Post by Kenren on Mar 22, 2015 10:50:50 GMT -5
Grey's Wisdom & Halexia Suhail
Bowen Arrow & Tigris Greenfire
Bowen Arrow & Tigris Greenfire
Grey's Wisdom and Bowen Arrow, while not necessarily the top horses in their division, were two of the top horses in the hearts of the Valkyrie staff. They were some of the first horses ever purchased by Valkyrie, in September of Y13 from a sale at Nature Blues, and they represented the early decisions well. Both grade two now even after leaving the farm for half of Y14, the stallions were solidly making their way up the ranks. And there was no one more supportive of their careers than their jockeys, Hal and Tigris. They might never be superstar horses for them, but they would always be considered very special animals.
Bow had had a hit-or-miss season so far, winning his first race of the year to reach grade two. However, he'd been gamely running in grade two races since then. Some races were better than others, but he was doggedly working through it. Reaching grade one would earn him his retirement, and Tigris wanted to get that for him. Grey's Wisdom was doing a little better than his long-time stablemate, with two wins and three thirds on the year. He looked to be in great form, and could shake up the ranks a little if he continued a roll. They were planning to retire him at grade one as well, but that could also depend on his performance - if he looked ready to make a big move, who were they to slow him down?
"He makes you look small," Tigris said with some amusement as they rode the horses out onto the track. Hal shot him a bemused look, grinning that predatory grin of hers. "Yeah, and Shanna makes you look like a shrimp. Try not to feel too insecure about it." Tigris rolled his eyes, then turned back to Bow. "I wasn't trying to insult her," he murmured to the stallion, and Bow shook his head. Well, at least the bay understood him. In his head, anyway. The two friends took the horses to the outside lanes of the track, jogging them to get them used to the sound of horses working on the inside. For Bow, it was settling his competitive nature, since he seemed to want to chase after every runner. For Wes, it was calming his nerves, since he still tended to be a little jumpy in 'new' situations. Even if he had been there before, it was still a little unsettling right at first for him.
Soon the stallions began to focus past their individual issues, and they were upped into a canter before being circled to the inner track and taken to a gallop. Wes was settled just ahead of Bow, whose nose was about level with Hal's leg. They set up a brisk pace for the four furlongs they were out to run, not seeming to feel the heat at all. Tigris kept steadily perched over the bay's withers, feeling the reins creak through his gloves. One furlong flew by, then another - halfway through the third, he gave Bow slack and urged him with his voice. The stallion flattened out, ears pressed forward as he began drawing even with the grey. His strides were quick, lunging - he saw Hal shake Wes up, giving him his head, and he began to fight. However, even while he tried to accelerate, he didn't have the shorter-distance speed at Bow had. The bay pulled away by half a length before they passed the end mark for the work. Tigris slowly eased him, allowed Grey's Wisdom to pass him up while he was still running fairly hard. Despite being timid about some things, competition didn't scare him in the least.
When they did pull up, Hal dropped the reins and leaned forward to rub both sides of Wes' neck. "Sweet boy," she said fondly, and Wes let out a sigh of a breath. She swung off of him when they got to the trainer, and he put his nose in her proffered, cupped hands. She pet the velvet softness on either side of his face, and he seemed perfectly content in his weariness to let her do it. Not that he was unwilling normally. She would do right by this horse if it killed her, and she knew he had a lot more left to give.
Bow had had a hit-or-miss season so far, winning his first race of the year to reach grade two. However, he'd been gamely running in grade two races since then. Some races were better than others, but he was doggedly working through it. Reaching grade one would earn him his retirement, and Tigris wanted to get that for him. Grey's Wisdom was doing a little better than his long-time stablemate, with two wins and three thirds on the year. He looked to be in great form, and could shake up the ranks a little if he continued a roll. They were planning to retire him at grade one as well, but that could also depend on his performance - if he looked ready to make a big move, who were they to slow him down?
"He makes you look small," Tigris said with some amusement as they rode the horses out onto the track. Hal shot him a bemused look, grinning that predatory grin of hers. "Yeah, and Shanna makes you look like a shrimp. Try not to feel too insecure about it." Tigris rolled his eyes, then turned back to Bow. "I wasn't trying to insult her," he murmured to the stallion, and Bow shook his head. Well, at least the bay understood him. In his head, anyway. The two friends took the horses to the outside lanes of the track, jogging them to get them used to the sound of horses working on the inside. For Bow, it was settling his competitive nature, since he seemed to want to chase after every runner. For Wes, it was calming his nerves, since he still tended to be a little jumpy in 'new' situations. Even if he had been there before, it was still a little unsettling right at first for him.
Soon the stallions began to focus past their individual issues, and they were upped into a canter before being circled to the inner track and taken to a gallop. Wes was settled just ahead of Bow, whose nose was about level with Hal's leg. They set up a brisk pace for the four furlongs they were out to run, not seeming to feel the heat at all. Tigris kept steadily perched over the bay's withers, feeling the reins creak through his gloves. One furlong flew by, then another - halfway through the third, he gave Bow slack and urged him with his voice. The stallion flattened out, ears pressed forward as he began drawing even with the grey. His strides were quick, lunging - he saw Hal shake Wes up, giving him his head, and he began to fight. However, even while he tried to accelerate, he didn't have the shorter-distance speed at Bow had. The bay pulled away by half a length before they passed the end mark for the work. Tigris slowly eased him, allowed Grey's Wisdom to pass him up while he was still running fairly hard. Despite being timid about some things, competition didn't scare him in the least.
When they did pull up, Hal dropped the reins and leaned forward to rub both sides of Wes' neck. "Sweet boy," she said fondly, and Wes let out a sigh of a breath. She swung off of him when they got to the trainer, and he put his nose in her proffered, cupped hands. She pet the velvet softness on either side of his face, and he seemed perfectly content in his weariness to let her do it. Not that he was unwilling normally. She would do right by this horse if it killed her, and she knew he had a lot more left to give.