rise again

BORN TO IMPRESS AND WAR CRY WORK FOR THE HANDSOME MILE

Having suffered her first out of top three placing, War Cry had been inconsolable for a while. Never in her life had the filly seen so many horses in front of her. She was so used to being in the front, it had come as a massive shock to be unable to hold her lead. It wasn't that she had raced weakly, it was that the other contenders had been stronger. They were older, more mature and just that, stronger. That was a month ago and now she was back up against her own age, to run in The Handsome Mile. Born To Impress was running too, and today the pair were working together in preparation for it.

The colt had had a pretty good season, winning the Kentucky Derby and all. He'd then gone on to place third in the Preakness, and second in the Belmont. A pretty good effort, of course, but Sarah couldn't help but feel the colt still hadn't reached his full potential. She knew he could do better, and wanted him so badly to show her that. He needed three wins to reach Grade One, and he needed them fast, to show that he was worthy of a run in the Breeder's Cup Classic. Of course, War Cry was right there with him every step of the way. She too, was being considered for a run in the major race. But it was quite possible she would instead run in the Ladies Classic after her disappointing finish in the Kentucky Derby and the Seaspray Cup.

Warming up side by side, it was plain to see that the pair were competitive with one another. They battled for dominance frequently, whether on the track or in the stables. Right now, they were tugging on the bit, trying to keep their noses in front of each other. With experienced riders aboard however, they were kept in line. Xena's loss in the Seaspray Cup would no doubt mean there was hell to pay in The Handsome Mile. She'd be first out of the gate and first to finish. Or at least, she'd bust her butt trying. Eight furlongs was the shortest distance in her range and it would be an easier race than a twelve furlong one to lead wire to wire, in terms of distance anyway. But the competition was tough, of course, as one of the last three year old only races of the year. After this, they had to face the older horses. And Xena already knew they were tough, which would give her an advantage.

Impress had run second in the Seaspray Cup, coming in behind Ventura. Ventura was also entered in the Handsome Mile, and the Rising Fury daughter was always a fierce, fierce competitor. As she was sired by Impressario, she shared Born To Impress' blood and was his half sister. Other than Ventura, there was also GS Royal Crown, who was a grade two colt like Impress. The fillies were grade one, the colts were grade two. The small field was definitely a strong one, and any horse could take the win. Given that Xena was the only front runner, and the rest were preceders, she could be at an advantage. Impress was versatile, so he could run as a midpack or closer in this race to avoid getting into a battle with Ventura and GS Royal Crown for the spot on the rail.

After a thorough warm up, the chestnut thoroughbred filly and the black thoroughbred colt burst into gallop. The dirt blurred beneath them as they raced towards the turn. Xena had the rail, and pulled ahead slightly, ears pinned in warning to her workout partner. The colt backed off slightly, and moved against the rail as they ended the turn and galloped up the backstretch. For now, the pace was normal. It was neither fast or slow, but just right for conserving energy. The second turn approached and Impress began to pick up the pace, closing the distance between him and the filly. Sarah held him when he was hot on her heels, keeping him close to the rail so they didn't lose ground again. The turn straightened out and the stretch was before them, and suddenly they were galloping all out, sprinting for the finish. Impress came out from behind Xena and began to close strongly. The filly flattened he ears against her skull and ran even faster. They crossed the line, and it was impossible to tell who had won. That would have to be decided on race day.