super glue

[Snowflake]

Davo? Vicky shook me awake. What..? I asked groggily, rubbing the crust out of my eyes. She smiled sympathetically. Apparently Diva didn't eat again last night.. Sarah has a theory she wants to try out. I smiled into my pillow. Whoever would have thought I could have such an influence on such a horse? Fatal Attraction, or Diva, as everyone called her, was the horse I'd always dreamed of. Although Flying Colours had been an amazingly fast sprinter, won Best Sprinter three years in a row and been inducted into the Hall Of Fame, he and I hadn't been superglued together like Diva and I were. He and I were bonded by our masculinity and love of winning.

Diva had now been here for three days. She had settled into her new home faster than any horse I had ever known. On her first day, she had eaten her dinner while I talked to her; but on day two and three, I hadn't been around, and she hadn't eaten. It clicked in my mind at that moment; Diva wouldn't eat if I wasn't there.

I guess, I thought as I made my way down to the barn, that's Sarah's theory.

*

Turns out I was right. Diva wouldn't eat because of me. I stroked her nose and ruffled her silky black forelock, looking into her big, soft brown eyes. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were some kind of stalker. I joked. I rubbed her neck as she looked away from me, down the barn isle to where Sarah was heading into Rush Hour's stall. Get her ready, Davo. She called. I nodded in response. Diva still had to be worked this morning - she had already been scheduled to run in two weeks time in the Spring Break Maiden. Seriously, though, Diva - I can't be here for every time you gotta eat. You're going to have to grow up, little girly. She just looked back at me with innocent eyes, melting my heart.

Pshh. I heard someone say from behind me. Marissa. You and that filly are like super glue. She held up her index and middle fingers intertwined. I just smiled. I know. It was true. And Rissa wasn't the first one to say it - Diva and I had bonded the moment we met, drawn together by the desire to become great. It was like love at first sight, but for real. I let myself into the stall and began grooming the beautiful bay, talking to her as I went. You're going to be great. I can just feel it, Dive. I told her about how she and I would rise in the ranks to the top, win the Triple Crown, the Dubai World Cup and the Breeder's Cup Classic. I told her how she would be crowned Racehorse Of The Year and be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, how she would give birth to amazing future racehorses. And the whole time, she listened, both ears turned interestedly in the direction of my voice. She stood quietly, seemingly almost asleep. Until Sarah came and rapped on the door. Davo! Causing her to jump, as well as me.

I quickly tacked the filly up and lead her out of her stall to the mounting block. She stood, fidgeting a little while I put my foot in the short stirrup and swung up onto her back. Then we were ready! I nudged her only very slightly, and we were off. Sarah was waiting with a bored and fidgety Rush Hour, who was rolling her eyes and bunching her muscles in impatience.

Sorry. I muttered apologetically. Fatal Attraction and Rush Hour both nickered greetings to one another. Sarah looked annoyed, but she was understanding. We warmed up together on the outer edge of the dirt, both fillies trying to get ahead of each other. I guided Diva through figure eights and circles, getting her head tuned into the work. She responded perfectly, despite being a little overly enthusiastic and trying to break into canter every few seconds. I smiled at this - it was great to have a horse with so much love for going fast. Some racehorses were thrown on the track even though they hated to run. Not every horse was born a winner; not every horse wanted to run. Just a four furlong breeze, i think. Sarah informed me as we rejoined then, and we urged both fillies up to gallop in a syncronised way. Rush Hour pulled ahead then and Diva allowed her to take the lead by a neck. She wasn't so strictly a leader like Rush. I rated her carefully, keeping her energy conserved. I could see Sarah didn't really bother doing the same with Rush - the black masculine filly would be tempted to misbehave and throw her if she did. She preferred to run her own race, but I had noticed along with everyone else that they won their races when they worked together.

We kept up this slow, easy gallop for nearly three furlongs, just letting the fillies stretch their legs and get ready to really get going. Then we took up racing speed and breezed four furlongs. Diva tugged on the reins, roaring into a faster pace to keep up with Rush. I saw Rush's eye on her; it had a slightly crazy look to it, as though she were saying 'back off!' But Diva didn't back down - she was a gutsy girl, and even though she and Rush had become stable buddies, she wasn't about to give in to her. In the end it was Rush Hour who had come out on top - she was faster and fitter and Fatal Attraction, for now - and it had been a sprint, so of course Rush won. Diva had fought every step of the way, and at one point we nearly had them. I was guessing Diva would be best for mile up to ten furlong races.

finished