Classic Impression

What made a great racehorse? It was a question with no clear answer, and certainly there were many factors in the success of a racehorse. Breeding was certainly not what it was all about - if it were about bloodlines then how could horses such as Paradise Island and Executioner's be explained? Those were horses from no amazing bloodlines, and yet their talents were very well known on the track. Furthermore, there were well bred horses which were not great - horses which barely scraped by on the track despite having some very strong blood. So if it wasn't bloodlines, what was it?

The horse's nature, perhaps? Fiery, competitive horses were renowned for being strong race horses. They threw their weight around, but then they never backed down from a challenge. But if it was about temperament, how could the progression of quieter and less dominant horses be explained? Again, the perfect example of this was Paradise Island who was among some of the gentlest horses around but had become the first three year old to reach Grade Three and had just claimed the first leg of the tiara.

Maybe it was the time that was spent in training and preparing the horse? Certainly, hours were spent training the greats. Hours were spent preparing them for races and ensuring that they were in their best form. But then, were hours not spent on most horses? Not every horse who hours were spent with turned into superstars. No, that could not explain it either.

So what did explain it? Matthias felt that a great racehorse was created through a mixture of things. Bloodlines could influence a horse's talent, but they were not guaranteed to do so; a horse's nature had an impact for sure, but it was not alone; and time spent training and preparing a horse certainly helped to shape them. In the end, it was a mixture of all of those things which created a horse and every horse deserved the chance to shine.

Icee was showing the signs of being a great racehorse. The two year old had raced a total of six times now, and she had won three of those starts. She had never placed outside of the top three, not even in her debut race, and all of the races which she had ran were major races. She had raced successfully against a number of horses, including those who were older and more experience, and had handled each race with the same calm attitude. All in all, things were looking positive for her and the time and training would be put in to ensuring she continued to develop.

The black filly's next race had been declared - the Follow The Hoofprints Dirt Classic would be the next time she set her hooves on the track. A major two year old race, running over eleven furlongs which would test her stamina and her heart. Matthias knew the filly had plenty of both, that she would not back down from any competition and that she would do everything to win. It was in her very nature, he had trained and nurtured that competitive streak and had brought it to a whole new level. This was a horse geared for the track and nothing else.

The field as it stood consisted of only three horses, including Icee herself. It was smaller than had initially been anticipated by the trainer but he would not be put off by that - sometimes, smaller fields were more challenging than larger fields given that nobody could really become crowded when there were only three horses on the track. The challenge was more honest, more open, and more indicative of how well a horse could truly perform.

That morning, Alexia had been looking over the field for the race and was feeling a little more confident than she had expected to with several horses she had expected to face entered elsewhere. The two entrants that she would be going up against, however, would not be easy to defeat. While they were not the highest graded horses on the track, Golden Ghost and Nature's Dream were competitive horses with dedicated teams behind them.

Golden Ghost, from Prison Hill Stables, would run as a closer and in the race and would be starting in Gate One. He was an impressive looking colt, despite his small size, because of his rare colouring. He was a palomino sabino and he pulled it off well. Most coloured horses failed to perform on the track, it was suspected that their was a link between the colouring and speed, but if that was true then the colt was a bit of a miracle. He had raced five times, winning twice and showing once with his most recent race, which had just ran, ending in victory. Alexia did not know how well the colt dealt with running two weeks in a row, but had made a note of the fact that as a closer he relied on energy levels in the final furlongs to claim a race.

Nature's Dream, of Star Thoroughbreds, would be starting in gate three. The colt had raced six times, placing outside of the top three twice and had claimed a single victory. He ran as a mid pack horse, and seemed to have been struggling since breaking his maiden. However, Star Thoroughbreds were working to improve him and would not be overcome with ease.

Icee was the lone filly in the field, starting in gate two. With both colts preferring the race further back in the field she would be alone up front, and that gave her room to work. Alexia knew that it was a bit of a double edged sword - she could set the pace, work the race to how she wanted it, but if she was not careful it would be easy to get carried away and blow the race. Luckily enough, however, she had the experience to not do that and felt she could bring out the best in her mount.

