The Upturn.

[Cavallo]

The Upturn.
Featuring: Abastor, Lissome, Natural Selection & Acantha

Estella Marino stared at her mount and King didn't shirk her gaze, but simply stared back. He was an imperious son of a gun, she'd give the colt that, but now that they had been racing for six months now, it was time to start upping their game. She was determined to steal the spotlight from Duke. The chestnut colt had been a phenomenon that no one had seen coming, effectively knocking King from his presupposed authority as turf king in the juvenile ranks. I guess that's what they got for assuming things. There was no assuming going on now, no, now they were working hard and diligent and King was growing stronger and stronger from each excursion. Now was the time to start making the competition achingly aware of their presence on the turf tracks. She patted the colt's neck and the two broke their starring competition to move forward to the track.

Brody Graham would be lying if he said that he hadn't been disheartened from the TTT. He'd thought he'd had at least one leg of the campaign and to be denied both times was enough to shatter any rookie jockey, but Lissome hadn't been worse for the wear, if anything she was coming into a formidable form and pair with her dominatrix attitude, Nick was expecting phenomenal things out of Lissome in the latter half of the year, or so he'd said and that made Brody's stress level rise even more. He did not want to be the one holding this promising filly back.

Estella Marino led a keen eyed Natural Selection. The juvenile son of Merry Bay King and Wildly Natural had been a highly anticipated breeding and he hadn't had a complete failure to perform, but Nick was waiting for the magic to click between them and then track. There was no questioning the bond between the rider and her mount. It was abundantly clear that King would bend over backwards to please her and she for him. They each closely watched Brody and Lissome as they walked in tandem from one another to the turf track. She saw the concerned look on the rookie's face and she felt her heart soften towards the younger man. "You and Lissome performed brilliantly in the TTT Graham. Lissome is just beginning to come into a new form. You two work well together." Surprise lit up Brody's eyes. A compliment? From a Marino? Had he died? He shook his head, her compliment breaking his dark inner thoughts. "Thanks. Still bummed we didn't get that last leg." Stella nodded in understanding. "Believe me. I get it Brody, but there are more races to be run and won." They both smiled at that because they knew she was right. The past was the past, done and over with and now they would learn and move forward.

Acantha stared imperiously down at Adele Floyd as Kyle laughed at them from the side. Adele shot him a scathing look, "Don't you have somewhere else to be Kyle?" He snorted and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Come on Addie. I just wanted to say hello to my girl here." He patted Prick's shoulder as she turned to nuzzle him affectionately. Adele rolled her eyes and shooed Kyle away. "You know that isn't even fair. Prick and I have some good mojo going on right now and you're distracting her." He laughed, but conceded defeat. What she said was true. Ever since Nick had paired her and Adele the two had been on a competitive winning streak. He was proud of what Prick was becoming and pleased with the way in which Adele was handling the last Intrepid owned Rosalind daughter. She was becoming a true turf monster and Nick was pleased with her progression. Acantha had always been a confident type of filly. She had a sleek, but powerful build and a mind that was cunning enough to work to get what she wanted.

There were always obstacles to overcome though and Abastor was poised to be just that for the bay filly. Jeff patted his charge's neck as they waited for the other three to arrive. He was having a stellar season this year with riding both Abastor and Anodyne, but there was always more to do, more to accomplish. It took work to stay on top of your game and they were working hard. There was no finish line when you were one of the top ranked turf handicapped horses on the field and Jeff and Nick were going to ensure that they would work their damn hardest to maintain their position in the ranks. Nick motioned for Jeff to mount up and he did so with pleasure.

Abastor was a tall monster, packed with muscles, but it never seemed to hinder him on the tracks. If there was anyone who could be deceptive from appearances it was Aba. Most thought he was built too much like a tank, too tall and bulky to be a competitive runner, but five years into his career and he was just as quick, if not better than when he had first begun his career. Jeff got a leg up and settled right in, the black stallion dancing in place, neck arched as Jeff controlled the charger with calmness and expertise. The dark hued stallion paused briefly on the track, warm brown eyes immediately focusing on Lissome and Natural Selection as they approached. The stallion's tail flicked in impatience as he waited and then frustration as he spotted Acantha. Jeff patted his neck as Aba's gaze remained transfixed on the filly.