Post by Cruisey on Mar 19, 2015 18:59:18 GMT -5
SILENT HEART && JOHNNY GARNER
VETANDA && JAMES COLLURA
Once Johnny had gotten off of Sonny and handed him over to the groom, he waited by the track with fellow jockey James for their next rides of the day. Walking towards them was two of the three underdogs of the three year old crop. Silent Heart was being led by Carter; the bay filly’s coat was gleaming in the early morning sunrise as she walked calmly beside her trainer. Vetanda followed suit, being led by one of the grooms and was walking with his head held high.
The spring sun shone down on them as they mounted their horses. Johnny looked over the turf and patted the quiet bay mare that he was riding. Seven furlongs was their distance today. Both horses could do this, there was no uncertainty present in either jockeys eyes. Carter carefully let go of the horses’ bridles and they made their way around the soft turf. Vet was on his toes, chewing on the bit as James balanced himself on top of the colt. Onlookers were staring at the colt’s unusual colouring, but James ignored the crowds and focused on getting the horse well balanced and prepared for the workout. Heather was working well underneath Johnny, her long legs stretching out over the track. She had been performing extremely well on the turf, and both Carter and Johnny were happy they made the switch over in her three year old season.
Soon after both jockeys were ready to go and they were lead into the gates. Both Heather and Vet went in well, but then Vet started to get antsy. James stroked his neck and soon after the gate bell sounded and the gates flew open. As usual, just wanting to get out of the gates as fast as she could, Heather broke faster than Vet did, and stayed half a length in front. Vet didn’t protest at the filly and stayed comfortably behind her. It was certainly a closer match than it had been lately between the two. Heather still had the lead, but James let Vet pick up his speed as they raced round the turn. Looking over his shoulder, Johnny could see the sabino colt getting closer and closer as they travelled at a decent pace. Without asking, Heather began to extend her stride and produced an even larger gap from the colt. Johnny was taken aback at the sudden burst of speed and almost had to ask her to slow down, but he had never felt Heather this competitive before. James kept a close eye on the pair ahead of them, and as they rounded the last turn, both horses switched their leads and powered ahead.
Slowly but surely, Vet started to creep up behind the bay filly. The duo entered the stretch, and both jockeys began to urge their mounts along. With each stride, Vet ran closer to Heather until they were level, heads bobbing beside each other. Vet had 3 inches on Heather, but it didn’t seem like it as they were almost parallel to the ground. The sabino colt accelerated and went flying down the track. This was the point in the race where there was no going back, where the way was hopefully clear, where the win was in sight. Heather saw Vet starting to pull away and Johnny gave her a slight tap with the whip to get her fired up.
The world was a blur was they crossed the finish line, and it took another minute or so before either jockey knew who finished in front. At this point, it didn’t matter since both horses had brought a level of competition that neither jockey had felt before. They brought their horses back down from the gallop and let them cool down. Heather was sweaty and tired, but she held her head and tail high. Vet didn’t look as tired, but he matched the proud expression that Heather had.
The spring sun shone down on them as they mounted their horses. Johnny looked over the turf and patted the quiet bay mare that he was riding. Seven furlongs was their distance today. Both horses could do this, there was no uncertainty present in either jockeys eyes. Carter carefully let go of the horses’ bridles and they made their way around the soft turf. Vet was on his toes, chewing on the bit as James balanced himself on top of the colt. Onlookers were staring at the colt’s unusual colouring, but James ignored the crowds and focused on getting the horse well balanced and prepared for the workout. Heather was working well underneath Johnny, her long legs stretching out over the track. She had been performing extremely well on the turf, and both Carter and Johnny were happy they made the switch over in her three year old season.
Soon after both jockeys were ready to go and they were lead into the gates. Both Heather and Vet went in well, but then Vet started to get antsy. James stroked his neck and soon after the gate bell sounded and the gates flew open. As usual, just wanting to get out of the gates as fast as she could, Heather broke faster than Vet did, and stayed half a length in front. Vet didn’t protest at the filly and stayed comfortably behind her. It was certainly a closer match than it had been lately between the two. Heather still had the lead, but James let Vet pick up his speed as they raced round the turn. Looking over his shoulder, Johnny could see the sabino colt getting closer and closer as they travelled at a decent pace. Without asking, Heather began to extend her stride and produced an even larger gap from the colt. Johnny was taken aback at the sudden burst of speed and almost had to ask her to slow down, but he had never felt Heather this competitive before. James kept a close eye on the pair ahead of them, and as they rounded the last turn, both horses switched their leads and powered ahead.
Slowly but surely, Vet started to creep up behind the bay filly. The duo entered the stretch, and both jockeys began to urge their mounts along. With each stride, Vet ran closer to Heather until they were level, heads bobbing beside each other. Vet had 3 inches on Heather, but it didn’t seem like it as they were almost parallel to the ground. The sabino colt accelerated and went flying down the track. This was the point in the race where there was no going back, where the way was hopefully clear, where the win was in sight. Heather saw Vet starting to pull away and Johnny gave her a slight tap with the whip to get her fired up.
The world was a blur was they crossed the finish line, and it took another minute or so before either jockey knew who finished in front. At this point, it didn’t matter since both horses had brought a level of competition that neither jockey had felt before. They brought their horses back down from the gallop and let them cool down. Heather was sweaty and tired, but she held her head and tail high. Vet didn’t look as tired, but he matched the proud expression that Heather had.