Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2012 7:05:45 GMT -5
Flyin' Out Loud had potential, it just needed to be drawn out from her. Where some horses had careers that took off from their very first start other horses needed time and work. Flyin' Out Loud had not had a terrible career - in fact, she had been in all five of the races she had ran so far - but it had not been brilliant. She wasn't the horse at the forefront of everyone's mind but she certainly wasn't the worst horse in her age group either. She had claimed a victory, and they had built upon that. One win, two places and two shows. Both shows had been in major, horse of the year type starts and while she had not been able to claim a victory in such a race they gave her a good start.
Tanya was on a high, of course. The stress of the Triple Tiara had been lifted from her and replaced with the glow of success. She had done it - she had claimed the Triple Tiara - and it felt great. But with that out of the way she really needed to focus on her other rides. Horses such as Flyin' Out Loud, who had not raced since April. But while she had not been racing she had been training. Matthias had been working on confidence, on refining her starts and ensuring she was fit and healthy. The thing was, they had been worried after her last start as she had heat in her left forelimb and the vet had told them to take it easy with her. They had, the issue seemed to have rectified itself, and the filly was being returned to the track.
Her comeback race was not going to be an easy one - the Demosielle Stakes in which she had been entered was a major two year old race over 7.5 Furlongs and the field had drawn several entrants from Star Thoroughbreds. But Matthias had ensured Tanya that Lynn was ready for the challenge, that not only was she healthy but that the extra training and confidence training would give her a boost in performance. Tanya trusted Matthias and hoped he was right but she was not counting on a victory here. She would give it her best, but the competition would be difficult to overcome.
All in all, it looked like the field would come down to four competitors including Lynn, with the other three entrants all being from the large Star Thoroughbreds racing string. Blazing Kiss, who was only one win away from grade four, was the favourite to win the race as not only the most experienced but also the most successful entrant. Star Thoroughbreds had also entered Naturally A Flyer and Spectacular Motion, both of whom were interesting competitors in their own right.
Given the entrants, Lynn would be able to take the lead without too much fuss, with Naturally A Flyer and Spectacular Motion behind her and Blazing Kiss bringing up the rear of the group. Tanya knew she would have to be careful not to let Lynn become too pressured by the preceders and tear off, but felt that give their bond the filly would trust her when she held her back. Of course, there were no guarantees - Lynn was highly strung and could just choose to ignore the request although she tended to be on the more co-operative side once the race actually began.
Mia led the filly to the track with a smile. Of the handlers, it seemed she had worked the most with Lynn recently and while they hadn't really bonded they had at least formed some kind of relationship. She was glad to see that the young horse would be able to return to the track, also, as she was becoming restless without the competition that drove her through life. In a way, she felt sorry for Tanya - Tanya was the one who would have to deal with this on the track. As they arrived on the track the filly tossed her head, picked her hooves up a little more - showing off - and were there actually anyone there to witness it they might have turned their heads. As it was, it was only them, Tanya and Matthias.
The plan for the workout was simple, really. Given that she had not raced for a while, and that her energy levels were as high as they were, they would be giving her a much longer workout than they might normally. Five furlongs, in fact, which was nearly as long as the race itself. Of course, Tanya would not push the filly until their were only two furlongs remaining but the team knew Lynn - she would run at a fast pace throughout. They were not worried about her energy levels, however - she needed to burn off the excess if she were to race well come race day.
There was no messing about, not even a second a hesitation. The team knew the plan, and excitable Tanya could not wait to get started. She moved over, ran her hand across the filly's nose before pulling herself into the saddle. Mia didn't even need telling what that meant, Tanya was hyped and ready to go. The filly threw her head, pawed at the ground, and then followed as Mia led her to the starting gate. Little more than a moments hesitation met them at the contraption - despite having been given training specifically to deal with this Lynn was known to be nervous around them. Often, it took more than one attempt to load but today things ran much more smoothly. Clearly, she was wanting to run also and that boded well - when horse and jockey were of one mind, great things could be achieved.
