moment of rapture

[Ripley]

Moment of Rapture
featuring: Uno Momento, Awestruck & Enrapture

"Today's work is not necessarily going to be the most fun workout today," Brooks stated as shrugged off his sweatshirt. Mal handed the assistant trainer his helmet, smirked. "You keep saying stuff like that and Ripley will take you off Ennie." Brooks cocked a brow, slipped his helmet on. "Of all the horses to stick together in a set we get the dragon, the reining horse and the crazy horse. Granted these three are likely the most exciting on the roster, from the public's perspective at least. A daughter of a Triple Crown winner, the last colt of El Sol Del Mar and the first filly by Touch Up since Y9... I don't blame the public for craving some news, but Ripley must want the front page with this trio."

Mal snorted, turned his blue gaze to the trio of horses being walked up and down the barn row. In Mal's opinion, these three and Coveted Faith who had made her debut last week, were the most exciting because it meant Witch Creek was taking the classic distances seriously again. After years of dominating the sprint and miler ranks, Witch Creek was entering a year firmly based on distance performers such as Saintly Touch, Casualty of War, Vagabond... Heck, Sun King was unbeaten at ten furlongs. The colts were the main distance package for the three year old classics. This juvenile crop rested heavily on the shoulders of extremely talented fillies. Mal knew everyone was high on their babies, but he wouldn't switch with anyone. Brooks was a pessimist when it came to the fillies, only because he'd had bad experiences with them, namely The Devil's Hourglass. The filly was sweet on the ground, but in the saddle she'd taken Brooks as a prisoner.

Fortunately for Brooks, Enrapture was no Hourglass and she rode more like Ashes to Ashes and Sun King. The 16.1 hand filly looked graceful, her knee high black stockings, black muzzle and black-rimmed ears acted as darkening points for the daughter of Furious Passion. Her coat glowed almost orange in the early morning light. She stood out a mile away and was Mal's personal pick to do some great things. The powerful filly stopped as Brooks' approached, snorted and tipped her head away as if she hadn't decided how much she actually liked him. Regardless, Brooks just patted the filly's neck and smiled at Maggie. "Thanks, Mags."

Maggie skirted away to help Reese onto Awestruck. The Touch Up daughter was the color of the forest floor at twilight. She had muscles that rippled threateningly and a compact body that promised a sensational runner. Her head seemed a bit small for her body, dished and savage thanks to her sire. Her eyes kindled with suspicion and excitement, edged slightly with white. She was a wild filly to watch in the morning and in her paddock at night. She was a gorgeous filly, but she was eerie in a way similar to Ennie. The two fillies were companions, the only pair of horses to prefer the outdoor comfort of the run in over the warm stalls. Reese settled into the saddle as Maggie led her over to the tied horse. Sincerely Yours nickered to Maggie, stood still as the woman mounted up and asked for him to scoot over to True. The gelding and filly touched noses, True squealing like the girl she was. True was a naughty girl and needed a pony to go with her to the gate.

"Remember don't interfere with his head. Once he breaks, you let him go and we'll see where he wants to settle for a run. If you have to tug him, pull the rein straight outside and not back. Don't give him an excuse to balk." Justin nodded, acknowledging Mal's advice. They'd learned the hard way in Uno's first yearling breeze that he would balk at any backward pressure. Justin wasn't looking to get creamed in a race any time soon. "Yeah, I won't hold him back. He's not really a run off."

Mal scoffed, chuckling inwardly. "Please don't jinx that. Ripley will have your head if you turn her Triple Crown prospect into a sprinter."

Justin laughed, glanced up when Brooks called. "Alright, Ripley sends her wishes from her bed. She's been blowing up my phone with directions for this workout, which Malcolm will tape if you all want more video of your horses. Giving them a five furlong breeze today. No full out speed. She wants them ready to run strong gallops two days later and they won't be able to do that if we blitz them now."

He paused, "Also... she would like me to announce that Whipped Cream has foaled a bay colt as of 4:15 this morning."

Cheers went up then, drawing glances from other backstretch workers. Mal punched Justin's leg and they exchanged grins. The Whipped Cream colt was only one of two, true blue homebred babies this season. Screaming Mimi was expected to produce the other, a baby by Ashes to Ashes, around mid-April. Celebrations were warranted here, especially because of the work put into both GS Royal Crown and Whipped Cream by Witch Creek staff.

