THE ROULETTE COLT

"Watch out, Alec! He's going up again!" Henry yelled.

Alec felt the colt dropping his haunches and lifting his head. Higher and higher he rose until Alec, worried that he would overbalance, flung all his weight forward over the black colt's broad shoulder. The moment the horse touched down, he gave a squeal of outrage and humping his back, cow-bucked on the spot. Alec, with years of experience under his belt of dealing with young disobedient yearlings, moved with him, his hips gyrating like a rodeo rider.

Henry stood by the trackside, resting his heavy arms on the railing, taking the strain off his stooped shoulders. He watched with concern the Roulette colt rebelling against his rider. They'd had some pretty crazy yearlings over the years but luckily, none of them had compared with Satan…until now.

What was stranger though, was that the Roulette colt was an angel in the stable. Sure, he'd play-nip and he'd turn his quarters on you if he was in a bad mood, but he wasn't vicious like Satan had been. But show this colt a bridle and just like Satan had, his eyes would flash red, like a gas fire suddenly being lit. Trying to be optimistic, they'd hoped the fire would quieten and they would be able to channel all that energy and spirit in the right direction. But that was months ago and still they were at a loss as to how the colt would perform on the track. It would be New Year in a fortnight's time and the Roulette colt would become a two-year-old. At this rate he'd not be seeing a racetrack professionally until way into the season.

This desperation for progress was now where Henry and Alec found themselves: on the track for the first time but still in as little control as they'd been before.

Suddenly the drum of horses' hooves approaching attracted Henry's attention and, squinting short-sightedly down the stretch, he saw two of the three-year-olds having a fast work.

"Blast!" he muttered under his breath. He thought he'd timed their exercise so they'd miss any of the faster works. "On your guard, Alec!" he called out.

He needn't have though. The colt had also heard the approaching horses and was standing stock still, his small dished head held high and his tail raised like a yacht's pitch pole. Snorting once, he tossed his head and backed up a couple of steps. Alec redistributed his weight in his stirrups and bridged his reins, barely able to contain his excitement.

This was when they would see how good the Roulette colt was!

The two three-year-olds thundered past and the colt gave a small rear and sprang after them. He picked up speed like a boat's sail catching a sudden hurricane gust and Alec whooped in excitement, the sound of his voice whipped away by the wind. He hadn't felt a horse hit top speed as quick as this since the Black's racing days - not even Satan, believed to be a better racehorse than his sire, had this sort of acceleration! It was like riding in a Bugatti Veyron after suffering the effects of an rattle-boned Ford.

Crouching low over the colt's juddering shoulders, he focused on the two horses ahead of them. Their head start leant them twelve lengths but the gap was closing. Alec considered easing the colt back - after all, this was only his debut workout and he was still a yearling. Working discreetly on the reins, moving the bit gently in the colt's mouth, he tried to rate his mount but suddenly he felt the colt's jaws clamp down on the bit. Like a whirlwind, he bore down on the two three-year-olds, whose riders were scrubbing flat to the boards. The black colt snorted in the face of the kickback, easing himself to the outside without slowing, his balance impeccable and began to draw up beside them. Alec saw the surprise register on the work riders' faces as he surged past them and allowed a smug smile to touch his lips. Saluting his co-workers, he turned his attention back to the colt as they overtook the others.

Wow, this is some colt!

Alec's heart was thumping in his chest with anticipation.

If we can get this guy straightened up, then we're going to burn up some tracks! Eagle Star Farm and their Magic Mix colt are going to have to be pretty damn special to stand next to this thunderbolt…