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Post by [ADMIN RILEY] on Jun 2, 2011 9:37:17 GMT -8
entry #1.
lucas blackwell - snapshot of speed.
1106 words.
[/i][/right]lucas blackwell - snapshot of speed.
1106 words.
Luke was still uncertain about his decision to enter Snapshot into this race. The horse was still in the middle of his jumping training, but his need for speed remained exceptionally high. Even though Luke believed Snapshot’s racing days were over, he was going to give his horse this one last run just for old times’ sake. Besides, it might tire him out for the next few days of training.
He tightened the girth on Snapshot’s racing saddle, the one that the owner before him had handed over as part of the deal, one last time just to make sure that his horse wasn’t bloating. Snapshot had a habit of doing that, and Luke had already had enough close calls to know that his horse could hold his air for a long time if he wanted to. With that, he grabbed his horse’s reins and led him out into the paddock. Being much too tall to ride in races, Luke had hired a jockey to take on the job of riding Snapshot through the race. Her name was Alexandra Johnson. She was relatively short in stature, but her quick wit and level head around horses had already gotten her far in Luke’s opinion. She was a good match for his horse: someone that wouldn’t take any of his nonsense before a race.
“So what’s the plan for today?” she asked as she walked up to Luke and Snapshot. “I’m sure Mr. Speed here wants to run a clean race.”
“I’m sure he does,” Luke said as Snapshot began to tug on the reins and stamp his hooves impatiently. He quickly told Alexandra the plan, how he believed Snapshot should run this race based on both his old training records and how he had been working in the past few weeks. “Now don’t let him take control or he’ll lose his pace too quickly, got it?”
“Trust me, that horse isn’t going to do anything without my permission.” Alexandra gave Snapshot an affectionate pat on the shoulder before she turned back to Luke. “Ready to go?”
“Of course.” The call for riders up was given and Luke immediately leaned over to give Alexandra a leg up into the saddle.
“Thanks a lot, Luke. I’ll see you in the Winner’s Circle,” Alexandra smiled. Her blue eyes sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Luke watched as she and Snapshot left with a track staff member by their side to lead the way. He quickly made his way over to the stands to watch the race, his palms already becoming sweaty with nerves. He caught sight of Alexandra and Snapshot hitched to a palomino lead pony as they trotted down the track towards the gates. When he had watched some of Snapshot’s old races, he had noted how the horse had loved to take on a canter before they reached the gates. Those races always ended up in him losing his speed near the end, too. Conserving energy was huge for this horse, and Luke made sure that Alexandra knew it. It seemed that the message had seemed clear enough to her; she wasn’t letting Snapshot beyond a medium trot in the post parade.
Soon they were lining up at the gates. Luke watched as the first, then the second horse loaded in with ease. Snapshot was next with the third gate position. It wasn’t entirely preferable considering how much Snapshot liked the outside more, but it would get him into the pack easily enough, and that’s exactly what they wanted. Luke cringed as he watched Snapshot refuse entrance into the gate at first. Of course, it had been awhile since he had been loaded into one of those. Luke should have remembered to work with him on that a few days before this race. The second time they staff members tried, though, Snapshot walked in like there wasn’t a problem.
“That darned horse!” Luke chuckled under his breath. The rest of the horses loaded in and Luke held his breath as he waited for the gates to open.
Alexandra sighed as she gripped the reins and settled herself again in Snapshot’s saddle. “Easy peasy,” she told herself. “He’s a breezy.” The gates opened before her and she felt the gray stallion lunge forward beneath her. She pulled on the reins slightly and looked around quickly to make certain that she was doing everything correctly. Perfect. They were near the front of the pack, not too close to the leaders but just close enough to make a move when they needed to. Snapshot tugged repeatedly on the reins as he galloped forward, begging for more, for the permission to stretch out his legs and take on the leaders right then and there.
“Hey! We’re not here to burn you out! Pace it!” Alexandra hissed as they rushed past the quarter mile pole. Alexandra pulled a little tighter on Snapshot’s reins to bring him off the pace just a little more. Snapshot shook his head a little as if he couldn’t believe what this jockey was doing, but he backed off and fell in to the pack. “That’s better.” Alexandra and Snapshot remained steady in their pace as the jockey reviewed Luke’s plan in her head over and over again to make sure she had it right. It passed the time easily enough as she and Snapshot waited for their chance to make a move.
Alexandra almost breathed a sigh of relief as they rounded the turn for the backstretch. “Okay, Mr. Speed, time to go!” she muttered as she released the tension on the reins. Snapshot immediately got the message and picked up his speed. Alexandra clutched the reins in her hands even tighter. Man! This horse had some speed in him! He began to quickly make his way towards the front, rushing past the horses in the pack and making his way towards the leader with ease. Alexandra began to feel Snapshot slowing beneath her when they were only half a furlong away from the wire.
“Come on!” she muttered as she made contact with the crop. Nothing. “Okay, let’s try this!” She dug her heel into Snapshot’s left side, indicating for him to make a lead change. He jumped a little but immediately found the speed Alexandra had been looking for. He galloped forward, more powerful than before, and they dashed beneath the wire with a roaring crowd as their soundtrack. Alexandra leaned back a little a tugged lightly on the reins, but she allowed Snapshot to still hold on to some of his speed for a little while longer. It was silly to stop him so soon, anyway, especially after a great race like that.
