Derby Dreams (Acropolis #1)

Chapter 2

"Oh my God." Carla gasped. Metres away Dappled Dove and her rider were sprawled out on the track. The other fillies had already thundered past and now the horse ambulance was driving over to join the fallen horse and rider. The jockey sat up and looked round at her horse. The paramedics were hovering by her side but the jockey was already headed to her horse. The filly snorted loudly and lifted her head up off the ground. A horse that didn't want to move was bad news.
"Let's go, Carla." Juan said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Carla shook her head.
"No, I need to see her get up." she replied. Juan pursed his lips. He was no racing man, he preferred th rhythmic dance of dressage, but he knew that a horse that wouldn't get up was more likely a dead horse. A man dressed in a suit stepped out onto the track and over to the filly. He was joined by the course vet and a man holding a chain and a blanket. There was debate between a vet and the suited man then the man stepped forward and pulled the reins over the filly's head. The jockey stepped well back, Carla could see tears on her face. The man patted the grey neck and tugged lightly on the reins. With effort the grey filly struggled to her feet. Carla gave a relieved sigh when she saw the filly's legs were all straight. She'd be off to the hospital now.
"We have to go." She told her father, "I want to go and see mum."

"How is she?" James Kingsley asked the vet as they stood around Dove's head. The filly was having her legs washed off as she stood shivering in one of the consulting rooms of the veterinary centre.
"She hasn't broken any legs." the vet replied, slapping a set of x-rays onto the lit background, "no breaks. So we'll have a good look at those legs now." The vet eyed the stamping grey filly, "but I'll wait for the tranquilizer to take effect." The filly glared back at her.
"She certainly seems to be bouncing back." Terry, the head groom, said.
"It could just be adrenalin, we may not detect any missteps because of the adrenalin rush." Dr Montgomery slipped a hand down the filly's foreleg. Dove flattened her ears and squealed.
"We could really do with Catherine getting here pronto." James sighed. The filly's owner nodded from the corner.
"She's certainly highstrung." she snapped. James looked at Lady Elizabeth Forest. The older woman shrugged.
"I will be the first to admit that Catherine had inherited her mother's talent with horses." she said smartly, "especially this one."
"Mum!" a cry came from outside the consulting room, "Mum!" Dr Montgomery pursed her lips.
"Sorry." she said, "that's my daughter. I'll be back in a moment." She opened the heavy sliding door. Lady Eliza and James both stared as a tall man and girl stepped inside.
"Outside! I'm with a patient." Dr Montgomery ordered.
"Juan? Como estas?" Lady Eliza asked, stepping forward. Juan smiled.
"Elizabeth." He said, lengthening every syllable, "it has been a very long time."
"Not since Catherine was...twelve?" the pair exchanged air kisses.
"Oh thank god the filly's alright!" Carla sighed in relief. Her mother stared at her with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing here? I'm working!" she snapped.
"I saw Dappled Dove fall and she's so beautiful! I wanted her to be alright and I knew you'd know."
"I'm treating her right now." Dr Montgomery snapped, "you should leave."
"No, no, no." Lady Eliza shook her head, "no way. I want her to stay here. I want to meet Juan Lopez's only daughter!" she turned to Carla, "you must be quite the little rider."
"She is." Dr Montgomery said stiffly, "stand behind the bar. I want to have a look at her." She leaned down and checked the front hoof. The filly had calmed down and she stood completely still as the vet ran her hand over the filly's leg.
"She's beautiful." Carla told Lady Eliza.
"She is and she's fast." Lady Eliza told her, "she's a daughter of my own daughter's best racehorse."
"Is your daughter the one who was riding?" Carla asked. There was an awkward silence. Even Dove flickered her ear.
"My mother's dead." the jockey she'd seen riding earlier stepped into the room and closed the massive door.
"I'm sorry." Carla said, "I didn't realise."
"It's not your fault. She died a few years ago now." Lady Eliza squeezed Carla's arm, "nothing wrong?" she asked her granddaughter. Kat stepped up to her horse.
"Nothing. Hospital let me out, didn't they?" she rubbed the spot between her filly's eyes, "how's my pretty girl?"
"Well, I just found the problem. " Dr Montgomery waved her assistant over, "hand me some swabs and let's stick her in the stocks." Terry and Kat led the limping filly over to the metal stocks. They'd stop Dove moving whilst her leg was fixed up.
"Carla's a budding eventer." Lady Eliza called over. Kat turned to eye the girl. Five foot eight, she reckoned, built like a rake, she'd probably do well in the saddle.
"Juan," she smiled, "how did I miss you there?" The Spaniard smiled.
"A mystery. Hola Catherine."
"Y tu."
"How do you two know each other?" Carla asked.
"I spent a few months dressage training with Juan in Spain. How do you know him?" Kat asked.
"Carla is my daughter."
"And mine." came a stiff voice. Kat glanced at the vet. She cocked her head to one side, she hadn't expected that.
"You must be a pretty good rider." Kat stated. Carla nodded then realised that Kat was studying the back of her filly's leg.
"I think I am. I've won a few PC events."
"What sort of difficulty?"
"The high level stuff. I competed against you last year." Carla said.
"You competed against me." Kat exchanged a look with her grandmother, "I think my gran would like to talk to you."
"Yes." Lady Eliza took Carla's arm and dragged her towards the door, "let's go."

Juan left with them, leaving only James, Terry and Kat in the room with the veterinary staff.
"She took a chunk out of the back of her hoof." The vet told them, "we didn't see because of the mud. It will take a while to grow back and she's sliced the back of her leg open."
"Just from the overstep?" Kat asked. The vet nodded.
"She's got a big stride."
"Yeah she does." Kat stood up and leaned cheek to cheek with her filly. Dove was sedated and drowsily leaned back.
"Love you baby." Kat murmured, "you'll be back in no time."

"Carla, how many horses do you ride?" Lady Eliza asked as they settled down in the waiting room.
"Only one, she's called Swallow. She's taken me everywhere." Carla smiled at the thought of her bay mare.
"Right. You see, I have a proposition for you." Lady Eliza told her. Carla glanced at her father, he was smiling; he knew exactly what was happening.
"What is it?"
"Catherine's conversion to racing is fantastic. It's what she was born to do." Lady Eliza started, "but we've still got a stable full of horses that are ready to event at the next level."
"You mean actual eventing?" Carla asked in disbelief.
"Yes. My granddaughter was predicted to be-"
"The youngest girl who ever wins Badminton. I know. I was a massive fan." Carla smiled.
"Good. So I have horses that are incredible just wasting away in fields at The Acropolis and I have no idea what to do."
"Right?"
"Then I came up with the idea of finding a young rider. A rider who will appreciate and work with these horses to get them back to the tog of their game... and the top of the rankings." Lady Eliza, Carla felt a tingle of excitement; was this what she hoped?
"So, are you offering me the job?" she asked.
"Yes but there's a lot to talk through."
"I don't care! I'm in!" Carla beamed, "I am so in!"