Post by Ripley on Jun 24, 2016 9:43:34 GMT -5
TAP INTO GOLD
featuring:
Gold Rush and David Carter
Wire Tap and Maggiletti Reynolds"Don't hold on so tightly to his face, Mags. He's not going to dump you," Malcolm chided as they walked off the dirt path for the turf course. "You always hold so tightly. When has he dumped you in the last six months?"
Mal glanced up from the perfectly manicured grass when Maggiletti Reynolds didn't answer. Her baby blue eyes were focused on Gold Rush, not the vast expanse of territory that the Battle Brook turf track was made from. Gold Rush was behaving perfectly beneath David Carter. His golden hide glimmered in the sunlight and he seemed perfectly at ease. Perfectly kind and quiet and willing. Perfectly the opposite of her mount.
Mr. Wire Tap was not quite a nut job, but he had a brazen attitude, a foolishness that Maggie hadn't prepared herself for. That was foolishness on her part. Had she not ridden Royal Assault? It was a long time ago, but dang how could she forget about the powerful mare's bi-polar temper. Royal Assault's offspring tended toward hyper and queenly. Wire Tap definitely had the hyper part down pat. At times Maggie hadn't even wanted to stick out a morning hack because the colt got so wound up, shaking his head so much--and body--that it reminded Maggie of an earthquake. Things had changed a little bit since the blaze faced handsome colt entered regular work. Still, his frisky attitude had made it so Malcolm didn't want the horse on the track until at least July.
A lot of people had forgotten about Wire Tap. There was Calamity Queen and Call Me Crooked--the turf sprinter crown winner of Y15. The fillies were proving best of the family, but, to be fair to Wire Tap and Fire Assault-Intrepid's yearling--neither of them had hit the track yet. Wire Tap had fallen into the unseen, quickly forgotten category. But not at home he hadn't. He was always a handful and always willing to nip someone in the butt if they weren't paying attention to him.
Daivd glanced over his shoulder and wished that he could taunt Maggie about her stiff posture and tight lipped expression. She didn't look afraid necessarily, just stern. One had to be stern when dealing with an explosive device that could go off at any second. David pat Gold Rush's tanned colored hide. His mount was not even close to explosive. He was well-behaved and brilliant at times. His April had been extraordinary with him finishing first in two dirt races. His second career run on the turf had resulted in a second place finish... again. They would get there. They'd have to if Gold Rush wanted to be ready for the Canadian Triple Crown. Battle Brook always had the dirt horse, but never the one for the big kahuna--the Breeders' Stakes.
"That's just why we'll train you on the turf, Rush," David commented as they neared the first hill. "We'll put you up against King Spazz and see what we've got to work with."
Maggie and Malcolm both snorted at David's description of Wire Tap. For all of the colt's peculiar attitude traits, Wire Tap was extremely talented... when he wanted to run. The son of Foolish Lad only wanted to work indoors or on the turf track. God forbid they put the creature on the dirt track. He'd aborted his first workout on the dirt track, nearly taking out a portion of the railing on the way out. At first everyone had thought it was a fluke until it happened three more times. Put the colt on a turf track and he'd run for days. He'd even gone to The Wire for a stint on their turf track. For some reason, he just worked better on the green than on the brown. That was okay as long as he just ran straight or ran at all.
"Ripley's waiting for you two at the flat. Gallop them a mile and let them loose in the flat. Think typical workout with an increase in speed in every final furlong. Wire Tap will be quick to make up ground once you hit the flat, Maggie. You know him."
"Oh I know him alright," Maggie said testily. She took up her reins once Malcolm released them and saluted the trainer. "See you on the other side."
Mal chuckled and gave Gold Rush a pat on his neck. "No, you won't. I'm getting my yearlings ready for you crazy cowboys and girls. Time to ramp up the training."
Excitement pulsed through both riders at the thought of meeting the next generation of racehorses. Maggie shot a last grin at the dashing trainer before turning her mount and nudging him into a fluid trot. One thing Wire Tap did have going for him were his smooth gaits. Just like mama, Maggie thought to herself.
