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Description
Horse: SWF Include The Truth
Ref: flic.kr/p/rZ8vWo
Race: Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The J.C. Monthly Show: NOV-DEC OPEN - RESULTS

Note: With the way I shaded this, hard brush instead of soft, I thought...with him beinhg a blood bay...doesn't it look like the shadows a candle flame leaves behind? So why not end his 2-year old career, galloping out of a candle flame? I also went with a more stylized approach. Normally when I do backgrounds for races, I try too hard. I try to put in every little detail the ref pic has. So I went with an almost vecter? approach. And I learned how to I hope, affectively do a candle flame. Without track refs as I did this, all I remembered was good weather and palm trees. So that's exactly what I did. At least that's what I hope I achieved.

Out Of The Fire

            Don't get me wrong, it was a big deal to be at the Breeders Cup. But for Myrianna Daines, it was just another day that she'd watch two of her special horses run against tough competition from racing stables that were far more prestigious than her own. Her nerves were not just frayed, they were loose wires flapping in the wind ready to throw out errant sparks and blow the place up. On accident, of course.

            In the barn, a few hours before the race, she groomed the blood bay colt to such a sheen he would've cause car accidents on the highway. She absentmindedly asked him questions.

            “How'd we get here, boy?”

            The colt laid his chin on her shoulder and sighed.

            “My thoughts exactly. “

            “Are you at all worried, Ink?” She asked him a while later.

            He lifted his chin from her shoulder, and looked into her eyes with an intense stare. No fear behind those deep brown eyes.

            “Good answer.”

            For Myrianna, the barn was the safest place to be at any track. She was with her horses, in an unassuming shed-row where nobody hounded her for their literary scoop. Nobody demeaned her for her small racing program that felt like it was getting nowhere fast. The loneliness was deafening though. Secret and Jackie were getting in some extra Z’s before the races, so it was just her and the two horses. She loved their companionship, but they didn't speak her language, though it felt at times like they understood it far better than even she did.

            She reached up and leafed her fingers through the blood bay's forelock.

            “It's your last race of the year. It feels a little anticlimactic doesn't it? Just yesterday it seemed like you stepped out on the track of your first race, and now we're soon preparing you for a whole new chapter in your book. Where did the time go?”

            The colt flicked his ears in her direction, bobbed his head, then peered down the aisle absentmindedly.

            “You're right of course. We just weren't paying attention to time fleeting away, because we were too busy to notice. Time to take a break after today, huh?”

            The colt nickered quietly, and nudged her shoulder, which was when his older half sister's chestnut head poked out of her stall next door seeking attention too.

            Myrianna smiled tiredly, and wrapped an arm around the mare's neck.

            “This whole book is being closed for you, isn't it, girl? After today, it'll be time to write a new one. I don't even know if I'm ready for a title.”

            The mare flicked an ear in her owner's direction, then followed her brother's gaze down the aisle. It wasn't another horse that had gotten both horse's attentions, it was the laughing jockeys who had entered the barn and were slowly heading in their direction. Myrianna turned her head in that direction to find Jackie and Secret arm in arm, almost in tears from laughing. When they were within earshot, Myrianna asked them what was so funny.

            “Some blonde in the lobby at the hotel. She'd never seen our kind before and was shocked to see us, so we milked it and told her some blonde jokes. She didn't understand any of them. We politely got out of there and have been laughing since,” Secret said, between her bouts of laughter.

            “You ladies are evil. But I know that I would've been there telling jokes too and laughing with you two afterwords, myself. “

            Both jockeys smirked, as Myrianna checked her cell phone for the time.

            “I remember the days I used to check a watch for the time. Now it's constantly checking a cell phone instead,” she mumbled.

            “Watches were easier not to lose. They were always right there on your wrist. A cell phone? Those are harder to secure and easier to lose,” Jackie said, thoughtfully.

            “Usually they're far more expensive too, at least the good ones,” Myrianna grimaced.

            “Getting to be about that time to get Ink saddled, right?” Jackie asked, as she rubbed the colt's nose.

            “Yeah. About that time. I'll pull him out for you, you get weighed in and get his tack.”

            “Roger that. You know, that makes me wonder, who's Roger?”

            In the saddling paddock, Secret held Ink while Jackie got a leg up into the saddle from Myrianna. She gathered the reins, then looked down waiting for orders.

            “Keep him held back for a little while to conserve energy, but not for too long or you'll both have too much ground to make up. Then when you feel the time is right, give him rein. Pace him just off the leader. You'll both know when to make your move from there. I'll see you two in the winners circle,” she smiled, patting Jackie's boot and stepping back as the colt was lead out of the paddock. I'll see you in the winners circle, had become a phrase that she said before every race to bolster her jockeys confidence. They didn't always meet there, but the words couldn't hurt.

            Jackie felt out of place among all of the human jockeys impatiently waiting for the gate to open. But like that one line she heard in some movie about racing, don't look back. Leave it all on the track. That's just what she intended to do. She shoved the shadow of self doubt and inexperience right there in the slot at the gate, and when the gate flew open she felt lighter than air. This was it, the culmination of so many sleepless nights, copious amounts of caffeine, and wavering hope in the little red bay colt that could. Or at least the little red bay that might be able to, given the right circumstances. The jackal held her breath for what felt like the entire time they were out there on the track. Her eyes, however, were wide open and her heart was ready for this adrenaline rush … for this inferno.