The black filly was in good shape, her energy more than returned to her since her last outing in the Silver Stride Stakes where she had shown her talent against the likes of her sister's rival, Nightshade and other strong competition to claim a victory. Of course winning in such a big, and competitive, field had fed her ego and she was all the more proud of herself than normal. In fact, the filly had been showing off at every given opportunity and was making a show of even the simplest things.

Lucas was glad that the filly would finally be going out on the track again. Even though it had only been a few weeks it seemed like much longer when she acted the way she did. Handling her, especially for the last week, had been a bit of a nightmare in fact. It hadn't been too bad, until she had started unlatching her own stall door and running havoc in the yard, upsetting other horses in the process. Since then, Lucas had needed to catch her three times and was growing a little tired of her new game.

Given her energy level, she was walking surprisingly well beside the handler. Her boa was curved, her movement purposeful, but she did not pull against the handler. He was glad of the fact, although he could not reward her as he would most horses as she did not share a bond with him as she did with Alexia and was likely to play up for him if he did. Instead, he just smiled quietly to himself, it was always nice to see the two year olds not only performing well on the track but behaving in hand also.

Alexia was already at the track when Lucas arrived with the filly and moved over swiftly. She gave Lucas a quick hug, then returned her attentions to the filly who nuzzled at her shoulder. After several moments of affection however the filly seemed to lose interest and Alexia took that as her cue, moving to climb into the filly's saddle. "You'll do great, babe." reassuring words from a man who truly confused her. Things had been different since Jacey's baby had been born, he had been acting differently with her and she did not understand it. The confusion stormed her mind for a moment, and then she pushed him from her head. This was not the time to worry about her love life.

Three furlongs on the dirt, with the starting gates. That was what had been planned for today's workout, and the filly was ready to go. With her jockey mounted, she became a little less calm and pulled at the bit as the handler led them toward the starting contraption. Lucas pulled the black filly back as they neared the contraption so that she did not approach too quickly and she was soon loaded ready for the workout to begin. Closing the shutters, he took a step back before reflecting on how lucky he was to be here, where not only did he get to work with some amazing horses but Alexia too.

Silence fell, a moment where horse and jockey were truly alone. Alexia rose in her stirrups, prepared herself for the workout and allowed herself a moment of peace. The filly beneath her shifted slightly, but was focussed on the track beyond the shutters. Focussed, the jockey lifted her head to look over the shutters and then it was a waiting game, although not for long. The buzzer announced the beginning of the run, the shutters opened and the black filly shot from the gate.

Their pace was high from the word go. Icee was geared up and ready to take on the workout like a pro. Her mind was sharp, her audits pressed forwards and Alexia focussed on the dirt ahead of them. Behind them, a cloud of dust kicked up from the dry track and if conditions were maintained that would stand a chance of upsetting her opponents during the race. Of course, nothing like that was guaranteed and Alexia would not be counting on it. What she was counting on was the filly's heart and talent, as well as her own. Together they could achieve wondrous things - this had already been seen - and every race counted in a horse's career.

As the first furlong closed, the filly had truly found her stride and was moving forward with confidence. Swift, powerful movements propelled her up the track at quite the speed and she looked comfortable doing it. Her head had lowered now, she looked much better than at the beginning of the work when her head had been held a little high, and she was clearly enjoying the chance to stretch her legs without being caught.

Again, the furlong flew by and they entered the final furlong of the workout. Alexia tucked herself close to the filly's neck, started to press forwards and amazingly the filly found another gear. They were really kicking up the dirt, and doing so with style. This was not the run of an amateur juvenile, but of a horse ready to take on the world and as they passed the post she knew Icee was really finding herself now. She was something special. Would they win the race? Who knew, it was anyone's game, but they would be trying their damned best.