. ”Yes… Oh, wait.” Jacey laughed. Beth’s realisation had finally hit her and she remembered that she hadn’t told anyone about him.
Beth blushed and held in her giggle. She bit her lip and ran into the barn, smirking. Swiftly, she put her boots and chaps on, pulled up her stretchy jeans and placed her hat onto her head. She fetched her crop and walked over to Sanguis’ stall. He appeared to be in a good mood, but with any horse, it’s hard to tell. With San, it was like walking on egg-shells. His moods are unpredictable and so he should be evaluated before being approached. He is easily read through his body language. Jacey stroked San’s nose. He remained calm.
”This colt is quite dominant to other horses, especially other colts, and can be very show-offish around them.” Jacey said. San nickered in a deep tone. His ears flickered and he stood still. In the parade ring, it is not uncommon for his head to be held high with his ears slicked across his skull. Oddly, however, he will behave very well in hand around them - almost as if he feels that good ground manners make him superior.
Very little scares this colt. He could be described as fearless, and is most certainly competitive. However, he dislikes affection and will become very stand-offish if smothered. With only Mastermind entered in his race at this point, it appeared that he would lead. San was a closer and nothing more than a closer so he would wait and make his move along the turf in the closing stages of the race. Beth walked the colt out of the stall and was legged up on. She was ready for this, and nothing would stop these two from taking a win in the race.
Sanguis will gate relatively well, although there are occasionally issues with him fighting entering the contraption, and remains calm once the shutters are closed behind him. Calm, he will wait for the gates to open but can get quite impatient while waiting for this to happen. Once the gates do open, he breaks quite slowly and will settle in at the back of the group.
Sometimes on the track, Sanguis can become quite headstrong and will try to move up the field too early, which can be troublesome given the fact that he is not too easy to handle.
However, it is possible for an experienced jockey to hold him back until they decide that it is time to make a move. In the stretch, Sanguis is a true power-house. Being quite a large and muscular colt he has a long stride and a great deal of speed at his disposal. He will close heavily, usually going wide of the pack and a good jockey will use the competition he passes to fuel his competitive nature.
Beth was hoping that today she would be able to handle him. She had the experience and she was ready for it, it was just a case of what mood he would be in when he got to the track. The colt would be working three furlongs over the turf from the gate today. It was only a quick workout but it was enough for him to get that extra advantage over Mastermind. Mastermind was really, a mastermind. He was the son of Speed Demon and El Sol Del Mar, two hall of famers who rapidly rose to fame.
The colts had the same number of wins, but San had 18 starts, Mastermind had 24. San had beaten him as a two year old – in the Eagle Cup, and they drew in the Azalea Cup Colts. He had been beaten by Mastermind in the Top Speed Stakes, but this time he wasn’t going to give up so easily. He would close thick and fast, he would get his own back. He held grudge on that horse and hated him with a passion… big time.
Beth warmed the colt up and walked him in a few circles before trotting him up to the starting gate. The colt loaded quickly and easily into the gate. He pricked his ears and shuffled his weight. As the bell rang he broke quickly and galloped down the turf, ears pricked and his long strides covered the ground energetically. Beth let him loose and pushed him on. He opened up his stride and sprinted down the turf. Jacey timed the final two furlongs just like you would in an Under Tack Show. Beth was all out and the colt flew under the wire.
The time he finished two furlongs in was 19 seconds flat, incredibly quick for a three year old colt. Beth pulled him up and patted him before taking him back to the barn. He would dominate this race, and no one, not even Mastermind could stop him.