November Week 4 Works

Minske didn't have a lot of time to mull over the possibility, since the last work was about to start and they had a deadline to meet. After all, they couldn't keep poor Larsa from his duties for too long, could they? While Hal and Minske had been riding the two colts, Tigris had gone back to the barn and saddled his filly for the last ride, and was making his way back to the dirt gate. The filly being led was Greater Avalanche, a horse with unknown lines that hadn't done badly in her first few races, though they came late in her three-year-old year. The black horse was prancing beside the boy leading her, tossing her head and looking overall very fresh in the cool air. Tigris stumbled forward a few steps, then pulled the filly back, a sour look on his face. He completely ignored the covered smiles of the others as he approached. The filly was always like that with him - high energy, high drama. To emphasize the point, the filly let out a deafening squeal, causing Tigris to walk her in a circle as she got more and more worked up. As she carried on, the other two horses were being led out, and the situations there looked even worse. Ginny was a handful, but she wasn't aggressive.

The chestnut stallion being led out to the gate was trying to power past his handler, tossing his head and pulling against the chain over his nose. Toward the gate he half-reared, and Minske moved forward to help the handler get the sometimes-aggressive horse calmed. Lucky wasn't always so flashy, but he was fully stallion, and some days just found him in a mood. This seemed to be one of them. The horse was handed off to Minske, who got a quick leg up and moved the horse down the track at an extended trot, looking to get some of that energy out sooner rather than later. Lucky had been having a rather, well, unlucky year. The colt had drawn up second time and again, getting a nose in front only once all year. Minske didn't think it had anything to do with talent - there was just something that hadn't clicked with him yet. The boy suspected it was that his closing time hadn't been quite perfected yet, causing him to come up just short at the end. Well, he'd keep working on it. He was confident that he could get the stallion to perform.

Tigris was mounted on Ginny, and he followed the chestnut out. They wanted to be out of the way when the last horse was brought in. Amarillo Sky was a horse none of the staff necessarily wanted to deal with aside from Hal. That's why, as soon as the horse came into view, the girl jogged down the path to meet the two grooms holding him. The stallion had his ears pinned, doing his best to lock his teeth onto any available piece of human he could, though the cross-tie-style way they were leading him was making it very difficult, and Hal could see it was just making him angrier. The grooms stopped as the girl drew up, looking visibly relieved as she was handed one of the lead ropes, the other removed. Rillo attempted to bite the fingers removing the chain, but Hal gave him a sharp tug, turning his attention to her. For a moment, nothing moved as the big brown eye of the horse met unreadable blue. Then, shockingly, the stallion let out a big breath reminiscent of a sigh, ears relaxing from their pinned state. Hal smiled, then led the colt toward the gate. It wasn't that she was stronger or had any more physical control over him, but that he liked her enough that he didn't feel like fighting. That was Hal's thoughts on it, anyway. Or maybe he just reacted well to her relaxed nature. The stallion hadn't been doing badly for himself since he got to Valkyrie, and especially since Hal started handling him more regularly. He'd been doing well enough that the previous owner, Intrepid, had signed over the lease on the horse and he was now a full-fledged member of the string. Now that Hal was going to be riding him in races, his potential was hard to quantify. Needless to say, the stable was excited to see how he would perform, even if they weren't excited to have to handle him so regularly.

Larsa stepped up to help Hal mount, and Rillo only pinned his ears instead of striking out at the man - apparently he liked the laid-back breeding manager as well. Which was good, because he'd be seeing a lot more of him after year fourteen. Settled in, Hal directed Rio down the track on the other side from where the other two horses were returning.

Minske kept Lucky under control as Rillo started down the track, knowing that even a single show of aggression could catch the dark bay's attention. Luckily, though, the brisk jog had worked the kinks out of the chestnut and he was a lot more responsive than he had been. The two kept their horses moving in wide circles until Hal returned with Rillo, who looked more than ready to get the show on the road. Ginny was loaded first, into the rail stall. Lucky was pulled in second, and the stallion went almost eagerly, ready for the run he knew was coming on the other side. Rillo went in last, just barely tolerating the groom leading him. As soon as the gates were closed, there was a short call of "Ten furlongs" from Cole, and a moment later the gates sprung open. Rillo jumped from the stall, and Hal quickly angled him toward the rail as the other two settled in behind. Ginny decided on about a length behind Rillo, and Lucky took his spot about six lengths off the pace. Uncontested, the pace didn't unravel incredibly quickly, Rillo easily matching Hal's wishes. The girl kept the stallion steady as they eased their way down the track, long strides incredibly powerful beneath her. As they neared the turn, Hal took a quick glance under her arm - there, Lucky was starting to creep up. Knowing he was coming, Hal turned her eyes front, concentrating on the energy and eagerness she could feel building in the stallion. Her hands were firm, their message clear. Not yet.

They exited the turn, and Ginny also began to make her move. Hal was concentrating solely on her mount, judging the distance she had. Ginny was the first to make it to Rillo, the black filly moving up on his outside. Rillo reacted immediately to her gaining strides, and Hal let him have his head. Set loose, the burly stallion surged forward, turning back the younger filly very neatly. He kept gaining speed, charging with a single-minded, almost manic run. However, there was still another horse in this race. Lucky had passed Ginny as well, and as they neared the wire he kept coming closer, closer, reserves of energy tapped efficiently. His run had been well-timed, and as they came upon the wire, the horses were neck and neck. Ginny crossed a few lengths behind, perfectly understandable given her experience and, well, the lack of testosterone pumping through her. Maybe she'd eventually be able to stand with the boys, but the older, more mature horses were beyond her for now.

Lucky slowed when asked, allowing Rillo to gallop past him. Only then would the dark bay concede Hal's command to ease off. Though he was sweating, Hal could feel that he still had a lot left in him. He was built for longer races than this as well, so that made some sense. Mostly it just excited her that he was so driven to win. The horses were eventually pulled up at the gate, and they were handed off to waiting hotwalkers. Even Rillo went without a fight, probably looking forward to a bath and a nap after the exertion. Minske and Hal stood side-by-side as they looked at Cole. "Well, who had it?" Hal asked after a few impatient moments. Cole frowned at them. "What do I look like, a camera? Does it look like I could tell from this angle? Be grateful for a good ride, the both of you, and get the hell out of here." Tigris, for his part, wasn't bothering to smother his laughter as the chastised pair sighed and turned away. After the last ride of the day, they still had work to do... namely, starting some yearlings in the gate.