Silver Crest Stables: (Zenyattafan122)

[Man O' War Lover]

The sun rose slowly over the green pastures as groom's lead the mare's out to grass and younf horses in traning where lead from the traning barn to the track. Some walked by with a cooler other's tacked and ready to run on the soft dirt. I walked from the large traning barn with Hummingbird Dancer in tow. Trainer Ronny Homes stood by the track rail talking to the owner Frank White. They watched as the two-year-old went by and Ronny went to boost me into the saddle. Hummingbird danced a little on her toes with the cool weather. She was a black filly by Hummingbird Knight. I gatherd the rein's and fited my feet into the iron's. The small filly walked through the gap in the track rail and walked onto the track. I rested my knee's on her shoulder's her muscles slid smoothly under her satin skin. We where a bit short on exsercise rider's and needed some to help ride the other colt's and fillies. I let her out but kept a frim grip on the rein's more like a snug hold. Her ear's flicked as I spoke. She moved easly along the inside rail and her stride even. As we moved passt the first quarter pole I let a notch of rein out. She rolled around the trun and cam einto the stretch. The track was a mile not the avreg half mile traning track. She seemed calm in the wide stretch of dirt. As we raced her shadow the poles swept by. She came into the turn and then I pulled her up tell we came to a stop. She had short work out's and they blazed but not all the time some times ww had to take it slow. I walked her off the track and back to the barn where Sammy the groom met us and cliped the lead shank onto her bridle and he walked her back to the barn. I waited for the next horse.

(you can be a new hired hand or somthing what ever you want ?)

[Dark**Light]

(in the view of my mare Zenyatta)
Oh how I had longed to race again. Ever since I had wounded my fetlock in an accident with another race horse during the Kentucky Derby I hadn't run the track. I always watched the young fillies race around the tracks and how I longed to be the horse being raced. Although it would never happen again. After the incident my jockey had to go to the ER...and never came back. So I became retired and never raced again. But watching the filly was the best thing I had. If only, oh if only the filly's jockey would just take me out for one, just one run. It would be just like old times.

[Man O' War Lover]

I walked down the isle of the traning barn the older four year old's watched me. I petted there head's and waited for the next batch of horses to come out for a work seeing the mare from last year I went over and stopped infront of her stall. "Hey girl." I smiled resting my arm's on the stall door. I took some hard candy out of my pocket and opend the warper. I placed the candy on the palm of my hand and held it out to her. (sorry I was logged on but my mom and sister got on just a little bit that wont happen a lot sorry )

[Dark**Light]

As the trainer put candy on my stall door I took it and muzzled her. The I saw the lock I reached my head out of my stall and started pulling at the lock. And then started whinying and tossing my head toward the tack room. I wanted to race on the track so bad that I reared up slightly and pawed down on the ground. Then I looked at the trophies, medals and photos of the things I had. Then I looked at my racing tack and raised the foot that was wounded telling her my foot is healed now would you take me out for a ride...PLEASE!. Hopefully she got the clue that I wanted to race...again!

[Man O' War Lover]

(Riley Ford is a jockey, he is a boy sorry forgot to tell you )

I smiled as she ate the candy. She started to kick her stall. "Hay be carfule." I enterd the stall to strock her neck to make her stop. "You want to get hurt agian." I said grabing her halter and rasing her head at eye leavle. "Huh girl?" I rubed her forhead and smiled. "You are a strange one." I patted her. I left the stall to finish my work.

Later the groom's fed the horses and Ronny walked back to the banr with me. "She just kept kicking her stall?" He asked entering the mare's stall and feeling her leg. "We dont need her to hurt herself agian he said. I watched her. "Is she ok?" Yeah just a little shook up from beeing in a stall so long we can walk her tomarrow Ronny said.

[Dark**Light]

When they opened the stall door I made a dash for the tack room and grabbed the #8 blanket that I used and trotted back to the people. I was sure that they would get it now. I didn't just want to race I needed to race! I then tried to put the blanket on my back and then I nudged the jockey.

[Man O' War Lover]

All the groom's went for her bridle "Easy!" They cooed. She had a hold of a saddle blancket. Groom's got out of her mouth and tried to lead her back to the barn so she would not hurt her self. Ronny took the lead and lead her out side instead trying to walk of her nervse. "Come on girl don't hurt your self." He said walking her past the track and to the hot walking ring's.

