Derby Dreams (Acropolis #1)

Chapter 15

"Tired?" Donovan asked as he and Kat stood in the Newbury parade paddock getting soaked by the rein. Kat finished her yawn and turned to glare at him.
"Yes."
"How can you even sound angry saying the word yes? When are you going to forgive me?"
"For telling me I could never be a good jockey, for nearly killing my favourite colt or for breaking my heart? Really, there is quite a lot you could be begging my forgiveness for." Kat gave a fake smile, "So take your pick." Donovan's lips curved into a half smile but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm sorry." He reached for her shoulder and squeezed it, "But I'm afraid I'm still going to beat you out there." His grin slid instantly into place and Kat raised an eyebrow.
"Donovan," She stepped a little closer and dropped her voice to slow, gentle murmur, "If you really think that you're about to beat me then you are so, so, so wrong." She looked up and gave a cheeky grin, "I hope you enjoy watching Cobweb's butt."
"And yours." Donovan winked as the bell went off and Kat rolled her eyes. She headed to the light grey filly that walked around the ring. Cosmic Cobweb looked like she was ready to start her season in style, she was fit and in the perfect weight bracket. She danced when Kat mounted and put a spring in her step, wanting to go. Kat nodded to Terry and the groom led the grey filly towards the track, ready to start their classic campaigns.

Cobweb stepped into the green gate with eyes wide as saucers, she was acting up on her return, acting like she didn't remember her two year old race days.
"Settle Cobweb, settle!" Kat called to the filly as another horse loaded and they prepared for the off. Cobweb streaked out of the gates when they flicked open, she was the sort of filly who ran from the front. Kat settled in the saddle, keeping her balance neat and letting the filly find her own pace. Cobweb had a different idea though, she stuck her nose up and fought the reins.
"Easy, easy." Kat knew her voice wasn't going to calm the filly but she did it reassure herself more than anything else, Cobweb was only flattened ears and a bit-between-her-teeth away from being a runaway. The Nell Gwyn was a Group Three race and was a qualifier for the 1000 Guineas, the second Classic of the year. If Cobweb won then she would probably go into the race as second or third favourite, unless OnceinaBlueMoon didn't turn up but that looked unlikely. The three furlong mark came and Kat relieved the aching in her shoulders by letting out Cobweb a half inch. The grey filly took off from under her and Kat shifted forward. Cobweb stretched out, her pale mane was sticking to her neck as the filly led the cavalry charge through the wind and the rain up the Newmarket rise. Cobweb, now bored, began to ease off and drift, Kat growled and gave a smack down the shoulder. The filly picked up stride again, her hooves pounding the wet turf as she opened up a two length lead and whipped past the post, easily bringing home the Nell Gwyn for the Acropolis.
"A promising start for the Acropolis." Donovan commented as he eased up alongside Cobweb.
"Agreed." Kat nodded, "We whipped your butts." Kat glanced at the bay filly he was riding dismissively.
"And you were right, I did enjoy watching yours. Well, to an extent, the owners might be a tad annoyed." Donovan gave her a charming grin before he pressed his filly away to avoid Kat slapping his back.
"Good girls." Terry greeted them with a slappy pat on Cobweb's wet neck, "Well done."
"Nice performance," James agreed as he joined them at the first place post, "Shame the ground was so soft, it would be nice for her demonstrate that she can run on firm."
"Well, she doesn't need another race before the Guineas." Kat told him, "She was lazy out there and if she's tired for the Guineas she'll slope straight off."
"Agreed." James took his place at Cobweb's head, "Smile for the photo."

"I have a proposition for you," Donovan caught up with Kat as she prepared to leave the racecourse.
"That sounds ominous." Kat slung her bag over her shoulder.
"It's nothing ominous," Donovan smothered a smile, "I don't think."
"Go ahead then." Kat headed down towards the stables, passing the deserted saddling boxes and heading to where the lorry would be waiting for the long drive back to Yorkshire.
"As you know, I've been riding a lot this season. Picking up extra mounts since the Acropolis denoted me to second string."
"Are you about to insult me in an attempt to get your position back? Because that is nev-"
"Don't be silly Kat," Donovan shook his head and silenced her with a hand on the shoulder. Kat shook it off.
"What then?"
"I've been riding more and I've come across one of those owners."
"Those owners?"
"You know, the sort who gets into the game because a racehorse is part of their social status."
"Oh dear." Kat sighed, "The sort who doesn't have a clue?"
"Yes, this bloke has bought some broodmare and bred a couple of foals from her and sent the first to Carson Wills."
"Oh dear." Kat repeated, "Carson Wills the Newmarket trainer?"
"The one and only." Donovan nodded grimly.
"It's a wonder that he still has a licence. A wonder and a travesty." Carson Wills had a dubious history with horses and an even more dubious selection of horse training methods.
"Agreed. Anyway, the owner sought me out to ride his filly, he was a massive fan of Mischief."
"This isn't sounding any better."
"Yes well." Donovan pulled a face, "The second day of the season Wills stuck me up on this filly in a maiden race."
"And?"
"Came in last, I figured she needed more time but a week later I was back on board."
"Over raced and under trained?" Kat asked.
"Four races in three weeks." Donovan nodded sadly, "She hasn't stopped and she's barely grown."
"It's ridiculous but why are you telling me?"
"I spoke to the owner and told him that she's never going to win a race and he's made an offer."
"An offer?"
"Whoever can train her to be a winner can have her for free."
"He's done what?" Kat paused, "There is no incentive for him to do that, he won't get anything from that deal."
"He doesn't want to send her to the knackers but he did speak of it, I figured I should try to persuade him not to."
"Good on you." Kat smiled slightly, "So why are you telling me? I have more than enough horses to care for."
"I know you do but," Donovan sighed weightily, "She's a darn good filly Kat. I honestly thought she was going to win in the first one. She's got the natural ability but her mind just isn't with it. She was going after the bit when we hit the two furlong mark but the second I brought my whip out she backed off, completely gave up. I didn't have the heart to use the stick on her, she wasn't going to change her mind."
"Poor filly, you think she's good?"
"I know she's good."
"Fine, I'll have a look into it. Give me the name of the owner and his number."
"I will do. Thank you Kat," Donovan leaned in and kissed her cheek, "She doesn't deserve the knackers." He brushed his fingers through her plaited hair, "I'll see you here for the Guineas?"
"Of course." Kat nodded, "I'll see you."