Brooks nudged True into a quick walk, admiring the filly's strong movements. She was a graceful filly based on looks, but in movement there was verve. She moved as though everything had a purpose. Her tawny body headed the herd, a beacon in the early morning light. True barely acknowledged the movement on the backstretch. She was sound of mind, mature. She could have cared less about the backstretch workers, the other horses. Flightiness had no place in her temperament. Focused to a fault, Ennie had the makings of a very professional runner. The Furious Passion filly was the first to alert the clockers that Witch Creek's next round of runners was approaching. More than a few looked up from their watches when the proud filly walked onto the track, followed by the joint duo of Sincerely Yours and True. Uno, head and neck turned to the side, lingered at the back, eyes curiously moving over the crowd. Mal, relatively unknown still to the track folks, moved through the crowd without much effort and drew satisfaction from his anonymity.

The horses picked up a trot to the gate, going the wrong way along the rail. Ennie maintained her lead, pinning her ears if the others got too close. She was the boss with True and Timeah a joint second. However, neither of those two would tussle with the head honcho. Both of them had come in with cuts on several occasions in their younger days and not a speck was found ever on Ennie.

Reese kept her breathing calm as True frantically took in the new environment. Her tail twitched over her rump quickly, agitation clear as day on her face. She was a nervous type of horse, which was why Reese would get on fine with her. True leaned heartily on Sin who could have cared less. She would always twitch away if Maggie went to pet her neck, play with her mane. Not an affectionate bugger in the least that was for sure. She snorted when some birds flew down the track at them, but she continued on, following Ennie with absolute loyalty.

Justin patted Uno's dark neck, appreciating the laid back horse more as he took in True's anxiety. Uno had gotten plenty of the laid back from daddy Barely A Moment. The rest of the El Sol Del Mar babies tended toward high energy and hot tempers. Uno didn't look like the other four either. He had a dark bay coat with relatively little flash. He wasn't lean or elegant as Eternal Phantom, Midnight Thriller and Mastermind tended to be. He wasn't hulking and powerful like Sun King. Basically, Uno was just average. The run of the mill work-a-day guy everyone knew. If you took away the fact that his sire was the sire of a Preakness winner and his dam was as blue-hen a producer and a legendary runner. That was just a side note to Uno's traits. He wasn't aware his parents were these incredible runners. He was just Uno, laid back and confident. Justin loved the colt nearly as much as he loved Dazzling Dame. He would enjoy keeping Uno just average until his first race. The public didn't need to know just yet that Uno's average look was just a disguise for all his rocketing speed.

Brooks nodded to the gate workers as they rounded the contraption, smiled when the foreman appeared at Ennie's head. "No Ripley today? Breeding season?"

Brooks nodded, "Got that right. We have a couple mares due to foal soon. Most are due in March though, but still busy."

The man hummed, but his eyes had turned to the trio of horses awaiting his services. "So anything I should know about these babies?"

"True needs a head blanket and a haunches blanket. She's the medium bay that Reese is on."

He laughed and called, "Oh my darling Reese. They've got another live wire for you, m'dear?"

Reese shot him a grin. "A live wire in all things."

His hearty laugh echoed through the area and he shrugged. "No big deal. We've got the blankets for your crazy ponies. Running next week?"

Brooks nodded. The man laughed, "Good. If I like what I see, maybe I'll place a bet or two."

With that, the head starter turned all business, gesturing and calling for his men to come assist him. Reese breathed slowly as one of the workers sidled up to True and took a hold of her bridle. The bay blinked, but she didn't move a muscle, not even when Sincerely Yours trotted off. Reese patted the filly's neck, kept her brown eyes focused and her body ready for any spookiness.

Enrapture was walked to the gate first, head high and ears pricked. Her whole body seemed to say that she didn't want to go near that massive contraption. She was a good filly though, a filly that understood the crazy ways of humans mostly seemed to pan out in her favor. Though she was coiled to strike, the orange-bay filly obeyed the hand on her head, the pressure at her haunches and walked into the gate. Brooks patted the young horse's neck, grinning from ear to ear when she settled down easily. This was a sharp filly. She needed to relax and she did. The starter climbed all over, played with all her equipment and though she rolled her eyes, she never budged an inch.

Awestruck was up next. The starters tossed a blanket over the filly's slightly wild gaze. Reese was still as a statue, not speaking a word. Words had never comforted True who had become used to silence as a weanling. The long limbed filly followed the hand that led her, hesitating slightly because she couldn't see anything. Her senses told her she was no longer in danger. She didn't skitter when the comforting blanket was placed over her rear, didn't balk when she was suddenly enclosed on either side. Reese let out a sigh of relief as the starter at True's head climbed up the gatework, patting the filly, but not speaking. He was quick to realize the difference between True and most other Witch Creek horses.