The shutters closed, a silence fell as they waited for the workout to begin. Tanya shifted a little in her stirrups, but the filly beneath her was still and focussed on the turf track beyond the shutters. Having found her balance, Tanya also turned her gaze to the turf and smiled slightly. This was going to be interesting - horses tended to come back from Matthias's "training breaks" with changed attitudes. It was as if their desire to perform had been renewed, their confidence injected. Tanya didn't know what he did but, in the past at least, it tended to work.
The gates crashed open, and within moments the filly had burst onto the turf with a passion that Tanya had not seen in her before. It was a good start, and it certainly looked good from the stands - the sort of start that could get a crowd going right from the beginning of a race and as the races Lynn tended to race usually came under the heading of "sprints" it was a good thing for the crowd to be involved from the beginning. The bay filly's legs unfurled well beneath her, and within a few strides she had really found her hooves and started to pick up the pace.
Tanya had to say, Lynn was incredibly focussed on the track. Her audits were pressed forwards, her movements strong and powerful while she had stopped holding her head so high in the air she may as well audition to become a giraffe impersonater. Well, there went that joke nickname if this continued. But it was positive - when horses ran like that it affected their race and the last thing they wanted to do was see her fail because of the habit. Now it seemed to have dissipated, Tanya hoped the filly would one more be able to claim victory.
The first two furlongs passed quickly, the filly clearly glad to be running over a decent distance after her break and was stretching out well. Muscles could be seen moving beneath her sleek coat with every stride, developing well for a two year old but as was usual with a filly her age she was still going through the process of change that would likely continue into her three year old season. But she had definitely filled out a little in the past few months.
Another furlong closed, two furlongs remained and the fight was on. Tanya tucked herself to the filly's neck, drove several times before cracking the crop and that was when the run really began. The filly, despite being a front runner, had a habit for holding back a little during a race and saving something for the final stretch. Tanya called it their secret weapon, the reserved speed and stamina which would hopefully keep them ahead of the field until they passed the post. Here, at the end of the workout, Lynn really showed her true colours.
Their burst of speed was not really that of a closer, but it would be unfair to expect that of her. It was still impressive, however, to see her powerful limbs gather further speed and her throw her effort into the final furlongs while her jockey battled with her. A team, common in their goals, embracing the moment when two minds became one and giving their all as they battled for the post. One furlong remained, but it was quickly diminishing and Tanya cracked the crop once more. "Come on..." she urged the filly, who's speed had once more levelled out as they powered onwards. Several more strides and they were flying past the post. The workout was over, but the race... The race had not even begun.
Tanya was on a high, of course. The stress of the Triple Tiara had been lifted from her and replaced with the glow of success. She had done it - she had claimed the Triple Tiara - and it felt great. But with that out of the way she really needed to focus on her other rides. Horses such as Flyin' Out Loud, who had not raced since April. But while she had not been racing she had been training. Matthias had been working on confidence, on refining her starts and ensuring she was fit and healthy. The thing was, they had been worried after her last start as she had heat in her left forelimb and the vet had told them to take it easy with her. They had, the issue seemed to have rectified itself, and the filly was being returned to the track.
Her comeback race was not going to be an easy one - the Demosielle Stakes in which she had been entered was a major two year old race over 7.5 Furlongs and the field had drawn several entrants from Star Thoroughbreds. But Matthias had ensured Tanya that Lynn was ready for the challenge, that not only was she healthy but that the extra training and confidence training would give her a boost in performance. Tanya trusted Matthias and hoped he was right but she was not counting on a victory here. She would give it her best, but the competition would be difficult to overcome.
All in all, it looked like the field would come down to four competitors including Lynn, with the other three entrants all being from the large Star Thoroughbreds racing string. Blazing Kiss, who was only one win away from grade four, was the favourite to win the race as not only the most experienced but also the most successful entrant. Star Thoroughbreds had also entered Naturally A Flyer and Spectacular Motion, both of whom were interesting competitors in their own right.
Given the entrants, Lynn would be able to take the lead without too much fuss, with Naturally A Flyer and Spectacular Motion behind her and Blazing Kiss bringing up the rear of the group. Tanya knew she would have to be careful not to let Lynn become too pressured by the preceders and tear off, but felt that give their bond the filly would trust her when she held her back. Of course, there were no guarantees - Lynn was highly strung and could just choose to ignore the request although she tended to be on the more co-operative side once the race actually began.
