Y18 Juvenile WorkoutWar of Redemption ridden by Hailey Andrews & Fabled Finale ridden by Bradley Corette The early winter sun shone just below the horizon as the two horses and riders made their way towards the track. The bay filly's ears were pricked forward and she kept straining at the bit, eager to set foot on the dirt. Her companion though, hung back, content to take his time.
“Not as laid back as her sister, is she?” Hailey asked as the filly nearly bumped into the colt, who just laid his ears back in warning. Whereas Fabled Dreams was more calm, Fabled Finale could be a firecracker at times. Hailey personally thought she was a bit neurotic with the filly needed see other horses at all times. Not that she ever said that out loud though. “No, not entirely,” Bradley commented. "That's not a bad thing though." "Not saying it was." Felicity snorted and stopped in her tracks as the starting gate came into view. Remi continued on ahead of her, completely nonplussed by the gate. Hailey started to turn the colt around, but the other rider waved her on. At some point, they’d get Felicity into the gate. It was just a matter of patience. Remi loaded into the gate like a seasoned veteran. George closed the door behind the colt, and then turned to look at the other pair. Bradley just shrugged his shoulders. This was a game they’d played before, and nothing would make the filly move until she wanted to. Thankfully she’d passed the gate test, so she’d proved she could go in without a fuss, but that was rare. A nicker from the other horse prodded Felicity into motion, the horse eager to rejoin her companion. She loaded into the gate quietly and all three persons breathed a sigh of relief. No antics today. Felicity shuffled, as if reconsidering her decision to go into the gate at all, though thankfully the doors flew open before she had time to act on it. The two bays flew out onto the track, dirt flying from out under their hooves. Fabled Finale moved to get her head in front, slowly creeping ahead of War of Redemption. The colt just let the other horse mosey on by, not particularly caring that he was losing. Hailey barely managed to suppress a sigh. She’d ridden horses that were slow before (After All, in particular) but even Andrew managed to show some interest when being passed. Bradley held the filly back, not wanting her to get too far ahead. This was a workout, not a race. No need to rub it in that the horse actually wanted to run. Fabled Finale’s ears pinned back slightly, letting her displeasure at being held back known, but she slowed her run a bit. Something must’ve clicked in the colt’s mind because he finally picked up speed. Hailey couldn’t help but let out a woop as Remi surged forward, closing the distance between him and the horse in front. His nose was at the filly’s flanks when Bradley let the filly have her head. Accepting the challenge, the filly increased her speed, ears pricked forward. The two horses charged down the track, head to head, neither one of them willing to back down. Remi managed to get his head in front as they passed the six furlong pole. The riders pulled the horses up and smiled at each other. Remi fought to keep going, though settled down once he realized that wasn’t going to happen. Felicity on the other hand, took several circles at a trot to settle down. “Well, finally managed to get him to run,” Bradley said. “Just takes a bit for him to warm up,” Hailey said. “I think we’ve got a good year ahead of us if we can just keep this one’s attention.” She patted the colt affectionately on the neck. George met them at the track entrance. The riders looked at him expectantly, awaiting his feedback. “Not bad. Still need to work on Remi with his… attitude, but he’ll come around. Our other horses did. Overall, I think we’ll do alright this year.
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