The Black Stallion's Courage (8 page)

The crewmen had Olympus in the stall to Alec's right now, number 6. The last two horses, Lone Hope and Rampart, weren't giving their handlers any trouble. They were going inside.

Alec talked to his filly. Any second now and they'd be off. He felt her reach for the bit. He kept it from her but let her play with it so she'd have something to do.

Far down the homestretch and on top of the ancient cupola of the clubhouse he noticed that the horse-and-jockey weather vane had turned to the west, promising good weather for the rest of the afternoon. The next day, he knew, the jockey's colors would be repainted to match those of today's Preakness winner. Would they be the black-and-white of Hopeful Farm? Or Eclipse's maroon-and-white? Or Silver Jet's black-and-crimson? Or Wintertime's …

Alec heard the last stall door slam shut and focused his eyes on the stretch of lonely road directly before him.

It was a muddy, sloppy track. Black Minx would take kindly to it but she wouldn't relish it. Too bad Pimlico didn't work more sand into the loam so that horses would find the going secure even when the strip was drenched. That's the way it was at Belmont.

Golden Vanity reared high in his stall and Nino Nella, his jockey, called to the starter, “No chance! No chance, sir!”

“Don't worry,” the starter answered. “We'll wait. We've got lots of time. Don't get your horse and the others all excited now, Nella. Nice and easy does it. Plenty of time. Don't worry.”

Olympus, on one side of Alec, threw himself against the padded sides. Eclipse, on the other side, raised his head and waited patiently. Black Minx fidgeted.

Alec noted that the track was now completely in
shadow from the stands. It was getting late. They should have been off minutes ago. Rampart snorted and backed out of his stall to complicate matters still more for the starter. The filly shook her head.

“Easy, Baby,” Alec said. “Just a few seconds now.”

The spectators on either side of the track were very quiet. Some of those in the center field had climbed atop the steeplechase barriers to get a better view. The water jump in front of the grandstand was full and overflowing. Alec remembered other days when it had been so hot that there'd been no water at all. But not today, no sir.

The track had been cut up from previous races and muddy water filled the depressions made by many hoofs. Near the inside rail was an untouched path about four feet wide. Jockeys kept off the rail in wet going, for as a rule the mud was deeper there.

Alec's eyes remained on the unmarked inner lane. If this track was well graded the going there might not be as bad as jockeys in previous races had thought. He wondered if the Preakness riders would stay off the inside too. If so, he just might try …

The bell rang, the front doors slammed open and the horses broke from their stalls. The Preakness was on!

Black Minx grabbed for the bit, but Alec kept it from her. He wanted to be able to help her in case she slipped before settling into stride. She wobbled when she was a few feet away from the gate but he got her out of it. On their left Eclipse skittered as though sliding on ice and almost went down, his legs flaying wildly. Black Minx pulled away from him.

Maybe Henry was right, Alec thought. Maybe they wouldn't have to worry about the big horse today after all!

Mud and dirty water splattered all around Alec but did not hit his face. Not yet. It wouldn't at all if no horse got in front of them. Alec didn't urge the filly to go faster. He wanted her to settle into stride first.

“No hurry,” he called softly. “No hurry. Take your time.”

Mud suddenly began flying at his goggles, filling them so he could hardly see. Now he was getting it.
From whom? It wasn't Olympus. Olympus was coming in on his right and sliding!

Alec yelled at Olympus's jockey and had to climb all over Black Minx, trying to get a hold on her to keep from going down. Suddenly the filly jumped ahead, her hoofs for the first time secure in the sloppy footing. They pulled clear of Olympus but the mud kept coming at them from in front.

Alec saw that it was Rampart and Lone Hope who had crossed ahead of them. Racing from the far outside, the two colts went to the lead and swept under the finish wire for the first time with a mile still to go! Just behind them raced Wintertime and then came Golden Vanity and Silver Jet both under a snug hold and to the filly's left. The last two colts were going to be kept off the pace this time, Alec decided. Their riders were letting Rampart and Lone Hope go to the front, content to make their bids later in the race.

