The Racehorse Who Disappeared

by Clare Balding

  ‘Why don’t I try?’ suggested Charlie.

  Polly reached out for her friend’s arm.

  ‘Would you?’ she said. ‘That’d be brilliant. Mum and Dad love you so much they might just listen.’

  ‘Of course I will,’ said Charlie, standing up. ‘You just relax and concentrate on getting stronger. I’ll see what I can do.’

  As Charlie left the hospital, she bumped into Mrs Williams.

  ‘Charlie! Lovely to see you. How is Noble Warrior getting on?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s on the mend, Mrs Williams, thank you for asking,’ answered Charlie. ‘But I’m worried he might be bored. He needs a challenge. A bit like Polly, he’s in danger of going backwards if we don’t help lead him forwards.’

  ‘A bit like Polly?’ said Mrs Williams. ‘What do you mean?’

  Charlie knew she needed to be careful. If she pushed too hard, Mrs Williams might think she was interfering.

  ‘It’s just that there can be a danger in being safe, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘No,’ said Mrs Williams with a kindly smile, ‘I don’t know what you mean. It sounds like you’re talking in riddles!’

  ‘I just wonder if Polly needs to go home,’ said Charlie simply. ‘I’m worried that, staying still, like a pond without plants or fish, she’ll go stagnant.’

  Mrs Williams laughed. ‘Well, you have a very fertile imagination, Charlie Bass, I’ll give you that. Mr Williams and I would love to have Polly at home, but we need to make sure she’s really ready, you see?’

  ‘I understand completely,’ replied Charlie. ‘But she needs things too. She needs her own room and her own bed, and she needs to see her pony. Although,’ Charlie added thoughtfully, ‘if she can’t go home to do that, perhaps I can bring Munchkin here …’

  Mrs Williams looked horrified.

  ‘You can’t bring a pony into the hospital! That would be against all sorts of health and safety regulations.’

  ‘When Mary Berry was a little girl, she had polio,’ Charlie said. ‘She was in hospital for a long, long time and her father knew that she was in danger of getting depressed. So he brought her pony in to see her. It worked wonders.’

  Charlie knew that Mrs Williams was a big fan of Mary Berry and that her story might help persuade her of the power of pony love.

  ‘OK,’ Mrs Williams laughed. ‘You win, Charlie. I’ll talk to the doctors today and see what they say. If they don’t object, we’ll bring Polly home before the week is out. We’ve made some adjustments to the house to help her get around, but she’ll have to adapt to a new way of life.’

  ‘Of course. One step at a time,’ smiled Charlie, as she walked away. ‘Thanks, Mrs Williams.’

  Chapter 14

  The year was ticking past and still Charlie and Joe couldn’t find the right race for Noble Warrior. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes had been and gone, Goodwood wasn’t suitable, York was too far away and even further was Paris, where the Arc de Triomphe was run. That would involve a ferry or a flight and Charlie didn’t want to put Noble Warrior through a traumatic journey. So they waited. Joe continued to milk the cows in the morning and then ride Noble Warrior in the fields around Folly Farm. He even took him over to Cherrydown Stables to work alongside Alex Williams’s best racehorses.

  The first journey in the new horsebox proved tricky. Noble Warrior had reluctantly followed Percy up the ramp, but wouldn’t settle, hopping from one foot to the other and weaving his head from side to side for the whole journey. He was dripping with sweat by the time they arrived and they had to wash him down before he was tacked up.

  Joe followed Alex Williams’s immaculately turned out racehorses up the path to the top of the Downs. He shortened his stirrups and prepared Noble Warrior for his gallop. They would go at a sensible, even pace for the first five furlongs and then quicken up and finish off as fast as Noble Warrior could go. Charlie had perfected the art of cutting the corners on the gallops so that Noddy never realized he was galloping without Percy.

  ‘He’s still got it,’ said Alex Williams, clicking his stopwatch as Noddy hurtled across the finish. ‘Extraordinary!’

  Polly stood alongside him on her crutches. The full extent of her injuries was clear now and the doctors knew she would never fully recover. She had lost the feeling in her left leg and, when she tried to compensate with the right, it put her in a lot of discomfort. Charlie could see Polly occasionally wince with pain and she thought her friend was incredibly brave.

