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Fox Harbor Farms
Trainer: Waylon Givens 
Jockey: Barnabas Skellar
Jockey: Barnabas Skellar2018 Breeders' Cup Turf
Extra [strike]Prep[/strike]
"This is a disaster. An absolute freaking disaster." Harley just stood there with the broken blinkers in his hand, "We have to scratch. Someone is going to get killed."
"We've done this before, it's not pretty, but he will be fine." Waylon was speaking softly but his eyes were squarely on the big black colt who was staring right back at him, almost like he was staring through him. "And besides, he's...more mature now than he was then. I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Someone is going to get hurt, he needs to be scratched. We don't have a spare one of these, and the next closest thing won't even fit his big head." There was a snort and Demon started pawing the paddock stall, ears pinned back, the colt was getting anxious with all this talk around him.
"Borie." The word was said softly as Barnabas rubbed Demon's neck, an action that had those ears flicking forward and then towards the man before he moved to nibble on his silks. "We'll be fine right boy?" There was a whuffle and the colt seemed to settle down, he was doing marginally better these days. Partially, the team credited, to him finally finding a horse he got along with. Of course, it'd been terrifying the first time the two had been together...two sides of the same coin, two demons, but OF Beelzebub had a good effect on the colt and lately, he'd been easier to handle. "I've got him, and I'll make sure no one else gets hurt." Patting his neck he let out a breath before looking at the two Givens. "He will run like the devil, because for the first time he'll get to see his prey. But he won't be eating anyone today."
There was a twitch in his back end, and then a sharp kick rang out as Demon threw a hoof against the back of his paddock stall. Screaming from another horse down the row made the colt blow air for a moment, pleased with himself for getting the reaction he expected. The colt liked to intimidate horses, and he liked to get a rile out of people always had and the team figured he always would. Barnabas leaned forward and whispered something in his ear that had him pinning them and neighing. Whatever the bond these two had, Barnabas was the only one that ever got Demon to do something semi-right, just this side of "good boy" and sometimes brilliant things on the track.
Harley sighed and dropped the broken blinkers, while saddling Demon had thrashed his head into the paddock wall shattering the blinders on his left side. Once the vet had ruled he was fine, the team was left with either making a late equipment change or scratching from the Breeders' Cup Turf. Neither of which were that pleasing to them. But they had, against Harley's desires, decided for the late equipment change. Demon would run for the first time in over a year with no blinkers, no blinders, nothing but a noseb and and his bridle. And that terrified the hell out of Harley, and apparently the steward who kept asking if he was sure there wasn't some other kind of apparatus they'd like to use. Finally the change was announced and everyone seemed just as terrified as Harley, especially the crowd.
There was a chance they would see something today that they'd never seen before. An opportunity for Demon to show that he wasn't that monster that everyone thought he was, or an opportunity for him to prove that he was in fact a demon from Hell. Only time would tell, and Harley was thankful he wasn't on him today. Even as he walked back he could feel the unease in the air around the paddock, Demon usually caused that but it was worse, the beast was going to be unleashed and American horses had never seen that. He'd never raced in the states without the blinders, that change was made overseas as a 2YO. He'd been vicious then, taking out his stable mate and utterly ruining her career. So much so that she's terrified of horses to this day and is retired with only 3 races as a two year old under her belt. And now, in one of the biggest races of his career...it was being unleashed again.
The call for riders up came and he took a breath, shook Barnabas' hand and then watched as he was the only jockey to just swing up into the saddle. Of course Demon had to act a fool and once Barnabas was on his back he lurched out of his stall early, gave a kick and a spin before screaming like a banshee. There was a hard correction from Barnabas, a reminder that he still had his nose band on and that he wasn't going to get free rein, and then Demon posed there in front of his stall for all the paddock to see. He was standing squared up, puffed up in the chest and breathing hard, a rich lather forming across his black hide, ears pinned flat back, mouth open to expose his full teeth like a snarl with drool falling.
