war at twilight

INFINITE WARCRY AND AMBER BLACK
ROYAL CADENZA AND VALENCIA ANDREWS

INFINI'S WORKOUT FOR THE TWILIGHT STAKES

The seventeen and a half hand stallion was beautiful to behold. He glimmered with good health in the light of the rising sun. A black behemoth of muscles, stamina and bursting speed. This was Infinite Warcry, now underrated due to his three measly wins this year. They had been good wins, reflected Amber. They had been great. The problem was, a closer like Infinite Warcry usually ended up just missing at the finish due to a lack of time. He had the best closing kick in the racing industry, and while it was his greatest strength it was also his greatest weakness. He would often run out of time at the races. And because of that, the racing industry was looking to other horses now. Horses that had finally walked Infini's blazing trail of glory and now got racing. Amber understood that. But in her heart, she thought no turfer could hold a candle to her stallion.

Infini looked at her with infinite gentleness. Amber smiled almost shyly back at the son of Jessie James and Ebony Gold Lady. He was beautiful to her in every way. He had mountains of stamina, conditioned from his three and a half to four mile gallops every day. But since early July, she had identified the stallion's weakness - his speed. He didn't have enough of it at the end. True, he became a raging black comet at the end of the race, one few horses could catch up to once he'd blown past, but he needed to be faster in order to close the distance between him and victory in an appropriate manner before the wire. So they had started working him out with their turf sprinters. The new strategy had shown instant success when he had taken the Dare To Dream Memorial Stakes. That had been one month ago, and now the black stallion was the long shot going into the Twilight Stakes.

SOPS had taken the Twilight Stakes last year. They knew what it took to win the race. And the race was eleven furlongs - right in Infini's marathon wheelhouse. Frozen Motion and Silent Fury might both look a lot better on paper right now, but Amber felt that neither of them were as strong over the marathon distance. That was Infini's domain. The fact that Infini hadn't run on the Wire tracks this year wouldn't bog him down either. Last year, Infini had overcome this deficit to win the Breeders Stakes. The track Infini ran on made no difference to him. The easy going stallion was more than adaptable, especially now at four years old and at the level of an experienced racehorse. His competitors were strong racehorses. But Amber knew they could take this race if they worked hard. They had been working for a month and Infini was ready to prove that he was great once more. This would be a type of coming out race for the stallion. This was it. He was ready to truly wage war.

His surprise workout partner today was Royal Cadenza. The son of Hail To Prince and Bluebell Sonnet was related to Hall of Famer Sillenia and grade one mare Lawliet's Girl as well as Blue Me Away. He had been raced by Star Thoroughbreds for the first half of the year and had a decent record under his belt despite the lack of specialized care. He was definitely getting that here at SOPS. Valencia Andrews had been assigned to be Caden's jockey the moment his arrogance and competitiveness had been discovered. Valencia fit him to a cinch and she was starting to really like the colt despite the fact that they had run no races together as of yet. Races didn't fill at Caden's level and they had to overcome this deficit. Right now though Valencia could care less about the deficit. She was absolutely sizzling with anger. Merc's career ending injury had set her on edge. She had personally made the decision to retire the colt to stud and she was still suffering from the after effects. Merc had been her first ride here, and the loss of home hit hard. Even extracting numerous promises about Merc's future lucrative breeding career from Amber hand't made her feel better.

Valencia jammed her helmet angrily on her head and vaulted onto Caden. The black and high maintenance stallion snorted irritably and at first didn't listen to Valencia's commands to walk on. Muffling her curses, Valencia absolutely thwacked him with her hand. That got Caden moving. She glanced at the watch on her wrist. Yep. Fifteen minutes past his usual workout time and Caden was pissed. She sighed and shook her head, aggravated yet amused at the same time. The young turf miler and semi-router was going to meet more than his match in Infinite Warcry, but even he could teach the easy going Infini something - fire, and the need to accelerate and get faster if he wanted the victory. Caden's style was closer to the pace, and that was his advantage over Infini. Valencia fumed. She planned to use it to her full advantage today.

