Unstoppable?

[creativecause]

Unstoppable? 

Call Me Crooked and Alex Shade 

My Kingdom Come and Hadley Grayson 

Crook squealed and kicked out her back legs with joy when she stepped onto the turf, ducking her head in tight and shaking it this way and that. Her muscles rippled under her dull copper colored coat. Crook was looking more and more like a three year old every day, she’d gained some height and was starting to fill in. The filly had been running bullet works all week, even posting a :55 3/5 five furlong work the other day. Crook was on a roll as of late and she only heightened everyone's excitement for the upcoming Breeders’ Cup. Being the clear leader of the two year old turf sprinting division she had made quite the reputation for herself, but with recent defeats people were beginning to wonder if Crook was slowing down. However, everyone at Grayson Meadows was sure that she was sitting on something big. Crook hadn’t won in the three runnings she had since she’d become the first 2 year old to hit G3 for Y14, but this week would be something incredible and it would shock everyone if she’d finished worse than a second and if she was going to finish second it was going to be a loss by a nose. Her upcoming start was coming in the Best Pal Stakes*. The race consisted of Athena’s Desires and Daring Vision, both horses she had squashed both on at least one occasion. Crook would likely be the trailer in the race, but she had never had an issue with that before, Athena would make things difficult, and Daring Vision was improving, but Crook was a monster on the track this week.

Hadley followed from a safe distance behind Crook and Alex on Bey. The gentle, tiny filly was no Call Me Crooked, but she was something to feel threatened about. She was expected to run in the G5 Winter Cup Turf Sprint*. No one had entered in against her, and it had started to concern Steve that no one would, but they had to have faith. Bey scanned her eyes across the track and observed Crook hopping around with excitement. Bey herself as well had started looking like a three year old. She’d lost her long scrawny look and was starting to fill out quite well.

They both loaded into the gate without a problem after warming up and they were both off to a brisk start. Crook broke on top, having the stalking tendency, Bey followed briskly though. Alex restrained Crook, the filly wanted to fire around the track like a rocket and leave her workmate in the dust, which was understandable with how quickly she’d been working the past week. Crook didn’t slow down for anyone or anything, it was going to be catch me if you can when she started her move. Hadley had pushed Bey quicker and quicker, trying to get the filly to keep up with the quickly moving Crook who held a small advantage over Bey being 16.1 hands tall and Bey 15.3. A few trainers would turn their heads at the fillies, watching how effortlessly they were running, and surly a few recognized Crook and her big white blaze which was nearly recognizable anywhere she went.

Seeming to settle in a bit better, Bey always stayed a neck behind Crook, which Alex could tell Crook was only playing with her. The far turn approached a lot quicker than it seemed that it should have to Alex and he knew instantly this work was going to be very quick. Crook decided it was about enough, and started to edge away from Bey, starting to pull away by a length. Bey pushed to keep up with her and when the homestretch opened up before Crook, she put her workmate away and sprinted down the stretch. She dug her heels into the turf and lengthened each stride further than the last, quicker than the last, and flew over the turf as if she was running on a cloud. Crook hit the wire five lengths ahead of Bey who was running at Crook with everything she had, but no one was going to stop the daughter of Crooked Fire and Royal Assault from taking what she wanted this week. The question popped into nearly everyone’s mind, was Crook going to be unstoppable this week?