Free The Black Stallion's Courage by Walter Farley Page A

moves. They’d make it hot for Wintertime up there!
    Alec tagged along, content to stay where he was for the time being and confident that his filly was ready for the task which lay ahead of them. She was eager to go on and the others were being so cooperative by staying off the rail!
    The leaders increased their pace going into the backstretch and Alec let Black Minx move along faster with them. It still wasn’t time for him to make his bid. Alec listened for the flat, sucking sound of hoofs behind him. He knew what was in front and what he had to do.It was what might be behind him that bothered him a little. He didn’t want a horse suddenly coming up to botch things for him. Eclipse and Olympus were there, somewhere. Or were they? He couldn’t hear them so maybe they’d gone down when that roar had come from the stands early in the race. He didn’t want to look back to find out. Too many races had been lost by riders doing just that. Anyway he was about ready to make his move.
    â€œListen to what I’m telling you,” he said aloud and in time to the filly’s strides. “You’re full of run, full of run. Oh, Preakness, here we come, here we come.…” He let her take the bit and guided her over toward the inside rail. “Here we come.…”
    The horses had passed the middle of the backstretch, and with a half-mile to go their moves began! Wintertime swept up, passing the two sprinters in front, and took the lead. Nino Nella, riding Golden Vanity, rocked wildly in his saddle as his mount moved up with Wintertime. A stride to their rear came Silver Jet with his jockey sitting still in his saddle but showing the gray colt the whip without touching him.
    Alec watched Lone Hope and Rampart dropping back. They were spent and through. All he had to do was to avoid them and go on. He took up on the filly again, ready to catch her if she wobbled in the new, untouched footing; then he sent her over to the rail.
    There was no hesitancy in her strides as she swept onto the inner path. Nor did she slip. In fact her hoofs came down even more securely than before. The mud was no deeper on the rail than anywhere else!
    Sighting between her small ears, Alec aimed forthe clear, unmarked road before them. He let Black Minx have the bit again and she surged forward, passing Lone Hope and Rampart on the
inside
. He saw the surprise on the faces of the jockeys as he took Black Minx past them.
    â€œThree more to go!” he called to her. “And it’s all clear sailing! Here we come … here we come!”
    The shouts of horsemen standing on stable roofs just off the backstretch reached him. Their calls were for Black Minx as she went up on the rail. The jockeys in front didn’t know she was on her way. They wouldn’t know until she swept through the inner lane they’d so politely left open for her!
    Black Minx caught Silver Jet and Golden Vanity going into the far turn. Their riders were barely aware she was alongside before she’d gone on! Then all they could do was to move over to the rail themselves to save ground and close a gap that already had been used by a black filly. They began working feverishly with hand, heel and whip to wring every last ounce of speed out of their mounts.
    Black Minx was going all out and Alec made no attempt to hold her back. He was confident she had the stamina to stay until the very end of this race for the black-eyed Susans!
    Wintertime was two lengths beyond her and still keeping well off the rail. Billy Watts used his whip once as his colt started to climb even more to the right on the banked turn. Under the sting of the whip Wintertime straightened out and swept into the homestretch. Billy Watts tapped him again to keep the colt’s mind on his business, for he’d heard the sudden rushof oncoming hoofs. He didn’t look behind to find out who it was.
    Alec saw the nervous twitching of the filly’s ears