saddled the horses and led them to the pen where the jockeys were preparing to mount. Mr. Fetlock stayed behind at the rail, where he was talking to a friend. From time to time, he glanced nervously at Black Lightning, wondering whether his favorite racehorse would let him down again.
“Are you ready?” Ted whispered to me. “Are you sure you still want to go ahead with it?”
“Yes,” I replied under my breath, trying not to sound too nervous. I was ready, and I did want to go ahead with it, but part of me was wishing that I had never agreed to the plan.
“All right,” said Ted. “I’ll give you a leg up.”
And with that I found myself being hoisted up and onto Black Lightning’s back. It all happened very quickly, and before I knew where I was, I had the reins in my hand and Black Lightning had joined the cluster of horses making their way toward the starting gate.
“Good luck!” Ted called out. “Remember to hold on tight!”
I gritted my teeth and concentrated on staying in the saddle. Although Black Lightning was only walking, there was a spring in his step that worried me. Would I be able to hold on for more than a few moments once the race started? I doubted it.
We reached the starting gate, where the starters led each horse into the squashed little boxes that allowed everybody to charge off at the same time. I could tell that Black Lightning was excited by the way he pawed at the ground, and I wished that he was as tired as he had been the previous day.
“Are you ready?” called out one of the starters. Then the starting pistol rang out, the doors of the starting gates fell open, and there in front of us stretched the racetrack with its jumps.
Black Lightning gave a leap, which took me completely by surprise. For a moment it seemed as if we were both in the air, but then I felt the thud of his galloping hooves against the turf. I shot up and down in the saddle, holding onto the reins with one hand and desperately trying to keep myself on Black Lightning with the other.
I had little chance to look around me, but I’m sure that I saw Mr. Fetlock’s face flashing past me at the rail. His mouth was open withsurprise, and I think he shouted out something, but I was soon past him.
I looked ahead. It was a miracle that I was still on Black Lightning at all, and now we were coming up to the first jump. It seemed very high—far too high to get over—but Black Lightning’s ears were flattened against his head, and he seemed determined to clear it.
With a great leap, the racehorse launched himself into the air. I saw the top of the jump passing below me, and I felt the air rushing past in a cool torrent. And then, having gone as high as he could go, Black Lightning began to sink back to the earth beneath him.
I didn’t. As the horse went down, I stayed up, and when I next looked, the saddle was no longer below me. There was nothing but the wide pond of water that always comes after the water jump.
I closed my eyes. Down I tumbled, down toward the waiting water, and then, with a splash, I was in it. The water broke my fall, of course, and I was unhurt, but there I was, sitting in the middle of the pond, covered inmuddy water with the other horses and jockeys flying over my head. I felt very foolish, but at the same time I was very pleased indeed that the race was over as far as I was concerned.
“Well done!” said Ted as he came out to collect me and to lead me back to the saddling pen. “Everybody thinks you fell off deliberately.”
“I didn’t!” I said. “I was going to fall off a bit later, on some nice, soft grass.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Ted went on.
“They
think you meant to fall off, so that Black Lightning would not win. In fact, here comes one of them now.”
I looked behind me. There was a rather dishonest-looking man coming over. He smiled at me and passed me a clean white handkerchief.
“Mop your face with that,” he said. “That was a very clever
“Are you ready?” Ted whispered to me. “Are you sure you still want to go ahead with it?”
“Yes,” I replied under my breath, trying not to sound too nervous. I was ready, and I did want to go ahead with it, but part of me was wishing that I had never agreed to the plan.
“All right,” said Ted. “I’ll give you a leg up.”
And with that I found myself being hoisted up and onto Black Lightning’s back. It all happened very quickly, and before I knew where I was, I had the reins in my hand and Black Lightning had joined the cluster of horses making their way toward the starting gate.
“Good luck!” Ted called out. “Remember to hold on tight!”
I gritted my teeth and concentrated on staying in the saddle. Although Black Lightning was only walking, there was a spring in his step that worried me. Would I be able to hold on for more than a few moments once the race started? I doubted it.
We reached the starting gate, where the starters led each horse into the squashed little boxes that allowed everybody to charge off at the same time. I could tell that Black Lightning was excited by the way he pawed at the ground, and I wished that he was as tired as he had been the previous day.
“Are you ready?” called out one of the starters. Then the starting pistol rang out, the doors of the starting gates fell open, and there in front of us stretched the racetrack with its jumps.
Black Lightning gave a leap, which took me completely by surprise. For a moment it seemed as if we were both in the air, but then I felt the thud of his galloping hooves against the turf. I shot up and down in the saddle, holding onto the reins with one hand and desperately trying to keep myself on Black Lightning with the other.
I had little chance to look around me, but I’m sure that I saw Mr. Fetlock’s face flashing past me at the rail. His mouth was open withsurprise, and I think he shouted out something, but I was soon past him.
I looked ahead. It was a miracle that I was still on Black Lightning at all, and now we were coming up to the first jump. It seemed very high—far too high to get over—but Black Lightning’s ears were flattened against his head, and he seemed determined to clear it.
With a great leap, the racehorse launched himself into the air. I saw the top of the jump passing below me, and I felt the air rushing past in a cool torrent. And then, having gone as high as he could go, Black Lightning began to sink back to the earth beneath him.
I didn’t. As the horse went down, I stayed up, and when I next looked, the saddle was no longer below me. There was nothing but the wide pond of water that always comes after the water jump.
I closed my eyes. Down I tumbled, down toward the waiting water, and then, with a splash, I was in it. The water broke my fall, of course, and I was unhurt, but there I was, sitting in the middle of the pond, covered inmuddy water with the other horses and jockeys flying over my head. I felt very foolish, but at the same time I was very pleased indeed that the race was over as far as I was concerned.
“Well done!” said Ted as he came out to collect me and to lead me back to the saddling pen. “Everybody thinks you fell off deliberately.”
“I didn’t!” I said. “I was going to fall off a bit later, on some nice, soft grass.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Ted went on.
“They
think you meant to fall off, so that Black Lightning would not win. In fact, here comes one of them now.”
I looked behind me. There was a rather dishonest-looking man coming over. He smiled at me and passed me a clean white handkerchief.
“Mop your face with that,” he said. “That was a very clever
Similar Books