Word count – 1, 003

Note: PLEASE DO NOT FAV. BOMB. If you like something, leave a comment. Artists grow with your opinions

Description
Horse: SWF Include The Truth
Ref: flic.kr/p/rZ8vWo
Race: Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The J.C. Monthly Show: NOV-DEC OPEN - RESULTS

Note: With the way I shaded this, hard brush instead of soft, I thought...with him beinhg a blood bay...doesn't it look like the shadows a candle flame leaves behind? So why not end his 2-year old career, galloping out of a candle flame? I also went with a more stylized approach. Normally when I do backgrounds for races, I try too hard. I try to put in every little detail the ref pic has. So I went with an almost vecter? approach. And I learned how to I hope, affectively do a candle flame. Without track refs as I did this, all I remembered was good weather and palm trees. So that's exactly what I did. At least that's what I hope I achieved.

Out Of The Fire

            Don't get me wrong, it was a big deal to be at the Breeders Cup. But for Myrianna Daines, it was just another day that she'd watch two of her special horses run against tough competition from racing stables that were far more prestigious than her own. Her nerves were not just frayed, they were loose wires flapping in the wind ready to throw out errant sparks and blow the place up. On accident, of course.

            In the barn, a few hours before the race, she groomed the blood bay colt to such a sheen he would've cause car accidents on the highway. She absentmindedly asked him questions.

            “How'd we get here, boy?”

            The colt laid his chin on her shoulder and sighed.

            “My thoughts exactly. “

            “Are you at all worried, Ink?” She asked him a while later.

            He lifted his chin from her shoulder, and looked into her eyes with an intense stare. No fear behind those deep brown eyes.

            “Good answer.”

            For Myrianna, the barn was the safest place to be at any track. She was with her horses, in an unassuming shed-row where nobody hounded her for their literary scoop. Nobody demeaned her for her small racing program that felt like it was getting nowhere fast. The loneliness was deafening though. Secret and Jackie were getting in some extra Z’s before the races, so it was just her and the two horses. She loved their companionship, but they didn't speak her language, though it felt at times like they understood it far better than even she did.

            She reached up and leafed her fingers through the blood bay's forelock.

            “It's your last race of the year. It feels a little anticlimactic doesn't it? Just yesterday it seemed like you stepped out on the track of your first race, and now we're soon preparing you for a whole new chapter in your book. Where did the time go?”

            The colt flicked his ears in her direction, bobbed his head, then peered down the aisle absentmindedly.

            “You're right of course. We just weren't paying attention to time fleeting away, because we were too busy to notice. Time to take a break after today, huh?”

            The colt nickered quietly, and nudged her shoulder, which was when his older half sister's chestnut head poked out of her stall next door seeking attention too.

            Myrianna smiled tiredly, and wrapped an arm around the mare's neck.

            “This whole book is being closed for you, isn't it, girl? After today, it'll be time to write a new one. I don't even know if I'm ready for a title.”

            The mare flicked an ear in her owner's direction, then followed her brother's gaze down the aisle. It wasn't another horse that had gotten both horse's attentions, it was the laughing jockeys who had entered the barn and were slowly heading in their direction. Myrianna turned her head in that direction to find Jackie and Secret arm in arm, almost in tears from laughing. When they were within earshot, Myrianna asked them what was so funny.

            “Some blonde in the lobby at the hotel. She'd never seen our kind before and was shocked to see us, so we milked it and told her some blonde jokes. She didn't understand any of them. We politely got out of there and have been laughing since,” Secret said, between her bouts of laughter.

            “You ladies are evil. But I know that I would've been there telling jokes too and laughing with you two afterwords, myself. “

            Both jockeys smirked, as Myrianna checked her cell phone for the time.

            “I remember the days I used to check a watch for the time. Now it's constantly checking a cell phone instead,” she mumbled.

            “Watches were easier not to lose. They were always right there on your wrist. A cell phone? Those are harder to secure and easier to lose,” Jackie said, thoughtfully.

            “Usually they're far more expensive too, at least the good ones,” Myrianna grimaced.

            “Getting to be about that time to get Ink saddled, right?” Jackie asked, as she rubbed the colt's nose.

            “Yeah. About that time. I'll pull him out for you, you get weighed in and get his tack.”

            “Roger that. You know, that makes me wonder, who's Roger?”

            In the saddling paddock, Secret held Ink while Jackie got a leg up into the saddle from Myrianna. She gathered the reins, then looked down waiting for orders.

            “Keep him held back for a little while to conserve energy, but not for too long or you'll both have too much ground to make up. Then when you feel the time is right, give him rein. Pace him just off the leader. You'll both know when to make your move from there. I'll see you two in the winners circle,” she smiled, patting Jackie's boot and stepping back as the colt was lead out of the paddock. I'll see you in the winners circle, had become a phrase that she said before every race to bolster her jockeys confidence. They didn't always meet there, but the words couldn't hurt.

            Jackie felt out of place among all of the human jockeys impatiently waiting for the gate to open. But like that one line she heard in some movie about racing, don't look back. Leave it all on the track. That's just what she intended to do. She shoved the shadow of self doubt and inexperience right there in the slot at the gate, and when the gate flew open she felt lighter than air. This was it, the culmination of so many sleepless nights, copious amounts of caffeine, and wavering hope in the little red bay colt that could. Or at least the little red bay that might be able to, given the right circumstances. The jackal held her breath for what felt like the entire time they were out there on the track. Her eyes, however, were wide open and her heart was ready for this adrenaline rush … for this inferno.

Word count – 1, 003

Note: PLEASE DO NOT FAV. BOMB. If you like something, leave a comment. Artists grow with your opinions