Brilliance [Ginny]

The early September morning left a crisp edge on the air, and all of the horses at Valkyrie were in high spirits. One filly's call was like a knife through the energized air, quickly followed by a crashing noise - morning was here, and Ginny was letting everyone know that she would not be ignored. Greater Avalanche was a practically undiscovered horse without lines of mention, but she was a gorgeous and strong filly, full of life and fight and everything the stable could wish for in a horse moving toward her first race. Irwin grimaced as he leaned on the rail of the track, waiting for the spirited filly to be tacked in the barn. He was doing a favor for Amelia by handling some workouts while they looked for more winter help - with one exercise rider during the school year, they were pressed to get things done. Irwin was busy with a baby at home, but he didn't mind handling a few horses for the stable.

A young man walked out of the barn a few minutes later, a tall black filly alongside - the early light bounced off of a solid coat, blue-tinted and shining. She wasn't walking politely, of course. The filly was bowing her neck, prancing lightly sideways against the pressure of the chain across her nose. From what Irwin could tell, the filly wasn't mean, just overeager and perhaps a little pushy. Irwin grinned good-naturedly at the groom as he brought the big horse to a stop, slapping her flank when she tried to sidle into the jockey. "Behave, brute," the groom said, seeming a little grumpy but not really upset. The filly tossed her head, then turned a brown eye to the older man. "Looks like she knows who the boss is about to be. Alright, little miss. Let's see what you've got." Getting a leg up, Irwin led the prancing filly through the gate to the turf track.

Ginny had about a week until her first race, and it was the perfect time to give her a real drill to sharpen her up before she shipped to the GHF racecourse and got a feel for the turf there. Ginny fought Irwin as soon as they stepped onto the grass, throwing her head and edging sideways to try and give herself an opening to do more than trot. "Not today, not with me. Straighten up or you'll get nothing." Irwin's words were firm, and he tapped the flank that was turning out with his whip - the filly obeyed, straightening her hindquarters and giving a solid huff. Awarding her obedience, Irwin allowed her to open into a canter, hands settling with the reins on either side of her neck. The filly was all raw power, and he could feel that she wanted nothing more than to really open up. Well, it would come.

When he felt the filly was loose enough, he asked her to gallop, moving her to the rail. The filly had a lot of energy under him, and seemed to decide she didn't want to fight him - a less firm hand may have had more trouble, but Irwin was no green rider. Irwin took the black horse around the first turn, eyeing the furlong pole that was his signal - he was breezing the filly five furlongs to get her ready. When they reached the desired point, Irwin leaned into the filly, giving her more of her head. However, specialized to Ginny's style, he also tugged her head to the right. The filly responded explosively, moving out a few lanes from the rail as they started around the turn. It wasn't uncommon for Ginny to race to the outside, so this would give them a good idea of what her times would be like given that situation. The filly wasn't bothered by the route, digging in as much as she would otherwise. When they were two furlongs out, Irwin asked her for everything, pushing his hands along her neck and giving her her head to run. Ginny pushed for more, powerful muscles surging, not slowing until they were past the wire and Irwin asked her to do so. Ginny didn't fight, but seemed to have a lot more left in the tank, which was good - this was no sprint horse, and she had a lot of stamina to her. They finished the gallop out strongly, the filly gamely matching whatever speed Irwin asked for.

When Irwin pulled the filly up by the gate, he was smiling. The filly didn't act like a newbie to the track, so it was obvious she'd been worked well and regularly. He could only hope she's perform as well for him in her race.