Post by Ripley on Jul 27, 2015 8:28:47 GMT -5
Speed Of Light
featuring: Taboo & Sun King & Nirvana
mission: Buttercup Sprint & Speedway Stakes
Reese patted Taboo's neck as the filly walked out to the track. It was foggy out and the air was heavy with an unexpectedly warm fall morning. Tabz was already sweated lightly, but her attitude was one of a horse who had a lot more to give. The daughter of Everyday Hero was becoming one of the best fillies in the country. Her recent victory in the Daisy Stakes had given Witch Creek a three year sweep in the six furlong race. Tabz would likely never equal the achievements of Cross My Heart and Paranormal Hunter, but she was becoming a very good filly in her own right.
Tabz danced onto the track, flashing glances toward the fog hidden spectators and clockers. She pranced sideways and rolled her eyes. Her body twitched nervously when the people begin to speak in muffled voices. The gray filly was less than confident in the uncertain environment. Reese patted her neck and murmured soft words to calm her down. While it didn't exactly do the trick, the filly became more focused on the track and on her three year old cohorts.
Sun King and Nirvana stalked onto the track behind the gray filly. King let out a questioning neigh while Nirvana simply bounded into her long striding gallop. King balked under Brooks' initial urging, his feet shifting uneasily in the dirt. Brooks shook his head, glanced at Ripley. The trainer watched the towering chestnut figure, her eyes dark in consideration. The big horse definitely wasn't feeling the fog today.
"Let him wait. The girls can work without him." She gestured for the colt to head down the track for a warm up jog. King sniffed the air nervously, but moved along when asked this time. Brooks shook his head at the prima donna move. "You're supposed to be the tough guy." The horse just snorted and picked up a fast trot. Brooks moved easily with the big sweeping horse and knew when the time came to turn him loose, the horse would fire.
Laura chirped to Nirvana to keep up with Taboo. The sturdy filly pricked her ears on the lithe gray horse, but she never stepped into a faster move. Laura felt a tinge of frustration. She wanted the two year old Vana back, the one that always wanted to work, that wanted to blaze her way to victory. She wanted the two year old champion filly, but the bay horse seemed to be only a shadow of her former self. She'd done well enough, but never could close the deal. Laura swung the heavy horse wide, hoping to draw some interest out of her.
Taboo was not going to wait for Nirvana to catch up and Reese was not about to let her sleek filly from getting the workout necessary for the Buttercup Sprint. The Everyday Hero filly was cruising and really into the bit. She simply did not want to slow down and keep steady. Reese leaned close to the gray's neck and smiled faintly when she swept into her racing gallop. Her long strides were fluid and level. She was mesmerizing and Reese wasn't exactly sure how fast they were going.
Ripley narrowed her eyes as Taboo began to draw away from Nirvana, in spite of Laura's urging. The gray filly was really roaring through the stretch and Vana was laboring. Her ears were pricked, but there was no doubting the disinterest that lingered in her expression. Ripley leaned on the rail, tapped her fingers against her chin in thought. "Show me something, Vana."
Reese dipped her head down to check for the competition and was briefly stunned to find herself alone. Taboo was streaking into the turn, each stride more powerful than the last. She shouldn't have been burying Vana this much. Reese groaned inwardly as Tabz whirled through the turn, swapping leads upon command and devastating her early opposition. Reese patted the gray's neck as she marched down the track.
A tap on her shoulder drew Ripley's attention to the quizzical clocker. His gray mustache twitched over his solemn lips and his brown eyes looked confused. "Was Nirvana supposed to be in the workout?"
Ripley shrugged and returned her attention to Taboo as she bounded through the wire. Nirvana was just passing mid-stretch now with her ears still pricked and her stride long. Laura looked grim enough and Ripley knew that her rider had tried as hard as possible to get Vana to cooperate. Turning back to the clocker, Ripley replied, "She's got some lingering issues. This was just a test. Obviously, Vana is not where we expected her to be at this time."
The clocker hummed and dashed off, writing as he went. Ripley growled in irritation. No doubt her words would be thrown back at her later in some news report. She nodded to Laura as she pulled Vana up into a beautiful trot. Laura shrugged, barely capable of hiding her disappointment. "I couldn't get her to run, Ripley."
Ripley nodded, looked Vana over and then Taboo as she trotted up. The comparison between the two wasn't even close. Vana looked like she'd gone out for a well controlled gallop. Taboo looked like a ferocious runner, her nostrils flaring wide and her eyes bright with excitement. Ripley liked what she'd seen in Taboo's workout, but Nirvana's had been disconcerting to say the least.
"Just go ahead back to the barn. We'll talk later. Taboo's a go for the Buttercup Sprint."
She watched the fillies exit the track and turned her attention to Sun King. The strong colt was motoring around the track in his lope, stretching on cue into the backstretch again. Ripley kept a keen eye on him, already seeing what she wanted to see with Sun King. His uneasiness with the fog had dissipated. Already countless watches were placed on the red horse, Ripley's included.
Brooks shook the reins at the colt and sent him flying five poles out. King instantly responded with a whoosh of speed. Brooks clung to the horse's flying mane as King gathered speed with every bounding stride. Native Flame's son was a powerhouse of strength. His every muscle was focused on running as fast as possible. Brooks could only move with the colt as he charged through the lane into the turn.
Ripley was grinning when King poured it on down the lane. When all else failed, she could count on El Sol Del Mar or her offspring to give her a boost. When King bulleted through the wire in :58 2/5 and galloped six furlongs in 1:10 4/5, Ripley knew she had a few live ones to keep the Witch Creek name in tact.
