Flaxmead

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Kerry Snow was at home when he checked the local newspaper TAB form for the week ticking his choices for each race with ease. Years of horse names jockey names and race tracks gave him a second sense on who would do well. He came to a Monday meeting at Scone began to tick the events then stopped with an inquisitive frown. Race eight a maiden handicap, he seldom bothered with maiden races as the horses had no form and were generally new runners. Picking a winner was like the lottery. This one looked different for two reasons a horse name he remembered the only horse he had ever seen run in the flesh Flaxmead, the other was the jockey surname Cumberland. A shocking fall at a major event came to mind and the subsequent funeral of a star jockey in Scone. He was not on shift at Greedy Piggy Creek Coal on Monday and decided to attend the meeting his first ever drawn by the interest of the connection.

  Anna and Dylan were not to attend the meeting; an agreement of school attendance had been made clear when they first got Flaxmead. If Flaxmead made the Melbourne Cup this would be the only time school would not come first, Bob Fields was convinced this would never happen. Winston Blake Wilson Hornswaddle and Bartholomew Fothrington although aware of things were busy and did not study the local horse forms or no doubt they would have been in stealth appearance for the event. Bob Fields and Clifford Barking planned to attend for a short spell from the pressure of harvest and to become involved.

  The day came a fine summers Monday and Lindy was waiting for Harper at the allotted stable when she saw his horse float pull up in the float parking area. They took Flaxmead straight to the stable and he was put out of sight Harper and Lindy staying with him at all times. The Scone racing facility is first class what you would expect of the small country town dubbed the horse capital of Australia.

  Kerry Snow arrived early and walked around his first race meeting, an open laid back event, he enjoyed the new smells and atmosphere created then witnessed his first horse race. His assumption of the winner was correct and he collected his winnings before the next race. Flaxmead was in race nine and he could not find the dashing black stallion as much as he looked, the horse had drawn barrier eight with only eight runners he would be on the outside. He did find other runners in the race and was shocked to see six of the runners came from the same stable. Further enquires chatting to jockeys and locals found this often happened as local trainers with international networks ran horses locally to asses form and gauge realistic outcomes for steeds. They also pooled their jockeys to learn strategy for more lucrative races with tactics like boxing in the pocket, pushing wide and blocking. With ever closer scrutiny by stewards these things had to be rehearsed to make it look like it wasn't happening. It came to Kerry fairly quick why the areas leading jockeys from one entity were in a maiden race that would attract little attention. He had not been able to access this information before putting a bet on Flaxmead or he would have just watched by summing up his observations he thought he'd done his money. Flaxmead was also carrying top weight; he cursed himself for not coming to meetings earlier as he was learning so much.

  Lindy was nervous at weigh in Flaxmead had his number blanket thrown on then saddled his number looked odd to Harper as it was a first for him. Lindy was trembling and Harper threw in a classic speech he hoped would settle Lindy down. They were still in the confines of the stable with a few minutes to spare.

  "Are you nervous," asked Harper.

  "I feel sick Mr Harper," she replied.

  Harper leant against the wall with Lindy holding Flaxmead's reins in front of him. "Flaxy looks to be a freak of nature, his blood line has a father that officially did nothing and so did his father they are of unknown form who knows why. Maybe they never got the chance. If elite athletes have children they may become great car salesman but never compete." Lindy chuckled with her hand over her mouth. "What we do know of Flaxy is he loves to run, loves children and is determined and overbearing. We can't get a man on his back I don't know why but he knows. A horse called Secretariat from America raced into immortality in nineteen seventy three, he won a race by thirty two lengths and broke the world record for a mile and a half. We still don't know today if horse holds the world record because there is no central body that keeps records and staying has become more important than speed but he won a race by thirty two lengths in lighting time. Some people condemned the move by the jockey as he risked the horse running flat out where maybe he should have pulled the horse up and won by a smaller margin with less risk to the horse. Here we come to an interesting point, the people who remarked on the risk referred to the possible loos of millions of dollars in revenue from stud work that was put at risk. Had they not thought the horse just may like to run and could run faster than anything else because it just could and loved it? Anna and Dylan don't even talk about prize money or records they have a dream, a Melbourne Cup. If Flaxmead won it they'd probably put the cup in his stable saying it was his. The kids just love horses and Flaxy flies with Anna or you on his back because he loves it and he can.

