Taking Chances

[creativecause]

Taking Chances 

Daddy’s Overdraft 

“A lifetime isn't forever, so take the first chance, don't wait for the second one! Because sometimes, there aren't second chances! And if it turns out to be a mistake? So what! This is life! A whole bunch of mistakes! But if you never get a second chance at something you didn't take a first chance at? That's true failure.”
― C. JoyBell C.

Alex ran his hand down Cobweb’s forehead, the grey really had made an impression on him from the day they met. She had captured his heart; even if she didn’t win in their first outing together. She had heart, guts, and was intelligent enough to know what she was supposed to do, even with her firecracker personality. They had won the Florist Cup together, and it may have not been a horse of the year race, but it was a race. A race that put her back into winning mode.
The Preakness Champion Stakes would be her biggest test to date, against Call of the Wild and The Devil’s Hourglass so far. Both horses deserve the win, and 99 out of 100 times they would probably beat Cobweb, but it was Alex’s job to make it the 1 time out of the 100.
Steve had always had faith in the little grey filly, he knew that Grayson Meadows had stumbled upon something good. Something that had the potential to be great. Yes, her pedigree wasn’t phenomenal, she wasn’t a regally bred filly. But horses in the past have outrun their pedigree and gone on to be one of the all greats. Not that she would be one of those horses, but she could easily outrun her pedigree. She was a confident filly, a great runner, and she had something that topped it all off, guts. She would never shy away from a good battle, she would do whatever she could to please Alex.
The goal had always been for her to run in the turf triple crown, and with a win under her belt since her three month layoff the filly had a chance. An upset winner is what she would be, but that didn’t happen often. However, you never know until you try. Alex could remember his dad telling him you miss all of the shots you don’t take. Obviously referring to basketball, but in horse racing talk it still applied the same meaning. You never know until you try, and you don’t want to look back and say: ‘well I wish I woulda.’ She could do it. She could win.
“Well, you ready?” Steve asked Alex as he finished walking the filly around a few times and adjusting her saddle. Walking over to Alex with the pearly white colored filly following close behind, much like a shadow.
“I was born ready,” Alex smiled. The line was so overused, so cliche it had no effect anymore.
Cobweb pushed her nose into Alex’s shoulder and he teased her mouth with his fingers, her lips trying to grab his fingers, thinking he had treats. Alex lifted his hand and ran it over her soft muzzle, she breathed in his scent and he gave her a small peck on the nose before getting a leg up to go and do their final work over Green Horse Fields turf track.
Alex patted her on the neck as they begun their warm ups, he wanted to make sure she was good and loose, they didn’t need an injury during the final workout.
The starting gate shined brightly in the sun, the white bars reflecting a pink-orange light in the early morning. Not another horse was on the track, they were up bright and early to do this work, but all three of them were fully awake. Little shiny specks of dew were still present on the turf, shining orange and gold in the early morning sun.
Cobweb bounced around, offering small bucks and rears. The normal really, she looked like she was going to jump right out of her pale white coat. Alex ran his hand through her mane from the poll to the end and reach his hand back up to do it again. It did help calm the filly a little, although it was perfectly normal for her to act up like this.
The assistant helped load the filly into the gate and they sat there silently for just about a second. Than the bell rung and the gates flew open and Cobweb bolted out of the gate. Six strides and she was at cruising speed. Her hoofs struck the turf with decisive well formulated movements. They breathed together, moved together as one. Apart Alex and Cobweb might not look like much, but together, they worked as a well oiled machine.
Into the first turn the pair continued onward at a good pace, one that pushed Cobweb, but not too much that she would be exhausted. They wanted her in peak form for the Preakness Champion Stakes this race. Continuing down the backstretch, the rhythm was still there Alex let out a notch and the pale filly accelerated as much as he would let her. He had a way with the filly, he could get her to respond instantly to all of his commands, but he supposed that was because he had taken to her and she had taken to him so well. Rounding the final turn Alex let out another notch and there was more acceleration, and judging by how the filly felt beneath him, there was a lot more left.
Soon the end of the far turn was approaching fast and the work was more than half over. The white curved rail shined with the colors of the sun as well.
Turning on the straightway Alex let the filly have her head and she exploded from the action. Sending turf flying in every direction as she dug her heels into the turf, extending her stride as much as her 15.3 hand body would allow her to. Sprinting, full flight down to the wire, sprouting her invisible wings. The pallid whiteness of her coat tinted orange in the early mornings sun. Alex pushed her faster and faster. The pair zipped right past the wire, and Alex was sure that if there had been any photographers had been there to try and catch a picture all they got was a white blur. That’s what she was, a white ghost. No one would expect her to win, no one would expect her to do anything in the race other than get dead last, and that was their advantage. They went with taking risks, taking chances. And if she got dead last well at least they tried instead of looking back and wondering what would have happened if they never had tried. If she won, well it would be one of the wisest decisions they ever made, it was a long shot, but they were trying. They weren’t going to go into the Preakness Champion Stakes as some yayhoos who were just there to be there, no, they were there to win. They wanted to win, and Cobweb would deliver the best that she could.
“Great work you guys, lets go give Cobweb a nice long bath. After that we’ve got some other horses to work,” Steve said, smiling at his stop watch.
Cobweb tossed her head, and bounced around a little; already bored.
The competition was tough, and the odds were stacked against them. But they were trying, and they might all beat her 99 out of 100 times, but they were going to do their absolute best to make this the 1 out of the 100 times that they win.