Post by Cruisey on May 4, 2014 12:47:19 GMT -5
COCO CABANA && DEVON BLACKTHORN
The bay colt's sleek coat reflected the early morning rays, puffs of breath steaming from his soft muzzle as he was ridden onto the soft polytrack. Coco's neck was arched, mouth chewing at the bit, excited look in his eye. Coco was one of the newest additions to Firestone, when Carter acquired him from the IRS/ARS sale in May. He already made an impression on the farm, his love for Jazz music. Carter was fascinated by the amount of calmness this horse had gotten from listening to music. His jockey, another new addition to Firestone, was Devon Blackthorn. He was nobody in the racing world, but Carter saw the potential rising in the young boy.
Knowing what to do, Devon patted Coco on the neck and pressed him into a jog, wanting to get him loosened up. The bay colt seemed very energetic, tossing his black mane in the air. Once Devon felt him start to relax and loosen, he pressed him into a canter, working counter clockwise on the outside rail before heading to the inside. Coco’s strides were short and even, the steady thump thump of his hooves on the dirt relaxed Devon’s mind. Sweat was already beginning to crease on Devon's brow and on Coco's neck. He had specific instructions to breeze him 6 furlongs before his May start. His last race was March Week 5 with a win in the Stable Face-Off* - Grade Five Dirt. He wasn’t as out of shape as Wendy was, and Carter was thankful for that. Coco's breath quickened as his pace accelerated as Devon guided him over to the rail. The colt's stride reached out even more, forcing Devon to crouch down farther onto his neck.
All Devon could hear was the pounding of the colt’s hooves on the soft dirt and his labored breathing. Coco was taking this too easily. Pushing his fists into the colt's mane, he showed Coco the whip. The colt jumped at it, as if a carrot was held in front of his face. There was certain eagerness to the colt this morning, as though he knew he had a race and he knew he wanted to continue his win streak. With a positive flick of his sleek black tail, the colt charged on, almost ripping the rubber reins out of Devon’s hand. The jockey didn’t need to urge the colt forward, as they breezed past the 6 furlong mark. He slowly broke from a full gallop to a walk, blowing hard as steam rose up from his body. Devon was excited to be Coco’s jockey for the future, and he couldn’t wait till Carter put him on some more of his prized horses.
