Post by LK on Jun 16, 2015 23:41:15 GMT -5
RIDGECREST && KALLY SULLIVAN
MAJESTIC HERO && CLINTON WARD
SEEMS LEGIT && MAVERICK HARRIS
BLACK MAGIC && ISABELLE NOTTINGHAM
DISTANCE: 9 FURLONGS
PLAN: LET THE HORSES POSITION THEM ON THEIR OWN AND AFTER 7 FURLONGS OPEN THEM UP.
PREDICTION: BLACK MAGIC (FR) - MAJESTIC HERO (S) - RIDGECREST (P) - SEEMS LEGIT (C)
The day had grown intensely hot hour by hour, until the heat was almost unbearable. Horses came back from the track slick with sweat and foam while jockeys downed water as fast as they could. The grooms couldn't work fast enough to get a group of racers hosed off before the next bunch lumbered in from the blazing track. Felicity was about to call off the training sessions before a horse dropped from heat stroke, when suddenly the clouds moved in with the arrival of the afternoon storms they all had become accustomed to. They stood in the doorway of the barn and watched as the rain pounded down on the equestrian center, soaking anyone and anything that happened to be caught outside. Then just as quickly as it had arrived, the storm dispersed, leaving a cooling effect behind and giving a relief to those who still had horses to ride.
In the interest of saving precious time and encouraging the two year olds to compete against the older horses, Ridge, Houdini, Frankie, and Jester were saddled up and led to the turf track. The first one to arrive was Seems Legit, who finally seemed to be filling into his spindly bay legs. He was definitely one of the best-bred horses that Oceanic had acquired in the last year, but had yet to show his full potential on the track. After winning his first race as a two year old in January, "Frankie" had taken a nose dive and refused to bring another win. Felicity was astonished when he pulled up in 4th three starts in a row. After digging a little deeper into his bloodlines, she found the source. Both bloodlines were notorious for being late bloomers, though some started as early as three year olds. So Fell planned on backing him off of full-time racing the rest of the year, only entering him in small fields and undercard races. Perhaps if he cleared his head in time as a three year old, he would have a good shot at the Triple Crown.
Behind the bay colt emerged the shy and some-what panicky grey turf runner, Ridgecrest. He eyed the trees wearily, like they would reach out and take a chunk out of him at any moment. His dappled pelt stayed glossed over from sweat, not from the heat but the anxiety he worked into anytime he was taken from his paddock. Despite his lingering thoughts, the colt stayed calm throughout the short walk to the track, always taking care not to accidentally step on his favorite human, Kallie. Over the past couple months Ridge had really started to fill out. Though not to his full height of seventeen hands quite yet, the colt gave a muscular impression. His chest had deepened and was not longer narrow like a two year olds. His topline and flanks had filled in with muscle, but he still managed to hold onto his lanky legs. Felicity imagined he would keep this trait his whole life and would always appear to be slightly top-heavy. This boy started out as a small-boned distance runner but soon proved he could keep up with the best of them, winning three of his five starts as a two year old. He had yet to place out of the money and Fell dearly hoped he would keep up his determination throughout the rest of his career. Plans were already lain to work Ridge with Handsome Tabby, a horse with surprisingly similar running styles. As for the rest of his two year old year, Ridge would be run in undercard races only, and would be introduced to HOTY races in the beginning of year sixteen.
The last two to appear was Black Magic and the older, more experienced runner, Majestic Hero. As Houdini walked by, Felicity frowned at the black stallion as she pondered just what to do with the incredibly well-bred three year old. So far he managed to keep up with his sporadic placings and had his trainer thoroughly confused as to what he preferred. He had shown her that he did NOT like running anywhere close to a mile, and this was mostly due to him liking to put some distance between him and the other horses. At one point the smaller stallion was considered a contender for the Triple Crown as well as the Canadian Triple Crown, but after much consideration of his performance, Fell pulled him from the races. He was not quite ready yet to take on HOTY races, let alone against some of the best racers in the circuit. So for now he would be entered in undercards and only raced the minimum amount. Something told Felicity that he was still getting over his move from last year. And who knew how long it would take for him to finally settle in.
