9 Furlongs on Sand Refresher Workout
Draonheart (Draco) - Evander Thorne
Hoot Looks (Hottie) - David Rittenhouse
Seize The Throne (King) - Londyn Graham
Maleficent (Mandy) - Abigail Fortunata
Virtuoso (Virtue) - Bryce Williams


The horses being leased to NDM for the year had been with the stables and racing under their new silks for a good few months, and were settled in. It wasn’t home for them, but those were the breaks when you needed a fresh trainer. Virtuoso was pulled from the home front ranks to join this group, the largest and first of the fresh workouts for the year. The new season was upon everyone, with new chances to shine and also new chances to fail, so preparation was going to be key. Training was heavy and hard, although some horses got a break in December and some would break in January, it didn’t mean fitness was going to be lax.

Dragonheart was most accustomed to the NDM sand track, having been with Evander Thorne for just over half a year. Isabelle had been excited to work with another Everyday Hero foal, and this was his last season so she wanted to make it a good one. With high hopes to get the stallion to grade one before the year was up, they had six wins to get. Not impossible, but it was going to be a challenge. Hoping to springboard from a refresher year, this would be it for the stallion. Isabelle had had her eye on Hot Looks in sales yards before, but hadn’t been able to catch the mare in time. She had jumped on the opportunity to take on Hottie for a year and a half for some racing, and was eager to push her into a new level of competition. Having been shuffled through several owners fairly rapidly, the mare needed some consistency for what was most likely to be her final season racing. So close to grade one, she’d be going up against some tough racers.

Seize The Throne had also bounced among a few stables in the last year, but at NDM Isabelle had him down for have a solid Y18 season with jockey intern Londyn Graham aboard. As a late starter, this older guy would be a great mature stallion to coax along into good conditioning to work up into his talents. Having been nearly overraced in Y17, NDM quietly put Maleficent into some rest, with a couple of races to keep her tuned up. Isabelle was resetting her schedule to be more appropriate for her capabilities. A solid undercard runner, Mandy was looking for a fresh challenge in her senior year. As a closure sale purchase at the beginning of Y17, Virtuoso has proven to be quite a great find for NDM stables. Without too much prior knowledge of his pedigree we really weren’t sure what to expect, but this colt has shown us he’s got some gumption.

King was at the head of the parade towards the starting gates, his calm demeanor helping to set a good tone for the workout. At least, in theory. Mandy followed, energetic but pleasantly alert under Abigail’s hands. Mr. Bratty was giving Evander a tough time, pawing and chomping on his bit. Dragonheart was head shaking and tail switching, refusing to walk in a straight line. David was giving Draco a wide spacing behind, having his own hands full with Hottie. She and Draco were issuing occasional vocal challenges, setting themselves up for a rivalry when the gates opened. Virtuoso brought up the year, the last of the challenging mounts. At least his was more playful, less aggressive, than the two before him. He spooked at a flag, but Bryce, who was pitching in as Abigail normally rode Virtue, kept the chestnut on task.

After two easy loads, it took a few attempts to get the three little monsters to shove in. Once closed, the gate was held for a few extra seconds when Draco started banging on his door. Released, the field broke out. Mandy and Hottie were out for the lead, charging to get ahead and the pack and to the rail. Draco and Virtue settled together behind, the colts strides nearly identical. King was a bit surprised at finding himself the rear, but he appeared to adjust as he didn’t get too far behind. With nine furlongs to go, the crowd jostled a bit after the first turn.

Neither filly wanted to give up the lead, so the ever changing nose in front set a faster pace. The colts eased back a few lengths, Draco pinning his ears at being a bit boxed in at the rail. Virtue kept a little space next to the gray stallion, not wanting to get scathed. King had moved up a bit early from the back, feeling more comfortable closer to his competition. Londyn wasn’t telling him to go around yet, but it was clear the intern was working out her plan.

In a bold move Evander skipped Draco ahead a bit early, bursting him out to overtake Virtue so he could squeeze and slide down to the far outside of the fillies. Virtue stuck his nose up and was forced to slow, but once Draco’s butt was clear he bounced up back to his stride. The fillies tired in the last furlong, giving the stallions the opportunity to break for the front. King and Virtue leaped as a duo, the latter finding a gap from Mandy’s pace drop and taking it. A few strong gallops and it was the pair of them breaking even at the wire, followed by a fading Hottie and Draco, with Mandy rounding up the field.