He tightened the girth on Snapshot’s racing saddle, the one that the owner before him had handed over as part of the deal, one last time just to make sure that his horse wasn’t bloating. Snapshot had a habit of doing that, and Luke had already had enough close calls to know that his horse could hold his air for a long time if he wanted to. With that, he grabbed his horse’s reins and led him out into the paddock. Being much too tall to ride in races, Luke had hired a jockey to take on the job of riding Snapshot through the race. Her name was Alexandra Johnson. She was relatively short in stature, but her quick wit and level head around horses had already gotten her far in Luke’s opinion. She was a good match for his horse: someone that wouldn’t take any of his nonsense before a race.
“So what’s the plan for today?” she asked as she walked up to Luke and Snapshot. “I’m sure Mr. Speed here wants to run a clean race.”
“I’m sure he does,” Luke said as Snapshot began to tug on the reins and stamp his hooves impatiently. He quickly told Alexandra the plan, how he believed Snapshot should run this race based on both his old training records and how he had been working in the past few weeks. “Now don’t let him take control or he’ll lose his pace too quickly, got it?”
“Trust me, that horse isn’t going to do anything without my permission.” Alexandra gave Snapshot an affectionate pat on the shoulder before she turned back to Luke. “Ready to go?”
“Of course.” The call for riders up was given and Luke immediately leaned over to give Alexandra a leg up into the saddle.
“Thanks a lot, Luke. I’ll see you in the Winner’s Circle,” Alexandra smiled. Her blue eyes sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Luke watched as she and Snapshot left with a track staff member by their side to lead the way. He quickly made his way over to the stands to watch the race, his palms already becoming sweaty with nerves. He caught sight of Alexandra and Snapshot hitched to a palomino lead pony as they trotted down the track towards the gates. When he had watched some of Snapshot’s old races, he had noted how the horse had loved to take on a canter before they reached the gates. Those races always ended up in him losing his speed near the end, too. Conserving energy was huge for this horse, and Luke made sure that Alexandra knew it. It seemed that the message had seemed clear enough to her; she wasn’t letting Snapshot beyond a medium trot in the post parade.
Soon they were lining up at the gates. Luke watched as the first, then the second horse loaded in with ease. Snapshot was next with the third gate position. It wasn’t entirely preferable considering how much Snapshot liked the outside more, but it would get him into the pack easily enough, and that’s exactly what they wanted. Luke cringed as he watched Snapshot refuse entrance into the gate at first. Of course, it had been awhile since he had been loaded into one of those. Luke should have remembered to work with him on that a few days before this race. The second time they staff members tried, though, Snapshot walked in like there wasn’t a problem.
“That darned horse!” Luke chuckled under his breath. The rest of the horses loaded in and Luke held his breath as he waited for the gates to open.
Alexandra sighed as she gripped the reins and settled herself again in Snapshot’s saddle. “Easy peasy,” she told herself. “He’s a breezy.” The gates opened before her and she felt the gray stallion lunge forward beneath her. She pulled on the reins slightly and looked around quickly to make certain that she was doing everything correctly. Perfect. They were near the front of the pack, not too close to the leaders but just close enough to make a move when they needed to. Snapshot tugged repeatedly on the reins as he galloped forward, begging for more, for the permission to stretch out his legs and take on the leaders right then and there.
“Hey! We’re not here to burn you out! Pace it!” Alexandra hissed as they rushed past the quarter mile pole. Alexandra pulled a little tighter on Snapshot’s reins to bring him off the pace just a little more. Snapshot shook his head a little as if he couldn’t believe what this jockey was doing, but he backed off and fell in to the pack. “That’s better.” Alexandra and Snapshot remained steady in their pace as the jockey reviewed Luke’s plan in her head over and over again to make sure she had it right. It passed the time easily enough as she and Snapshot waited for their chance to make a move.
Alexandra almost breathed a sigh of relief as they rounded the turn for the backstretch. “Okay, Mr. Speed, time to go!” she muttered as she released the tension on the reins. Snapshot immediately got the message and picked up his speed. Alexandra clutched the reins in her hands even tighter. Man! This horse had some speed in him! He began to quickly make his way towards the front, rushing past the horses in the pack and making his way towards the leader with ease. Alexandra began to feel Snapshot slowing beneath her when they were only half a furlong away from the wire.
“Come on!” she muttered as she made contact with the crop. Nothing. “Okay, let’s try this!” She dug her heel into Snapshot’s left side, indicating for him to make a lead change. He jumped a little but immediately found the speed Alexandra had been looking for. He galloped forward, more powerful than before, and they dashed beneath the wire with a roaring crowd as their soundtrack. Alexandra leaned back a little a tugged lightly on the reins, but she allowed Snapshot to still hold on to some of his speed for a little while longer. It was silly to stop him so soon, anyway, especially after a great race like that.
entry #2.
cameron avery - fleet foot.
1152 words.
[/i][/right]cameron avery - fleet foot.
