Wind Runner

Chapter Fifteen; The Race

"Riders Up!"
Joey is boosted into the saddle as I stand patiently. The race day has come and I'm oddly calm.
We are number three, a good position in a field of twenty. Everybody's very excited and nervous. I didn't get a large breakfast, but that's fine, I'm too nervous to eat much. I quiver in excitement. All the odds are stacked against me, I'm expected to finish last. This was how Ralph wanted it. I was thought to be slow and weak.
I walk calmly to the gates. Other horses rear, fight their riders. But I do not.
In the gates, I stand patiently, and everything slows down. Silence fills the stands, everything is quiet.
Briiiing!
The gates fly open, and the race is on! I leap out, ready to fly to the front, but Joey holds me back and I fight furiously. He pulls me behind two horses, and I can't speed up. Without breaking stride, I buck, jolting Joey but not enough to send him flying.
The pack is tight, and I'm 9th. Everyone jostles for position, the crowds scream, and horses are panting. We are almost to the homestretch hen Joey finally maneuvers me to the outside and gives me my head.
Yes!
I bolt forwards, my strides eating up the distance between me and the leaders. I'm in 6th, then 3rd, then 2nd, then I'm flying past the leader, and still I keep going, I have the track to myself!
I draw ahead by 3 lengths, then 5, then 7, then the finish wire flashes by and suddenly Joey is slowing me down. What?!
I come back to earth to realize I've won!
I slow in a daze, the crowd flooding towards me. I suddenly rear, crowing my victory to the wind. Joey clings on, but lets me rear.
I land, then prance to the winners circle.
Ralph and Rick are there, talking to the press, suddenly cameras start flashing and I'm blinded.
After what seems like hours l am led to my stall, a mob still following. I am untracked and brushed down, then put in my stall to eat. I snarf my food, then politely pose for the news people.
Eventually they are shooed away and I'm finally by myself. I relax, quite comfortable.
Now I will tackle the Triple Crown.
.
.
.
Back home I relax. This is a very interesting place for me. Not permanent. Of course not. But a very good temporary pace indeed.
Because of my success at the Derby, the farm is now pretty popular, with many people coming to see me.
I think of all this as I graze in my personal pasture. The grass is lush, and plenty of trees for shade. Peaceful too.
I hear a buzz of voices near the barn and I trot up the hill. I see Rick and Ralph talking to a tall man in a grey suit. I whicker and they turn to me. Rick clips my lead on and leads me out, I sniff the man, but sneeze and move away. I don't like his smell.
Grey suit moves around me, assessing me. I bare my teeth. He stops and they go back to talking. I look over grey suit and see an emblem on his shirt pocket; a black shield with a white horse. His stables emblem I guess. Then grey suit starts speaking.
"She is very fine, I'll offer you $35,000 for her, now know that even though she hasn't won the Triple Crown, I'm paying as if she has, and that is quite a deal."
Rick and Ralph are quiet, and I squeal. I will not be sold to this, this man. Luckily Rick shakes his head.
"I'm sorry Mr. Keozolf, but Jinx here is not for sale. Thanks though."
Grey suit - Mr. Keozolf does not look happy. A tremor runs through me, but I squeal and lunge towards him, teeth bared and ears pinned back. He leaves very quickly. Rick leads me back to my stall in silence, then locks it shut. A new addition for security measures. I settle down to sleep.
.
.
That night I'm woken by a strange noise. A rattling at my stall door. I pin my ears and shift nervously, preparing to hurl myself at whoever opens that door. I know it is an intruder. Their smell is odd and unfamiliar. I do not like it. The door opens and I scream a battle cry before launching myself at the person.
He shouts and falls back. I rear above him, pawing aggressively. He yells and hold his hands up trying to fend me off. I scream again, my eyes blazing. How dare he try to steal me!
Then I see the second henchman. I lunge for him as he throws a rope around my neck. I jerk back and rear with a sharp whistle of fury.
I buck and lunge forwards, snapping at him, and catching a handkerchief from his pocket. I drop it then snap at him again. This time dangerously close to his face. He shouts and lets go, stumbling backwards, then he and his companion run, I charge after then, eyes blazing and mouth agape. They shove each other to get out the door first.
They rush through the barn doors and slam them closed, barring them and running. I scream in anger and attack the door, battering and tearing at it in my fury.
Suddenly it opens and I lunge forwards. I stop upon seeing Pierre, a favorite groom of mine. I scream and try to dodge around him, intent on finding the thieves. He grabs the rope dangling from my neck and whispers soothingly to me until I calm down. I stand quivering while he checks me for injuries. Finding none, he leads me to my stall, seeing the broken lock and the tool that broke it. He exclaims and picks up something - the handkerchief.
It has a tear in it from when I grabbed it, then he pauses when he sees the emblem on it; a black shield with a white rearing horse on it.
I ignore everything as I just glare out the barn doors. I know those thieves are watching from the darkness, I paw, then rear, screaming angrily. I hear the spin of car tires on gravel, and I know they are running. I scream again, and Pierre calms me and give me a auger cube from his pocket while he calls the main house.
.
.
.
Rick paces in front of me, muttering to himself while Pierre is talking to police.
I am grazing. But I look up every once in a while. I am still agitated. I look over at Pierre and listen to his and the police's conversations.
"So you are saying a man broke into the barn, broke into Silver Jinx's stall, in an attempt to steal her, correct?"
"Right, Silver Jinx is valuable, having won the Derby and having a big chance at being a Triple Crown winner. But look," Pierre fishes in his pocket and pulls out the handkerchief. "I guess Jinx attacked the men and grabbed this, this is the emblem of the Keozolf stables, and I'm sure Steven Keozolf sent the man to steal her."
The police eye me, then take the handkerchief, noticing the tear.
"Ok, we'll look into this, in the meantime, keep her well protected and guarded, we will have someone stay here the rest of the night in case they come back, which is unlikely, but still. It's a good thing she is so an, aggressive, if she was a calm thing, she'd probably be gone."
Pierre chuckles, and nods, patting me affectionately.
"That she is. That she is."
I am put in a new stall, with two locks this time, and Pierre on a cot in front. I am awake for an hour or so afterwards, but eventually I drift into a fitful sleep. Full of sneaky men and sharp knives.