Wartime [Rio & Della]

Who knew that the heat would be on for two young newcomers to Valkyrie so soon? Kent hadn't been expecting it when he took the two horses in for training, but he was ready to accept the challenge.

Heart of Rio was by far the more experienced of the two fillies to breeze together, and due to her lineage, she would soon be ready to take another stab at a HOTY race. They could only hope that a small break and a little bit of extra training could help her to excel. The pretty bay filly stood next to her handler, well-behaved for the most part - though if he turned his head for too long, she would playfully nip at his untucked shirt. She had all the look of a champion and the heart of a child.

The other juvenile stood quietly as well, though you could tell from the tenseness of her body that she was quite ready to get out on the track - she kept eyeing the other filly, pawing the ground every once in awhile as a sort of challenge, though Rio ignored it. Daughter of War quite lived up to her name, with a competitive, fighting spirit that would not be held down. She was smaller, but she didn't seem to realize or care. While unraced, there were high hopes that this sprinter would make a name for herself.

Rio would be ridden by the young jockey Felix, while Della would have Alexis aboard for the work. The two were laughing and joking as they reached the horses, very similar smiles on their faces. There wasn't much doubt as to who would come out on top of the breeze - Della was a sprinter, after all - but the two thoroughly enjoyed a bit of light competition nonetheless. Alexis mounted the grey and Felix got a leg up onto Rio, and together the two moved onto the dirt track - with Della walking just a little faster to get herself there first, of course. Alexis, not really one for words so early in the morning, gave a wave, and the two riders opened their horses into a trot. Rio immediately jumped forward, inexperience leading her to be a little impatient. While Felix got her quickly back to pace, Alexis had to deal with Della, who was not happy with the other filly passing her up. "Calm down, stupid. She's not going anyway," Alexis said crossly, putting his weight into keeping the filly from breaking forward.

"Just let her warm up a few lengths ahead. It'll solve most of our problems," Felix said with some amusement, moving Rio in behind the grey. Alexis agreed, and Della settled easily once Rio was well behind her. Things went smoothly, and the two riders opened the horses into a canter, allowing them to stretch their legs and get a real feel of the surface. A few more minutes, and Alexis asked Della to pick up an easy gallop, leaning close to her neck and loosening the reins. Della complied easily, her shorter stature making for a quicker stride - something that took a rider awhile to get used to, really. He could hear Felix ask the same of Rio, and the willing filly did so easily, strides eating the ground with every step. Della could hear it too, and Alexis could practically feel her will to dominate. She was comfortable for now, but as soon as Rio tried to draw up, she would fight back.

Soon they reached the pole that started their work. Both horses were scheduled for five furlongs - a long work for Della, and a short one for Rio. Either way, it would sharpen both horses and gear up their competitive spirits. Alexis leaned into Della, asking her to open up, and she complied. Felix was to hold Rio two lengths behind until they reached the last two furlongs, when she'd really press Della. It actually caused Alexis to keep Della at a moderate pace, which she was happy to do as long as Rio wasn't near her. However, it came to the fourth furlong, and as soon as Della felt Rio's breath on her flank, the filly really dug in - no urging from Alexis required. He let her have her head, and the two fillies charged on - Della's sprinter style allowed her to draw away, at least until they got closer to the wire. Rio's patient stamina brought her nose-to-neck on the filly as she began to tire, and she only finished a neck behind the other two-year-old.

Both horses galloped out, Rio breezing past Della - the grey filly was decidedly unhappy, but she was tired and didn't care enough to fight back if Alexis didn't ask her to. The two fillies pulled up by the gate, sweaty but none the worse for wear. Alexis laughed as Della was led off - something in her strut said she knew very well that she'd won. Rio seemed complacent, but Felix wasn't worried - in her element, the filly was very good. And her next race was definitely in her element. They could only hope that both juveniles would come out on top.