  In nineteen thirty eight again in America two great horses had a race against each other, Seabiscuit and War Admiral. It wasn't a race about two horses it was a race about two rich and powerful men. This and every other race Flaxy has is about two children and a dream and we mustn't ever forget that. When he goes home win or loose they will love him just as much as they did before he left. You know what he's like, Flaxy can run fast and he can run a long way so let him. If he needs some guidance ask him or laugh with him." Lindy hugged Harper for a few seconds then asked for a leg up, she covered the tears welling in her eyes and her fear had gone.

  It was just on sixteen minutes to the race and Flaxmead had not appeared, suddenly right on the cut of time the dashing black monster entered the parade ground and the locals and public got their first look at the giant, previous trials run by Harper had gone unnoticed, attention drawn away by major horse studs spending thousands on advertising. The field grouped then trotted toward the barrier at the far north western side of the track. Lindy had a problem Flaxmead strutted around pouting and prancing on his way to the stalls set at the sixteen hundred metre mark he continued this and created havoc behind the stalls with Harper attempting to control him as the stalls were loaded. Flaxmead succeeded in demoralising the opposition with several horses jittered by his presence. Flaxmead calmed when all the horses were in the stalls and shot into the final gate by himself the race controller commented.

  "And Flaxmead last in for this maiden handicap over sixteen hundred," said the race caller over the PA system. "Top weight and outside barrier quite a monster by the looks and little Lindy Cumberland piloting that pretentious steed to say the least for Graham Harper. I'm shocked to hear on the grapevine that Flaxmead is owned by two school children and is their pet mount, I can assure you they are braver than me ladies and gentlemen." Glen Cumberland having a beer in the open bar of the punters complex heard his daughters name and raced toward the top of the grandstand getting there just as the horses jumped, others hearing the familiar name unaware of the pair shot to vantage points around the track as the race caller continued. "They are with the starter and away with Tuckers might and Brazen Heart starting well and Flaxmead flies from his stall on the outside and I can see daylight between him and the other runners already. Tuckers Might and Brazen Heart looking to stay with the black monster who must be thinking this is a hundred yard dash but he continues to pull ground on the rest of the field. Tuckers Might still second now three lengths back Brazen heart third Gunfight fourth Nazareth fifth in close convoy on the rail with Sextant, Belair and Bridey three wide from the rail.

  Flaxmead continues to make ground the rest of the field makes them look like they're looking for a parking spot. Into the turn and Flaxmead must be no more than an inch from the barrier with Little Lindy Cumberland's boot and at the eight hundred its Flaxmead continuing to pull away its a wonder little Lindy hasn't pulled him up tucked in their behind his ears the sixteen year old is on the ride of her life. And Brazen H
eart passes Tuckers might for second place on the turn still followed by Gunfight Nazareth and as they pass the thousand metre mark." The caller jumped to his feet.

  "We have a record from this race already the fastest thousand ever run here by over a two seconds." The small crowd had rallied to any vantage point they could and became vocal. "With four hundred to go I notice little Lindy Cumberland doesn't even have a whip in her hand and this horse had decimated the rest of the Field and he's kicked ladies and gentlemen. Lindy Cumberland must be having a laugh or something what a ride, the rest of the field not even in it. With two hundred to go Flaxmead must have twenty lengths on Brazen heart way behind him I can't believe this and I can hear the small crowd here today is as excited as me because you sound like a Manly Parramatta grand final mob. And Flaxmead is going for it, are we witnessing the birth of a champion ladies and gentlemen and he's a Hunter Valley bred horse and he crosses the line he must be twenty five lengths from the rest of the field. We have a new track record and ladies and gentlemen what we believe to be the fastest sixteen hundred metres ever run by a horse and I'm struggling with my voice after that lot."

