Post by Cruisey on Oct 21, 2014 9:52:58 GMT -5
SILENT HEART && JOHNNY GARNER
with galloping partner Terror Smile && Devon Blackthorn
On the chilly October morning at Firestone, something interesting was about to happen that normally would never have been done. Silent Heart was lead out of her stall fully equipped with her tack on – that was normal – but the horse that followed behind was one nobody would have guessed. Although in retirement, Terror Smile was brought out as a galloping partner for the filly who had yet to run on the turf. All of the other turfers didn’t match with the bay filly’s running habits, and Carter thought that the dapple gray mare would enjoy herself. Smiles had retired sound and healthy, and there wasn’t a reason she couldn’t have some fun before her next breeding in Year Fifteen. Sure, she had developed a little bit of a belly and may not be in the best of shape, but this workout was just for Heather to get used to the turf for her next race.
As they walked down toward the track beside their respective jockeys, Smiles was literally all smiles, acting like she was a two year old again underneath the seat of Devon. Even in retirement, she was certainly never not moving, and trying to get her to be still was like trying to get the wind to stop blowing. She tossed her head, trotting onwards with the track in her sight as if she never stopped racing. The actual two years old was as cool as a cucumber and walked calmly with the supervision of Johnny. Her pace was quick, trying to match the long stride of Smiles, but she walked with her ears perked and eyes shining.
Both horses trotted across the turf to where the gates were waiting for them. Even with a baby belly, Smiles trucked on and showed no signs of tiring just yet. Both mares gated like pros, calmly moving into the shutters as the doors were closed behind them. When the gates finally did open, Heather shot to the front like rapid fire. Smiles’ start was a lot slower than that of her training partner, but that was okay because Carter didn’t expect anything out of it. His focus was on Heather.
She settled a length in front of the gray mare, already starting to speed up just before the corner. Johnny held the bay filly back for a bit longer, testing out her striding on the different surface. Heather seemed to pick up her feet more and knew where to place them, whereas on the dirt she kind of just galloped around with no traction. Her hooves dug into the turf, propelling her forwards. Smiles on the other hand was soon gaining on the bay filly and was almost level with her as they came into the straight. Devon could hear her puffing and tugged at the reins for her to settle down and slow her pace a bit, but the seasoned horse did neither despite her being out of shape. Johnny wanted to see how far ahead the filly could get, so he cracked his whip against her side, pushing the filly onwards. Experienced Smiles pushed even harder – despite Devon’s signals - and showed no signs of stopping. Heather bore down on the wire and managed to beat the six year old by 3 lengths on the turf. Carter was extremely impressed at the way the filly handled the turf and was excited to see how she would do in her next race.