Caden danced across the track now, his eyes burning bright with excitement. Finally, he got to run! The hot blooded horse gazed at his waiting workout partner as though staring at a piece of dirt. He snorted and practically looked down his nose at Infinite Warcry, a horse that definitely outclassed him. Valencia snorted at his attitude. It looked like Caden was over being worked fifteen minutes late. She gazed at her boss, waiting for the command. Amber looked tense and anxious. Merc had been injured and retired, Ode had been injured but had a chance of recovery and redemption in year fourteen. It had been a stressful week, but she now felt ready to conquer the challenge of the Twilight Stakes. Two mile gallop, one mile workout. Infini's going shorter today so I can focus on the speed with him. Caden needs the lung opener and the stamina. You good to go? Valencia knew what Amber was really asking. I'll be okay Amber. As long as you really do breed him to Ventura. Amber grinned.

The pair worked up the pace to a canter. Caden stayed a full half length ahead of Infini, still snorting as the horse, surprise surprise, seemingly proved to be inferior to him. Valencia was wary. She would not get caught up in Caden's arrogance. Amber felt out Infini's movements at the canter. He was fluid and strong, long strides swallowing up the turf. He took one stride to every one and a half of Caden's, and that was only because Caden was just under seventeen hands and had long legs as well. Amber nodded and they started up their gallop. Caden exploded into the pace, snorting as he put Infini away. Valencia snorted and looked under her elbow with impatience for Infini. The hulking beast was probably barely moving. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Infini no more than two lengths behind them and actively galloping. The horse wasn't just lumbering along now; he was moving the fastest she'd ever seen him in the early stages of a workout.

The mile gallop whipped by. Caden was coasting along confidently, strides powerful and fast. Valencia felt she had a lot of horse under her. She dropped the reins, leaned forward as Caden exploded into the faster pace. He was bred for this. She felt him reach and run, the fractions he ticked off impressive as they got on through. She looked again for Infini and was surprised to find him only five lengths off now. Amber looked calm as could be aboard the black behemoth's back. To Amber, Infini felt like a ticking time bomb. The black stallion had reacted well to Amber's command to begin the workout, but had only accelerated slightly. He was loping along well within himself, only five lengths off the pace, and Amber felt the speed thrumming through his body. Felt the desire to take up victory in his jaws and take it prisoner. She grinned. Valencia and Caden would never know what hit them. And hopefully, neither would their real competitors.

Caden swept through the half in forty seven and a half seconds. He looked and felt like a born miler. Valencia grinned, prepared for the charge of Infinite Warcry. The stallion had two and a half miles behind him now and was becoming deadly. He would be hitting his best stride. He lumbered through the half in just under forty nine seconds, and now he focused. Amber felt it like an electric shock through the reins as they turned for home. Infini was ready to go. He was ready to begin his charge. Amber let him go, let him fly as they rocketed into the stretch with Caden six lengths in front and not letting up. Valencia reacted at the same time, and Caden took off with zest for the finish.

There was no contest. Despite Caden's acceleration, Infini was a black comet. An inferno. His long strides made up the ground easily, his legs and body a blur. He demolished the distance from him to Caden and then demolished Caden. Valencia cursed in shock as Infini roared past and opened up three lengths of impossible daylight before sweeping under the wire. He had sizzled through a final quarter in twenty two and a half second. Almost impossible acceleration. Amber was grinning widely as she pulled the black beast up, her eyes the happiest they had been all week. She looked back at the enraged Caden and the shocked Valencia and grinned some more. She may be riding the likely long shot into the Twilight Stakes, but as far as she was concerned she was riding the horse that would demolish them in the final stretch and the final quarter of the eleven furlong race that Infini would love every furlong of.