ankaa

[S u N f r O s t ~]

ankaa, belonging to the phoenix constellation
Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies - Adrasteia & Meredith Mahon
Breeders Cup Distaff - Battle Wings & Krystal Yhate
Breeders Cup Dirt Mile - Silent Snap & Amber Black

It was mid-morning when Amber Black finally decided to light up the track. She had emerged from her private office at the Green Horse Fields track - courtesy of being a staple there for over a decade - to approach her barn crew. They had all been milling around the barn, some grooming horses and others eyeing the path that led to the track with something akin to a bonfire blazing in their eyes. Other stables had been arriving all week and working their horses out with aplomb for the Breeders Cup; SOPS had arrived at a reasonable time but was one of the later stables to begin putting in final workouts. However, they were far from truly late and, if Amber Black’s expression as she pounced on her stable crew outside was any indication, they were about to head out and put in their final statements before the big day.

Amber listed off the workout pairs automatically, specifying times and conditions and the rest. The more experienced of the stable crew simply nodded and smiled, but there was no mistaking the way young Kylie Silverstar clung to every word and the deceptive stillness of Meredith Mahon, who even throughout the conversation eyed Valencia Andrews keenly. Amber finished off her instructions, nodded with something akin to a maniacal glitter in her eyes and then hastened off to prepare her mount. She was in the first set after all. Meredith Mahon sighed and moved off to find her own horse, and Krystal simply observed the dynamics and allowed a sigh and shake of the head to punctuate her feelings on the matter.

Within twenty minutes the first workout set was ready to go. Amber Black swung up onto her chestnut colt and let him lead the way out to the track. Silent Snap puffed out his chest and strode forward proudly. The colt had truly blossomed into something else this season, with the majority of his finishes in the top two and his only loss in the Triple Sprinter Crown coming in the first leg, in which he had placed second. Despite this, Amber felt her colt was highly underrated. He was rock solid and flashed dangerous speed in every race, but he hadn’t yet attracted the attention and admiration of the racing world. She hoped the Dirt Mile would change that. Sun King and Mourning Passion were the current favorites, and on paper Silent Snap looked only slightly impressive compared to them. But when you factored in his continuing development and roiling class, as well as the fact that a very determined Amber Black was in the irons...the possibilities increased.

Battle Wings would not let her younger half-brother show her up. Whilst Snapper pulsated arrogant strength, Battle projected confident coldness. This was a true distaff mare. She was a solid performer with a consistent record and a desire for a victory. The big mare had a habit of going into the Breeders Cup off long droughts in terms of wins, but that hadn’t stopped her before, when she had rolled to victory in the Juvenile Fillies two years ago. A solid second place to Mastermind in the Dirt Mile last season was also nothing to sniff at. This season, Battle would compete against her own gender in the Distaff. The field was rock solid and even, not anybody’s race by any means, but it was likely Restricted Access would be the favorite. Underestimating Battle was a bad move; she had blown them away in the Juvenile Fillies once and she could do so again if given the opportunity.

Bringing up the rear was Adrasteia and Meredith Mahon. Meredith flashed thorn-sharp glares at the crowd as they made their way to the dirt track. She was infamous for that; it was hardly out-of-character. Taia was a potent filly. She knew how to express herself and this had led to more than once incident during a race. Her force of will created just as many problems as possibilities, but over time Meredith had learned to work effectively with the gorgeous chestnut filly. She made a stunning figure as she paraded to the track, drawing eyes to her flawless conformation. Here was a seasoned veteran, a horse that knew what she was doing and was ready to wage war in the Juvenile Fillies race.

The minute the trio reached the track they fanned out, warming up separately. All three of them were known for their dominant, alpha attitudes and all riders wanted to save the battle that would ensue for the workout. Snapper unfolded his monstrously powerful stride and swept off the track with easy grace. Battle followed with her long, coolly efficient one. Taia flashed her own contained power as she was skillfully navigated away from the other two and into her own path. Amber had anticipated the sparks flying and has asked the three to enter the track together but record the workout separately. Thus, it was Battle Wings who was asked to go first.

Krystal Yhate finished warming the bay filly up, settled more deeply in the irons and then released the seventeen and a half hand mare into a gallop. Battle accelerated sharply, settling at the rail with comfortable ease. She was not to go too fast, simply gallop to keep her in top form, but regardless she recorded a half mile in a very comfy forty eight flat. It was clear she could go even faster, but Krystal wanted to use that speed to put away her competitors in the Distaff. A small grin appeared on Amber’s face, and even as she kept Snapper circling she nodded at Meredith. It was Taia’s turn. The chestnut filly followed the hoofsteps of the other mare, demonstrating good control and behavior as she flowed down the backstretch. This was a horse rapidly developing. The importance of her to the stable could not be understated in terms of class and bloodlines. Meredith grinned as Taia flashed her fire, accelerating without urging to finish her own half mile slightly faster than a more contained Battle’s.

Now Amber’s smile was prominent as she let Snapper go. This colt had a sort of devastation to his gallop that was rare to see, a flash of speed that made him stand out. He rolled down the backstretch, snapping off fast fractions without even trying, raring to go even faster and ever ready for more. Amber Black smirked triumphantly as Snapper destroyed the half mile workout, demonstrating his readiness in demonstrating and arrogant fashion. She simply could not wait to not only ride Snapper in his race, but see how all of her other horses handled their fields. She had a strong group heading in and the potential results were anything but unexciting.