Wunder - 2017 TS Preakness Stakes

Registration Number: 3
Show: 2017 TS Preakness Stakes
Horses Name: JA's White Wonder
Riders Name: Kirsten Reintjes
Extra Images: 1, 2
Previous Experience:
El Camino Real Derby - 3rd
UAE 2000 Guineas - 3rd
Santa Anita Derby - 2nd
Wood Memorial - 2nd
Florida Derby - 2nd
Rebel Stakes - 1st
Sunland Derby - 2nd
Fountain Of Youth Stakes - 3rd
2017 TS UAE Derby - 1st
2017 TS Arkansas Derby - 1st
Mae Blossoms Handicap - 1st
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Prizes Donated: Chibi of winner

Horse featured: WBS Blackbeard's Ghostly Sails

Story:
The journey had exhausted Kirsten so much. The jet lag sat heavily in her bones and Wunder's too. The stallion had one of his hind legs bent, twisting his ears slowly, as if he were getting a brief overview of the unfamiliar surroundings. Instinctively, the horse knew that it would take all his powers in a few hours. Kirsten crouched with him on a straw bale and was half asleep. When she became nervous, her Catholic vein sometimes came out. She prayed silently to herself. Waiting was the worst. Outside, the rain crackled on the roof. If the rider had looked out, she would have seen the thick, violet, heavy storm clouds hanging like gloomy harbors above the horizon. Kirsten crossed her fingers and closed her eyes again. Not long though. Just a second, then she looked restlessly at the watch. "Even the horse is more relaxed than you," she growled. "Keep calm, it's not the first time you'd do that." Wunder snorted softly, scratching his hoofs on the rustling straw. It rustled as if mice crawled through it. For a moment, she admired the stallion for his intelligence, for although his actions did not serve any purpose, it distracted Kirsten from her inner unrest. Before his big head with the kind, bright eyes danced small dustflakes like snowflakes. She put her arms out and brushed the horse across the side. The body of the horse was warm. Wunder stuck his nose against her fingers and thus brought his rider to smile. "Nice that you are optimistic," she said. "Why, are not you?" Asked a voice from behind in German. Kirsten turned around. Shani had bent over her. She grinned. "Honey, are you going crazy again?" Kirsten breathed deeply once: "A ... bit." That was true. "I thought it would be better for us both to be on horseback." Shani held an arm to her roommate and friend. Kirsten grabbed the fingers with a brief hesitation. For a moment, bright, pale skin, touched dark-tanned, rough fingers. "You can do it. It is not about victory, but about the fact that you and the horse work together. When you do that, the winning comes by itself. The longer you wait here, do nothing, the more uneasy you will be. You can make Wunder nervous. " She pressed Kirsten to herself, "Honey, you can do that." She nodded vigorously: "It will be better if we are in the starting box afterwards, so I have no time to think about it." "Right decision." The two women embraced each other. "Do you fire me from the grandstand?" Kirsten asked softly. "I will scream so loud that you can hear it to Germany!", Shani promised, grinning. Miracle itself got disturbed by this sudden outburst, which deeply disturbed his calm, and he was seemingly quite annoying. Energetically, he alternately thrust his head at one and then the other's back to show his desire for attention. "Wunder is jealous," Shani said. Kirsten shook his head amused: "So a grouphugg with a horse does not have to be." "No, we do not have time for that, we have to start making him ready, he's supposed to look beautiful to the race, no matter how shitty the weather may be."
Word Count: 540

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This picture is a collab. Background and shading were done by Palominobrumbyfilly.
Original © media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/… (Traced)