lost in the clouds

[Cruisey]

LOST IN MEMORIES && SAMMIE PICKETT
[for the First Lady Stakes]

ARLEQUINN && DEVON BLACKTHORN
[for the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes]

The next few weeks for Firestone were tightly packed with horses who desperately needed workouts, and for those entered in very tough competition. Carter had a couple entered in HOTY races hoping they could up their statuses on the track, while others were entered in the undercard races to gain more experience and wins. It wasn’t long before for the first horses were led out, and those horses were Arlequinn and Lost In Memories. The bay stallion had filled in nicely since arriving at Firestone in early August, and still showed his energetic spark. His coat gleamed in the fall sunlight, his muscle mass strong and well developed in all of the right places. Airy tossed his head a little as Devon’s weight landed in the saddle as he pawed at the ground, clearly impatient to start but his partner had not yet arrived. 

Today, Airy would be facing his half-sibling, Lost in Memories. Both horses looked nothing alike, apart from having the same father. The maximum sabino filly was a good 16 hands, a whole hand taller than her brother, who stood at 15hh. Although the stallion was shorter, he definitely thought he was 17hh. Looking at the two, you would never guess they would be siblings other than the fact they had almost the exact same personality. The filly was a year younger, but that didn’t mean anything to Carter. She was slowly catching up in the rankings, and Carter was hoping she would place in a HOTY race this year. She had been an undercard horse when he bought her, only having raced 5 times before Firestone picked her up. Since then, Emma caught her grade four rank with only 2 wins away from G3. 

When Emma and Sammie arrived at the track, they were ready to go. Airy was the first one on the turf. He was small and at 15hh, looking at him was easy to underestimate what he could do. Despite a nice muscular structure, he didn't have the size of most successful racehorses. He had been stuck in a field for the longest time, no exercise or racing for most of his four year old career. Carter knew it was beyond his fault though, after Oak Hill Racing shut down all of the horses had to be rehomed. Now, Arlequinn was starting to get into the groove again. His first race was rewarded with a win; despite the doubtful attitude Carter had leading up to it. Even then, every race so far has been a win, place or show, and now Carter was hoping for a repeat of the three possibilities in the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes. 

Devon and Sammie led the two horses to the three furlong point. The two horses were brought side by side, the bay stallion on the outside while Emma was placed next to the rail. Airy tossed his head as the handler held him still in the gates. The loud buzz of the bell signaled that the gates had been opened, and the jockeys urged their rides forwards and they were off. The horses were scattered at the start- Emma had broken much more quickly that Airy, but then Sammie had brought her even with the stallion as they moved up the track. 

Emma was trying to inch forwards, and Airy seemed to want to drop back, but they were forced to gallop side by side for the workout. Emma’s white coat stood out against the bay, which was already showing the first signs of heavy sweat. His coat was darker than usual, but his breathing remained constant and he didn’t seem out of breath. Emma galloped on the turf quietly, snorting with every stride she took. The first furlong and a half had already closed, and the jockeys had quite the job trying to hold the horses steady. 

Stride by stride they continued; Airy had a shorter stride than Emma just because of the leg ratio he did not have compared to his sister. The colt pulled at the bit as they came into the final furlong. Sammie allowed the filly to increase her speed, as did Devon as they thundered around the corner. Patches of turf were flying up as the horses dug their toes into the soft grass as they passed the post. Devon scratched Airy’s withers to slow him down, which he knew the stallion liked, and the bay horse broke to trot instantly. Steam was pouring off both of the horses, who showed little to no signs of fatigue. Both jockeys felt ready for their respective HOTY races, and they could only hope the horses could deliver.