Jester took in the other runners with a authoritative gaze, fully aware that he was the most experienced and would be the biggest challenge to get past in the workout. The bay was just one win away from breaking into G1 territory, and boy was he ready to do it. The month long break that all the horses had was a good refresh after a grueling spring of hard racing. Felicity was sure Jester would win his next race. To a point that she had a bet going with her husband, something she rarely did being slightly superstitious. But no matter what, the bay would be raced to the end of the year and most likely in the Breeder's Cup. As for next year, it was still up in the air if he would continue to race or not. He had finally finished eyeing the other horses as he returned to prancing next to Clinton, eager to stretch his legs on the freshly mowed grass.
After several minutes of warm up time, the four horses made their way over to the starting gate and loaded in. Everyone went in smoothly except for Majestic Hero, who after a few swear words and a smack from a crop, grudgingly loaded and waited to be free of the evil metal cage once again. The distance to be run was nine furlongs, but they were going to ride out the first seven just like they would a real race. After that, they were to push the horses the rest of the way. It was a good strengthening exercise and after some time off, Felicity wanted to make sure they were ready for the cards once again.
It was only a few seconds after Jester was loaded that the gates sprang open. The horses surged forward out onto the track and immediately started establishing their place among the field. Black Magic pushed himself to the front with the absence of a solid front runner. Had there been one, he easily would have given up his spot and had fallen back on his other specialty, stalker. Jester was happy to take up the spot directly behind the black stallion, eager to push him to the limits before snatching the lead in the last couple strides. Behind him Ridgecrest had finally settled down a little as the preceder and was transforming as they ran down the track. The grey colt lost his nervousness and was eerily calm compared to his jumpy self during a warm up. Seems Legit took over as the closer in the field and looked on as the other horses battled into their positions. He was content to wait out the field before making his move as they came around the stretch.
The horses were glad to stretch their legs and the jockeys had to hold them back a little to restrain the power that resonated through the pack. They did not want them to burn out too quickly or their next races would be rather rough. Bella and Houdini were cruising along in the front, keeping the pace at a quick gallop but not too stretched out. His jockey could tell Jester had no effect on the three year old by the way his ears lazily flopped around instead of being focused behind him. Every now and then he would twitch an ear back to listen for ques from his rider, but otherwise ignored the other horses running just off of his flanks. The older bay horse, however, was clearly beginning to get frustrated that his play toy was not squeaking. He hounded the black colt in front and pinned his ears, hoping that would get a rise out of his competitor. But when Houdini blatantly ignored him, Jester focused his attention elsewhere.
Unfortunately his efforts were directed straight at Ridgecrest, who by now had edged up on the two leaders and was looking to possibly pass on the outside. By now four furlongs had flown by and the horses were getting restless in their positions. Being the preceder, Ridge was gaining speed on Black Magic and was wanting to get ahead of any stalkers that got in his way. Majestic Hero did not take the notion well and drifted to the outside in order to cut off the younger horse's progress. Aboard the grey colt, Kallie cursed and pulled him up a bit in order to avoid collision. A hole opened up on the rail just inside Houdini as Jester bounded to the outside, and no sooner had she seen it, Ridge was darting for the spot. Foiled by his competitors, Jester and Clinton closed the gap once again but not before Ridge had squeezed through the hole and was now side by side with the front runner.
Behind them all was Seems Legit. The bay colt was patient for a two year old but had a tendency to break away early and loose energy long before the finish line. Something had shifted in the past month or so though, cause Maverick did not have to touch his mouth once to get him to slow down. Maybe the colt was remembering the training now and the closer position had finally clicked in his mind. Mav and Seems watched as Jester and Ridge battled it out for a chance at the front. In the meantime, they had passed the seven furlong marker and Mav knew it was time to go. He showed his colt the crop and soon they were creeping up on the other horses. As Jester darted back and fourth looking for an opening between the two leaders, Seems drifted to the outside and came around the last corner three-wide. His contained energy was paying off as they flew by the leaders and into the front position. Behind them Ridgecrest had finally broken through his fight with Houdini and was gaining quickly on the new leader.
The horses flew down the homestretch and soon they were all neck and neck, Jester and Houdini had found a last reserve of strength to come up even with the other two horses. The wire drew up closer and closer, and one finally was able to break away and step across the line away from the group. The bay stallion was triumphant as his jockey reined him in with the other thoroughbreds. Majestic Hero had once again proven that he could beat the best of them, even if they were stablemates. Clinton and the stallion rode off with smug looks on their faces, to the annoyance of the other jockeys. Bella knew Jester was a great racer and would continue to be. But she just could not stand the way his jockey acted when they pulled an upset in the last stride or so. She knew that soon Black Magic's chance would come and he would beat them all.
