kings and queens
Aug 14, 2014 22:06:39 GMT 10
Post by Snowflake on Aug 14, 2014 22:06:39 GMT 10
FLY BY DARKNESS WORKS FOR THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II STAKES
BLUE ME AWAY WORKS FOR THE PEGASUS STAKES
After running third in the Breeder's Stakes, Fly By Darkness was about to get her turf schedule underway. The three year old filly had been deprived of a win for so very long, since April. And before that, September in her two year old season. Flyby had just had a run of bad luck, unfortunately, and perhaps the filly's confidence had been low. Sarah certainly had been. But of late, Flyby was a different horse. With the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes running this weekend, they were putting in their final workout in preparation for it.
Blue Me Away trotted alongside the three year old filly, pulling some showy moves to get her attention. He was four years old and had run excellently in the first three months of the season, winning four of five starts. Since then he had also had a period of bad luck, resulting in second and third with no win since March. It was time Blue got back on top, because the big races of the busier second half of year were coming up quick and the four year old colt needed to bring his A-game.
For Fly By Darkness, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was a test. And a big test at that. The competition was tough - there were only three other entries but one was grade one, another was grade two and the last had one win more than Flyby. The one to beat was The Devil's Hourglass, who had run second in the first two legs of the Turf Triple Crown and won the last leg. She was grade one with a record of 24-13-9-1. The next biggest competitor was Fleet Majesty, the four year old grade two filly from Stride of Perfection Stables. She had three wins behind her this season and as the last was back in February, she'd be desperate to win. Passion Heart was next, with a record of 26-6-6-4 she was the one with one win over Flyby.
Blue Me Away was headed for the Pegasus Stakes, an eleven furlong turf race which had only attracted two other entries this year. They were Wish Upon A Star and Abastor. Wish Upon A Star, owned by Stride Of Perfection Stables, was a grade one filly by Everyday Hero and out of Warm Wishes. She had five wins behind her this year, most recently in the Lady Secret Stakes which was run on dirt. Abastor from Intrepid Racing was also grade one with four wins behind him this year. Both horses were in good form and it would be a tough race.
The two thoroughbreds switched to gallop when asked and Blue Me Away took a bit of a lead. Sarah allowed Fly By Darkness to hang back, her head level with his hindquarters until the turn ended. Chris and Blue Me Away got the drop on them though, and Flyby had to work extremely hard to gain ground. Sarah drove her on, and the filly lengthened and accelerated to a speed Sarah was sure they hadn't gone before. Blue and Chris seemed to no longer be trying, but when Flyby caught them up Sarah could see that Chris and Blue were still going strong. It was close enough that there was no distinguishable winner. The horses left the workout still fired up for a win.
BLUE ME AWAY WORKS FOR THE PEGASUS STAKES
After running third in the Breeder's Stakes, Fly By Darkness was about to get her turf schedule underway. The three year old filly had been deprived of a win for so very long, since April. And before that, September in her two year old season. Flyby had just had a run of bad luck, unfortunately, and perhaps the filly's confidence had been low. Sarah certainly had been. But of late, Flyby was a different horse. With the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes running this weekend, they were putting in their final workout in preparation for it.
Blue Me Away trotted alongside the three year old filly, pulling some showy moves to get her attention. He was four years old and had run excellently in the first three months of the season, winning four of five starts. Since then he had also had a period of bad luck, resulting in second and third with no win since March. It was time Blue got back on top, because the big races of the busier second half of year were coming up quick and the four year old colt needed to bring his A-game.
For Fly By Darkness, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was a test. And a big test at that. The competition was tough - there were only three other entries but one was grade one, another was grade two and the last had one win more than Flyby. The one to beat was The Devil's Hourglass, who had run second in the first two legs of the Turf Triple Crown and won the last leg. She was grade one with a record of 24-13-9-1. The next biggest competitor was Fleet Majesty, the four year old grade two filly from Stride of Perfection Stables. She had three wins behind her this season and as the last was back in February, she'd be desperate to win. Passion Heart was next, with a record of 26-6-6-4 she was the one with one win over Flyby.
Blue Me Away was headed for the Pegasus Stakes, an eleven furlong turf race which had only attracted two other entries this year. They were Wish Upon A Star and Abastor. Wish Upon A Star, owned by Stride Of Perfection Stables, was a grade one filly by Everyday Hero and out of Warm Wishes. She had five wins behind her this year, most recently in the Lady Secret Stakes which was run on dirt. Abastor from Intrepid Racing was also grade one with four wins behind him this year. Both horses were in good form and it would be a tough race.
The two thoroughbreds switched to gallop when asked and Blue Me Away took a bit of a lead. Sarah allowed Fly By Darkness to hang back, her head level with his hindquarters until the turn ended. Chris and Blue Me Away got the drop on them though, and Flyby had to work extremely hard to gain ground. Sarah drove her on, and the filly lengthened and accelerated to a speed Sarah was sure they hadn't gone before. Blue and Chris seemed to no longer be trying, but when Flyby caught them up Sarah could see that Chris and Blue were still going strong. It was close enough that there was no distinguishable winner. The horses left the workout still fired up for a win.