The first race

‘He looks absolutely great, Sam,’ said Dan.

‘Thanks, Dan. I think so too, but he’s an easy horse to look after. He’s the kindest horse in the stables.’

‘Do you think he will win?’ asked Dan.

‘If he doesn’t fall I think he has a good chance of being in the first three. He’s a good jumper and he’s fast,’ replied Sam.

‘Is he going to compete in the Grand National today?’ I asked.

‘No, not today, he’s still too young. He needs more time to grow. Today he is going to take part in the first race, that’s why I’m getting him ready now,’ replied Sam.

‘He doesn’t look so young to me. And why do you want him to grow? He’s enormous already. Can I touch him?’ I asked.

I wondered what was happening to me. Brighton didn’t ask questions. Brighton Farringdon was cool!

‘He’s only five and a half. We have to give him another year or two and then he’ll be strong enough to take part in the Grand National. More importantly, he will know enough to take part in such a big race,’ said Sam.

‘Know enough? Does a horse have to learn how to run and jump?’ I asked.

‘If a horse likes to run and jump in a race then it has to learn how to run and jump so it can beat the other horses and win. And yes, you can touch him. In fact you can hold him while I go and get a new strap for his bridle. Are you coming, Dan? I want to ask you something. Don’t let him eat now and don’t let him get himself dirty. He loves playing around in the straw,’ said Sam.

I didn’t know what she was talking about until she put a halter on the horse’s head and turned the horse round. I jumped out of the way but she put the rope into my hands.

‘Thanks, I won’t be long,’ she said and left the box.

I stood looking at the horse and it looked at me. Then that wonderful head came towards me again and pushed me gently in the chest. I put my hand up to its neck and touched its skin. It was like stroking warm steel.

‘Right, thanks, boy.’ She was back and Dan was with her.

They were grinning. I didn’t care.

‘What’s his name?’ I asked.

‘Beano. Well, actually his pedigree racing name is “To be or Not to be” but his stable name is Beano,’ replied Sam.

She took the halter off the horse’s head and put it’s bridle on. Beano stood there like a wonderful dark brown living statue.

Sam walked him out of the stables and I followed. Beano seemed to know what was happening. He began to dance instead of just walking. I could see the way his muscles moved under his skin.

‘I want to watch him race,’ I said to Dan.

‘How about, “Please, Dan I’d like to watch the race,”’ replied Dan.

‘OK,’ I muttered. ‘Please can I watch the race?’

Dan waited a couple of seconds before he said ‘Sure, I want to watch it too. We’ll go back.’

We went back into the stands and Dan handed me a pair of binoculars. The jockeys were walking the horses out of the parade ring and down to the start of the race. I could see how excited Beano was.

‘Look!’ I said to Dan. ‘He’s looking forward to the race, I can see it in his face.’

Dan looked at me. ‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘You’ve learned a lot already.’

The first raceI felt stupidly pleased about this and then I felt frightened. If I wasn’t careful I would care too much and caring too much was dangerous. ‘Well, it’s not difficult. It’s only a stupid horse.’ Even as I said the words I felt ashamed and I was really glad when Dan didn’t say anything but turned away to look at the horses. I watched the horses cantering down to the start of the race. The jockeys were concentrating on their horses. They rode with their knees bent and their bottoms high in the air. They looked small on the big creatures. When I looked at them through Dan’s binoculars, I could see the muscles in their hands and their arms.

The starter gave the order to start and the horses all ran forward like an enormous wave on the sea. I could see Beano. I could see he wanted to go faster and I could see that the thin man on his back wasn’t letting him go faster. The first jump came and Beano jumped. It was like watching an acrobat on the trampoline but without the trampoline. He just went up and up and up. He’ll fall, I thought, he’s so high he’ll fall. But he didn’t. He came down again and galloped towards the next fence. Up, over, faster and faster. Where was Beano? I had lost him. No, there he was in the middle of the group. I had never seen anything so exciting or so beautiful as these horses and the men riding them. I wanted to be out there on Beano, or on any horse. I wanted to do what those jockeys could do. How could I learn to do that?

‘All right, all right, calm down. Wait until the end of the race and then we’ll talk,’ said Dan.

I had spoken my thoughts out loud. I have never been so embarrassed in all my life, then or since. Dan had heard me. ‘Now just shut up and watch!’ he said.