MAJESTIC HERO && CLINTON WARD
SEEMS LEGIT && MAVERICK HARRIS
BLACK MAGIC && ISABELLE NOTTINGHAM
DISTANCE: 9 FURLONGS
PLAN: LET THE HORSES POSITION THEM ON THEIR OWN AND AFTER 7 FURLONGS OPEN THEM UP.
PREDICTION: BLACK MAGIC (FR) - MAJESTIC HERO (S) - RIDGECREST (P) - SEEMS LEGIT (C)
The day had grown intensely hot hour by hour, until the heat was almost unbearable. Horses came back from the track slick with sweat and foam while jockeys downed water as fast as they could. The grooms couldn't work fast enough to get a group of racers hosed off before the next bunch lumbered in from the blazing track. Felicity was about to call off the training sessions before a horse dropped from heat stroke, when suddenly the clouds moved in with the arrival of the afternoon storms they all had become accustomed to. They stood in the doorway of the barn and watched as the rain pounded down on the equestrian center, soaking anyone and anything that happened to be caught outside. Then just as quickly as it had arrived, the storm dispersed, leaving a cooling effect behind and giving a relief to those who still had horses to ride.
In the interest of saving precious time and encouraging the two year olds to compete against the older horses, Ridge, Houdini, Frankie, and Jester were saddled up and led to the turf track. The first one to arrive was Seems Legit, who finally seemed to be filling into his spindly bay legs. He was definitely one of the best-bred horses that Oceanic had acquired in the last year, but had yet to show his full potential on the track. After winning his first race as a two year old in January, "Frankie" had taken a nose dive and refused to bring another win. Felicity was astonished when he pulled up in 4th three starts in a row. After digging a little deeper into his bloodlines, she found the source. Both bloodlines were notorious for being late bloomers, though some started as early as three year olds. So Fell planned on backing him off of full-time racing the rest of the year, only entering him in small fields and undercard races. Perhaps if he cleared his head in time as a three year old, he would have a good shot at the Triple Crown.
Behind the bay colt emerged the shy and some-what panicky grey turf runner, Ridgecrest. He eyed the trees wearily, like they would reach out and take a chunk out of him at any moment. His dappled pelt stayed glossed over from sweat, not from the heat but the anxiety he worked into anytime he was taken from his paddock. Despite his lingering thoughts, the colt stayed calm throughout the short walk to the track, always taking care not to accidentally step on his favorite human, Kallie. Over the past couple months Ridge had really started to fill out. Though not to his full height of seventeen hands quite yet, the colt gave a muscular impression. His chest had deepened and was not longer narrow like a two year olds. His topline and flanks had filled in with muscle, but he still managed to hold onto his lanky legs. Felicity imagined he would keep this trait his whole life and would always appear to be slightly top-heavy. This boy started out as a small-boned distance runner but soon proved he could keep up with the best of them, winning three of his five starts as a two year old. He had yet to place out of the money and Fell dearly hoped he would keep up his determination throughout the rest of his career. Plans were already lain to work Ridge with Handsome Tabby, a horse with surprisingly similar running styles. As for the rest of his two year old year, Ridge would be run in undercard races only, and would be introduced to HOTY races in the beginning of year sixteen.
The last two to appear was Black Magic and the older, more experienced runner, Majestic Hero. As Houdini walked by, Felicity frowned at the black stallion as she pondered just what to do with the incredibly well-bred three year old. So far he managed to keep up with his sporadic placings and had his trainer thoroughly confused as to what he preferred. He had shown her that he did NOT like running anywhere close to a mile, and this was mostly due to him liking to put some distance between him and the other horses. At one point the smaller stallion was considered a contender for the Triple Crown as well as the Canadian Triple Crown, but after much consideration of his performance, Fell pulled him from the races. He was not quite ready yet to take on HOTY races, let alone against some of the best racers in the circuit. So for now he would be entered in undercards and only raced the minimum amount. Something told Felicity that he was still getting over his move from last year. And who knew how long it would take for him to finally settle in.
Jester took in the other runners with a authoritative gaze, fully aware that he was the most experienced and would be the biggest challenge to get past in the workout. The bay was just one win away from breaking into G1 territory, and boy was he ready to do it. The month long break that all the horses had was a good refresh after a grueling spring of hard racing. Felicity was sure Jester would win his next race. To a point that she had a bet going with her husband, something she rarely did being slightly superstitious. But no matter what, the bay would be raced to the end of the year and most likely in the Breeder's Cup. As for next year, it was still up in the air if he would continue to race or not. He had finally finished eyeing the other horses as he returned to prancing next to Clinton, eager to stretch his legs on the freshly mowed grass.
