Taunton Barr

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER TEN

  The muster room was a place jockeys and strappers could go for lunch, planning meetings, pre shift briefings and sometimes even parties. A series of benches and tables in rows either side of an isle way, a big white board on the wall one end and a kitchen the other. Lindy and Kalika sat at the front under the white board, Kristy was playing on the table next to them with pencils and paper, her tutor was present but Winston had her leave for time out. Mechanic came in, closed the door behind him, he put a something in Winston's hand, Winston put it on the table in front of the girls. Kalika studied it closely. 'What is that.'

  Lindy replied. 'It's a bug.'

  Winston picked it up and held it between two fingers in front of them. 'When did you find it.'

  'This morning we did a scan.'

  'When did you find the last one.'

  'Same time last week.'

  Kalika shook her head with pouted lips, she shrugged her shoulders. 'Why would you bug this place.'

  'Information, jockeys and strappers talking about form, they are asked not to use names but they forget, they have long days. The information is sold to bookies or anyone willing to pay.'

  Kalika moaned. 'Ohh my god.'

  Lindy chuckled at her. 'Been going on since Noah was a boy.'

  'Well the place is clean you sure of that mechanic.'

  'Yes sir. 'On the white board Winston had drawn the Aintree Grand National course. 'The Grand National is the ultimate test of horse and jockey. The race comprises two full circuits of a unique 2¼ mile 3,600 metres course, where challengers will face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing. It was originally designed as a cross-country steeplechase when it was first officially run in 1839. The runners started at a lane on the edge of the racecourse and raced away from the course out over open countryside towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The gates, hedges and ditches that they met along the way were flagged to provide them with the obstacles to be jumped along the way with posts and rails erected at the two points where the runners jumped a brook. The runners returned towards the racecourse by running along the edge of the canal before re-entering the course at the opposite end. The runners then ran the length of the racecourse before embarking on a second circuit before finishing in front of the stands. The majority of the race therefore took place not on the actual Aintree Racecourse but instead in the adjoining countryside. That countryside was incorporated into the modern course but commentators still often refer to it as "the country", much to the confusion of millions of once-a-year racing viewers. Nowadays, around 150 tonnes of spruce branches, sourced and transported from forests in the Lake District, are used to dress the Liverpool course's jump fences. Each fence used to be made from a wooden frame and covered with the distinctive green spruce. However, a radical change for the 2013 renewal saw that frame replaced by a softer, more forgiving material known as "plastic birch", for safety reasons. Each of the 16 fences on the course are jumped twice, with the exception of The Chair and the Water Jump, which are jumped on the first circuit only. There is a hazard to overcome even before the race starts, the build up, parade and re-girthing prior to the off lasts for around 25 minutes, over double the time it takes for any other race, there are no stalls just a build up toward the line. With 40 starters, riders naturally want a good sight of the first fence and after the long build-up their nerves are stretched to breaking point, which means the stewards' pre-race warning to go steady is often totally ignored. Despite it's terrible reputation the national has only ever had one fatality, way back in 1862, but the attrition for horses is the worst in equine competition. The 474-yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country and has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the then almost empty stamina reserves of both horse and jockey. For numerous riders over the years, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony when the winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride. Don't count your blessings until the post is reached as with the rest of the Grand National course, the run-in can and usually does change destinies.'

  Kalika interrupted. 'I never knew any of that.'