The first raceBeano was coming up closer to the leaders. He was second but didn’t look as tired as the other horses. He was going to win. The horses were coming up to the last jump when a loose horse that had lost its rider crossed Beano’s path. I couldn’t look. I swore and Dan said, ‘There’s no need for language like that. That’s racing!’ Beano swerved and kept on galloping. He jumped the last fence and his jockey was now lying flat on Beano’s neck. Beano was really flying now and he and the other horse crossed the line together.

‘Has he won, has he won?’ I screamed.

‘Get a grip, Bri. Why are you so worried about a stupid horse? People will notice you. I would hate people to notice you, Bri. I might have to stop using you,’ a voice whispered in my ear. All the excitement drained out of me and I felt bitterly cold. It was the man I stole the things for, the man who wanted me to sell drugs round the town.

The ice-grey eyes looked at me coldly. ‘On the other hand, now I know you like coming to the races I might be able to use your services in other ways.’ His voice was still a whisper but Dan had noticed me talking to a stranger.

‘Terence Goodfellow,’ the man responded to the question in Dan’s eyes. Goodfellow put his hand out to shake Dan’s hand. Dan didn’t take it. Goodfellow’s ice-grey eyes turned icier.

‘Nice to meet you, Mr Goodfellow, but I’m afraid we have to leave now. As you can see the dark brown horse is in a photo finish and the trainer is a friend of mine. We have to go and talk to the winning trainer of the first race of the afternoon. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye, Bri. I hope I’ll see you again soon,’ said the man. ‘Sure, why not?’ I replied. My cool façade was back in place. I was going to say something else just to show him I wasn’t frightened, but Dan put his hand on my elbow and pushed me out of the stands. We went towards the part of the racecourse where the horses were being walked around to cool off after the race.

The first raceWhile we were walking towards the circle of people around Beano, Dan said to me, ‘That man is very bad news. People who know such things say he gives drugs to horses so they don’t win the races they should win. I am not going to ask you how you know him, but I am going to say this and I am going to say this just once. Don’t ever talk to him again. Remember that this is your one and only chance. Do you understand?’

I nodded, even though I had no idea what was going to happen now. This really was turning into the most amazing day of my whole life. ‘But first I want to go and talk to Sam. She’ll be so nervous waiting for the results to come up,’ said Dan.

At that moment there was a gasp from the crowd as the results board lit up. Beano was second. We pushed through the crowd towards the horse and Sam. Dan said to me, ‘Sam is one of the best racehorse trainers I know. She’s hard working and she’s honest. I used to ride for her Dad and when he retired I started to ride for her. Nothing really big, although I did ride in the Grand National twice. I was never that good, but I was Sam’s second stable jockey and I loved every minute of my job. I’ve watched her get better and better and I think this horse is going to make her famous. And I think you might be going to help her get there.’

I just looked at him and thought, he’s mad! He only met me this morning. How can he know what I can do? I have never been on a horse in my life. I realised Dan didn’t even know my name. I think Dan could read my thoughts, because he continued, ‘I’m a retired jockey and I am a tour guide for the Aintree Experience because I will always love the sport. But that’s not what I do for a living. I work for the Prince’s Trust.’ Dan could see I didn’t understand so he went on.

‘The Prince’s Trust is a charity set up by Prince Charles to help young people between the ages of 16 and 30 to get a better start in life. Especially young people who have had a difficult life. We have all sorts of programmes to help young people. I work on the 12-week Team programme coaching and motivating young people and helping them get their self-respect back.

‘I deal with young people like you every day of my life. Young men who are trying to be so cool, because if they don’t act cool the fear that is always with them will swallow them up. I can see behind the façade to the hopelessness, but even I have never experienced what I have experienced with you today.

‘You got off that coach a bored young thug and now look at you. There is fire and passion in your eyes and in your heart. You have discovered something to live for.’ I nodded dumbly.

‘I’m going to take a risk with you. I am going to ask Sam to take you on as an apprentice jockey. But only if you promise, in writing, to stay out of trouble, to work hard, and never ever have anything more to do with men like Goodfellow. Oh, and perhaps you should tell me your name. Your real one.’

‘My name’s Brighton Farringdon, I’m seventeen and I live on the streets and in empty houses. My Mam died when I was fourteen. I haven’t got any family. I have been doing odd jobs to keep myself alive.’

‘Odd jobs, more like shoplifting. Don’t lie to me Brighton, whatever you do. Remember, I know about the lives you lads have on the streets. You don’t take drugs, do you? And remember, if you do we’ll find out soon enough,’ said Dan.

‘Nah,’ I said, ‘it’s a mug’s game. It does your head in.’

‘Mam, Mam,’ I said to her in my head, ‘now everything is going to be all right.’ I was wrong.

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