Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2014 23:08:20 GMT -5
Against the Odds &&& Whitney Anam
Elaine led the bay stallion and his rider out to the racetrack and paused at the edge. He immediately snorted and began to prance, and then tried to rear. Elaine gave him a quick jerk on the rains. "Settle boy. Settle." She said, patting his neck. The bay stallion, Against the Odds, or Lottery, was being prepped for his maiden race. He was an excitable horse, and most of the time only Elaine could calm him down. Lottery let out one last snort, and appeared to settle down. "How's he feel Whit?" She asked the small-framed girl on the massive stallion's back. She was his personal jockey, as Lottery was a very sensitive horse. "He still feels like a coiled spring, Elaine," answered Whitney. Elaine sighed. The stallion hadn't been at Emerald Isle Stables long, and was formerly a hunter. "I guess this is as good as we will get with him for now," Elaine said with a sigh. She led him out to the gates and loaded him into the second one. It was a dirt track, as they had figured out in his first few workouts that he preferred.
Once loaded into the gate, Lottery decided to act up a bit and he kicked the sides. "Settle him down Whit!" Elaine called as she climbed up to the bottom that opened the gates. She looked over at the edge of the track, making sure lead trainer Jerry Moule was ready to start the timer. At a nod from him, Elaine pressed the button. Lottery leapt out of the gate, immediately hitting a consistent speed for him. Elaine had told Whitney to push him to his limits today so she could see how well he did over a mile. Aiming for the Breeder's cup after his first Maiden race of his. That is, if he won the race. Whitney kept him at a medium speed until they reached the half mile marker. Then she spurred him into action. He switched gears, immediately speeding up. They flew past the finish line. By this time, Elaine had made it over to Jerry.
"What was his time?" She asked as soon as she reached him. "For the mile, a minute and 58 seconds. He's a fast devil on dirt for sure!" Jerry answered. Whitney walked the stallion over to Elaine and Jerry. "Whit, Lottery went a mile in about 2 minutes. That's his best time yet over a mile! We just need to qualify him for the Breeder's Cup and we are good to go! His maiden is scheduled for next week. We'll work him once more before then." She was keeping the stallion in the stables around here until early next week, where he would be transferred to the track for the race. Elaine grabbed hold of his reins while Whitney jumped down. "We've got a good crop of horses for the next few years. With those two weanlings purchased from Sugar Hill, we've got the makings of an amazing racing stable already!" She remarked with a smile.