The silence was broken by a man’s loud yell, “There’s the mystery horse!” Then everyone started talking. They hadn’t expected to see anything like the Black. “He’s even bigger than Sun Raider!” Alec heard one man exclaim.

A few minutes later one of the track officials called, “Riders up!”

The blankets were whipped off the horses. Henry saddled and bridled the Black and then boosted Alec into the saddle. “Let the others get out first, so there won’t be any trouble,” he said, as they went slowly around the paddock ring. The Black’s gaze was on the horses far ahead of him. His nostrils quivered and he shook his head nervously. Alec knew that only Napoleon beside him kept him under control.

A long line of policemen kept the crowd back and made a path from the paddock to the track. The bugle sounded. The Black raised his head and his ears pricked forward. Henry led him toward the track.

They stopped at the entrance to the track. Cyclone and Sun Raider were already walking past the grandstand on their way to the post. Henry looked up at Alec. “Well, kid, you’re on your own now,” he said quietly. “Go to it!”

Alec’s heart pounded as he saw the solid mass of people stretched out before him. “Okay, Henry,” he said. Old Napoleon neighed plaintively as Henry kept him from following the Black out on the track.

Every vantage point in and around the outer fences of the course was jammed with excited fans. Many perched on roof tops fully a mile from the starting point. Their attention was focused on Sun Raider and Cyclone as they passed the stands. Then suddenly they saw a giant black horse, his mane waving like windblown flame, coming down the track. Spectators rose in their seats and excited hands raised glasses to their eyes.

“It’s the mystery horse!” shouted a well-known sports commentator to a network audience. “He’s listed as the Black and ridden by Alec Ramsay. He’s raising quite a commotion around here! He’s one of the biggest horses that I’ve ever seen—if not the biggest. He’s black, coal black. He’s big and strong and doesn’t seem to want to go near the other horses. Alec Ramsay on his back is having a very difficult time controlling him. Lord! I’ve seen plenty of horses in my time, but none with action like that! I’d say that this horse that most of us have labeled ‘Neville’s Folly’ is going to be very much in the picture of this race. Yes, sir, it’s shaping up to be the greatest match race of all time or I miss my guess!

“Now he’s approaching the post. Cyclone doesn’t want to go near him and moves away. Sun Raider stands his ground and his teeth are bared. The starter’s having quite a time. That black horse is a devil! He wants to fight! They’re lining up. There he goes up into the air! He’s plunging at Sun Raider, striking! Listen to that black devil scream—never in my life have I heard anything like it! It’s risen to such a high pitch that it’s practically a whistle—you probably all can hear it! There, Alec Ramsay’s got him down—that boy sure can stick on a horse. What a struggle is going on out there, folks! Over eighty thousand people here, and I can say without fear of contradiction, they’ve never seen anything like this before! Take it from me the Black is a wild stallion—never clearly broken. A savage on the race track!