Young Blood (BC WORKS)

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TEARS NO MORE, BELTANE AND TEARS OF AN ANGEL WORK FOR THE BREEDERS CUP
6F OVER DIRT


"Easy Trouble," Ivana said, hushing the beautiful bay two year old muscular colt that stood before her. The race that this colt was entered in would be the race of his life so far, and his red haired small framed jockey was also excited about it too. The colt paced backwards and forwards round his stable before letting out a huge whinny. Jacey had just brought Sonja back from her workout and Beth was sorting Leah out in the stall next door as they'd be working next. Tears No More as he was known as on the track had a huge challenge ahead of him. He was entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, with four other competitors against him. It was the perfect race for Trouble. The horses were strong, and even though some had beaten him before, Trouble was not going down without a fight. He was fitter than ever and ready to take to the dirt.

The four horses he was against were Sugar Rush and Crowned Queen, both Star Thoroughbreds entrants, Reflected In Water, his arch rival, and finally Alucard - the Stride of Perfection colt, who looked like he could go for perfection in this race. It seemed the field for the race was quite top heavy. Though he hates the gate with a passion, he will break as fast as a rocket, going for the lead and run to run as long and hard as he needs to, trying to fend off anyone who tries to challenge him. He has serious speed and stamina and remains quite happy as long as he is in first place. When he breaks, he doesn’t charge off at stupid speeds, but gives it a comfortable enough lead. If anyone challenges him, he would match the horses stride and eye the competition to try and get them to back down.

Crowned Queen was a preceder. She will break quickly and settle in just behind the leaders as she doesn't like to lead. Her last win in the Eagle Cup beat out Reflected In Water and Trouble too, which was heart breaking for Ivana as she was working so hard with him. Reflected In Water was next. The filly beat Trouble to the wire in the December Face-off which absolutely gutted Ivana as it made her think Trouble wasn't good enough, but after a bit of convincing, she entered the colt. She knew that he'd pull something out of the bag. Remi was also a preceder, so the competition would be very heated. Sugar Rush was another strong entrant. She was a front runner, the same as Trouble. After a slow start to the season she began to pick up wins one by one.

Finally, Alucard - who, again, was also a preceder. He was a strong colt and definitely one to watch, he might even win it. So the stage was set. Sugar Rush and Tears No More would go for the lead, however, if Sugar Rush wanted the lead, Trouble would drop back a length and linger behind her, after all he was growing and maturing into a nice colt that was beginning to listen to Ivana's aids. The other three would be somewhere in behind. It was hard to judge where and when these runners would be.

Then there was Bella. The big black filly who would be racing in the final race of her career before retiring at the start of year fourteen to be bred. Jacey had just finished tacking her up. She ran the entrants through her head. Bella had quite a good race ahead of her, the horses were good and the jockeys were good too. She was up against Triple Tiara contender, Ventura, and Star Thoroughbreds ever improving mare, Sweetness Unlimited. Both were very good horses and it seemed like Bella had a good chance in the race. The pace for the rest looked to be quick - Sweetness Unlimited was grade three and raced as a preceder, whereas Ventura was Grade One with eighteen wins to her name, threatening Beltane in the win. She was also a preceder so the stage was set. Bella would lead, Ventura would be in behind and 'Ness' would probably be hot on Ventura's heels.

Tears of an Angel was next, she was a beautiful three year old who'd had a fairly light season as Jacey didn't want to over do it, but she's come out of the year with quite a few amazing victories, apart from one where she pulled up after the race slightly lame, in a second place finish in the Shining Stakes. The filly had 17 wins to her name and after missing out on last years Breeders' Cup, she was desperate for win. She hadn't had a win since September. She was well rested after not racing since the end of October. She was well prepared for the race. The entrants in Lucy's race were two very good fillies.

There was Feline Frenzy, the filly had crawled up to Grade One with ease this year and it wasn't stopping the filly from taking a BC win before she finished the season. The filly was a front runner so she would definitely be setting the pace here today. Then there was Loud and Clear, Lucy's half sister. She was now Grade Three and swiftly catching up with Lucy after a good season. She was als a preceder so she looked like she was going to race well. The race was fast paced but with them all being sprinters, it shouldn't make a difference.

Ivana was riding Trouble, and Beth would be riding Lucy for the workout. Jacey would ride Bella. As all the jockeys adjusted the tack and mounted up, the horses looked fitter than ever. All three were ready to take to the dirt to train for the upcoming races. After talking out the workout plan, they realised that six furlongs over dirt would be perfect for all the horses. Trouble was trotting on the spot with his ears pricked. Bella was walking energetically, her eyes weary of who was around her, then finally Lucy, elegantly stepping onto the track, her little ears pricked as she walked on her tip toes across the surface. They warmed up in a trot and they all broke into canter at the seven furlong pole.

