Black Stallion's Shadow Read Free Page B

and I both know the racetrack is no place for sentimentality.”
    Even if Henry was right, it still didn’t change the way Alec felt. Without saying anything, he led the Black to the walking path. The old trainer shrugged. He found a seat on a tack trunk and began thumbing through a
Racing Form
.
    Alec took his time walking and grooming the Black. Then Henry carefully inspected the stallion’s legs and feet one more time. The Black seemed sound enough, the trainer concluded. He wasn’t so sure about Alec.
    Henry said he had some errands to do, so Alec went back to the motel alone. The Railbird Motel, where he and Henry had been staying for the past week, was situated right next to Santa Anna. Its proximity to the track made it a favorite with visiting horsemen. Alec stretched out on his bed and dozed restlessly.
    The evening news declared that day to be “the darkest racing day of the year.” The reporter replayed a videotapeof the Cup race. For the first time Alec saw what had actually happened.
    The tape ran in slow motion and picked up the race at the neck-and-neck charge down the homestretch. As Ruskin reached the shadow of the grandstand he tried to jump the outer edge. He must have mistaken the sharp contrast between light and dark for something at his feet. The jump was a fatal misstep. Extended to the maximum, he couldn’t gather his legs beneath him again. He went off stride, crashing to the ground less than fifty yards from the finish. Again Alec heard the horrible gasping sound from the crowd in the stands. It was a sound he would never forget.
    Spin Doctor, running a few lengths behind the leaders, tripped over the fallen Ruskin and his jockey went flying. The rest of the field managed to avoid a pileup and followed the Black under the wire. Ruskin struggled to his feet before the track attendants could reach him. The colt hobbled toward the finish line on his three good legs before collapsing tragically.
    The videotape ended. Alec blinked. Seeing the accident in slow motion made it all the more gruesome. The TV announcer continued, “In one fateful moment the lives of two of California’s finest Thoroughbreds came crashing to an end. Ruskin, an unbeaten young champion, the rising star of the racing world, had to be put down as he lay only yards from the finish line. Spin Doctor, another promising young colt, stumbled over Ruskin. When a postrace examination revealed irreversible spinal damage, he also had to be put down.” Alec groaned. NotSpin Doctor too! He’d half expected it, but somehow the news came as a shock. His heart sank a little deeper.
    â€œToday’s American Cup has already sent shock waves through the entire racing community,” the commentator continued. “Here in California and all over the country racing will suffer from today’s tragic events for years to come.”
    â€œYeah. Sure it will,” Alec said sarcastically. He switched off the TV. More likely, in a month or so the nation’s horseplayers would forget all about both Spin Doctor and Ruskin. The fans would turn the page of their
Racing Form
, as they’d always done, to see another horse, another jockey and another race. In the racing game that’s just the way it was.

CHAPTER 4
Spooked
    A lec decided to take a walk. He needed to clear his head. A bag of carrots lay on the table by the door. On his way out Alec picked one up, broke it in half and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
    The young jockey let his feet carry him where they would. He tried not to think about what had happened that day. But like a scratched record, his thoughts kept returning to the race … the dead horses … the jockey lying in the hospital. Get a grip on yourself, he thought. The Black won the race. You should be happy.
    The familiar route he took led toward the Santa Anna stable area, only a few minutes’ walk from the motel. The security guard recognized him and