Redemption

[Ripley]

Redemption
featuring: Bella Luna & Paranormal Hunter

"Well, you've avoided it long enough," Reese muttered to herself as she tightened the straps on Bella Luna's bridle. The gray mare watched her with soft liquid eyes, making Reese's guilt all the worse. Ever since Reese had hopped aboard the great silver mare, they had not placed a foot long... Until what would have been their final race together. She'd had a wild moment when she'd spotted In The Spotlight gearing up. She'd correctly identified the horse to keep an eye on in the Breeders' Cup Turf. Of course it had to be a three year old, no older horse had been capable of holding a candle to Bella Luna all season. The answer had been plain as day to Reese and so she had asked Bella for everything earlier than normal. She cursed herself for that fleeting moment because if she'd just held on to the stretch, Bella would have made In The Spotlight look ordinary. The gray mare had been training to well to miss out on that victory. Her loss had been the shock of the season. Reese had gotten little sleep in the week following the Breeders' Cup.

Bella Luna had trained forwardly since the big Breeders' Cup race, had rebounded like the turf queen she was. She'd galloped powerfully every day of training, would have a good workout before her start in the Dubai World Championship. She was not going to go down this time. Every competitor would say that, Reese acknowledged. Every rider was looking for that crowning glory in the final race of their horse's career. Except for Dare To Impress, the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner, every other horse would be closing out their career in the big race.

Everyone knew how the dirt horses stacked up against each other. They'd beaten each other black and blue all season long. The Breeders' Cup Classic winner, Eternal Phantom, was the likely favorite of the bunch. Nightshade a close second choice. Those two had been thoroughly impressive finishing one-two. But... neither of them had faced Bella Luna. Bella Luna, and to some extent Dare To Impress, were the wild cards. Dare To Impress had beaten older mares in the F&M Turf... but she'd never beaten Bella Luna or taken down races of Bella's accomplishments. Bella Luna was the wild card of the ten furlong race... Eternal Phantom had been an expected award winner at the end of Year Fifteen, but not even the Queen of the Dirt could claim Bella's sheer dominance. Reese was going to ride her mare like the champion she was. Hopefully, Bella's true colors would show through in her final career effort, her swan song. A finish that would be much more satisfying than a second place finish behind In The Spotlight due to jockey error. Bella Luna deserved it and Reese wanted to pay the sensational mare her much-deserved dues.

Maggie kept half an eye on Reese as she tacked up Paranormal Hunter. The big bay mare, yes now mare, was half asleep in the cross-ties, hind hoof cocked and eyes closed. This lazy looking mare with her gross-looking fatty body was an impersonator of a companion horse. What this big mare actually was, was a Hall of Fame potential candidate, a steam rolling, fast-closing, freight train of a mare that posed more of a certain threat than anything else in the world. She'd closed in short distance races, middle distance, long distance. She was brilliance personified, her A-game never not brought. Para had become a revered horse, something that was simply astonishing to the Maggie Reynolds of three years ago. If someone had told her this mare would be her greatest horse ever... she would have laughed herself into a fit of hysterics.

But here they were... her and Reese with two of Witch Creek's top representatives, their legends, for the Dubai World Championship and Dubai World Mile. A shiver slipped down Maggie's back, a smile passing over her face. Para's left eye opened, a dirty look if there ever was one, to see why Maggie had stopped brushing her. Para shook her head when Maggie tightened the girth, blowing out an irritated breath. "Oh please mare... It's not like you don't enjoy yourself out there. Liar."

Reese patted Bella's neck, mounted up with help from Brooks who seemed to magically appear on command. The blond man held Bella still, kept a soft hand on her gray neck. "Wasn't too long ago I was saying goodbye to a gray horse after the Dubai World Championship... Time flies." Melancholy filled Brooks at the thought of Bella Luna leaving the roster. He'd practically raised the mare, had been her initial rider at the start of her career. She hadn't been this worldwide star at the time, but he'd had a hand in her. That was enough. "Enjoy the ride, Reese."

Reese rested a hand briefly on Brooks' shoulder, holding back her own sadness. It was like a tease, thinking she was saying goodbye and then not actually saying goodbye. Reese sucked in a tear filled breath, watched Brooks boost Maggie into Para's saddle. The bay mare let out a snort, her eyes fiery at long last. Maggie stroked her neck, blue eyes off in the distance. This was her final ride with Para. Para didn't know she wasn't continuing on, didn't know that she'd essentially done enough to get herself into Hall of Fame. She didn't know who she was running down in that furlong, but she did it every time. She'd beaten mares, stallions, colts, fillies. She'd run them down impressively with such courage and will. Brooks shrugged.

"Ripley's out at the track already. She's going to have you do a five furlong breeze. Quicken up that last furlong. They've been galloping over the sand, Bella with ease. Today, we'll see where Para stands with it. She reminds me a lot of Screaming Mimi when she was prepping for this. Don't look pretty galloping on it, but running on it is a whole different ball game." Brooks paused at the entrance, glanced down the massive length and smiled. "All to ourselves. Don't ask too much. Remember they're coming off big races, just like everybody else. We're testing heart in these Dubai races. Our girls will give us their everything."

The women nodded in agreement, but held their tongues. Brooks walked away, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease their sadness. An era was ending as a new one was beginning. Bitter-sweet goodbyes. He wrapped an arm around Ripley's waist, kissed her forehead as the gray and bay mares stepped out onto the track for the final workouts of their careers. "Ready or not..."