Alec heard a tremendous roar from the stands and wondered if anything had happened to Eclipse. The burly horse had been having so much trouble that he might have gone down!

Black Minx hated the mud flying in her face. She shook her head and tried to avoid it. Alec took her a little more to the right of the front runners as they swept into the turn at the old clubhouse. They were all staying away from the rail, he saw. But he didn't want to take Black Minx over there yet. It was too early to make his bid. Like most of the others he was rating his mount, saving her for the grueling run down the long
backstretch and then around the far turn headed for home!

The field had straggled out but the positions remained unchanged. Rampart and Lone Hope were still running as a team and had increased their lead to three lengths. They had a lot of early speed in this mud but Alec was certain they didn't have the stamina to keep it up.

Wintertime was next and running a little to the leaders' right. He was going under wraps, his strides like the filly's coming effortlessly and very secure. He was in an excellent position to take the lead without much trouble. Alec decided he'd be the colt to beat if Eclipse was already out of the running.

He took Black Minx a little higher on the turn, ready to let her out a notch going down the backstretch.

Golden Vanity and Silver Jet were directly behind the two leaders, saving ground. Their jockeys were sitting quietly in their saddles. It wouldn't be long now before they'd make their moves. They'd make it hot for Wintertime up there!

Alec tagged along, content to stay where he was for the time being and confident that his filly was ready for the task which lay ahead of them. She was eager to go on and the others were being so cooperative by staying off the rail!

The leaders increased their pace going into the backstretch and Alec let Black Minx move along faster with them. It still wasn't time for him to make his bid. Alec listened for the flat, sucking sound of hoofs behind him. He knew what was in front and what he had to do.
It was what might be behind him that bothered him a little. He didn't want a horse suddenly coming up to botch things for him. Eclipse and Olympus were there, somewhere. Or were they? He couldn't hear them so maybe they'd gone down when that roar had come from the stands early in the race. He didn't want to look back to find out. Too many races had been lost by riders doing just that. Anyway he was about ready to make his move.

“Listen to what I'm telling you,” he said aloud and in time to the filly's strides. “You're full of run, full of run. Oh, Preakness, here we come, here we come.…” He let her take the bit and guided her over toward the inside rail. “Here we come.…”

The horses had passed the middle of the backstretch, and with a half-mile to go their moves began! Wintertime swept up, passing the two sprinters in front, and took the lead. Nino Nella, riding Golden Vanity, rocked wildly in his saddle as his mount moved up with Wintertime. A stride to their rear came Silver Jet with his jockey sitting still in his saddle but showing the gray colt the whip without touching him.

Alec watched Lone Hope and Rampart dropping back. They were spent and through. All he had to do was to avoid them and go on. He took up on the filly again, ready to catch her if she wobbled in the new, untouched footing; then he sent her over to the rail.

There was no hesitancy in her strides as she swept onto the inner path. Nor did she slip. In fact her hoofs came down even more securely than before. The mud was no deeper on the rail than anywhere else!

Sighting between her small ears, Alec aimed for
the clear, unmarked road before them. He let Black Minx have the bit again and she surged forward, passing Lone Hope and Rampart on the
inside
. He saw the surprise on the faces of the jockeys as he took Black Minx past them.

“Three more to go!” he called to her. “And it's all clear sailing! Here we come … here we come!”

The shouts of horsemen standing on stable roofs just off the backstretch reached him. Their calls were for Black Minx as she went up on the rail. The jockeys in front didn't know she was on her way. They wouldn't know until she swept through the inner lane they'd so politely left open for her!

Black Minx caught Silver Jet and Golden Vanity going into the far turn. Their riders were barely aware she was alongside before she'd gone on! Then all they could do was to move over to the rail themselves to save ground and close a gap that already had been used by a black filly. They began working feverishly with hand, heel and whip to wring every last ounce of speed out of their mounts.