[Dark**Light]

NO! I want to race! I need to race! I ran away to the track and jumped the fence into the track. I ran around the track chasing after a horse in training and soon passed her. They have to get it now! I need to race! Oh it felt good to be running on that dirt track again!

[Man O' War Lover]

The groom's cornerd her soon and took her back to the barn to cool her out the leg was not so good though. Feeling it Ronny said it was not as cool as it should have been. "She is acting like she want's to break a leg." I stood quiet holding her lead. "We could give her a easy trot tomarrow." I said. He shook his head. "We dont know what she will do she cant run as fast as she want's or as long we need to give her slow work's not fast one's if she ever was to race agian she need's to go by the rules." I patted her neck as she stood in the cross ties-

[Dark**Light]

Well at least they know that I want to race again. But still I have to find someway to race in a real race! Later that day there was a race held with a few of the training horses. When I heard about it I went crazy. So the stablehands put me in the paddok (they made the mistake of putting me in the paddok next to the track) and I jumped both fences and went to the starting gate. The bell rang and I was off. I started at my usual posttion, the back. Then at the quarter I flew ahead of all the training horses and won by 4 lengths! Then it happened. The stablehands saw me.

[Man O' War Lover]

Draging a mare back to the barn was starting to be the regular rutin for us. Ronny finaly put a saddle on the prancing mare. I waited to walk her on the track. As he boosted me into the saddle I fited my feet into the stirup's and sat perched in the small saddle. I troted her into the track a firm and snug hold on the rien's. She was ment to gallop just three furlong's.

[Dark**Light]

Oh how I missed this saddle! It felt like old times! The moment she grabbed the reins I ran all the way around the track. Then it happened I fell to the ground and started breathin heavily. The last thing I saw before I blacked out were stablehands running over to the place where I fell.

[Man O' War Lover]

(Riley is a boy the rider the one I'm in POV)

I tried to pull her when I relized she was pulling at the bit then she took off on me no way this would work. She kept rolling around the turn like a freight train and then her breathing got heavy and then wam she fell to the ground. I bailed and hit the ground rolling. Groom's ran to see to us both. Getting up I went over to her she was on her side.








(I think TS/Admin, change our font for the site?)

[Dark**Light]

I couldn't believe it! Then I saw the stable hands. They checked on my leg and said that all I did was tripped and fell. Then they took me back to my stall. I went crazy! Once the stable hands got a hold of the lead rope I started rearing and bucking and kicking. Eventually I kicked one of the stable hands and made a run for it.I won't go back into the stables for another year! I just won't do it! I had vowed not to ever go into the stables for another year. I was running like there was no tomorrow and I was heading towards the exit gate. I was going to jump the gate and escape. I knew I could beat a car in a race. And that gave me the guts to run from the stable hands. Tack and all.

[Man O' War Lover]

The leg would make it to where she could not go far the woner loudly yelled what a waist it was she was acting like a roge(crazy horse) the groom's halled her back to the barn the lead's had no slak from her diging her feet into the dirt. Her saddle was loose and the bridle broke but they som how maniged to get it off her. They pulled her into a stall and tied her in some make shift stall cross ties. They had her leg wraped in a gooz wrap and Ronny was fealing her leg's. Unfortanitly she was hurt all over again. I stood outside and watched the groom's left to finish there chores-

[Dark**Light]

Oh My Gosh are they going to sell me? A few days later I was so depressed that I wouldn't eat and I just hung my head low. I wanted to die just so that I could race in the skies and never get hurt again. I was hoping that the stable hands would pay attention to my strange behavior. They sometimes would take a look at me and seem puzzled. I hope they'd tell the jockey so he can make me feel better. Because all that I wanted to do was race. But I knew that it wouldn't happen...ever again.