After several minutes of warm up time, the four horses made their way over to the starting gate and loaded in. Everyone went in smoothly except for Majestic Hero, who after a few swear words and a smack from a crop, grudgingly loaded and waited to be free of the evil metal cage once again. The distance to be run was nine furlongs, but they were going to ride out the first seven just like they would a real race. After that, they were to push the horses the rest of the way. It was a good strengthening exercise and after some time off, Felicity wanted to make sure they were ready for the cards once again.
It was only a few seconds after Jester was loaded that the gates sprang open. The horses surged forward out onto the track and immediately started establishing their place among the field. Black Magic pushed himself to the front with the absence of a solid front runner. Had there been one, he easily would have given up his spot and had fallen back on his other specialty, stalker. Jester was happy to take up the spot directly behind the black stallion, eager to push him to the limits before snatching the lead in the last couple strides. Behind him Ridgecrest had finally settled down a little as the preceder and was transforming as they ran down the track. The grey colt lost his nervousness and was eerily calm compared to his jumpy self during a warm up. Seems Legit took over as the closer in the field and looked on as the other horses battled into their positions. He was content to wait out the field before making his move as they came around the stretch.
The horses were glad to stretch their legs and the jockeys had to hold them back a little to restrain the power that resonated through the pack. They did not want them to burn out too quickly or their next races would be rather rough. Bella and Houdini were cruising along in the front, keeping the pace at a quick gallop but not too stretched out. His jockey could tell Jester had no effect on the three year old by the way his ears lazily flopped around instead of being focused behind him. Every now and then he would twitch an ear back to listen for ques from his rider, but otherwise ignored the other horses running just off of his flanks. The older bay horse, however, was clearly beginning to get frustrated that his play toy was not squeaking. He hounded the black colt in front and pinned his ears, hoping that would get a rise out of his competitor. But when Houdini blatantly ignored him, Jester focused his attention elsewhere.
Unfortunately his efforts were directed straight at Ridgecrest, who by now had edged up on the two leaders and was looking to possibly pass on the outside. By now four furlongs had flown by and the horses were getting restless in their positions. Being the preceder, Ridge was gaining speed on Black Magic and was wanting to get ahead of any stalkers that got in his way. Majestic Hero did not take the notion well and drifted to the outside in order to cut off the younger horse's progress. Aboard the grey colt, Kallie cursed and pulled him up a bit in order to avoid collision. A hole opened up on the rail just inside Houdini as Jester bounded to the outside, and no sooner had she seen it, Ridge was darting for the spot. Foiled by his competitors, Jester and Clinton closed the gap once again but not before Ridge had squeezed through the hole and was now side by side with the front runner.
Behind them all was Seems Legit. The bay colt was patient for a two year old but had a tendency to break away early and loose energy long before the finish line. Something had shifted in the past month or so though, cause Maverick did not have to touch his mouth once to get him to slow down. Maybe the colt was remembering the training now and the closer position had finally clicked in his mind. Mav and Seems watched as Jester and Ridge battled it out for a chance at the front. In the meantime, they had passed the seven furlong marker and Mav knew it was time to go. He showed his colt the crop and soon they were creeping up on the other horses. As Jester darted back and fourth looking for an opening between the two leaders, Seems drifted to the outside and came around the last corner three-wide. His contained energy was paying off as they flew by the leaders and into the front position. Behind them Ridgecrest had finally broken through his fight with Houdini and was gaining quickly on the new leader.
The horses flew down the homestretch and soon they were all neck and neck, Jester and Houdini had found a last reserve of strength to come up even with the other two horses. The wire drew up closer and closer, and one finally was able to break away and step across the line away from the group. The bay stallion was triumphant as his jockey reined him in with the other thoroughbreds. Majestic Hero had once again proven that he could beat the best of them, even if they were stablemates. Clinton and the stallion rode off with smug looks on their faces, to the annoyance of the other jockeys. Bella knew Jester was a great racer and would continue to be. But she just could not stand the way his jockey acted when they pulled an upset in the last stride or so. She knew that soon Black Magic's chance would come and he would beat them all.