The Demon had come to Churchill, and he was ready to take on all comers, whether they liked it or not. And with the chill in the air it looked like he was breathing hellfire down around them, there was another correction and he relaxed closing his mouth and looking around the paddock to see who had seen him show off. Of course everyone had, and it pleased the beast more than anything else would possibly please him this day. So much so that when they finally got to go out in the post parade he was almost behaving, of course he had to try and chew on Nichi, that was the rule. But the big stallion snapped back and gave a kick in warning and Demon piped down. Their relationship, forged in the sands of Australia, was probably one of his strongest before he started to be with his brother Beetle. And it showed as he relaxed into a nice steady trot in front of the packed grandstands.
Barnabas looked at the crowd and sighed before offering a soft smile to Jensen who was riding Nichi today, the only non-track pony in the line up. "I don't know what is going to happen...but I know that Demon has his plan and I have mine."
"Oh I'm sure he does. He's the smartest animal I've ever worked with, and I work with wild horses primarily." Demon snorted which got a snort in return from Nichi. "There's something special about that colt, maybe the world will get to see it one day if he lets them. But we get to see it all the time, every part of him is an animal destined for something more. It's his head that is the problem."
It was time to let Demon warm up and the two men shook hands before Jensen let them go off, Demon took off immediately at a canter and got pulled back to slow to more of a trot. He needed to conserve his energy, of course, because he was going to close. No matter what they could expect that Demon would be at the back of the pack, trailing his prey until it was time to strike. Like a lion on the prowl, he did everything as if he was hunting. Horses went cantering by them and Barnabas just let them, feet out of the irons, relaxed and calm as Demon slowly moved towards the gates.
This was the first time Barnabas had gotten eyes on the competition and while he waited for his chance to load up, there were some extreme heavy hitters and Demon honestly hadn't faced a field like this for a long time. If ever.
Taizai was a filly that the team had kept eyes on for a while now, since her impressive romp over FHF Witching Hour a few years back to her clashes with Takenshi, Steel, and Triton since. Honestly, she was a filly they were curious on getting a foal out of and they were always impressed with how Mullara Stud handled their horses. Barnabas would have to keep an eye on her, she was good and could keep up with them without really trying.
HTS Tapping Into Love was honestly a filly they loved for a long time, and were so excited that their friends at High Tide were doing so well with her. Lately she'd been running like a real monster, and again she'd need to be watched. There was no underestimating either of those two fillies and that left...RSS Hot Shot, he'd been in races with them before. He was a favorite of the stable, even if he didn't run too often. And when he did run he was quite good. Shiraz and the team at Red Star were all good, and Barnabas knew that FHF was fond of them too.
Trojan's Wish was a horse they hadn't run against before, but they'd watched him come onto the turf scene with excitement, after all Day Oak was a bright up and coming stable, and they hadn't lost much momentum since retiring WBS Release The Panic. In fact they were eagerly expecting their foal by Panic out of their super broodmare bc Lara Croft at the beginning of the year. So their respect for Day Oak and it's breeding program was pretty high.
And of course, last but not least the immensely talented and temperamentally challenged The Gremlin. A horse that had resided at Fox Harbor for some time, that Barnabas had watched with keen interest as he thwarted the turf record of their superstar FHF Make Her Mark. Gremlin was the challenge of all challenges this race, and Barnabas knew that as he tipped his head towards his jockey. They were expecting a Gremlin foal out of FHF Witching Hour next season as well, excited for the cross and that the next generation of superstars could be hitting the ground as early as the first snow. Gremlin was the challenge and Demon had already eyed the beast, wanting to draw him into a true fight.
And then it was time for the gate, and Barnabas took a deep breath. Everything settled around him for a moment as he let out that breath, hearing Demon do the same. And then it started, the wailing scream of the beast as he slammed himself into the front of the gate. CLANG. He kicked, jumped, and slammed into the gate like it was his one true enemy. He clucked his tongue and tugged back as the starter adjusted his gaze, "Borie we gotta do this now." Demon settled, puffing hard and then tossed his head back as the gate swung open, there was one final roar before he lunged forward already jumps behind the pack and moving to trail in their dust.
