This Moment, We Own It

[creativecause]

This Moment, We Own It 

Dare to Impress and Andrew Martin  
Daddy's Overdraft and Alex Shade

Andrew ran a hand down the black fillies dark coat as Steve tightened her saddle, and Hadley attempted to get the filly to quit tossing her head and moving around so much. All attempts were pointless though, Imp was a free spirit there was no doubt about that. She seemed pretty calm just a few minutes ago when she had been groomed down. However, it was stupid of him to expect any docile-like behavior from the filly, he had seen her before the Preakness Champion, she was absolutely crazy, but in a good way.

The coal black filly stopped for a second and turned her eyes on Andrew, her expressive brown eyes seemed to sparkle. He’d never been looked at like that by a horse.

“Alright Andrew, lets get you on,” Steve said, and Andrew put his hands on the top of the fillies back and stuck his knee out for Steve to hoist him up into the saddle. Steve placed his hand underneath Andrew’s leg and pushed him up into the red, racing saddle.

Andrew adjusted his helmet and stuck the whip under the crook of his arm and shoulder while he adjusted the stirrup irons and stuck his small feet in them. A track pony came up and grabbed Imp’s lead and began to start to lead them off to the track.

"Would you hurry up?" Alex asked, turning Daddy's Overdraft in yet another circle. The Grey was ready to run, and all coiled up with energy, it honestly scared Andrew a bit to see what would happen when the filly let that all out.

"I'm trying, geez..." Andrew growled, Alex was so impatient that it annoyed him to no end sometimes.

"Don't get crabby, I'm not the one who arrived five minutes late," Alex said, turning Cobweb again.

"No, you were five minutes early," Andrew corrected, you could practically see the waves of annoyance radiating off of his body. 

"Whatever, just hurry up!" Alex trotted Cobweb off to the track to start her warm ups.

Andrew snorted with annoyance and pushed his goggles up onto his face.
"I swear to god, that kid is gonna-"

Imp danced around under Andrew and nearly threw him out of the saddle with a small buck.
"Alright! Okay! Okay! We're going..." he assured the black filly. 

Grayson Meadows’ bought Imp in hopes of having a Turf Triple Crown winner, and if anyone deserved the win in Belmont Turf Classic, it was Imp. However, the pressure was there, Andrew had only ridden the filly a few times in her workouts but it wasn’t the same as a race. They would either be credited with not handling the talented filly right, or being the group from a not-so-well known stable with some not-so-well known horses that just won the Turf Triple Crown from a lucky purchase.

A few horses would stand in their way before they could win the Belmont Turf Classic, and it was Andrew’s job to guide the filly past them and right into victory.

Call Of The Wild had run in the Turf Triple Crown the whole way, and the colt wasn’t something to underestimate. He was a G3 horse from Stride Of Perfection Stables, which was alarming, since Stride Of Perfection Stables had some of the best Green Horse Fields had ever seen. He had won the Prince Cup, and placed third in the Kentucky Open, and fourth in the Preakness Champion. He was a closer, and at the longer distance, Andrew would have to help Imp watch him in the home stretch of the mile and a half turf race.

Daddy’s Overdraft was a newcomer to the Turf Triple Crown in the Preakness Champion Stakes, where she showed up in an impressive and unexpected third place finish, beating Call of the Wild. Daddy’s Overdraft wasn’t just another horse, she was also Imp’s new stablemate. She did pose quite the threat, no one would really be waiting for her to put on a similar performance to her last one, even though she was a fresher horse. The filly had won the Unicorn Horn Turf before Grayson Meadows purchased her. Alex would be chomping at the bit to beat him and Imp, all the more reason to watch out for the grey filly, who more than likely was going to be right with Imp the whole way around.

The Devil’s Hourglass would be her biggest threat of them all though, she had two very strong second place finishes behind Imp in the Kentucky Open, and Preakness Champion stakes. The filly was grade two and had run against nothing but the best in her entire three year old season. However, she had only won once, and that was way back in January. There was no telling where the filly was going to run, as her running style was a bit unpredictable, and Andrew would have to watch his back.

Majestic Hero would be the newcomer in the Belmont Turf Classic, he would be fresh, and would pose a big threat. However, the grade three colt hadn’t ran since March, so hopefully he wasn’t 100% yet. He would be up with the lead horses, and would be closing strong towards the end, however Imp could beat him. Andrew was sure of it.

"Are you coming or not? I'm fairly certain Cobweb could have run twenty times around the track in the time it took you to get over here," Alex said, smirking.

"Oh shut up!" Andrew growled.

Imp and Cobweb ducked their heads and trotted around eagerly; bouncing around and making all kinds of noise. It was more than clear that the two big wins had taken nothing out of Imp; she was more than ready for a third. Cobweb had been doing well since the Preakness Champion as well, of anything, she had more energy than she did before the Preakness Champion and was rapidly gaining muscle mass.

The two fillies loaded into the gate and waited silently for the gates to fly open. It was dead silent, other than maybe a shift or two from both of the fillies. Both of them had their game faces on, focused on the track ahead of them, ready to explode off of their hind legs when they broke. 

There was the clank of metal and the leggy, and the small grey flew out of the gate like rockets with well collected strides. They were both beautiful in every way.

Imp had determination that outmatched most of her opponents, she was eager to run, eager to please, and eager to beat The Devil’s Hourglass. Everything fell into rhythm, the filly was fast, even at a jog. Andrew couldn’t help but think they had a Turf Triple Crown winner right now. He let out a notch rounding the far turn and the filly responded quickly, picking off each horse who was doing their workout that morning. Well other than the fact that she couldn't shake off Daddy's Overdraft, who was glued to her side.

Cobweb had determination and the energy of ten thoroughbreds going for her. Alex purposefully held the filly back for the homestretch, she was gonna need it if Alex wanted to prove that Daddy's Overdraft was better than Dare to Impress.

Her ears flicked forward and her right moved back every once in awhile, listening to Andrew’s every command. Cobweb doing something similar with Alex. 

Coming into the home stretch Andrew cut the filly loose, and her impressive turn of foot almost knocked him out of his seat. Every stride was longer, every time she took a step she got faster and faster, acceleration was this fillies specialty. Well, acceleration and winning. He couldn't help but smile as Daddy's Overdraft wasn't anywhere to be seen, or so he thought.

Cobweb bore down on Imp, and bore down on her hard, exploding from Alex's hands and sticking a neck out in front of her. Cobwebs powerful closing strides almost overcame Imp, but in the end Imp stuck a nose out in front. Both continued to fight on fearlessly, even after Andrew and Alex tried to pull them both up. 

There was no doubt that the two were beyond ready for the Belmont Turf Classic.