Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2012 3:15:42 GMT -5
Evie Stringer and Mizadori
[/sub]Serendipity Hills were finally making it’s mark. New horses were arriving almost every week to continue their career, and last week it was the great Grand Silence three year old, Dawn Of Silence. They’d also become popular for race upsets too… Tears Of An Angel taking the Wire Finish Cup Juvenile Sprint from Innocent Passion to snatch Grade Four away from her by a nose. It was only Mida’s first start after coming back from suspected tendonitis in her front leg. After examination, they realised that what they thought was tendonitis was a mild strain, meaning she could start racing again. After her disappointing fifth in the Rosebud Stakes, Mizadori managed to pull an upset in the Quiff Stakes, leaving the field behind in dust. It appeared that her training was helping, but with a pretty solid field of four strong runners in the Cadilesker Stakes, I wasn’t too sure. Mida, being a stayer, was pretty full of stamina, being able to handle the longer distances with ease. She was also a rising star on both dirt and turf.
The filly had been allowed to mature whilst being off for injury, but the behind the scenes work had definitely helped her to improve. The horse walker was the main intention for this, making the horses power along at a very high pace. By the end of it, most people would think the horse has just had a work as they drip with sweat. She’d definitely matured considerably, and the muscle she had gained since her two-year-old season was incredible. It had been three weeks since her last race and first win since the May of last year, and we were hoping to make a good impression today. Mida is always prepared for races, as she is the kind of filly that has a sharp mind. She likes to eye up the competition pre-race, she tends to have an idea what she is up against before getting to the gates.
The current entrants for the race were quite firm and very consistent grade fives, which I had a feeling would let us down. We had only placed in the top three five times out of ten starts, which was a real let down to us, and an advantage to the rest of the field. We would start in Gate One today - an advantage for us anyway being a mid-packer. My intention was to break quick, and drop back to where Mida likes to run. In Gate Two was the racer that beat Union Jaque in the Alphan Derby, leaving us with no hope. Ashes To Ashes was a very consistent colt, racing six times, achieving two firsts, a second, and two thirds as a three-year-old, and a disappointing ninth as a two-year-old, but that wasn’t to affect us. His record was 6-2-1-2, which some would say was a pretty solid record.
In Gate Three there was an Intrepid Racing colt, the one that was commonly referred to as ‘the grey colt over there’. Cosmic Warfare was a colt that we had beaten last time out, but with experience, he could probably fight back and produce something. He was one win away from breaking into Grade 4, with a record of 11-3-2-2, leaving him with consistency of sixty three percent. He’s the most experienced of the field, being a four year old and starting eleven times. He’d last been worked in January, where he snatched the win off Dawn Of Silence to win the Ameliorate Stakes.
In Gate Four, there was another three-year-old colt. Ridden by Jaymee-Leigh Smith, Strictly A Hero was no surprise entrant. The Everyday Hero and Strictly Speaking colt was a half to current prospect series leader, Majestic Hero and undefeated prospect filly, Everyday Smile. It was looking likely that the colt would be tired, making this three weeks in a row he would race. He placed second in the Immanent Stakes, second in a Stable Face-Off race, and then last week he placed fourth in the Yarpha Stakes. He also had eleven starts, making Cos’ and Harry’s experience level the same. The colt had a record of 11-1-4-1, and consistency of fifty four percent, leaving Mida with the lowest level of consistency in the field. I still wasn’t sure about the field as I eyed up the card, but now I knew who was entered, I felt a wee bit more comfortable.
It appeared that Ashes To Ashes would take the lead in the race tomorrow, being the only front runner. Strictly A Hero and Mida would probably be in the middle, but I wanted to drop back behind him and make sure I rested in third place for the majority of the race. Cosmic Warfare could be a closer or a front runner, and it appeared today he would be a closer to even the field out. I walked Mida out onto the track and stood by her shoulder. She looked around, flickering her tiny ears, which were smaller than average considering she was a thoroughbred. Smiling, I took hold of my reins in my left hand, placed my left foot in the iron and mounted with ease, sitting into the saddle lightly. Mida stood there, not fazed by anything that was happening at that moment. I adjusted the stirrups then my position before squeezing her on into a walk. She responded easily.
After a few circles at walk, I asked her for a trot. We were going to breeze three furlongs today as I didn’t want to burn her energy out before the race. It was too short for her, but it wasn’t going to stop her from doing what she loved. All she needed was a good breeze, a good strong up hill breeze. She was a filly of pure potential, and nothing was going to end that. We were hoping to get two in a row, but I doubted that highly with some major contenders in the field. The uphill home stretched helped with this, and as I warmed her up, I thought about the technique. I decided that we weren't going to gallop full on, but just a steady power gallop up the hill of the homestretch. I looked to the stands to see Meg, holding the stop watch in her hand impatiently.
She thought I was going to do a full pelt workout, but little did she know what I was doing would help the filly's power aswell as speed. Sighing, I finally finished warming up. Come on Mida. Let's go make you a champion. I said to her quietly, leaning onto her neck and placing my hand on her mane, before muttering it into her small brown ears. They instantly perked and she responsed with a rather excitable whinny. I grinned and stroked her neck before I asked her to step back three times. I counted the steps, squeezing with my legs and gently pulling the reins. She brought her neck in and stepped back twice, and just as she was taking the final step, I gave her a little kick. Her back leg hit the turf before she bounced into an energetic canter on the correct lead. I loved her, she was so clever.
I stood in my stirrups and rocked with her. I kept her at a relaxed canter along the backstretch. She responsed well to the collecting. Smiling, I began to let her gallop. Not fast, not slow, but just right. Just enough to extend and make her work in that uphill climb on the homestretch. She began to respond and pick up the pace a little bit round the turn, but when I held her back and didn't let her, she slowed and stayed at a controlled gallop. Grinning as we passed the three furlong pole, I did let her pick up the pace a little, but it wasn't enough to ruin the workout. I smiled and the steady up hill climb really worked her muscles. Imagine you went running up hill and you could really feel the burn in your calves? That is probably what it would feel like - the muscles contracting and relaxing with every stride. I bit my lip and didn't let her run, she she powered energetically up the hill, showing no sign of tiring. She snorted with each stride and as the flat final furlong came to us, I pushed her on. The whip cracked and she flew into high motion, her one thousand two hundred kilo weight of muscle thrown onto one tiny strong fetlock. We came under the wire and I smiled. The work with her had paid off, and it was only the beginning of a long life together.
