Tribute to a Fallen Hero: Jet Ski

Original article written by Nini Panini posted 11 years 0 weeks ago

Here we are, Year 34 in the Sim, anticipating the Trial By Summer Auction that will be ending tomorrow and the gate break of the year's first races the day after (at the time I am writing this, at least).
However, amongst all the excitement, an old, gray warrior by the name of Jet Ski quietly passed away in his stall. The twenty four year old stallion with a barely there stripe was surely one of the greatest the Sim had ever seen.

In year ten, his mother, Kayak gave birth to a gray colt by the stallion Canoe.

Ara Davies named him Jet Ski.

Jet Ski looked to be something special in his first start at four and a half furlongs on the dirt at Single Star Park, winning by over nine lengths, smashing his competition.

After this fantastic race, Ara shipped him to Futurity Park in Florida to compete in the Mischief Maker Stakes. It was no competition at all. Jet Ski broke quickly and never let the other horses get near him, winning by nineteen lengths in a spectacular show of speed that is still discussed today.

Jet Ski then picked up the Hopeful Stakes and the Two Year Old Marathon, solidifying his status as a serious competitor for next year's Triple Crown.

He made his three year old debut at Sunshine Park in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Jet Ski blew the field away, winning by over five lengths, discouraging the other horses who were left in his mighty wake.
Jet Ski went straight for the Louisville Derby, which was held in week four at that time. Despite all the hoop-lah, he remained calm and collected as Ara saddled him in the paddock. As soon as he broke from the gate, he was a different animal. He won the race easily by a length and a half, his ears going back and forth as he hit the wire. No one had ever come close to Jet Ski!

Well, at least not yet.

In the Baltimore Crown, Accolade gave him a run for his money. The two horses battled down the stretch, the mighty Jet Ski slightly weary as he was making a huge run from the back of the pack, his laboring evident to many people in the audience.

At the end, it was Jet Ski by a nose!

In the Long Island Classic, another battle ensued, Jet Ski and Accolade rounding the far turn together, glued to each other's sides, a Sim version of Affirmed and Alydar. Accolade put a nose in front, and Jet Ski battled back with the heart of a champion, winning the Triple Crown by a desperate head.

Jet Ski used the Super Derby to freshen up for the Steward's Cup Classic. No Accolade this time. Sure enough, he won it easily by more than three lengths. Little did everyone know what would happen to the charismatic colt in his next start.

Jet Ski tried his hardest in the Steward's Cup Classic. He really did. Maybe he didn't like the track. Maybe he was just having a bad day. But in the stretch of Inglewood Park, he just couldn't pass Storm A Fortress. He lost by a length and a half.

Not deterred by his loss in the Classic, he went right back to his winning ways in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, winning by over three lengths.

Then in the Desert World Cup, he would face one of the greatest horses to ever live. His name was Atlas, also owned by Ara Davies.

It was a battle to the wire, the two Davies horses running in a cut-throat duel. At the end, it was Atlas by only three quarters of a length. Jet Ski had already tasted defeat, and he decided that he didn't like it. He put up a magnificent fight, though he just couldn't do it.

Jet Ski went on to win the Pacific Classic and the Priceless Forever Stakes handily, and Ara was sure he was ready for the Classic.

He would meet up with Accolade one last time.

It was all a blur, the crowd, the call to the post, everything. Turning into the stretch, Jet Ski, a seasoned warrior with the heart of champion, just couldn't do it. He lost, finishing third in a gallant performance.
His champion's heart stopped beating only a few short hours ago. The Sim lost a legend, but heaven gained an angel.

And his name is Jet Ski.

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