  Polly and Charlie had tried to persuade her parents to let her try riding Munchkin, but they wouldn’t agree, much to Polly’s frustration. She said Charlie was the only person who didn’t treat her as if she had ‘fragile’ stickers all over her. Charlie didn’t think she was doing anything special; she just looked for what Polly could do and let her get on with it.

  However, the anger Charlie felt towards Noble Warrior’s kidnappers every time she looked at Polly was not going away. They had no idea how much damage they had caused with their thoughtlessness that day. If Polly could never ride again, it was all their fault. And sometimes, Charlie felt, her fault too, because, if she had been at home that night, Noble Warrior might not have been kidnapped.

  But Charlie tried to stop herself thinking too much about the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’. There was no point. She couldn’t change what had happened in the past, she could only influence what might happen next. At least the kidnappers were safely behind bars and could no longer hurt anyone.

  ‘What do you think, Polly?’ asked Charlie, as Noble Warrior raced past.

  ‘I reckon he’ll be spot on with another couple of gallops,’ she replied. ‘By the way, I was looking at Dad’s racing calendar and there’s a race on Champions Day at Ascot that might suit him. It’s a mile and a quarter, so a bit shorter than the Derby, but I looked at the racecourse map and I reckon you and Percy could just about get beyond the winning post before Noble Warrior reaches it, but you’d better not hang about!’

  ‘That sounds perfect, Polly. Thanks a million.’ Charlie saw her friend beaming in delight and realized again how important it was to make the people she loved and trusted feel part of the team. ‘Then that’s what we’ll aim for. It makes sense that he should race on Champions Day because that’s what he is. He’s our champion.’

  Charlie told Joe the plan as they were walking back from their morning exercise the next day. The horses were flicking away flies with their tails and had settled into an easy rhythm. Noble Warrior was more laid back now he was getting extra exercise and had more to think about.

  ‘It’s a great plan, Charlie,’ said Joe. ‘I can’t wait!’

  Maybe everything will work out for the best, thought Charlie. Joe will be happy, Noble Warrior will prove himself a champion and Polly can take some of the credit.

  Once word got out that Noble Warrior was going to return to a racecourse, the media went into a frenzy.

  The BBC documentary about how the racehorse who wouldn’t gallop became a Derby winner had been updated to include the story of his kidnapping. It was shown on television in July, a week after his ordeal. Millions of people had watched it, but no one had seen Noble Warrior or Charlie since then. Now the racehorse who disappeared was about to reappear. And the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

  ‘I’m not giving interviews,’ Charlie said for the hundredth time, through gritted teeth.

  ‘But it’s good for racing,’ Harry argued.

  ‘And it’s the ultimate feel-good story,’ Larry added. ‘Shergar was never found, but Noble Warrior was – and now he’s going to make a triumphant return.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ Charlie snapped. ‘No one knows if he’s going to win. He’s a horse, not a machine.’

  ‘She’s right not to build up people’s expectations,’ Joe explained. ‘I’m feeling nervous enough about riding at Ascot for the first time. I don’t need any more pressure.’

  ‘Pressure is a privilege!’ shouted Harry and Larry
together. ‘That’s what they say.’

  ‘Well, it’s not feeling like a privilege right now,’ said Joe. ‘In fact, it’s making me feel a bit sick.’

  On the day of the race, Polly joined Charlie in the back of the horsebox with Noble Warrior as they made their way to Ascot. Percy, of course, was alongside him too and he looked pleased to have an outing.

  ‘He’s missed the attention far more than Noddy has,’ observed Charlie, offering him an apple so that he could bite half of it. She had intended to give the other half to Noble Warrior, but Percy had other ideas.

  ‘Oi!’ But it was too late. Percy had grabbed the whole apple and it was firmly in his mouth, showing through his cheeks as he crunched it into smaller pieces. ‘You were meant to share that! You’re a greedy, selfish little monster!’

  Charlie laughed as she stroked his face and he put his ears back at her.

  ‘I really don’t understand why Noddy loves you so much. Millions wouldn’t.’