Trouble and Bella shot to a three length lead and Lucy broke into a nice quick gallop not far off the pace. She kept calm under Beth. Trouble wasn't fighting but he kept the pace comfortable next to Beltane, who was keeping focused, her black eyes glaring at the colt next to him. As they came into the home stretch, the leaders came under pressure and Lucy crept up inbetween them both. They were ready for it. More than they'd ever be. All three were in line matching strides and as they hit the line, they were inseparable. All of them were ready for there races and nothing was going to stop them anytime soon.

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PARADISE ISLAND AND GLORY BELL WORK FOR THE BREEDERS CUP
9 FURLONGS OVER DIRT


The Breeder's Cup was approaching thick and fast, and for Jacey Leigh Lanning it was the time of the year that she needed to sort things out. Which horse was going to what race. She had several horses lined up for several big races and it was going to be hard for her, but she had to focus on the positives. Jacey had arranged for her horses to do workouts together, to save time but to improve the strength of the horses. She had the horses all lined up, as to who would be running alongside who - and which horses would be racing where. Jacey had taken a big chance with both her favourite horses. Glory Bell had been entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile after a third place finish in the End Of Year Juvenile Dirt the week before. Paradise Island on the other hand had been entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic, against her main rivals Eternal Phantom and Euphoria's Warrior, as well as Flashy Wings, Red Herring and many more strong horses that had been in the scene for the whole year. It was needless to say that the favourite for the race was Euphoria's Warrior, after such a fantastic year, Star Thoroughbreds weren't going to let the Classic slip from there grip.

For the Classic, it was ten furlongs over the dirt surface, and the Juvenile was nine furlongs over the dirt, after being extended half a furlong three years ago. Both fields were extremely competitive. For the Juvenile, Glory Bell would be ridden by his usual jockey, Beth Harvey. The grey colt was growing and had matured nicely into a colt that would take part in next years Triple Crown, no matter how bad he did. It was all experience for the consistent colt. The entrants for the big race included Headstrong, Supernatural, Special Edition and finally Anodyne. Beth had planned to race the colt at his usual stalking position, which was good for him as it meant he'd get a good advantage when it came to the starting gate of the Juvenile. He wasn't the most experienced of colts, but it meant he had a good shot at the race.

Both horses were looking better than ever, Sonja had matured into a beautiful mare, standing at roughly 16.1hh and Glory Bell looked like he had a bit more growing left in him. He was beautiful. For the workout, they were going to breeze nine furlongs over the dirt surface. Knowing they all had some tough competitors ahead of them, Jacey knew what racing styles would be ideal for them all. Both mare and colt were preceders, but Sonja could run as a front runner too. They were both strong horses and could run over the surfaces so with a bit of luck, both horses could do well. Jacey was hoping Sonja could pull something out of the bag, but she also hoped Leo could too.

As both horses were mounted, Jacey walked alongside Beth who was mounted on the grey colt. Leo had his ears pricked and looked around, nickering as he did so. He wasn't the most experienced colt out of the whole race, but she hoped his strength and consistency could help him out a bit. Walking out onto the soft dirt, the jockeys were happy with how there mounts were. They checked there stirrups and girths, before making sure all adjustments were made. Jacey turned her head to look towards the barn where Ivana was getting the next horses ready for the workouts. It appeared that Trouble was giving her a hard time, but that was just Trouble, hence the colts name. After a quick warmup of walk and trot in a few circles, Jacey decided to take it to the gates. She asked Beth who agreed and both horses trotted in unison to the gates. Sonja was loaded first, and Leo would be loaded second. Leo was a bit weary of the gates and it took a couple of attempts, but the colt loaded easily with a bit of persuation.

Both horses stood in line, and as the bell rang it echoed down the dirt track at Green Horse Fields. Both horses broke quickly and easily from the gate. Sonja took the lead and settled a length ahead of Leo, who's ears were pricked as he kept his ears firmly set on the leader. Beth focused long and hard on how her two year old was running. She was taking a huge chance with Leo in the juvenile, but she knew he was capable. The vision ran through her head... And coming down to the final furlong and Glory Bell has the lead, he's two lengths ahead of the rest of the field - and coming down to the wire... this mighty colt has won the Kentucky Derby! It would be both Beth and Jacey's dream to have a Derby and Juvenile winner, and though the chances were slim, it could happen. Snapping back to reality, she saw the mare ahead of her as they rounded the far turn.

As they came towards the three furlong pole, Beth had her sights set firmly on the win. There wasn't going to be a day go by that she didn't think of how good her colt could get with the right amount of work and training. Jacey kept Sonja perfectly steady but as they came into the top of the stretch, both jockeys niggled at the reins and they were sent into action. Leo drew up alongside Sonja and they were both pushed. The long strides of filly and colt were matching as they came into the final furlong and they were inseparable. Coming up to the wire, they were together. Linked like they were never apart. Jacey looked at Beth and winked. Both horses were ready for the challenges of there lives so far, and whether or not they'd do well was down to how they were come race day. They were both as ready as they'd ever be.