Para let out a harsh sounding snort at the sand, eyes rolling in displeasure. Para was an oddball mare. She enjoyed deep turf, performed well at GHF with its deeper surface. However, she wasn't fond of this sand. She'd do it because she had to, because it was expected of her. Para was reliable and had run well even if she hated surfaces. At least it was dry. She hated wet turf. She ran on it all the same, but she always had to work slightly harder to gain that crazy momentum. In those races, Para exposed her true heart and courage. To be able to win the Dubai World Mile, the strong bay would have to do much the same. She moved into a heavy gallop, keeping pace with the fleet footed Bella Luna.

Bella's ears were pricked, eyes glowing as they traversed the sandy expanse. She felt like a million dollars beneath Reese. She'd been tired for a couple days, but had bounced right out of the Breeders' Cup on the strength of her class. Her attitude had improved with every morning gallop over the sand and here, she looked beautiful. She drew a crowd, with a little help from Para, and the spectators leaned on the rails to watch. Where Para looked strong, Bella looked as elegant as ever, floating over the sand as though she were skimming the surface of a pond. Reese stood in the stirrups, leaned close to the graceful mare's neck as they rounded into the backstretch. The homestretch on the sand track was longer than any other track they had ever been on. It was two and a half furlongs itself. The breeze today would start right before the massive turn. Bella's winning move would have to wait until the stretch or she would tire herself before the wire. Para would gain an advantage, given so much more time to unfurl that imposing stride and get up to speed.

Maggie was well aware of the advantage the sand track would lend her mount. Para blew through the sand, head up and ears pinned. She so hated this surface, but in the stretch she would be able to be well clear of the others and avoid the kick back. Her stride was a bit choppy for the first two furlongs of the lead up gallop and it infuriated the bay mare to no end. To watch the graceful swan of Bella Luna kick on without effort, surely ticked her off all the more. Maggie kept calm, hands light on the reins, waiting for the miler mare to settle down to the job. Once she did, Bella's work would get a whole lot more difficult.

Bella cruised over the sand, legs reaching greedily and mouth begging for more rein. Reese kept an easy hold. She didn't want to restrain the great mare and fight. It was better to just let go at a pace most comfortable for her. Today that pace was faster than Ripley was looking for, signaling that Bella was more than ready for this throw down in the Championship. The riders prepared for the quickening pace at the head of the turn, hands resting on the mares' necks and eyes forward. It was a struggle to not just throw the reins at Bella and tell her to go. She was so strong and so fast. The gray mare had been virtually unstoppable until the Breeders' Cup Turf and now she was out for redemption.

Para finally settled down at the start of the breeze for which Maggie was eternally grateful. The Flash Limits daughter wasn't normally such a handful in her works or races. She was a point and shoot type because of her closing nature. As long as they worked out the kinks in this breeze, they would be set for the Mile versus Innocent Passion and Passion Heart. The bay settled into her lengthy gallop stride, ears still pinning back into her mane. She moved over the sand with impressive force, taking out her fury and frustration on the insulting surface.

Bella Luna cut through the turn with malevolence, hooves skipping right through the wafting surface. Surface remained still as a statue, stunned by the ease of which Bella moved. She loved turf, but sand? She cruised through it as though she'd been working on it for years. She hoped Ripley was jotting notes for the future because Bella's babies could take after her. Reese chirruped to the mare, squeezed a little for more and received it. She kicked on easily and drew off to a solid three length lead over Para. Maggie was quiet, letting the big horse navigate the massive turn without much speed. This would be their disadvantage, but there was that long stretch...

Reese practically gawked at the expanse that faced Bella, stared at it with rounded eyes filled with awe. This two and a half furlong stretch was incredible, one of the most impressive tracks she'd ever ridden on. A fourth place finish last year behind Flashy Wings, Infinite Warcry and Frozen Motion had been nothing to frown upon. This year, the gray mare was even better though. Reese knew that this time Bella would be prepared for this gaping stretch, even with such powerful horses as Nightshade and Eternal Phantom alongside of her.

Maggie did not hesitate to shake Paranormal Hunter up when she'd straightened up on the turn. With a great grunt, the Flash Limits mare lunged into an explosive kick. Eating up the sand and stunning Maggie in the process. Perhaps she was not so against the sand dunes after all. She thundered after Bella, a massive cloud of dust and sand billowing out behind her. Reese didn't bother to turn and acknowledge the mighty sound. She didn't have to this. This would be good practice for Bella. When Nightshade came calling, possibly Eternal Phantom, would the gray turf queen have enough to turn them down?

Bella's ears pinned when Paranormal Hunter pulled alongside her, her strides nearly twice that of Bella's. The gray mare kicked on, displaying her late race gears and battled with the dragon herself. Ripley and Brooks, along with the spectators, watched the duel with quiet eyes. Ripley was thoroughly impressed as they cut through fractions that just barely could be classified as breezing. The mares egged each other on with their competitive natures that their riders were still as statues in the saddle. When the dainty gray and heavy bay cut through the wire, the horses were dead even. It spoke to the quality of both mares that they could not beat one another, that they were basically on similar levels despite their differences. This workout had placed Para on a footing equal to Bella Luna and placed Bella Luna equal to her. Each had been so dominant last year that it only seemed fitting that neither could beat the other.

Ripley patted Brooks' arm as the mares pulled up in the first turn again. "We will enjoy these last couple of races because it is not us against our rivals. It is greatness against greatness."