"Don't suppose you'd give me a hand?" Kat peered over the stable door of Black Diamond, the mare hopped over to say hello, Carla still clinging to her forefoot.
"Yes?" Carla asked through gritted teeth, "Stand still!"
"Would you mind riding out with me? I need a partner pony for Hope. She's fine until we hit the track and I think it's because she won't work alone."
"Sure, let me finish up here."
"Cool, I've got Spring Arrow tacked up for you."
"Spring Arrow?" Carla choked on air, "The racehorse?"
"Who else?" Kat smirked, "I'm not sticking you up on an ex-racer, you're going to need something that can keep up."
"Right, well I'll see you in a moment?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Hey there, pretty girl." Carla reached out and patted the neck of the beautiful red mare, "You ready for another run?" Arrow snorted, she'd made an impressive racecourse debut at Newbury on the weekend and was ready for another work after a day's rest. Arrow stood quietly as Carla mounted up, adjusting herself to the short stirrups.
"Good girl," Carla rubbed the mare's neck and nudged her towards the walking arena. Hope was already there. The bay filly was already walking, her strides were long and she looked completely relaxed.
"She looks nice."
"Just wait till she's on the track." Kat replied, "Warm Arrow up and then we'll go for a canter." Carla nodded and pressed Arrow into a walk, walking her in circles and changing the rein; like she's warm and eventer up. She picked up a gentle trot and once Arrow was going nicely, she pulled up and turned to Kat.
"Okay, we'll jog first but when we reach the furlong pole, we'll canter."
"Okay."
"Come on girl." Kat clicked her tongue at Hope but the filly threw up her head and dithered at the edge of the track, "Go on!"
"I'll go first." Carla steered Arrow around the baulking filly and onto the track, pausing just on it. Hope watched with doubt then finally joined Arrow.
"Improvement already, yesterday it took me half an hour to get her on the track." Kat told Carla.
"Gosh, she's a pain isn't she?"
"Yes but it's understandable. Wills is a piece of work." Kat's soothing touch had little effect on Hope's high jinks.
"Poor girl, do you think she suffered for long?"
"No. I think she was probably a nice enough runner before she was forced out on the track before her time and didn't manage to run. We're going to try and bring that back, strike off at a canter." Kat's voice didn't shift but her weight did. Arrow stepped into a steady, smooth canter and Hope, not wanting to be left behind, went with her. Carla was whisked away in the smooth, rocking-horse motion of Arrow's canter. Hope didn't look quite so smooth, she was stiff in her back and her head was high; she even gave a couple of high strung bucks.
"She looks like quite a ride."
"She is but this is a million times better than she is alone."
"Have you got an aim for her?"
"Get her galloping and there's a listed race next October."
"Next year?" Carla glanced at Kat in shock, "Are you serious?"
"It's my last resort. Hopefully I'll get her going before then." Kat was stood, swaying gently in the stirrups, and Carla saw a flicker of hope across her face.
"How long are we cantering for."
"As long as it takes for her to calm down, Arrow might get tired before then but she's not expending energy kicking up a fuss like this girl."
"How's Dove coming along? Ten days till the Musidora." Carla asked, Arrow flexed her jaw against the reins, "I think this girl wants a run."
"You can try her one day, for a proper gallop that is."
"Sounds good." Carla smiled, "Dove?"
"Alright. My father wants to see a bit more from her, I'd like to see a bit less; her works are far better than last year."
"You think she might not show that on the course?"
"I have many fears, missing my French exam because Dove pulls up lame in the Musidora is one of them."
"Your French exam is on the same day?"
"Four o clock. I'm practically hopping off her, driving to school and getting it done. I hope Madame Daviau doesn't mind the smell of horse."
"Is she invigilating?"
"Probably, what exams have you got this week?"
"Psych is coming up, ugh. Otherwise mine don't really get going till next week and they finish the first week of June."
"Like mine, finish the week before Derby weekend-" Kat broke off, "She's completely calm, I stopped noticing." She reached down and patted Hope's neck, "Let's pull up, same time tomorrow?"
"Sure." Carla eased Arrow up, "Guess I'm off to do revision."
"Good luck." Kat grinned at her, "I will probably be doing the same thing."
The next week flew by and Kat was incapable of balancing her nerves. By morning she was sat in a saddle, by day in an exam hall and by night in her bedroom revising. Hope was looking more and more promising with every work, she'd started doing faster gallops and Kat felt she might just be undoing the damage. Dove, on the other hand, seemed quieter than ususal. In fact, as Kat watched the filly load up on Wednesday morning she felt terrified. Dove had walked up the ramp with very little persuasion and Kat would have preferred to see her baulk, at least then she'd have been acting 'normal'.
"She's going to be fine." James reassured her as the ramp was closed up behind their second horse, a neat chestnut gelding that Donovan would ride in the sixth race.
"You think?"
"Yes. Grab a drink, sit down in the cab and revise, the journey to York isn't far."
"Okay." Kat nodded and grabbed her bag of textbooks, "I'll see you in a mo."
"Coming up, the Musidora Stakes," Carla zapped up the volume on the tack room TV, "The return of some top class fillies who may well be bidding for Oaks glory next month. Amongst them is the filly Dappled Dove, daughter of Hana's Lightning and on her way back from an injury received in the Rockfel Stakes against the Guineas winner Onceinabluemoon." Carla leaned back in her chair and stared up as the two presenters started to discuss Dove's chances.
"She's a good filly, solid form last year but, unfortunately, she got injured and bringing an injured horse back isn't always plain sailing. I wouldn't hold up too high a hope for her." The younger man said.
"You say that but James Kingsley knows his horses, Tooth and Claw just two weeks ago left them standing in the Guineas; his sire is this filly's half sister. I think she'll be on top form."