  'Nor did I until we started to train Flaxmead three years ago, if we were going to do this we needed to know things to the finest detail. Lindy has walked the course many times usually of a night. She knows it well and the lines she would favour during the race. Thing is she's not the one running it, Flaxmead is, and he's never seen the place, in fact he's never seen a fence on a competition course. The course we have in Glastonbury replicates conditions but it's in a series of narrow fairways with wooden fences to disguise the place is actually used as a golf course. The course fences are brush but the fences on the golf course are light wood and Flaxmead sometimes clips them they just fall down like a show jump. He desperately needs time on competition courses, he needs five starts and to win thirteen thousand pounds to be eligible by next April. Wincanton Racecourse twenty kilometers south east of Glastonbury was to be the first target, we set up in Glastonbury to some degree because Wincanton was close, Rogers passing has meant a rehash of planning. The fences there are large and in quick succession, only a two mile course, there is a trial to be run there in two weeks, in two days we will take Flaxmead there and run him alone, early in the week the golf course there is the only thing used adjacent to the track. I have hired the track for training purposes, under one of our subsidiary names, currently caused no attention but we should be ready for it. We load the doubles into one float openly in the yard, we load the other with Lindy and Flaxmead inside the barn. The doubles leave and the everyone will follow them, we then take the other float to Wincanton, we will then see how Flaxmead handles a competition course. The trial counts as a run so we need four more and thirteen thousand pounds. This morning after much thought I came up with what I hope is the answer to that problem, we won't get much of a poke at this until they find out. In November they run a chaser at Wincanton called the Elite Hurdle, I have sponsored the event to the tune of fifteen thousand pounds for the winner. If Flaxmead wins it he's there. Prior to that he will run two trials there, they are handicap trials for new runners both Wincanton, they attract no one but trainers. We are then burdened with two more races before the national, by then the cat will be out of the bag and they'll come at us with everything they can muster. We need to throw as much information that is irrelevant to the plan as possible, anyone have any ideas.'

  Kristy suddenly shouted at Lindy whilst scribbling with her crayons. 'Mummy look I paint Flaxy.'

  Lindy showed interest and showed the picture to everyone holding it up in the air. 'Look Kristy has drawn Flaxy.'

  Kalika took the paper and studied it. 'Oh Kristy you are clever, I have such a clever sister.' Winston grabbed the paper. 'Winston if you don't mind.'

  He gazed at his and his face lit up. 'Kristy your a genius.'

  Lindy laughed. 'It looks like a horse but I'd put it just shy of genius.'

  'Mechanic, the white paint we use to mark the lines of grass, its that harmless chalk based water paint yes.'

  'Yeah, has to be, can't use anything that is toxic like.'

  'Is the private investigator with the telescope still in the wood.'

  'Been there all morning, not the only one we think.'

  'Excellent, please fetch a pot of the paint and a large brush into the barn.'

  Mechanic shrugged his shoulders. 'Can do like.' He opened the door and walked out.

  Winston sat down next to Kristy. 'So you'd like to paint Flaxy.'

  'Yes I paint him.'

  'Good, your going to get your chance.' He turned to the girls. 'Paint white markings on Flaxmead with this chalky paint, make them small but clear, photograph the results so they can be replicated. Lindy put on a set of obscure colors, doesn't matter who's they are as long as they have never been heard off. Run Flaxy round the track just enough to warm up, run him till he sweats and the paint will run. Jump him over the raised rail outside the barn here. Then bring him bac
k inside, wash him down.'

  The penny dropped for Kalika. 'They will be looking for a black and white horse that can jump over the moon owned by someone they can never find, will keep them occupied for ages.'

  'Such information is worth a fortune to a astronomer, hopefully more than one around at present to see the show.'

  Flaxmead was unimpressed having white paint daubed upon his person, while Kristy had a brush next to him he never moved a muscle, they used her to calm him while they finished the job. Flaxy became excited as Kalika saddled him and tightened his girth, he wore a chase saddle, the flaps are more forward than a flat race saddle. Lindy came out of the dressing room. 'The strapper's tell me the owner of these colors has been dead for three years but his still registered.' Winston laughed out loud. She mounted him and they stood back, mechanic opened the door and he flew out jumped straight over the track rail and shot off round the track. Lindy was unable to slow or hold him. She shouted at him. 'Pull it up you goon.' He attempted to run another lap but she steered him off into the lay off behind the starting stalls, he reared up and tossed his head around, she finally got him to head for the barn across the grass verge just before the doors she turned him and lined him up with the high fence. 'Over!' she cried. He bounded toward the track rail, she steered him toward his goal, he twice tried to deviate but gave up and launched himself over the upper rail, he just clipped it but it didn't fall. She turned him soon after he landed and trotted back to the barn entrance, he seemed happy with his jaunt, the barn doors closed.

  In the woods on the far side of the training track a man studying the performance took his eye away from the lens, he looked perplexed, he looked again down the lens, he withdrew wide eyed. He fiddled with his lap top playing back the video footage, he stopped it in mid flight over the rail. He lent back in his seat. 'Holy shit I'm rich.'