dreams and desires

VINDICTIVE FURY, BORN TO SOAR AND SILVERIANNA WORK FOR THE DUBAI FILLY CUP

Ah, the long awaited Dubai World Cup. But first, they had to qualify to run in it, and the only way to do that was to place in the top seven of the Dubai Filly Cup. Of course, they aimed higher than that. Each rider wanted the win for her filly. Stella was especially determined, because Ianna was the youngest in the field, and she was a great filly. Marissa wanted to keep up Vindictive Fury's winning streak, and Sarah was keen on taking the race for a second time aboard Born To Soar.

After warming up, the bay, the chestnut and the grey broke into gallop. The front runner of them asserted herself in the lead, and Marissa called over her shoulder, So, what do you two make of the field? Stella didn't say anything, at first. What did she think of the field? Well, every other filly entered was four or five years old. Silverianna was three. Stella wasn't sure if her age would work in her favour or against her. She patted the filly's grey neck a little awkwardly as the thoroughbred galloped.

Sarah responded almost right away. Well, we're up against Mystical Melody, Sillenia, Dark Sunrise, Xalbadora and Moondance. And each other.. Pretty competitive field, but.. She paused, and Stella heard the grin in her voice. No one we haven't beaten before. She was right, of course. At least in Born To Soar's and Vindictive Fury's case. Silverianna had mainly gone against fillies her own age, up until now, so Stella wasn't quite sure if she had faced and beaten everyone in the Dubai Filly. Well, she thought confidently. There's a first for everything.

They continued to gallop in silence. Marissa seemed either deeply concentrated on her horse, or lost in thought. In my opinion, aside from you two, Moondance would be the biggest threat here. Stella said after a few quiet moments. The others agreed, and silence fell again. Stella began to seriously consider her strategy, as they completed the turn and galloped on steadily to the finish. They would break quickly, and get into position much like the one they were in now, but Stella had to get Ianna on the outside of Born To Soar. Otherwise, the other filly could accidentally block them when they came to make their move, which would be in the final two furlongs.

Like the other two fillies, Ianna's pace quickened in the stretch even though she knew it wasn't a race. They crossed the line, and slowed gradually. Stella could only hope that they would all place in the top three, even though she knew it was unlikely. The Dubai Filly Cup would be hers and Ianna's, this time in four days..

SUNSET CRUSADE AND BANK ON GREATNESS WORK FOR DUBAI COLT CUP

There was going to be an important decision to make, when it came to the Dubai World Cup. Only two horses would run in the big race, and it would come down to their performance in the qualifiers. Marissa had to decide between Vindictive Fury and Sunset Crusade, while Sarah had to decide between Born To Soar and Bank On Greatness. It would come down to who ran best. The Dubai Colt Cup was a fairly small field of five.

They warmed up on the dirt track separately. Cruze played up, trying to skip it and go straight to the galloping part. Marissa sat out a few bucks, then firmly asked the colt to trot. He resisted at first, tossing his head and lurching forward, trying to gallop, but Marissa managed to bring him back under control. Meanwhile, Sarah enjoyed an almost leisurely warm up with Bank On Greatness. The five year old stallion had matured greatly over his seasons of racing, and although he'd been fairly well behaved from the beginning, he was amazing now. From the saddle, at least.

They met again at the gates. Sarah motioned for Sunset Crusade and Marissa to load in the first one, then she and Bank On Greatness loaded into the second stall. They were going to run eight furlongs, at a slow to medium pace. No race running today - they had to work off the high spirits without tiring the boys before race day. Eyes focused on the dirt ahead, Sarah gripped a handful of Greatness's almost white mane. Beside her, Marissa hand her hands intertwined in Cruze's black one. Any moment now..

The gates sprung open, and the two horses burst forward, accelerating quickly. Before long, Sarah's mind was wrapped around the race this weekend. It was one of the races that had eluded Greatness twice now. The first time, when he was three, he'd been third in it. The second time, last year as a four year old, he'd been second. This year, she was determined that they would win it. And then possibly run in the Dubai World Cup, for the first time. It would all come down to his result in the race.

Marissa and Sunset Crusade were facing the race for Cruze's first time. She was determined to win it with the colt, because it was on her list of goals for him. If they could win this, he'd be that much closer to running in and winning the Breeder's Cup Classic. Bank On Greatness was also looking at a run in the Classic. As was Marissa's other great dirt horse of this season, Vindictive Fury. She'd narrowly lost the race last year on Furious Passion, and was determined to win it this year, on either Cruze or Vinny. Both were capable of winning it.