Justin watched the filly's go in, happy that the wild two hadn't acted up quite as badly as the others. Uno stood, stock still, head high. His small white marking glinted in the morning light. The colt hardly breathed as he watched a worker step to him and grab his bridle. It was then that Justin noted the dark bay had his hooves planted, four-poster, into the ground. Justin snickered, rocked side to side, not touching the bit. The Barely A Moment colt barely moved. His tall height gave him an advantage on the workers and he did not budge. Justin kissed to the colt, pressed his foot into the colt's side to get him to shift slightly. No dice.

The gate crew looked at each other with thinking eyes, pondering the horse. He was a stubborn one, a combination of his popular dam and his relatively easy going sire. He was not the horse most El Sol Del Mar babies were, sensitive to everything and willing to please. His stubborn streak stretched a mile wide. Justin's gaze widened in shock when the colt stepped forward, head lowered but not going near the men. He walked right by them, tail switching over his rear in annoyance, and into the empty stall on his own. Justin exchanged looks with Reese and Brooks, but shrugged.

The gate workers also exchanged surprised glances, but shrugged. It wasn't the weirdest thing they'd seen. One man clambered into the stall with Uno, petted the colt's broad forehead and smiled at Justin. "Smart boy, this one."

Justin nodded, amusement playing over his features, and leaned forward on the dark bay's neck. He was all too prepared for that break. Either Uno would go to the lead or he wouldn't. Justin could have no control over the willful horse. He did his own thing as he was more than willing to show everyone.

Reese grabbed mane the second before the gates broke open and wind whistled in as the blankets were lifted from True. The bay filly launched out of the gate like a cat, legs pushing mightily into the dirt. Savage head up and tail high, True shot to the front quicker than Ennie and Uno could break. She was all alone at first, eyes wild with suspicion and joy. She was free and full of life. Reese did not dare to catch her up, knowing this filly's ways. True would settle down within the first quarter mile. She always did like clockwork. The bay Touch Up daughter skimmed over the dirt, nostrils flaring wide.

Uno had been slightly shocked when the filly beside him had been gone in ten seconds. The muscular bay colt had hesitated, but picked up enough speed to keep within hearing distance of True. The colt snorted, head down as he ran, legs lengthening to swallow the earth. Justin peeked under his arm, saw that Enrapture lingered four or five behind them. She was nearly seven behind Awestruck who was clicking off fractions like a machine. The filly was a tiger over this dirt course and Uno was being behaved. Justin was sitting in the captain's seat, following the blazing filly and being chased by the dragon.

Ennie had broken a step slowly... or maybe normally if Brooks had taken in how quickly True had snapped out of the gate. That filly appeared to finally be settling down on the lead as they cut into the second furlong of the breeze. Enrapture moved with relative ease, her confidence high despite the gaping distance between herself and the leader. She was a calculating type this filly. She never seemed to be lost out on the track, as if she'd been born knowing what to do and how to do it. Brooks sat patiently aboard the filly, counting the time with ease. Uno and True must have gone a :46-:47 half because Ennie was doing a :47 4/5. She was moving with ease too, ears pricked.

Reese relaxed as the filly settled into her perfect cruising speed. Uno was at the filly's haunches by the third furlong. His ears dancing above his head as if he were having more fun than anyone else. Justin was still as a statue, the reins practically hanging around Uno's neck. The bay colt needed no interference as he rounded the turn on the outside of Awestruck. The Touch Up daughter pinned her ears from that moment on, competitive fires burning through her veins. Reese never glanced back, knowing what kind of horses she had beside her and behind her. These three were potentially the best of the bunch. They were the most well-bred, they had the attitudes of champions and their speed was practically unequaled in the ranks.

Brooks gave Ennie her head, had held her back to time the move perfectly. It was like releasing a sling shot, so quick was the move Enrapture made. The filly took in a deep breath and surged forward impressively. Her move caught the interest of the clockers like flies to honey. The bay mare swallowed four furlongs within a blink of an eye. Five, four, three. By the homestretch, the mare was two lengths behind Uno and True.

Reese and Justin were still aboard their horses, not quite waiting on Enrapture, but satisfied with what they were getting out of their horses. Both of them moved off impressively when Enrapture came flying to their outside, suddenly on even terms with them.

Game as they came, both Uno and True staved off Ennie's impressive bid. The horses flew through the wire neck and neck and neck.

Mal clapped his hands together, expressing his proud papa emotion. That was an impressive workout. He didn't need the clockers to tell him the final time. They were too busy eyeing the time themselves. He'd caught them around 1:00 for the five furlongs. A little quicker than what Ripley wanted, but they're effortlessness had convinced him they would be fine in two days. His babies were going to get a chance to shine. And he'd truly worked his hardest with these difficult creatures. They'd been the toughest to break for training and here they were in their finest hour.