Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2012 16:31:24 GMT -5
LOST IN MEMORIES AND IVANA BABICOVA
EMMA'S WORKOUT FOR THE FOLLOW THE HOOFPRINTS TURF
I've always wondered what I could do with a filly like Emma. She's already proved that she has potential, and now that she was going against a field of tough competition, I could only hope for second. Emma didn't have the best level of experience, with four starts, a win, two places and a show, but she was a filly who would try and never give up hope. One day, we hoped she'd be like her mother, Blanchette. Blanchette, was an accomplished grade one turf racer. She knew how to handle everything about the turf, and was good at running her best. She won the Universal Cup, Winter Cup, Merry Bay King Memorial Stakes, Summer Cup, Autumn Cup, and placed in the Breeder's Cup Turf.
Emma's father wasn't the best racehorse in the world, but he did make an amazing accomplishment. He ran his best season as a four year old, and made it from a grade five to a grade two in only a few weeks. He won big races like the Boy's and Star Festival, and placed or showed in many other big turf races such as the Breeder's Cup Turf, Dream Cup, Full Moon Derby, Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate, and the Little Miss Innocent Memorial Stakes. Jacey was hoping that Emma could show what she had on the track, and I was also hoping it. My gut instinct was telling me that we could win with some good experience... and a place or a show in this major race, the Follow The Hoofprints Turf, was just what we needed to kickstart the filly.
Evaluating the entrants, it appeared we would actually have a chance. In Gate One, Livin' The Jazz would be kicking up the turf. The colt raced last week, meaning he wasn't as fresh, but he was looking towards a second win with a record of 7-1-5-0. He was the heavy favourite for this race, and looked like he would definitely take the win. Jax ran as a closer, so he would close with us in the final stages of the race. I hoped to linger infront of the closers today, as there were a lot of them.
In Gate Two there was GS Royal Crown. He had started four times, claiming a win, a show, and two fourths, leaving the experience level much lower. He was a stalker, but could also run as a mid-packer. He had recently ran in his comeback race, claiming fourth, being beaten by Livin' The Jazz and Mizadori, a three year old owned by us. He could run on either surface, which was a bonus for him. The colt was definitely showing some potential - but what Ripley Marsh didn't know when they did there morning workouts was that this late entrant was going to attempt to defy all the odds
In Gate Three, GS Super Charged would be trying to claim a win. This horse had a good record, starting four times, claiming a win, two places, and a fourth. He looked a likely contendor if he was worked well enough for the race after such a long lay off. This was a son of Admiral's Revenge, and there were HIGH expectations for him. He looked strong, and an absolute specimen, but nothing was taking this colt down too easily. He, was also a closer. This was where my plan for Emma would come in.
In Gate Four, there was Calamity Queen. This filly, despite being raced a lot, was showing a lot of potential. With a record of eight starts, a win, a place, and a fourth, it seemed that she was nothing but pure class. We had beaten her in March when we swooped to success in the Darraign Maiden, and this, was yet again my hope. She would definitely be the pace setter for this race - there was no doubt, but now with a front runner in hand, the race was a whole lot easier.
Others would think we would be at a disadvantage when it came to the amount of closers, but little did anyone know that we had secretely trained Emma to run as a mid-packer in situations like these.She secretely doesn't mind running in the middle, though she prefers to be near the back of the pack. She doesn't waste her energy fighting to gain the lead towards the beginning of the race, and saves all of it to close very strongly and run away with a win. I tacked the filly up after reviewing the entrants, and after I had secured my body protector, I mounted up.
Emma was definitely fiery today. She was on her toes as we stepped out onto the track. She began to walk energetically, her hooves hitting the turf and flicking turf behind her. I asked her for a steady trot and she flew forward, breaking into a stride on canter before coming back to a lively trot. She brought her head to her chest and I let her break into an energetic lope. Smiling, I pushed her on a bit more, and she kept at a relaxed canter, almost a gallop. My red hair fell in her face as we entered the back stretch. I pushed her forward again, and crouched down, sticking my bum out and standing in the stirrups, resting my hands at Emma’s withers.
When we came to the five furlong pole, I began to push Emma on quite hard. I made herself as small as I could as I stretched my arms out, pushing the filly on. The energetic white filly began to sprint, her long stride extended as far as it would go. The furlongs flew by and my crop rose and fell on the filly’s rump as we entered the stretch. I drove her forward and with each stride, she got quicker and quicker. In the final furlong, she reached her terminal speed, and we flew under the wire. I relaxed and stroked her neck. We were ready, and I knew it. After such a long lay off of practically two months, it had definitely helped.