"We'll have to see," Agreed the other, "She's a gorgeous grey filly so we'll have no trouble spotting her in this field of bays. Catherine Forest-Kingsley takes the ride, of course; but amazingly she won't take her father's horse in the sixth because she has to get back to school for her A-level exam!"
"Dedication at it's best. Now this filly was injured in the Rockfel Stakes last year and the winner of that race will be here tomorrow for the Dante Stakes, Onceinabluemoon is her name and I've been to see her." The music played and Onceinabluemoon's blaze appeared on the screen, her dark eyes glaring fiercely at the camera.
"Bring it home, Dove." Carla thought, "Bring it home."
Kat stepped into the walking ring with her fingers trembling, the nerves that she so rarely felt were back and digging into her every thought. Dove was here to run again, she was back at a racecourse and that in itself was something. There were eight horses in the field. Seven were bright bay fillies, all standing shorter than sixteen two with light physiques and short strides. Dove was quite literally the elephant in the paddock. Her grey coat, her massive strides and her overall mass made her quite relatable to the African mammal. She was walking quietly, not a trace of sweat on her; that was another thing that made Kat nervous. For all her previous races Dove had been a monster in the ring, she'd kicked and bucked and pranced, tossing her silver mane until she was wet with sweat. Today she was gleaming because of her polished coat, her silver mane was resting gently on her neck and her dark eyes, normally filled with fire, were calm and receptive.
"She's acting strange." James joined Kat, who had stopped to stare, puzzledly, at the filly.
"I know." Kat replied, "Do you think she can do this?"
"I don't know." James ran his eyes over the filly, "She might not be ready, she didn't even attempt to bite me when I fastened her girth."
"Huh." Kat clenched her fists, "She's second favourite so she must be doing something right."
"She's a grey filly who stands a hand and a bit above all the others, she doesn't exactly fade into the background." James scolded, "All the people who don't have a clue will be betting on her as the 'pretty one'."
"She's more of a thug," Terry sighed, they'd joined him at Dove's side.
"True. Pretty isn't the first adjective that springs to mind." Kat placed her hand on Dove's withers and her father legged her up, "We'll see you back here."
"God's speed." Her father smiled, "Remember, let her run the way she wants and I only want a sound horse; winning isn't the reason we're here."
"She looks calm." Brooke tutted and there was a muttered agreement around the room from the gathering staff, "She never looks calm."
"Something is up."
"She'll never bring it home, she needs her lightning fire."
"The filly might just have matured." The suggestion was laughed off as Dove was shown, loading quietly into the stalls.
"She didn't even pause! To think all the hours we spent schooling her and today she just walks in." There was not triumph in their voices, just petty annoyance. Carla focused on Kat's face, she could see that Kat was puzzled by Dove's sudden consent to the rules.
"Next thing you know that filly is going to be running straight and not pulling, it's a bad omen."
"The filly doesn't want to be out there. They should just stick her in the paddocks now."
"Stick her in the paddocks? She'd kill herself out loose," The bickering continued as such until all the horses were load.
"Shush!" Brooke fiercely hushed them all and focused her eyes on the TV, "Come on Dove." They saw the gates snap open from above, a sea of bays and then one dappled grey lazing loped out and took up a gentle canter at the back of the pack. Dappled Dove was definitely acting strange.
Kat was at ease on Dove, the nerves had dissapitated and now it was down to what Dove did best: running. She wasn't worried by the fact that they were at the back, a good four lengths behind everyone else. Her strides were long and languorous; she barely seemed to notice her surroundings. Kat, who had panicked at these signs mere moments before was totally calm. Her grey filly wasn't about to lose; her grey filly had just turned professional. It was strange that she was the only one who knew, it was even more surreal that she was thinking as she galloped along in a Group Three race. Dove didn't even shake at the reins as they came down towards the turn, the halfway mark. Her silver strides weren't lengthening but already one filly was dropping back beside them, a pacemaker who had run out of energy. Dove and Kat both glanced at the filly, dismissing her in the same heartbeat. The surreality grew as they galloped into the finally five furlong.
"You wanna go yet?" Kat murmured to the filly, "No?" Dove didn't respond, her dark ears flickered though. She knew that Kat would tell her when it was necessary and Kat knew that the filly would kick in at a second's notice.
"Four furlongs baby, think we ought to get going?" The fillies were no longer crowding together, they were spreading out across the breadth of the track, a perfect Dove-shaped hole had appeared and both horse and rider were eyeing it eagerly.
"Let's go!"
"That filly is half asleep, Catherine will never get her awake in time!" Lady Eliza yelled at James in frustration, the roars of the crowds were drowning out their voices.
"The filly is travelling," James argued back.
"Oh really? To my experienced eye that filly looks asleep."
"That's nice but I think I'll trust Kat's judgement on this. What with her having ridden in more races than either of us."
"And how many has she watched?"
"Irrelevant." James gave a smug smile, "what were you saying about her being asleep?" Lady Eliza frowned at him and glanced back at the track. Her mouth opened in a surprised gasp.
"My gosh, how did she get there?" Dove had eased up through the gap in the field and was practically cantering, still on the bridle, into the lead. Her long legs, dark tipped, were propelling her forward as she began to eat away the narrow lead of Pearl Locket and push herself to the front. Once she was there she didn't stop. May sunshine sparkled off her back as she galloped, the slight breeze lifted her mane and her back feet threw up emerald green turf chunks into the faces of her opponents. With a furlong to go Kat said yes and Dove roared into top gear without a moment's notice. The steadily increasing lead suddenly went exponential. Three lengths turned to six, then ten and finally fifteen by the time they reached the post; all without sweat on her back.