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Description
Previously...

Yay! Rollover, age up and another racing season begins. This one's going to be big, with Muffin beginning her career and Raven launching her three year old campaign. This here training pic was made just to demonstrate exactly how much of a midget Muffin is and how much of a beast Raven is. I'm not happy with the shading, but I didn't have the heart to re-do it another time.
___________________________________

This season, Willowglen Downs was taking a new approach to training their thoroughbreds.

Despite Raven’s impressive form last season, the farm’s owner was less than convinced. They’d kept her training fairly light over winter, keeping her fit but not trying to have her peak too early. The filly was bigger this season, if that was possible, and she had filled out some, but not a lot. She looked tall, lean and dangerous – almost like a colt. And though she had more fight in her from last season, she still wasn’t producing the times that she should have been.

Ravenhawk was entered in the Whirlaway Stakes at the Aqueduct in February, an ungraded affair as Willowglen Downs wanted to keep their filly off the radar after last year. Inevitably though, the huge filly drew some attention from fans and press alike, towering over her male competitors as the sole filly in the field of 7. Despite not being graded, the race had attracted some favored colts with the distance of a mile and a sixteenth – a distance that could be used to prepare colts for the Derby.

Despite her size and past record, the colts were favored above Ravenhawk to win, the filly dismissed as dreaming. The team from Willowglen downs was quietly confident in their filly however; distance was no problem for the filly, the real challenge would be if she had the speed to catch the colts. The result of the race none withstanding, we really just wanted to see how she’d run at the longer distances; after last season there were some strong hints she’d fare even better the more furlongs she had to go.

Like an all too familiar scene, the filly ambled along behind the field – neither gaining ground nor losing it. Coming into the final turn she began to motor, picking off rivals one by one until there were only two runners in front of her. Every stride she gained on them, but she still wasn’t sprinting. The crowd roared, though for who it was hard to say. Rolling along like a great unstoppable boulder, the dark filly came upon the dueling colts in the final strides. Some of the crowd were urging the filly to run faster, almost as frustrated with her apparently slow stride rare as her trainers were, while others were urging the favorite colt to give it that one last push. The wire flashed by, with the second bay colt coming third by a neck, but it was too close to call between Raven and her chestnut opponent.

Galloping out well beyond the field, the rangy bay filly was brought around in time for the result – she’d won by a nose, but that was far too close for comfort. Remarkable as it was that she’d performed well against the colts, it was now more certain than ever the filly had far more to give, if only she wanted to give it!

Back at Willowglen Downs, the plan that everyone had been thinking was finally spoken – try the brown filly in the Derby. She’d proven that she could go the distance, but to get there, they needed to light a fire under her tail and soon.

An idea appeared to them on the first morning that Muffin was brought out for a breeze around the track – the liver chestnut filly positively ate up five furlongs in an astounding time, showing an incredible aptitude for speed, just as predicted. Trying to get her to run for any longer than seven was likely to be a challenge, despite her defiant little heart. Her size was really going to be a serious problem; as the distances got longer, she’d be going two strides for every one of theirs, and her blazing speed would devour her energy like a fire does a forest. Here we had two problems: a distance horse who wouldn’t go fast enough and a sprinter who wouldn’t have the experience to tackle the distance. Why solve both problems by combining them?

Ravenhawk’s size became even more apparent next to the tiny little tank of a filly as they stepped out onto the training track together for the first time, the little filly cast completely in Raven’s shadow. After a quick warm-up it was all business, Muffin looking determined as always – she always had the look about her daring the world to throw whatever it had at her. Today, that would be the big filly jogging beside her at a lazy lope.

“Take them six furlongs, I want Muffin to have a big of a push and I want Raven to know what it feels like to be out seriously outclassed. I don’t doubt that this here filly will always be able to beat her for speed, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

It was all over from the word go. Muffin was out of there like a bat out of Hell, thin legs whirring with such blinding speed it was hard to image she was ever going to stop. Although those watching on had expected it, perhaps not quite that quick, Raven was caught completely off guard. It was clear early on that she would never have caught the little chestnut speedball, even if she did try. But oh, she did try. Picking up her heels after a few strides, the giant of a filly heaved her huge body into motion, slinging herself after the blurred chestnut shape who was hugging the rail, still moving as though she had wings on her heels.

Simultaneously, the staff looking on from the rail glanced at their watches – the first quarter gone in a blazing :21:7. Raven had eaten slightly into Muffin’s lead, but it was only a little, her larger strides making up ground rather than her speed. Hooves pounding furiously into the dirt, Muffin flicked her ears back and forth occasionally – listening for the approach of the big brown filly. As the liver chestnut began to tire in the final furlong after an incredible headlong charge, the heavy hoof beats from her pursuer began to approach. Spurred on, Muffin flattened her ears against her neck and dished out every remaining ounce of merciless speed she had, finishing in the astounding time of 1:09:89. She was over five lengths clear of the unsuspecting bay, but not for long as Raven galloped out furiously past the filly, as though wanting to prove she could beat her. If they could keep this up, maybe there would be hope for the Derby after all.
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Shown here are She's Got Legs aka Muffin (left), and Ravenhawk aka Raven (right).