[Man O' War Lover]

The funny beahavior was guessed to be a sign of weakniss but Ronny was not going to sell a horse based on guesses. He had the vet check her and asked if she was eating. "Yes." Ronny said. "She can't race agian but she could be a brood mare." The vet said. But the owner was set on selling the mare. A small farm just starting out in Kentucky was looking for a good mare and the young couple that ran it was willing to buy. In a week the mare was on her way to the small farm. She was kept with the older horses and feed her daily grain in two day's she would be face to face with a trainer and her new groom/exsercise rider "Ray Archer". She lived in the stall at the end of the traning barn now and groom's helped keep the heat from her leg's. But the stall was large than most the trainer "Allen" had the stall next to it kicked down so the wall was not there any more the mare seemed to like more space than most. "We pamper her like she was our stable champion." Allen said one day. As they walked her one cool morning Ray held the lead line and Allen folowed beahind slowly-

[Dark**Light]

I liked the old farm and would do whatever it took to get back to it. So when they had me on the lead rope I took an abrupt stop and snorted. They looked at me quire and turned around. At that moment I made a mad dash for it and ran as far as I could go. Soon enough I couldn't see the farm and whinnied a victory cry. Then there was a loud bang and I fell to the ground. I had been shot. I heard the truck and trailer come driving down the road. Then I blacked out. I thought I was dead and would be hit by the car. I heard Ray tell Allan to get the rope and bandages. Ray came up to me and said"Hang in there Zenyatta. We'll get you help" Then I couldn't hear a thing. I was unconscious.

[Man O' War Lover]

Four week's in a meadical center would put her out of four week's of traning. The mare was moved to the small medical center on her new farm and was lead to be walked in the pool evrey day to strangthn her muscles she had lost from beeing in a sling so long at the large medacl center. Ray walked her around the pool which seemed fun to her beacuse she could swim but that was probably the only part she liked about it. They paded the sides of her stall wall's and her stall door was a slid door instead. A certan groom would take care of her. Ray walked her out of the pool and back to the barn petting her "You need to stop running and start working, or you are not going to race." He said-

[Dark**Light]

At the sound of him saying I can't race I lowered my head and walked slowly into my stall. I refused to eat again. But when Ray would come by I would lift my head slowly and give a small whinny. Almost as if I was saying I am a race horse and always will be. I won't stop racing. I'll race every chance that I get. But I'll die if I can't race. Then Ray would walk up to my stall and look at me and feel as if he was torchering me. The next few days I grew skinnier and skinnier until soon enough you could see my bones. I was in so much pain but it didn't matter. I couldn't race.

[Man O' War Lover]

The vet said they might have to force feed down her throat. Ray tried to walk her he would lead her to the track nto watch work out's hoping the activity would perk her up. He would put a blancket on her so she would be warm in the cool morning's. One day he saddle a stable pony to lead her on the small trail on a lead line. She followed and Ray kept a slow pace-

[Dark**Light]

When I watched the other horses it perked me up. And eventually I was working so I would be able to race again. A few months later I was healthy enough to race. I had started eating again and soon I was back to normal. My perky, race horse self. I soon wanted to race and would sometimes play games with Ray like taking the brush when he tried to groom me and taking the #8 blanket when he was tacking me up. Ray would always tack me up with my old racing gear whether it was for just trail riding or actual racing.

[Man O' War Lover]

Allen had her galloping five furlong's then bilt the distance of her work out's up soon she would be breezing three quarter's. Ray rode her onto the track one morning for her work with the owner and Allen watching. Ray started her at a easy gallop-

[Dark**Light]

When I saw that Allen was watching I knew I had to obey his every command...so I did. Then Allen brought out a black race horse. He said to race her against him. I started at my usual position and saw the look on
Allen's face. He didn't look happy. Then at a quarter to the finish his face was turning red. Then Ray whispered "O.k Zenyatta, show that stallion what you got!" I flew up to the point where all I had to do was just turn and I would be beside him. I first looked at Allen and he was happier then I flew ahead of the stallion and won! Again! Allen looked amazed at the new technique and said "That's your technique! Nobody else will be allowed to use it!" I looked at Ray and nudged him. He looked at me and smiled, then gave my neck a pat and said " good job Lady Z."

[Man O' War Lover]

In three week's the mare was shiped off the race in a couple of prep races then shoot for the one race she never had the chance to win The Bredder's Cup Lady's Classic. She would stay in barn seven-

In a few day's she was enterd in a prep race worth 20,000 and won by a neck. Two week's later she would race in the Apple Blossom aganst a feild of 12 and win by three length's. She then was raced for a purse of 60,000 agianst a feild of 10. She won by 5. I two week's she would be on her way to race in The Lady's Classic. Her fame was raised above the bar and when she worked fan's and trainer's lined up at the track rail to watch. She was givin a hour of grazing in the walk ring area and then worked in the morning arounf seven. The day's cam by fast and Allen had her in top condition.

[Sponsored content]