Gold Rush snorted when he drew up alongside Wire as if he couldn't believe he was being pushed to keep up. His dainty ears pinned backward when David nudged him on. Rush wasn't a horse that liked to be nagged to move. He might be an angel, but it didn't mean he was perfect.
The duo moved from jog to steady lope then to their short-striding gallops. The hills at Battle Brook were notorious for their difficulty, a difficulty that mandated both horse and human operated in tandem. Partnerships developed on the hill tracks transferred to flat tracks. Even some of the dirt horses were trained on the hill course as two year olds to cement their relationships with their jocks. Ripley's training regiment was one of the hardest around, but it worked.
David kept his hands light on the bit as Gold Rush navigated the turf course. The Frontier colt was normally easy to handle, especially in work mode. He liked routine and knew exactly where he was expected to run. He floated over the turf in his agile manner. His hooves never felt like they touched the ground so athletic and quick as a cat he was. David glanced backward to find Maggie and Wire Tap coasting at Rush's hip.
Her disagreeable colt settled into his big, bounding lope, taking one stride for every two of Rush's. It wasn't that Wire was that much bigger than Rush. It had to do with leg and easy ability. Wire gave off the appearance that he simply didn't need to try. He was like a NBA player among high school students. Maggie stroked the wispy black strands of mane, pleased that her boy could mellow out and settle. It'd taken a long time to get here, but she was sure he was worth the wait.
Both David and Maggie braced themselves for the final hill--the largest hill. Both Rush and Wire tackled it with great strides, putting their heads nearly down to their knees and digging deep into the grass. The two strong colts were up at the crest before either rider could so much as bat an eyelash. From experience and previous knowledge, both riders took up on the reins before either horse bowled right over the other side for the flat.
The pause was only momentary, but it seemed to stretch for a long while. With one big inhale on the riders' parts, they released their mounts. Wire Tap barged forward, nearly clipping Rush's shoulder as he made for the hill. "Easy, Wire!" Maggie chastised breathlessly. The strong colt fought the bit briefly, but he did relent.
Gold Rush navigated the hillside easily, his ears flicking on his head as if he was looking for more of a challenge. The slippery grass didn't bother him. His wayward stable-mate didn't bother him. He flitted down the hillside and politely jumped the final foot to hit the flat running.
Wire Tap was unprepared for the sudden rush of his stable-mate. He curved his body to the right in shock, his eyes going huge and his nostrils flaring in a snort. Maggie shook her head, tapped his right hindquarter with the long dressage whip and held on tight. With a flurry of hooves, Wire launched from a standstill, nearly giving Maggie whiplash. "Come on, Wire!"
David heard the thunderous hooves a moment before that big blaze popped up in his peripheral vision. Gold Rush's black-edged ear locked itself on his rival, but he didn't move any faster. He coasted at a relaxing pace, an easy gallop. This was where the golden boy shined best. He always ran up front, but he never was fooled into chasing or setting a suicidal pace. He was a steady eddy. David relaxed into the colt's fluid stride, glancing every so often at Wire Tap.
Now that the cumbersome colt was settled into his massive stride, Maggie felt calm and collected. If this had been a race, Wire would have put himself right into the mix at the right time. She often forgot what a jaw dropping kick the boy had when asked. Now that he was in striking range, she turned off the switch and Wire moved confidently again. "Good man," Maggie whispered.
Ripley crossed her arms as the duo shot through the second furlong. Gold Rush still maintained an easy lead, but Wire Tap wasn't being asked yet. She spotted the little niggle of urging from Maggie when Wire's head went up in the air briefly. Like a leopard, Wire jumped forward into the bridle to run head and head with Gold Rush. Not to be outdone this close to the finish, Rush combated with his fastest gear yet. There was no doubt in Ripley's mind that Gold Rush was handling the turf. If he hadn't been, there was no way he'd be able to respond to Wire's onslaught.
The pair stormed through the final furlong, still neck and neck in a fast final furlong in :11.45 seconds, a stout clip after a mile gallop and two previous furlongs. Ripley grinned as Wire bucked up the hill--showing his athleticism in more ways than one. He might be a little green, but he would give a good representation of himself in his maiden race. She reached into her pocket and started dialing the number to Grayson Meadows. Surely, they'd like to know the colt they'd bred her might just be a potential star in the making.