Extra
[strike]Prep[/strike]"We've done this before, it's not pretty, but he will be fine." Waylon was speaking softly but his eyes were squarely on the big black colt who was staring right back at him, almost like he was staring through him. "And besides, he's...more mature now than he was then. I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Someone is going to get hurt, he needs to be scratched. We don't have a spare one of these, and the next closest thing won't even fit his big head." There was a snort and Demon started pawing the paddock stall, ears pinned back, the colt was getting anxious with all this talk around him.
"Borie." The word was said softly as Barnabas rubbed Demon's neck, an action that had those ears flicking forward and then towards the man before he moved to nibble on his silks. "We'll be fine right boy?" There was a whuffle and the colt seemed to settle down, he was doing marginally better these days. Partially, the team credited, to him finally finding a horse he got along with. Of course, it'd been terrifying the first time the two had been together...two sides of the same coin, two demons, but OF Beelzebub had a good effect on the colt and lately, he'd been easier to handle. "I've got him, and I'll make sure no one else gets hurt." Patting his neck he let out a breath before looking at the two Givens. "He will run like the devil, because for the first time he'll get to see his prey. But he won't be eating anyone today."
There was a twitch in his back end, and then a sharp kick rang out as Demon threw a hoof against the back of his paddock stall. Screaming from another horse down the row made the colt blow air for a moment, pleased with himself for getting the reaction he expected. The colt liked to intimidate horses, and he liked to get a rile out of people always had and the team figured he always would. Barnabas leaned forward and whispered something in his ear that had him pinning them and neighing. Whatever the bond these two had, Barnabas was the only one that ever got Demon to do something semi-right, just this side of "good boy" and sometimes brilliant things on the track.
Harley sighed and dropped the broken blinkers, while saddling Demon had thrashed his head into the paddock wall shattering the blinders on his left side. Once the vet had ruled he was fine, the team was left with either making a late equipment change or scratching from the Breeders' Cup Turf. Neither of which were that pleasing to them. But they had, against Harley's desires, decided for the late equipment change. Demon would run for the first time in over a year with no blinkers, no blinders, nothing but a noseb and and his bridle. And that terrified the hell out of Harley, and apparently the steward who kept asking if he was sure there wasn't some other kind of apparatus they'd like to use. Finally the change was announced and everyone seemed just as terrified as Harley, especially the crowd.
There was a chance they would see something today that they'd never seen before. An opportunity for Demon to show that he wasn't that monster that everyone thought he was, or an opportunity for him to prove that he was in fact a demon from Hell. Only time would tell, and Harley was thankful he wasn't on him today. Even as he walked back he could feel the unease in the air around the paddock, Demon usually caused that but it was worse, the beast was going to be unleashed and American horses had never seen that. He'd never raced in the states without the blinders, that change was made overseas as a 2YO. He'd been vicious then, taking out his stable mate and utterly ruining her career. So much so that she's terrified of horses to this day and is retired with only 3 races as a two year old under her belt. And now, in one of the biggest races of his career...it was being unleashed again.
The call for riders up came and he took a breath, shook Barnabas' hand and then watched as he was the only jockey to just swing up into the saddle. Of course Demon had to act a fool and once Barnabas was on his back he lurched out of his stall early, gave a kick and a spin before screaming like a banshee. There was a hard correction from Barnabas, a reminder that he still had his nose band on and that he wasn't going to get free rein, and then Demon posed there in front of his stall for all the paddock to see. He was standing squared up, puffed up in the chest and breathing hard, a rich lather forming across his black hide, ears pinned flat back, mouth open to expose his full teeth like a snarl with drool falling.
