Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Feb 7, 2015 21:43:45 GMT -5
CALL OF THE WILD AND KRYSTAL YHATE
DEVIL'S FLAIR AND VALENCIA ANDREWS
PANDORA AND KYLIE SILVERSTAR
The Turf Triple Crown was the classic Stride Of Perfection dream. To capture the legs...they had come so close so many times and yet never succeeded. And now, Kylie's eyes glared into Valencia's fierce ones as they faced each other on their mounts. Devil's Flair and Pandora...both would campaign for the Turf Triple Crown, but the one that finished the best in the Kentucky Open would continue while the other would prepare for the Canadian Triple Crown. The bully of the yearling pack, Devil's Flair knew better than to try and bully Pandora, his biggest rival. The pace presser simply wished to move on to the part where he, once again, attempted to squeeze every last ounce of speed out of the black filly. Pandora was not amused. She had developed an equally furious rivalry with this colt. Intelligence glittered in her eyes, and Kylie gulped as she felt the filly shift. Both of these horses had only proven there was no end to their speed and development during the course of their month break from the Breeders Cup. They were rolling into the races guns firing.
The two three year olds were quietly joined by Call Of The Wild. The grade two four year old had become a bit of a miler superstar last season, discovering an uncanny knack for the eight and nine furlong distance. He moved now well within his own power, all quiet brilliance, and Krystal Yhate felt at home aboard his back. She could take these two youngsters on, no matter their precocious brilliance, no matter how thoroughly the two seemed to want to bother each other. She almost felt like Call would be breaking up the party, but she would be happy to prove that her horse was among the best in the industry. It was time to finally have that crazy season Wild Flower foals were known for. Krystal was looking forward to hitting grade one and rising.
Ten minutes. The party was still raging between the two three year olds, if you could call it that. They had taken off from a standstill, and were so occupied with pressing each other into more and more suicidal of a pace that Call simply had to dog their steps and wait for the right moment. Pandora was smartly ignoring Devil's attempts to push her over closer to the rail, make her go faster. Devil was a master of controlling the pace in any race he ran. He would tire out the front runners and have enough left to hold off all those behind. But Pan...she was simply too game of a competitor to trick, too talented herself to be put down by his usual tactics. So between these two, it was a trial of power and heart. Who would get to the wire first? It truly depended on the day.
Call of the Wild knew where his competitors were. As each furlong clicked off, the stallion moved closer, humming with unhidden power. He was just moving with such ease, it was like he was a superstar. Krystal let her horse run, knowing it would require only the barest of motions to really let him fly. She would calculate the opportune moment. For now...they would wait for just before the final turn. Then they would strike, and take their opponents completely by surprise. Krystal kept an eye open, waited for the moment, let the hands snap...and off Call went. He gained on Pan and Devil, still dueling, appeared on their outside...bounded past to leave the two younger horses shocked, cut in with the quick insight of cunning that could make him completely devastating in a race and left the other two behind.
It was about speed now. Who could catch up to the streaking bullet that was Call? Both Pan and Devil were let loose, and the black and chestnut soared, expertly taking the turn and hunting down the flyaway four year old. They drew him in like a fish on a rod, but Call played the part of a stubborn fish and shook them off. Krystal urged him on, peeking under her shoulder every now and then, feeling as though a target had been branded to her back. Devil and Pan were classy competitors, and Call was running on the barest of advantages and heart. He had a furlong before the wire, and the two behind were really rolling now, eating up the gap like their morning grain. If they could just hold on...but then, Pandora seemed to switch gears. Suddenly, as if struck by sudden insight, the filly almost seemed to appear next to them. Even Kylie looked shocked by the turn of foot, and Devil was beyond furious behind as he dug down to reach the next level. But there was no time as the three horses blurred under the wire, concluding an explosive battle-like workout perfectly tuned for preparation of ascent up the path of dreams.
