rise royally

[S u N f r O s t ~]

CALL OF THE WILD AND KRYSTAL YHATE
ROYAL CADENZA AND VALENCIA ANDREWS

CALL'S WORKOUT FOR THE BELMONT TURF CLASSIC

Call of the Wild was eerily similar to Ode To Glory in mannerisms. Both of them were the most well behaved horses in the barn. What Call had that Ode did not, though, was bloodlines. Call was bred to storm the turf tracks, but as of yet was having difficulties rising to the call. And now he set out to conquer the distance that he was bred to dominate - the twelve furlongs of the Belmont Turf Classic. Thus far in the series, Call had been unimpressive - a third in the Open and a fourth in the Preakness Champion. But unlike the other two races, Call got the meaning of the game now. He knew who would be facing him. His conditioning shone in his muscles and the way his eyes appraised the turf with experience. Krystal knew she was sitting on a ticking time bomb. She could feel the explosion waiting to happen, the majesty that was Call of the Wild in full flight. They could pull of a massive upset - they certainly had been working hard enough for it.

The Belmont Turf Classic was a historical race in terms of Call's pedigree. First of all, his sire Foolish Lad had actually won the race. That, if anything, was a clear indicator of talent at that distance. Adding on, his dam Wild Flower had foaled Wildly Natural and Worldbreaker. Wildly Natural had actually been felled in her Turf Triple Crown sweep by this race, but she later won the Breeders Cup Turf at this distance. Worldbreaker had also won the Breeders Cup Turf at twelve furlongs. Wild Kiss had taken the Beverly D. Handicap at the Wire at this distance as well. Overall, Call's family were richly successful at this distance. And Call just had that marathoner build - long, sleek legs and tons of stamina. Krystal just hoped it was enough. Talent wise, Call could have some catching up to do, but he was not far behind, and could get the job done indeed. It was in his blood and in his heart to do well.

The rapidly improving Royal Cadenza met them out on the track. The arrogant black stallion matched them stride for stride, not backing down. He had been growing in confidence, had been ever since Valencia Andrews had been in the saddle and gotten him to grade one. He grew with every start, becoming ever more talented and indeed finally catching some eyes due to his race performance and personality rather than his unique bloodlines. Valencia soaked up the attention gladly, living for it. And Caden was the perfect horse to bring some fire to Call of the Wild. He would need it to take the Belmont Turf Classic as perhaps the longest shot in the field based on performance alone. Caden snorted, eyes blazing as he noted a competitor. Call barely responded to his presence. The three year old knew when it was time to run. Until then, he would barely register the presence of the other horse.

Krystal sent a smile Valencia's way, received a smirk in return. Valencia was poised and ready to go aboard her black miler type stallion; similarly, Krystal could feel the lean muscle of her colt and knew they were ready to take the other horse on. They exchanged a glance, then went for it. Stride for stride at the gallop, the two stuck together. Caden was all fire; Call was all heart as they approached the sprinting portion of the workout. And when they hit it, Call finally came alive. He burned the track with the speed of his strides and the power in each leg. He pushed off from the ground, determination blazing in his eyes as he met Caden eye for eye...and then moved right on past the grade one stallion. Valencia hissed, urged Caden on, but there was no need. The five year old was furious. He doubled his efforts, caught back up to Call just as the wire shut them down.

Krystal was smirking at the little surprise Call had pulled during the workout. Valencia was frowning, but even she had to wonder if Call had something within him that the racing world had yet to see. Krystal's face and the impressive cool-out gallop of Call's was answer enough. Yes, there was something powerful within Call that his competition might not expect. There was fire there, and a thirsty need to prove along with the determination required to do so. And as for Caden, well, here was one five year old that wasn't done running yet. Big things were coming, and they would be ready.