The Demon had come to Churchill, and he was ready to take on all comers, whether they liked it or not. And with the chill in the air it looked like he was breathing hellfire down around them, there was another correction and he relaxed closing his mouth and looking around the paddock to see who had seen him show off. Of course everyone had, and it pleased the beast more than anything else would possibly please him this day. So much so that when they finally got to go out in the post parade he was almost behaving, of course he had to try and chew on Nichi, that was the rule. But the big stallion snapped back and gave a kick in warning and Demon piped down. Their relationship, forged in the sands of Australia, was probably one of his strongest before he started to be with his brother Beetle. And it showed as he relaxed into a nice steady trot in front of the packed grandstands.
Barnabas looked at the crowd and sighed before offering a soft smile to Jensen who was riding Nichi today, the only non-track pony in the line up. "I don't know what is going to happen...but I know that Demon has his plan and I have mine."
"Oh I'm sure he does. He's the smartest animal I've ever worked with, and I work with wild horses primarily." Demon snorted which got a snort in return from Nichi. "There's something special about that colt, maybe the world will get to see it one day if he lets them. But we get to see it all the time, every part of him is an animal destined for something more. It's his head that is the problem."
It was time to let Demon warm up and the two men shook hands before Jensen let them go off, Demon took off immediately at a canter and got pulled back to slow to more of a trot. He needed to conserve his energy, of course, because he was going to close. No matter what they could expect that Demon would be at the back of the pack, trailing his prey until it was time to strike. Like a lion on the prowl, he did everything as if he was hunting. Horses went cantering by them and Barnabas just let them, feet out of the irons, relaxed and calm as Demon slowly moved towards the gates.
This was the first time Barnabas had gotten eyes on the competition and while he waited for his chance to load up, there were some extreme heavy hitters and Demon honestly hadn't faced a field like this for a long time. If ever.
Taizai was a filly that the team had kept eyes on for a while now, since her impressive romp over FHF Witching Hour a few years back to her clashes with Takenshi, Steel, and Triton since. Honestly, she was a filly they were curious on getting a foal out of and they were always impressed with how Mullara Stud handled their horses. Barnabas would have to keep an eye on her, she was good and could keep up with them without really trying.
HTS Tapping Into Love was honestly a filly they loved for a long time, and were so excited that their friends at High Tide were doing so well with her. Lately she'd been running like a real monster, and again she'd need to be watched. There was no underestimating either of those two fillies and that left...RSS Hot Shot, he'd been in races with them before. He was a favorite of the stable, even if he didn't run too often. And when he did run he was quite good. Shiraz and the team at Red Star were all good, and Barnabas knew that FHF was fond of them too.
Trojan's Wish was a horse they hadn't run against before, but they'd watched him come onto the turf scene with excitement, after all Day Oak was a bright up and coming stable, and they hadn't lost much momentum since retiring WBS Release The Panic. In fact they were eagerly expecting their foal by Panic out of their super broodmare bc Lara Croft at the beginning of the year. So their respect for Day Oak and it's breeding program was pretty high.
And of course, last but not least the immensely talented and temperamentally challenged The Gremlin. A horse that had resided at Fox Harbor for some time, that Barnabas had watched with keen interest as he thwarted the turf record of their superstar FHF Make Her Mark. Gremlin was the challenge of all challenges this race, and Barnabas knew that as he tipped his head towards his jockey. They were expecting a Gremlin foal out of FHF Witching Hour next season as well, excited for the cross and that the next generation of superstars could be hitting the ground as early as the first snow. Gremlin was the challenge and Demon had already eyed the beast, wanting to draw him into a true fight.
And then it was time for the gate, and Barnabas took a deep breath. Everything settled around him for a moment as he let out that breath, hearing Demon do the same. And then it started, the wailing scream of the beast as he slammed himself into the front of the gate. CLANG. He kicked, jumped, and slammed into the gate like it was his one true enemy. He clucked his tongue and tugged back as the starter adjusted his gaze, "Borie we gotta do this now." Demon settled, puffing hard and then tossed his head back as the gate swung open, there was one final roar before he lunged forward already jumps behind the pack and moving to trail in their dust.
The boo is comin' for you~ And yes, it's Halloween-ish and I'm feeling like he's the equine Freddy Kreuger.
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Really enjoying the dynamic pose you put together here!!
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