Post by Cruisey on Oct 21, 2014 10:10:22 GMT -5
DARK MAIDEN && TALIA SMITH
With the sun out and the track dry, minus the cold, today was the perfect day for Carter to finish his planned workouts. He had decided to run the little filly, Dark Maiden, alone today to see how she was. Her most recent race results hadn’t been the greatest – much to the displeasure of the Reiner family – but he was determined to get the bay’s confident back up and start winning again. Carter saw potential in the filly, and so did the Reiner family, and it was his duty to make them pleased about their decision to buy this horse. Mai's skin quivered with anticipation over tensed muscles, and jockey Talia could feel her energy under the saddle.
The pair loaded easily into the gate since Mai never had a problem with the large moving object. Both Talia and Carter sensed her problem was that her pace was never consistent on the track, and she needed to stop being so cocky and start listening to her jockey’s ideas. Soon the gates opened with a clang and everything in their way was in front of them. Mai immediately galloped over to the rail and hugged the inside of the track, going at what was almost her maximum speed. With a few sharp tugs of the reins, Talia ordered her to compress her speed. Mai raised her head in protest, almost knocking the petit girl out of the saddle. The filly might have been small, but she was sure strong as hell. It took more than a few strides for her to respond, and even when she did she was reluctant. Talia wanted the filly to learn to save her front-runner sprinting energy for a final burst over the finish line.
The bay filly was still running at normal front speed, but she kept begging to speed up. Talia knew she wanted to use all of her energy at the beginning, but that’s why they were placing where they were. “But at least she was asking rather than doing…” Talia thought to herself. It was only when Talia saw the finish post in the near distance that she allowed her a bit more rein. At first Mai took advantage of the little bit of freedom, but then smartened up when Talia threatened to shorten the reins.
At the last moment, Talia allowed Mai to give it her all and she didn't fail. They crossed the finishing mark with a flash and Mai was raring to keep going. Talia really felt a shift in the filly’s demeanour and she really thought it would be beneficial to her next race. Talia patted her sweaty neck as they slowed and she shook her head, knowing that she had done well. They trotted back to Carter and the look on his face said it all. They were ready.