  ‘They say opposites attract and maybe that’s true for horses as well,’ said Polly. ‘The weird thing is, the more relaxed and confident Noddy gets, the more miserable Percy becomes.’

  Charlie nodded. ‘He doesn’t like sharing the limelight, but I do hope Noddy puts his best foot forward. I want Joe to shine. I don’t want him to regret turning down the chance to work with Seamus O’Reilly.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad he didn’t go,’ Polly said before she could stop herself.

  Charlie bashed her on the arm playfully.

  ‘I know you are,’ she teased.

  Polly blushed. ‘Well, he is cute, you have to admit.’

  ‘Polly!’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘Stop it! He’s like part of my family! He’s the big brother that doesn’t let me down and doesn’t annoy me.’

  Bill Bass parked the horsebox outside the stables, which were far away from the noise and colour of the racecourse. Caroline, Harry and Larry spilled out and disappeared to sign the papers that would allow them security clearance into the area where all the day’s runners were stabled.

  They had been asked if Noddy would join in the Parade of Champions before the first race started, but Charlie had refused. Despite Noble Warrior’s improved temperament, she knew there was still a chance of him getting spooked by a big crowd. She didn’t want him distracted or excited before his big race. When the time came, they would lead him up the hill, past the hospital and over the road. Only then would he recognize that he was back on a racecourse.

  Once they were in the stables, Polly leaned on one crutch and helped Charlie brush Noble Warrior. Then she stood by his head and handed Charlie elastic bands as she plaited his mane.

  ‘They’re sending a buggy to take you and my parents up the hill,’ explained Charlie. ‘I’ll meet you in the paddock.’

  Polly nodded.

  As Charlie put the final touches to the plait in Noble Warrior’s forelock, Polly leaned forward to kiss him on the nose. ‘You be a good boy today and we can show the world that you’re not a one-race wonder.’

  ‘He likes having you around, Polly,’ Charlie said, as she stroked Noble Warrior. ‘He always seems better behaved when you’re here.’

  ‘Maybe he recognizes another damaged soul,’ Polly said thoughtfully.

  ‘You’re not damaged,’ Charlie retorted. ‘You’re just different and so is he. But perhaps he knows you know how he feels. It’s a sort of kinship. Maybe you should ride him one day.’

  Polly laughed. ‘Yeah, like that’s going to happen! My parents won’t even let me get on my own pony. I can’t see them letting me ride a highly strung racehorse who only Joe Butler can control. You do have some weird ideas, Charlie!’

  ‘I’m just saying I think you two get along very well. That’s all.’

  ‘You won’t believe what I’ve just found out,’ said Harry, walking into the stable with Larry trailing in his wake.

  ‘Hmm,’ Charlie said sarcastically. ‘That you’re not the sun, and the earth doesn’t revolve around you?’

  Harry ignored her.

  ‘Seamus O’Reilly’s travelling Head Lad told me that Joe turned down the chance to work there. No one in the yard could believe it. Mr O’Reilly was really upset. All the other trainers know about it too and think it shows a lack of ambition. That’s why Polly’s dad is the only one who’s giving him any rides.’

  ‘Poor Joe,’ said Polly. ‘That doesn’t seem very fair. It’s hardly a crime to turn down a job.’

  ‘It’s my fault,’ said Charlie. ‘I was banging on about not doing what everyone else would do, about being unique and not being greedy. I was talking about Noble Warrior, but Joe must have thought I was talking about the job with O’Reilly. I think that’s why he didn’t take it.’

  Caroline appeared at the stable door just in time to hear the end of the conversation.

  ‘That’s not true,’ she said firmly. ‘He didn’t take it because he prefers to be on the farm with all of us and he wanted the chance to ride Noble Warrior in a race again. You saw how he was this morning, like a little kid on Christmas Eve. It’s the most excited he’s been for months. He loves Noddy and he hates that the press have said the Derby was a fluke. He wants to prove them wrong.’

  Charlie nodded. Her mother was making sense, but she hoped he hadn’t made a huge mistake. She needed Noble Warrior to make it worth his while.

  ‘We haven’t got long until the race. Can you guys just give me a hand with Percy?’ she asked her brothers.

