Post by Cruisey on Nov 1, 2014 23:22:45 GMT -5
GHOST RIDER && SAMMIE PICKETT
SIREN CALL && DEVON BLACKTHORN
The Breeders Cup was approaching ridiculously fast and Firestone had numerous horses to send to test their fate. Although this filly wasn’t making her debut in the BC this year, Ghost Rider was prepping for her four year old debut already. A flashy chestnut with a huge white face, her heart had never been questioned and it never would. She might come off as the laziest bugger, but when she wants to win you can tell. It has been a slow 3YO season for her and Carter was hoping it would pick up soon. Siren Call, the beast of a filly, has the breeding to be great sprinter. This proved her right when she climbed up the rankings to grade four fairly quickly. Stride of Perfection Stables had her predicted as the winner of the BC Juvenile Sprint, and if she didn’t win she would be in the top three. Carter was extremely ecstatic with his decision to buy this filly.
As they were led out on to the track, Siren was clearly trying to make life difficult for Devon. She wasn't being violent per say, rather just troublesome. She could be extremely opinionated on foot, which made her a pain in the ass to do anything if she didn’t want to do it. The best part about it though, was the fact she was doing it to please herself, like a little kid bugging her parents when they’re in public. A little behind them, the chestnut mare was walking calmly beside Sammie. Her neck was arched and her steps were soft and delicate. It was great that Gia didn’t seem to be fazed by anything, which would make her the perfect riding horse if and when she retired, but that didn’t seem likely any time soon.
They reached the tracks, and the jockeys mounted. They had a similar bet to what they had the last time the jockeys had done a joint workout, and things were sure to get hot. Last time, Mitch had lost as Alexia and her mount had slipped past him and he was determined to win this one. He would not face another forfeit for losing to the senior jockey, so Dash had better be ready to put up a fight.
Gating was an interesting time. While Gia loaded with relative ease for Sammie, Siren was another story. She hated the gate and she hated it with a passion, and she always had. Devon sighed in frustration because he had thought they were over this by now, not having any troubles during races and such. Carter went to help his employee with the mare, which fought against them. There was no way she was going into the contraption easily. It had not been the most graceful of moments, but they were able to get Siren into the gate and close the shutters quickly behind her.
It was an uncomfortable silence as the horses and jockeys waited, and when the buzzer sounded, the gates flew open. Gia broke well enough, but Siren was a little bit quicker. Both horses were mid-pack runners, so they galloped on side by side to start.
Six furlongs remained and it was definitely going to be quick. The pace was high due to the competition between the two as the jockeys allowing the horses to maintain their own gallop as they moved onwards. Siren, being a sprinter, was used to the high pace early on and quickly pulled ahead of the flashy chestnut filly. Siren led by two lengths, and Gia trailed behind looking relaxed as ever.
Two furlongs passed with little action, but as they entered the third furlong Sammie began to urge Gia on a bit. The chestnut filly reacted eagerly, her pace quickening at her request. Devon did not react, he was biding his time, waiting for the moment where Sammie and Gia would move up and he could let the bay filly go. Furlong after furlong closed off, and soon there was only one remaining. Both jockeys cracked their whips, and while Siren seemed to build even more speed under Devon's strong drive, it was nothing compared to the underdog three-year old.
The chestnut mare found something inside of her. Competitiveness, heart, and passion were what threw her into the final stretch. Sammie was taken aback at the burst of speed and was amazed. Gia was quickly closing off the distance between herself and the grade four sprinter. They were neck and neck as the horses fought one another, eyes locked as they entered a head on head battle. If you were placing a bet, all odds would be on Siren Call, but nobody knew the real power in Ghost Rider. That’s why her name is what it is, she sneaks up on you without a hoof beat or a sound, riding on the backs of the front runners and then flying on the outside for the win. Nobody really knew who won that workout, but it didn’t matter because both horses were on fire and ready to take a win their next time out.
