Post by apart on Oct 1, 2016 17:35:59 GMT -5
Death of an Alchemist with jockey Máire Regan
It was a cool, quiet morning- hardly a dramatic start to Death of an Alchemist's racing career. As she rode to the track, all that Máire could hear was the distant murmur of cars on the main road, the occasional cries of birds, and the brisk, rhythmic hoofbeats of Death of an Alchemist. The pair had warmed up in one of the sandy training arenas, but that was hardly enough time for Máire to get a good idea of Al's personality. Nonetheless, Al had already given her jockey the impression of being a canny, yet distant, horse.
Máire guided the would-be racehorse onto the turf track. She was glad to be back in the racing saddle again, albeit in an extremely obscure stable. After spending most of her adult life working for an older, infinitely more renowned stable, the novelty of everything was odd to her, especially the hastily fangled mishmash of horses and staff, most of whom were either unproven or disproven. Máire, who had once been growing in success on the track, had to admit that she was a bit wounded by, after countless sleepless nights and futile interviews, having only been offered a job by Xenon Racing. It wasn't that Máire was ungrateful for her new job, but that she felt that she could have progressed so much further by this time in her life had it not been for one accident. Death of an Alchemist fidgeted a little, uncomfortable with standing around in the chilly weather. Máire smiled, and did her best to push her personal qualms to the back of her mind.
It didn't take too much for Al to surge forward. The mare's long, unceasing strides ate up the ground easily enough. Máire kept the thoroughbred at a measured pace. Al was quick enough, but her main strength was obviously distance. Máire counted the furlongs, enjoying the gallop, as did Al. The jockey correctly assumed that it had been a while since the bay mare had properly stretched her legs. Máire sensed that Al was beginning to tire by the tenth furlong, and made the eleventh furlong their last. The jockey patted Al after the training came to a close. The dark mare was by no means exhausted but, while healthy and relatively strong, she wasn't yet in peak condition. As she trotted Al back towards the stable block, Máire was forced to admit that she wasn't physically at her best either. While she'd been swimming a lot, for the sake of her spine in particular, riding a rather wilful horse at a gallop for the first time was rather taxing, and Máire's muscles weren't going to let her forget that fact in a hurry.
When she reached the main stable building, Máire dismounted and untacked Al. She groomed the filly herself, paying particular attention to the area where the saddle had been. Al relaxed a little, enjoying the grooming quite well. After she was confident that there were no worrying swellings or other signs of injury, Máire led Al to her stall. "You've done well today." Máire told the filly, but Al was no longer paying much attention to the human. As for Máire herself, she was wondering how Al would perform with a bit of competition on the track..
It was a cool, quiet morning- hardly a dramatic start to Death of an Alchemist's racing career. As she rode to the track, all that Máire could hear was the distant murmur of cars on the main road, the occasional cries of birds, and the brisk, rhythmic hoofbeats of Death of an Alchemist. The pair had warmed up in one of the sandy training arenas, but that was hardly enough time for Máire to get a good idea of Al's personality. Nonetheless, Al had already given her jockey the impression of being a canny, yet distant, horse.
Máire guided the would-be racehorse onto the turf track. She was glad to be back in the racing saddle again, albeit in an extremely obscure stable. After spending most of her adult life working for an older, infinitely more renowned stable, the novelty of everything was odd to her, especially the hastily fangled mishmash of horses and staff, most of whom were either unproven or disproven. Máire, who had once been growing in success on the track, had to admit that she was a bit wounded by, after countless sleepless nights and futile interviews, having only been offered a job by Xenon Racing. It wasn't that Máire was ungrateful for her new job, but that she felt that she could have progressed so much further by this time in her life had it not been for one accident. Death of an Alchemist fidgeted a little, uncomfortable with standing around in the chilly weather. Máire smiled, and did her best to push her personal qualms to the back of her mind.
It didn't take too much for Al to surge forward. The mare's long, unceasing strides ate up the ground easily enough. Máire kept the thoroughbred at a measured pace. Al was quick enough, but her main strength was obviously distance. Máire counted the furlongs, enjoying the gallop, as did Al. The jockey correctly assumed that it had been a while since the bay mare had properly stretched her legs. Máire sensed that Al was beginning to tire by the tenth furlong, and made the eleventh furlong their last. The jockey patted Al after the training came to a close. The dark mare was by no means exhausted but, while healthy and relatively strong, she wasn't yet in peak condition. As she trotted Al back towards the stable block, Máire was forced to admit that she wasn't physically at her best either. While she'd been swimming a lot, for the sake of her spine in particular, riding a rather wilful horse at a gallop for the first time was rather taxing, and Máire's muscles weren't going to let her forget that fact in a hurry.
When she reached the main stable building, Máire dismounted and untacked Al. She groomed the filly herself, paying particular attention to the area where the saddle had been. Al relaxed a little, enjoying the grooming quite well. After she was confident that there were no worrying swellings or other signs of injury, Máire led Al to her stall. "You've done well today." Máire told the filly, but Al was no longer paying much attention to the human. As for Máire herself, she was wondering how Al would perform with a bit of competition on the track..