Description
Previously...

Yay! Rollover, age up and another racing season begins. This one's going to be big, with Muffin beginning her career and Raven launching her three year old campaign. This here training pic was made just to demonstrate exactly how much of a midget Muffin is and how much of a beast Raven is. I'm not happy with the shading, but I didn't have the heart to re-do it another time.
___________________________________

This season, Willowglen Downs was taking a new approach to training their thoroughbreds.

Despite Raven’s impressive form last season, the farm’s owner was less than convinced. They’d kept her training fairly light over winter, keeping her fit but not trying to have her peak too early. The filly was bigger this season, if that was possible, and she had filled out some, but not a lot. She looked tall, lean and dangerous – almost like a colt. And though she had more fight in her from last season, she still wasn’t producing the times that she should have been.

Ravenhawk was entered in the Whirlaway Stakes at the Aqueduct in February, an ungraded affair as Willowglen Downs wanted to keep their filly off the radar after last year. Inevitably though, the huge filly drew some attention from fans and press alike, towering over her male competitors as the sole filly in the field of 7. Despite not being graded, the race had attracted some favored colts with the distance of a mile and a sixteenth – a distance that could be used to prepare colts for the Derby.

Despite her size and past record, the colts were favored above Ravenhawk to win, the filly dismissed as dreaming. The team from Willowglen downs was quietly confident in their filly however; distance was no problem for the filly, the real challenge would be if she had the speed to catch the colts. The result of the race none withstanding, we really just wanted to see how she’d run at the longer distances; after last season there were some strong hints she’d fare even better the more furlongs she had to go.

Like an all too familiar scene, the filly ambled along behind the field – neither gaining ground nor losing it. Coming into the final turn she began to motor, picking off rivals one by one until there were only two runners in front of her. Every stride she gained on them, but she still wasn’t sprinting. The crowd roared, though for who it was hard to say. Rolling along like a great unstoppable boulder, the dark filly came upon the dueling colts in the final strides. Some of the crowd were urging the filly to run faster, almost as frustrated with her apparently slow stride rare as her trainers were, while others were urging the favorite colt to give it that one last push. The wire flashed by, with the second bay colt coming third by a neck, but it was too close to call between Raven and her chestnut opponent.

Galloping out well beyond the field, the rangy bay filly was brought around in time for the result – she’d won by a nose, but that was far too close for comfort. Remarkable as it was that she’d performed well against the colts, it was now more certain than ever the filly had far more to give, if only she wanted to give it!

Back at Willowglen Downs, the plan that everyone had been thinking was finally spoken – try the brown filly in the Derby. She’d proven that she could go the distance, but to get there, they needed to light a fire under her tail and soon.

An idea appeared to them on the first morning that Muffin was brought out for a breeze around the track – the liver chestnut filly positively ate up five furlongs in an astounding time, showing an incredible aptitude for speed, just as predicted. Trying to get her to run for any longer than seven was likely to be a challenge, despite her defiant little heart. Her size was really going to be a serious problem; as the distances got longer, she’d be going two strides for every one of theirs, and her blazing speed would devour her energy like a fire does a forest. Here we had two problems: a distance horse who wouldn’t go fast enough and a sprinter who wouldn’t have the experience to tackle the distance. Why solve both problems by combining them?

Ravenhawk’s size became even more apparent next to the tiny little tank of a filly as they stepped out onto the training track together for the first time, the little filly cast completely in Raven’s shadow. After a quick warm-up it was all business, Muffin looking determined as always – she always had the look about her daring the world to throw whatever it had at her. Today, that would be the big filly jogging beside her at a lazy lope.

“Take them six furlongs, I want Muffin to have a big of a push and I want Raven to know what it feels like to be out seriously outclassed. I don’t doubt that this here filly will always be able to beat her for speed, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

It was all over from the word go. Muffin was out of there like a bat out of Hell, thin legs whirring with such blinding speed it was hard to image she was ever going to stop. Although those watching on had expected it, perhaps not quite that quick, Raven was caught completely off guard. It was clear early on that she would never have caught the little chestnut speedball, even if she did try. But oh, she did try. Picking up her heels after a few strides, the giant of a filly heaved her huge body into motion, slinging herself after the blurred chestnut shape who was hugging the rail, still moving as though she had wings on her heels.

Simultaneously, the staff looking on from the rail glanced at their watches – the first quarter gone in a blazing :21:7. Raven had eaten slightly into Muffin’s lead, but it was only a little, her larger strides making up ground rather than her speed. Hooves pounding furiously into the dirt, Muffin flicked her ears back and forth occasionally – listening for the approach of the big brown filly. As the liver chestnut began to tire in the final furlong after an incredible headlong charge, the heavy hoof beats from her pursuer began to approach. Spurred on, Muffin flattened her ears against her neck and dished out every remaining ounce of merciless speed she had, finishing in the astounding time of 1:09:89. She was over five lengths clear of the unsuspecting bay, but not for long as Raven galloped out furiously past the filly, as though wanting to prove she could beat her. If they could keep this up, maybe there would be hope for the Derby after all.
_________________________________

Shown here are She's Got Legs aka Muffin (left), and Ravenhawk aka Raven (right).