  Harry and Larry swung into action, each grabbing a brush. Charlie buttoned up her smart jacket as she watched her brothers work. They weren’t all bad: they just didn’t think about what they could do to help. They always had to be asked.

  Percy looked furious at the indignity of being speed-groomed, but his attitude changed as he walked up the hill with Charlie in the saddle, leading Noble Warrior towards the parade ring. He pricked his ears at the sound of the crowd and strutted along proudly. Charlie patted him on the neck.

  ‘I know. Finally, the attention you deserve. Your adoring audience awaits.’

  Harry and Larry led Noble Warrior behind, one on each side, as they had seen Seamus O’Reilly’s staff do with their best horses.

  As they entered the paddock, Charlie realized that her assumption that it wouldn’t be as busy as Derby Day was wide of the mark. There were people crammed up against the white fence and thousands more on the steps all around, as well as people standing on balconies reaching up into the sky. She had never seen a grandstand so enormous. Apart from the Union flags fluttering from its sides, it looked like a giant spaceship that had landed from a planet far away.

  Everywhere Charlie looked there were people in cheerfully coloured outfits. She spotted the Queen in a bright green jacket and matching hat. Charlie swallowed. This was going to be harder than she’d thought. She tried to calm her nerves and looked behind to check on Noble Warrior as they made their way under the tunnel and into the brightness of the paddock.

  Percy started to jig-jog and the motion must have woken up his digestive system because, as he turned left to lead Noble Warrior in a clockwise circle, his bottom started to produce the familiar trumpet solo that seemed to accompany his every major appearance in public. Charlie tried to smile, but her face went red so fast that she looked like a traffic light.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said to the crowd at the front rail. ‘He does this when he’s nervous.’

  The bottom-burp serenade lasted all the way past the weighing room, beyond the TV studio and right over to the other side. Charlie didn’t know where to look and she could hear the crowd giggling. She glanced to the inside of the paddock and saw the Queen was also laughing. As Charlie caught her eye, the Queen waved a white-gloved hand at her and smiled.

  Oh, well, Charlie thought. At least we’re memorable …

  Behind her, Noble Warrior was also taking in the scene. He had seemed happy enough to follow Percy, but, when Charlie looked round again, she noticed he had started to sweat on
the side of his neck. She was suddenly aware of how loud the public address system was, as the announcer turned his attention to them.

  ‘And finally, Your Majesty, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the star of the day.’ The man’s voice boomed from the speakers. ‘Led by his trainer, Charlie Bass, riding Percy the pony, it’s this year’s record-breaking Derby winner, the racehorse who was kidnapped and then found, and who makes his reappearance on a racecourse for the first time in four months: NOBLE WARRIOR!’

  As the announcer shouted his name, the crowd erupted into cheering. Noble Warrior suddenly stopped and reared up in fear. Harry let go of his lead rope, but Larry, clinging on for dear life, was swung up into the air.

  Charlie turned Percy round and tried to calm Noble Warrior.

  ‘Steady, boy! It’s all right. They’re just pleased to see you. Well done, Larry, for keeping hold of him.’

  Harry grabbed his rope back and both of them started stroking Noble Warrior’s neck. His eyes were still bulging and he was a coiled spring of nervous energy, but he seemed to be back in control of himself.

  Then, on the road outside the racecourse, Charlie heard the blowing of a bugle. She had no idea that it was a tradition at Ascot for some racegoers to arrive by horse-drawn carriage. One party had clearly timed their arrival to coincide with the start of the big race and a huge carriage with two large black horses was making its way down the high street. Charlie could hear the rattling of the wheels on the road and the sound of the carriage driver urging the horses to keep up the pace of their trot.

  She was not the only one who heard it.

  The sight and sound of the carriage was the spark that lit the bonfire in Noble Warrior’s head. For all the calming work Charlie and Joe had done with him at home, the trauma of the kidnapping was still with him. He had been taken in the middle of the night from the only place he felt safe, separated from his best friend by two men who abused him. The whole episode may have lasted less than twenty-four hours, but, Charlie realized, it might take Noddy a lifetime to get over it.