Mia led the filly to the track with a smile. Of the handlers, it seemed she had worked the most with Lynn recently and while they hadn't really bonded they had at least formed some kind of relationship. She was glad to see that the young horse would be able to return to the track, also, as she was becoming restless without the competition that drove her through life. In a way, she felt sorry for Tanya - Tanya was the one who would have to deal with this on the track. As they arrived on the track the filly tossed her head, picked her hooves up a little more - showing off - and were there actually anyone there to witness it they might have turned their heads. As it was, it was only them, Tanya and Matthias.
The plan for the workout was simple, really. Given that she had not raced for a while, and that her energy levels were as high as they were, they would be giving her a much longer workout than they might normally. Five furlongs, in fact, which was nearly as long as the race itself. Of course, Tanya would not push the filly until their were only two furlongs remaining but the team knew Lynn - she would run at a fast pace throughout. They were not worried about her energy levels, however - she needed to burn off the excess if she were to race well come race day.
There was no messing about, not even a second a hesitation. The team knew the plan, and excitable Tanya could not wait to get started. She moved over, ran her hand across the filly's nose before pulling herself into the saddle. Mia didn't even need telling what that meant, Tanya was hyped and ready to go. The filly threw her head, pawed at the ground, and then followed as Mia led her to the starting gate. Little more than a moments hesitation met them at the contraption - despite having been given training specifically to deal with this Lynn was known to be nervous around them. Often, it took more than one attempt to load but today things ran much more smoothly. Clearly, she was wanting to run also and that boded well - when horse and jockey were of one mind, great things could be achieved.
The shutters closed, a silence fell as they waited for the workout to begin. Tanya shifted a little in her stirrups, but the filly beneath her was still and focussed on the turf track beyond the shutters. Having found her balance, Tanya also turned her gaze to the turf and smiled slightly. This was going to be interesting - horses tended to come back from Matthias's "training breaks" with changed attitudes. It was as if their desire to perform had been renewed, their confidence injected. Tanya didn't know what he did but, in the past at least, it tended to work.
The gates crashed open, and within moments the filly had burst onto the turf with a passion that Tanya had not seen in her before. It was a good start, and it certainly looked good from the stands - the sort of start that could get a crowd going right from the beginning of a race and as the races Lynn tended to race usually came under the heading of "sprints" it was a good thing for the crowd to be involved from the beginning. The bay filly's legs unfurled well beneath her, and within a few strides she had really found her hooves and started to pick up the pace.
Tanya had to say, Lynn was incredibly focussed on the track. Her audits were pressed forwards, her movements strong and powerful while she had stopped holding her head so high in the air she may as well audition to become a giraffe impersonater. Well, there went that joke nickname if this continued. But it was positive - when horses ran like that it affected their race and the last thing they wanted to do was see her fail because of the habit. Now it seemed to have dissipated, Tanya hoped the filly would one more be able to claim victory.
The first two furlongs passed quickly, the filly clearly glad to be running over a decent distance after her break and was stretching out well. Muscles could be seen moving beneath her sleek coat with every stride, developing well for a two year old but as was usual with a filly her age she was still going through the process of change that would likely continue into her three year old season. But she had definitely filled out a little in the past few months.
Another furlong closed, two furlongs remained and the fight was on. Tanya tucked herself to the filly's neck, drove several times before cracking the crop and that was when the run really began. The filly, despite being a front runner, had a habit for holding back a little during a race and saving something for the final stretch. Tanya called it their secret weapon, the reserved speed and stamina which would hopefully keep them ahead of the field until they passed the post. Here, at the end of the workout, Lynn really showed her true colours.
Their burst of speed was not really that of a closer, but it would be unfair to expect that of her. It was still impressive, however, to see her powerful limbs gather further speed and her throw her effort into the final furlongs while her jockey battled with her. A team, common in their goals, embracing the moment when two minds became one and giving their all as they battled for the post. One furlong remained, but it was quickly diminishing and Tanya cracked the crop once more. "Come on..." she urged the filly, who's speed had once more levelled out as they powered onwards. Several more strides and they were flying past the post. The workout was over, but the race... The race had not even begun.