Black Minx was going all out and Alec made no attempt to hold her back. He was confident she had the stamina to stay until the very end of this race for the black-eyed Susans!

Wintertime was two lengths beyond her and still keeping well off the rail. Billy Watts used his whip once as his colt started to climb even more to the right on the banked turn. Under the sting of the whip Wintertime straightened out and swept into the homestretch. Billy Watts tapped him again to keep the colt's mind on his business, for he'd heard the sudden rush
of oncoming hoofs. He didn't look behind to find out who it was.

Alec saw the nervous twitching of the filly's ears as she drew up on Wintertime. He gave the bit a hard yank to keep her attention away from the colt and on the open path before them. He didn't want any trouble now with the race within their grasp.

Suddenly from the great stands rose the mightiest roar Alec had ever heard on a track. At that precise second Black Minx caught Wintertime and Alec thought the applause was for her!

“Go on!” he called softly. “They're shouting for you. That's what you wanted to hear. Listen to them!”

She didn't respond. For a second Alec thought it was because Wintertime's speed had quickened under Billy Watts's constant urging. But it
hadn't
, for out of the corner of his eye he could see Golden Vanity moving up on a
tiring Wintertime
!

Alec began moving in his saddle, urging Black Minx on as he'd done in the Kentucky Derby stretch. She had responded nobly then, but now she refused his demands even though she had the speed and stamina for them. Golden Vanity drew alongside Wintertime and then went to the lead. Black Minx bobbed head to head with Wintertime, neither gaining on nor losing ground to the red colt. As a team of equal size and stride they went into the last furlong of the race a length behind Golden Vanity.

The pandemonium on either side of the track rose to still greater heights. It was only then that Alec realized that even before, when Black Minx had caught Wintertime, the loud clamor had not been for them.
It
had been for Eclipse, coming now on the far outside of the track!
The big horse passed them and then swept by Golden Vanity with electrifying speed; he pulled farther and farther away, winning by a dozen or more lengths. Behind him finished Golden Vanity and in a dead heat for third place came Wintertime and Black Minx, still head to head.

Later the crowd was so dense around Barn J that there was no place to cool out a horse. After washing Black Minx, Alec and Henry took her away from the throng gathered there to idolize Eclipse.

Henry pulled the filly's black-and-white cooler higher up on her head, pinning it securely around her neck. “Well,” he said resignedly, nodding toward the photographers, “that was us at the Derby.”

Alec said, “She could have done it again.”

“I don't know,” Henry answered. “I'm inclined to doubt it. Eclipse came off that fast pace with an explosive burst of speed that I've seen equaled only by the Black. You know it was the track record he broke as well as the Preakness record, don't you? On that kind of a track, too!”

“I know,” Alec said, “but I still think that if she'd kept going—”

Henry interrupted, “Maybe. Maybe so. She had a good lead on him comin' into the stretch. At least it would have been something to see!”

The trainer's eyes left Alec for the filly and then he walked on in silence. Finally he said, “Well, we made something today, over eleven thousand dollars. And no one's countin' us out of the Belmont. We'll get that barn built yet.”

They joined the other horses and men in a walking ring far from the crowd. Suddenly the filly was on her toes, her small hoofs barely touching the ground before she had them up again.

Henry gave a tug on the lead shank to keep her still. “Easy, Baby,” he said. Then turning to Alec he added, “Don't think for a minute I won't figure out why she didn't go to the front this afternoon. I'll fix her, all right. No horse is goin' to outtrick me.”

Alec was silent when Henry had finished. His eyes left the filly and centered on Wintertime, who was on the opposite side of the ring. After another moment or two he said, “I don't believe you'll be able to do anything about this, Henry.”

“Don't be silly, Alec,” the trainer replied irritably. “There's nothin' I can't do something about. What makes you say that, anyway? What do you think is wrong with her?”

“Well …” Alec began. Then he stopped and started over again. “There's nothing really wrong with her.”

“There's got to be,” Henry retorted. “It's not right that she didn't go on to make a race of it with Eclipse, is there?”