February Week 3

Tigris had been on such an emotional roller-coaster in the last month and a half. So many of his mounts had started their first races of the year well. Fifty in Front had won his first out, making him optimistic that the longshot might be ready to take on the Derby trail. However, his last two races had completely flopped, and the rider was at a loss. Finn's personality had improved so much, and yet... well, he had other things he needed to focus on now. Even though Finn would likely not take his run at the Triple Crown, they still had a contender that might be able to take a swing at the Turf Triple Tiara. National Treasure had had a bit of bumpiness this year already, but it was possible she may have found her form. The daughter of Grand Silence had potential practically oozing from her pores, with half-siblings like Sillenia, Worldbreaker, and Silent Fury. So far, however, she had simply not been given the chance to show what she was capable of. Tigris hoped she matured as quickly in racing as she had in mindset, because he felt incredibly strongly that this filly deserved a chance. The young man sat aboard the black filly, who was standing, infinitely patient, on the turf track. Her ears were perked alertly, but she only gazed around with mild interest. She didn't dance, and she wasn't antsy - she was perfectly content to just sit there for a few minutes while their workout partners made their way down the track.

Said partner was potentially a very good one for Treasure to work with leading up to the Coronation Stakes. Handsome Tabby was a stallion just as grounded as she was, though he definitely had mass to throw around if he had wanted to. He and the filly were the same height, but he looked much larger. Minske was already mounted on the big horse, who nickered to Treasure when he caught sight of her. Not a stallion's trumpet, but a soft greeting, like to that of a friend. Treasure replied in kind as the other pair stepped onto the track, nothing more than a polite greeting. Tigris winced. "You'd think they were a bunch of carriage horses, not fierce competitors," he griped, smoothing the filly's mane with one hand. Minske laughed, pulling up alongside. "Have you seen the manners of some carriage horses? These guys are way more civilized." Tabs and Treasure were craning their heads to touch noses, and the riders let them, knowing that neither were the sort to sneak a bite. Minske smiled looking at them. They could be a good match, somewhere down the road. They both had a long way to go before then, though. "Let's take them a mile. We could start them from a standing start after we warm them up..." Most of the time they wouldn't do something like that for a workout - they didn't want to horses to wear themselves out in a mock-race only days before their races. However, these two were the type of horses that would cool their pace until the end if they were asked to. Tigris nodded, and the two horses were put into motion down the stretch. They trotted down, then cantered back, both without incidence.

When they got to the appropriate spot to start eight furlongs, they set the horses a few feet apart. They seemed to realize this was a little different from before, probably from the positions of the riders on their backs - the way their weight was balanced, they knew this was like the gate. "Ready..."

Both riders drew up their reins. The horses flicked their ears back. "Set..."

There was a breath of silence.

"Go!" The horses didn't break as sharply as they would from the gate, but Tabs got the idea very quickly, and something clicked, allowing him to rocket up the rail. True to form, Treasure was much slower, but didn't let him get more than five furlongs ahead of her. Minske kept Tabs at a generally slow pace, and Tabs willingly settled in - something he could not have done earlier next year. As he got older, he had matured mentally, and had just overall learned that if he listened to his rider, he could run up front. Tigris sat easily on Treasure as they went around the first turn, but he kept his eye on the chestnut flanks ahead of him. Any twitch, any change, would have to be carefully noted so the stallion didn't get away from them. The man rubbed his hands along the filly's neck, urging her to move just a little faster, and she complied quickly. The gap was at three lengths when they hit the turn, and it was around then, by some mutual agreement, that both riders opened up to breezing speed. As Tabs was given his head, Tigris knew he couldn't just do the same with Treasure. Giving her her head was not enough - he had to urge her every moment, every second, to get her full potential. He did that now, using his hands and his voice to convey his desire for her to go faster, run harder - to catch the older horse ahead of her. She dug into the turf, ears back to his voice, eyes solidly ahead - she accelerated, and Tigris himself was surprised by how responsive she was. He kept urging her, and the gap began to close. The wire was drawing closer, but she was at the stallion's hip. His shoulder. With a last burst, her nose was at his head right at the wire, despite the way the stallion was charging. Minske looked over with some surprise, but he was smiling as the filly pulled ahead of them after the fact.

They were both very much the type of horses that preformed better during the real deal, but Treasure's performance against an older male did tell them one thing - if she arrived at the Coronation Stakes in top form, there was no reason she couldn't show up the other fillies. They'd have to wait and see.