The filly was called Heavenly Hope and the owner, a rich London Banker, insisted that Kat should take on the filly before she was allowed to see her. Kat grudgingly agreed and that Friday, after school, the trailer from Carson Wills' yard pulled into the driveway of Acropolis behind a shining silver Mercedes.
"Catherine Forest-Kingsley?" A tall, slender man with a balding scalp emerged from the Mercedes. Kat wiped her dirty hand on her breeches before shaking his.
"Yes, Jacob Wilkes?"
"Yes." The banker ran his eyes over her, "You don't look like much of a horse trainer to me. You sure you can manage a racehorse?"
"Oh, I'm fairly certain." Kat smirked, hoping his remark was sarcastic, "Apparently your trainer can't."
"He says the filly will come around. I don't know why a girl could do better than he could but Mr Curran recommended you."
"You don't know who I am, do you?" Kat rolled her eyes, "I assure you that I, a mere girl, can handle your filly ten times better than Wills and what's more, I can get her to the winner's circle. You say you bred her yourself?"
"Yes. I have one mare, she lives in my stable."
"Right, and this filly has some siblings?"
"Just one, the mare hasn't caught the last two times. The yearling is turned out at the moment. I only have one stall." The banker told her as the trailer door was unhooked and opened.
"Turned out? You're feeding her and bringing her in right?" Kat felt a twinge of concern.
"No, she's been out all winter. I have only got one stall and my groom only comes once a day."
"Once a day? How often is the mare fed?" Kat was beginning to feel alarmed.
"Once a day and cleaned once a week, I think. I don't spend that much time with her." Mr Wilkes seemed quite proud of this fact, "The stable is only mucked twice a week though because my groom has other jobs."
"You mean the mare lives in her own filth for three days at a time?" Kat was beginning to see why the mare wasn't getting pregnant with so little care and monitoring.
"Well, it sounds quite bad put like that."
"You don't say." Kat shook her head, "I suggest you sell the filly before you end up with a diseased mare on your hands. Alongside a courtcase for animal cruelty." Kat enjoyed the look of horror that came over his face at her frankness. She heard the first familiar stomp of the horse moving inside and turned to look at the emerging filly. She gasped when the filly emerged. She was a small, dark bay with a white star in her forehead; she could grow at least another hand though, Kat reckoned.
"A beauty ain't she?" The banker mistook Kat's gasp for one of delight, not for one of horror, which it was.
"To be frank, she's anything but." Kat replied, she stepped over to the filly and ran a hand down the neck. The filly shuddered.
"What do you mean?" The banker cried, almost in outrage. Kat stepped back and looked at the filly.
"I can see her ribs, her hips. In fact, she's emaciated." Kat pressed one hand against the taut flank, the skin was stretching over a skinny bone structure, "When was she last fed?" The groom holding the filly blushed.
"Mr Wills said we should starve her, make her stop the fighting."
"You were starving her?" To his credit, the owner looked genuinely shocked.
"Yes, Mr Wills believes that a horse can be broken by starving them into submission." Kat gritted her teeth, "Let's see how he and the RSPCA get on this time."
"You're going to report him?" The banker blanched as Kat nodded.
"Yes. He's been doing terrible things like this for years but they can never quite get him." Kat shook her head disapprovingly, "If you want to get out of this neatly then you need to get rid of your mare and yearling. They can't be in good condition either."
"Get rid of them, how?"
"Talk to my grandmother," Kat held out a card, "She'll take the mare off your hands despite the condition she's undoubtedly in. There won't be a decent auction house that will take her." Kat took the leadrope from the groom, "Get back to Newmarket. You might as well warn your master what is happening. You handed the passport over at the checkpoint?"
"Yes." The groom nodded.
"Good." Kat clicked her tongue to the filly and led her into the isolation barn. The filly didn't want to follow but was in no condition to complain. She was coated in sweat stains, there were lice in her coat and her bones were sticking out from under her heavy coat, it hadn't been brushed out properly and dead hair was still clinging to her skin.
"Come on, sweet thing." Kat gently led the filly into one of the spare stalls and tethered her loosely to the wall. The filly turned nervously but then smelt the hay net. Slowly and gingerly she began to munch, her expression one of disbelief that made Kat angry all over again. Her fists clenched and the filly, sensing her anger, shifted nervously.
"Easy, easy." Kat rubbed the filly's neck and stepped back to grab a brush from the grooming kit. To her surprise Mr Wilkes was still there. For a moment she felt a twinge of sympathy for him, his expression was one of helplessness and remorse.
"She's very special to me." He told her, "I do love her even if I don't do well with her."
"It's alright." Kat smiled grimly, "She'll come back from this, it isn't too bad. There is hope."
"She is Hope." Mr Wilkes smiled and reached out, as if he wanted to touch the filly, "My Hope. You will look after her?"
"I will." Kat promised, "She is in the best place."
"Thank you." Mr Wilkes nodded, "You'll make her run?"
"I'll let her run." Kat grinned, "She wants to run it's just that nobody has let her."