Post by S u N f r O s T ~ on Jan 12, 2015 0:02:46 GMT -5
Another Breeders Cup come and gone. And with it, the end of an era. Amber Black considered it as she sat in her lab - err, office - and wondered at everything they were both losing and gaining. So many faces were retiring from jockeying. Ripley Marsh's pregnancy had essentially banned her from riding for a good long while. At least she had gone out with a bang. Mastermind and Cross My Heart had won for her. Paranormal Hunter has triumphed for her stable. Sun King and Saintly Touch had brought home the win. Indeed, Witch Creek had had a great Breeders Cup to end the era of Ripley's riding. But Ripley was not the only jockey retiring. Nick Landing was retiring too. Amber toyed with her hair as she thought of her boyfriend, green eyes intent. Nick was becoming solely a trainer, just like Ripley. In many ways, the two paralleled each other. They had formed a breeding partnership due to the depth of their friendship. Amber remembered how uncomfortable the news had at first made her. It was impossible that anything beyond good friendship was going on between Nick and Ripley...but still. That had been the source of one short spat that quickly fizzled out. Amber had sorted out her feelings quickly and gotten over it, accepted it.
Amber thought of where her relationship with Nick was and where it was going. He was very obviously her life partner...they thought the same, got on brilliantly. There was no denying it. But what did that mean? Amber personally knew that becoming a mother and giving up her jockey career would feel like cutting off a limb. She wasn't ready for that. Not now. Jockeying, training, breeding...this was all too much her world. And she would never ask Nick to make similar strategies. It remained that they were owners of rival stables, both too invested to give it up. But perhaps one day, both of them would retire together, give ownership of their stables to the next generation and move...somewhere else, leaving this behind for a life together. It seemed too romanticized for Amber's liking, this vision of the future, but perhaps she should consider it. She had been with Nick for well over a year now. They were serious. Perhaps it would be best to have this conversation with him she concluded, and nodded. She was due any day now for a post-Breeders Cup date, something that was becoming traditional with them. This would be a key discussion point.
There were changes within her own stable to come to terms with as well. James Greyson was quickly getting on in years. Her youngstock trainer would seek to retire sometime in the next decade - in fact, he had told her that she had precisely ten years, until year Twenty-Five, before he retired. That meant that in ten years, apprentice youngstock trainer Kylie Silverstar had to be ready to take over. The young woman was learning fast and would definitely be of perfect age to take over in ten years. In two years, Kylie would be of age to have a full jockey license. That meant that she would have eight years to explore being a jockey in full before she became full-time youngstock trainer. Then, she would only be able to ride a limited roster. Amber intended to take full advantage of the woman's ability until then. She was a very talented jockey.
This season, Valencia was being promoted to full jockey. She was of age, finally. And Henna Turath had spoken with Amber about her own future. The woman was nearing forty now and had expressed interest in moving on with her life. She wanted to stop jockeying and perhaps learn the art of training sprinters. She was going out with Coincidence and Melodious, finishing up her career within the next three years. It made Amber sad, but she understood. Few could stick with this for as long as she had. Henna would take over the training of all sprinters in the barn and would apparently also seek to settle down and consider starting a family. She would learn training over the next three years until she retired from jockeying entirely. Krystal Yhate, at the least, was sticking around. She was essentially Amber's protégé, learning everything from her - training, breeding, jockeying. It made Amber smile to recognize that she would stay.
Other young jockeys were rising. Her own cousin Christopher Black was an apprentice jockey this season and intended to remain a jockey. He would graduate to full jockey in three years. Meredith Mahon had been an exercise rider for them for a while. She would become a full jockey after one to two years. Amber was happy for the extra hands. She would consider hiring even more people to help with managing Indigo Morning - Rebecca Slyvinski did a good job but could always use help. The future of development appeared daunting, but Amber was very much up to the task. There would be sadness in letting some people go, but joy in welcoming others into the ranks. And there had been much joy this Breeders Cup. Krystal had just about cried when Eternal Phantom finally took the Breeders Cup Classic. Innocent Passion's defeat had crushed her; Phantie's victory brought her out of her misery. Henna Turath had been running high off of speed. Athena's Desires had blitzed her race. Forbidden To Fly had won his. She seemed so happy in the saddle...it was surprising that she was going to give it up all too soon.
Amber herself had had her moments. Ventura had been amazing in defending her Filly and Mare Sprint victory. Valencia had looked smug in the Distaff when she won with Icee - and after the Turf, her surprise and her triumph were unbelievable. Six Breeders Cup wins. Amber roused herself, turned her attention to this year's two year olds. The future was at hand; change was inevitable. She needed to celebrate the past and live for the future with all of its ups and downs. She nodded, set on her course, and leaned forward, already running through possibilities in her mind as she planned for the future. A smile lit her face. Change was inevitable; it was the universal constant. It was time to influence that change in the best way she knew how - devious, devious planning.
