Race at Redcar

Horse: AS Ryukotsei
Gender: Colt
Jockey: Scott Aleiangch
Race Entered: HA-RD Monthly Races - Red Straight Mile (G3) | F/M | (2) | 8F | Turf | Redcar Racecourse | Redcar, North Yorkshire, England | £120,000

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Ryu was a force to be reckoned with when he was frustrated. Named after a dragon that shoots bolts of lightening at anything it dislikes, Ruykotsei seemed determined to uphold the reputation that accompanied it no matter the cost.

Not to say the golden bay colt was inherently a bad horse - he could be perfectly sweet and act like a total gentleman - but oh, boy, had he woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Nothing anyone did seemed to make him feel better, even the peace offering of a polo mint from the old smily man in dungarees didn't get the scowl off his face. The colt whinnied, head high, screaching to the heavens before banging the door until Scott arrived and, finally, his ears went forward and he quietened down.

If only it had lasted, as soon as Scott mounted Ryu returned to his moaning, shaking his head and generally being an annoying little ****. How they got him to the starting gates they weren't too sure but hey, they got him theres it'll do, let's move on. 

Ryu had been fine in his trainings, he stood nicely in the starting box, so nicely that when they'd opened the first time he had only shown his surprise by lifting his head with a small squeal but then relaxed and gave the now open doors a sniff as if to sat 'what happened to you?' A couple of sessions later and he realised he was supposed to leg it after they opened but he got it down. What a contrast to race day when he stood in the starting box - if it could even be called standing - Ryu shifted from one foot to the other, head bobbing, weaving, shaking, he could not sit still. When the gates flew open he reared, loosing precious seconds before charging forward, misplacing his normally so smooth strides and loosing ground. It took a few seconds for him to find his place and start making like a bullet flat out down the race track, unusual for him since he was a chaser by style and didn't like being ahead. 

Clearly he didn't like being behind either. 

Scott tried to pull him back, he did, but Ryu had none of it, charging forward, gaining ground faster than even Epona was known to do in her hissy fits. Scott would have sat back to enjoy it but he could feel the strides were wrong, the colt was on the wrong leg and coming up to that turn sent dread clawing up his spine. Ryu's inexperience was going to get them both seriously injured or even killed if Scott couldn't get him to listen to him. 

How, exactly, Scott managed to get Ryu out of his self-enduced daze he wasn't sure but something seemed to snap inside the colt and he slowed down just enough to let Scott change his leading leg before picking up the pace to catch the other races. Ryu gave a heavy snort before barrelling forward again, smoother this time, more in control. the finish line getting closer and closer, come on, Ryu, faster, faster, just a bit more!