1152 words.
Ritual was everything. Superstition often ruled a jockey's life, and, here Cameron was snapping the third button, then the first, the fourth, the second, the fifth. He would pull his right boot on and then his left, smooth out his silks, and then head to the paddock to find his mount - Foot as he affectionately called her (and, quite honestly, he had no idea why 'Foot' had become her barn name). Outside the sun beat down relentlessly on the many onlookers crowding around the paddock and glinted off the smooth, glistening coats of healthy competitors as they stood waiting to be saddled. Cameron nervously gripped the handle of his whip and walked confidently towards his mount who stood with her head curled around and her half-pink nose pressed into the side of her groom as the man placed the light saddle on her back. Seeing Cameron approach the filly nickered to her rider and moved forward, only to be stopped by the pressure of her bit as it pressed into her pink tongue when the man holding her pressed back. Foot's hind feet danced and she flicked her tail, her nostrils vibrating as she called to the blond jock. "Hey," Cameron cooed, pressing the palm of his hand to the filly's nose. Foot leaned into his touch and dipped her head, allowing Cameron's hand to run up her nose and rest on in the center of her blaze on her forehead. Feeling lax in her handler's hold she stole another step and pressed her big head into the crook of Cameron's elbow, listening with her ears perked over his shoulder. The jockey laughed and scratched her cheek.
The announcement for Jockey's Up rang over the loud speaker and soon horses were pulled from their saddling stalls and were lead to the track. Cameron, pulling his helmet on and clipping the strap, followed the filly, receiving a hoist onto the back of the bay filly who danced giddily under his weight. She pranced for him and tucked her head to her chest, curling her neck from side to side to get a look at the man on her back just to make sure he was there. Having gathered the reins Cameron leaned forward and stroked the filly's mane, stopping at the rise of her withers and then pushing his hand along her muscled neck before returning his fingers to her hair and repeating the process. Foot sighed heavily and focused one ear on her jockey while the other danced between the crowd, the horse behind her, and the horse in front of her as they pranced through the post parade and onto the turf track.
During the warm up an oddity in her gait at the beginning of their canter (in her right hind leg he thought) worried the man, but she slowly unwound and slipped into a fluid motion across the track, tucking her head at a gentle request from his fingers. They went wide on the turn and he asked her to slow; the filly obliged and fell into her lanky walk, picking her head up and observing the horses before her who waited to be loaded into the gate. This would be Fleet Fox's first race and she was nervous, but Cameron was as cool as a winter's day and hoped that his calm would flow into the filly and settle her before they were loaded into their own gate. When it was their turn the bay filly shied away from the advancing gate crew; she rose onto her hind legs and hopped sideways on her hind legs. Holding tight, Cameron stroked Foot's mane and murmured in a calm, steady voice. She flicked her ears back towards him, and while she wasn't entirely settled she allowed for the crew to take her reins and guide her towards the gate. The filly backed away twice before they were able to lock arms behind her rump and push her into the scary metal contraption.
In its embrace the filly looked nervously back and forth between the two horses who flanked her before finally settling her attention on Cameron: Am I doing this right? She seemed to ask with a white-eyed glance towards the jockey on her back. Cameron, quickly pulling the goggles over his eyes, stroked her mane and spoke softly to the filly until the last horse was in the gate and all there was left to do was listen for the starting bell.
Briiiing! At the sound the gates flew open with a clatter and the field jumped away from the start; Fleet Fox lunged forward and veered to the right, briefly bumping shoulders with the starter next to her and took a small stumble. Cameron gave her the reins and waited patiently, shifting his balance to help the filly regain her own, and sighed a deep breath of relief when Foot righted herself and was off across the turf. The pair ran at the back with the trailers and Cameron could feel the filly's unease: This isn't my usual spot! She seemed to cry, panicked that she had been left behind. Foot pulled at the bit and lunged forward, only to find a constant pressure on her mouth that kindly asked "slow down". It took some persuasion, and after moving up a horse and a half the bay filly shifted into a rhythm and rolled smoothly along with the field. The pair were slowly gaining ground as they hit the turn; Cameron leaned into it and felt the jump as Foot switched her lead into the turn. "Good girl," he spoke to her listening ears and gave her some encouragement with his hands, asking her for more speed to take a hole at the rail. Like the fox she was named for Foot stole the opening and slipped through, taking a more comfortable position for herself towards the middle of the pack. As soon as this was done he felt the filly relax further beneath him and the pressure she held on the bit reduced considerably. Cameron grinned and continued his babble: "whoooa, whooa baby. atta girl."
At the beginning of the final turn Cameron asked for more from his filly; they moved up further into the middle of the pack as they leaned into the turn, the drone of the announcer's voice wafting across the stands and the track. Straightening at the top of the stretch two horses parted, creating a gap. Cameron clucked to the filly, guided her from the rail to the hole, and tapped her with the whip; they ran for daylight. Kneading along her neck Cameron tapped her on the rump again and the filly dropped into another gear and dug in, snorting her way down the home stretch. One more snap across her hindquarters asked the filly for just a bit only more five strides before they bobbed across the finish line in Foot's first career start.