  Glen Cumberland had shouted at the top of his voice from when the pair entered the home straight. People went past him praising his daughter's performance some saying it was the most exciting thing to happen in the valley for a long time. Glen Cumberland felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders that he had carried since the death of his son. He no longer lived in the past but was rocketed to the present and now thought about the future.

  Harper struggled to control Flaxmead who put on a hell of a show in the winners circle being himself. Lindy weighed in with correct weight and made her way back to the winners circle to help Harper. Bob Fields and Clifford Barking had been moving around the crowd and officials all day answering questions that had started rumours getting as far as the race caller. The small media contingent bombarded Harper now joined by Bob Fields with questions but they struggled with Flaxmead back to the stable Lindy locking the door behind her and leaving Graham and Bob to fend of the pushy journalists. They all asked questions at once and nothing could be deciphered.

  Graham Harper put his hands up in front of him gesturing to the throng. "Please please one at a time." He pointed to a young lady at the back. "You have a question."

  "Lee Hayford freelance journalist I'm with the horse magazines not newspapers, I hear Flaxmead was breed in the Hunter Valley and born in Ireland."

  "As far as we can make out yes," replied Bob Fields.

  "Is he Irish or Australian," she enquired.

  "He belongs to my daughter and son if you ask them I think they'd say he was from Pokolbin the horse is in my name because they are too young."

  "That wasn't what I asked."

  "I suppose that's because I don't really know, home is where the heart is, can we give someone else a go." replied Fields.

  A middle aged man got in first from the front of the pack. "Gerard Moyse from the Humbug media group. Will you be running this horse again in the near future and if it's a children's pet what exactly did you stand to prove."

  "My daughter has had a dream for years of having a horse. May sound odd but she's always wanted to have a horse that won the Melbourne Cup. She presented a project on it at school when she was eight."

  "You found the horse so she could get her wish."

  "No we found the horse in the middle of nowhere was destined for the abattoir. We manage to get him for a hundred dollars as a pet, we had no idea where he came from or even if he could run."

  "A hundred dollars!" shouted Hayford wide eyed.

  "Who trained him?" asked Moyse.

  "We don't know he just fell in our lap, we hope to find out one day," said Fields.

  "Mr Harper will little Lindy Cumberland ride Flaxmead again?"

  "Yes!" was a shout from the sidelines it was Lindys father.

  The pack turned toward the voice. "Mr Cumberland would Lindy ride the Melbourne Cup if the horse made it?"

  "Lindys riding well round here she has three winners now a great start for her. Even if there was a chance for her to ride such a race I don't think she's ready in a couple of year's maybe," replied Cumberland. Harper and Fields began to walk away.

  "Er Mr Harper one more question," asked Moyse. Harper turned back just before he entered the stable door. "Do you think that horse can win the Melbourne Cup?"

  "I'd answer that with another question," replied Harper. "Is there another horse that can stop him? You've seen it for yourself, he can run at that pace for three thousand two hundred metres. It's the only horse I've ever seen that can."

  "Is he stabled at your property Mr Harper?" pushed Moyse.

  "Yes he is."

  "Who sold you the horse Mr Fields?" asked Hayford.

  "A man called Jimmy Cotton."

  "Jimmy Cotton's from Taggart's stables?" asked Moyse.

  "I believe so."

  "Taggart and Cotton are croo...." Moyse was cut short by Harper.

  "Jimmy Cotton is a good man and one of the best trainers around. If Jimmy Cotton sold the horse to Mr Fields children he had damn good reason probably the fact he loves horses and wouldn't let anything happen to one."

  "This is gonna be bigger than Ben Hur," muttered Moyse as he walked from the gathered throng and pushed button on his mobile phone, Hayford had already disappeared.

  Graham Harper and Bob Fields joined Lindy in the stable closing the door behind them. "Jess Graham I didn't expect this," said Bob.

  "I did its game on. Flaxmead just made millions of friends and half a dozen enemies. We need to find somewhere to hide him from both."

  Kerry Snow counted his winnings at the course bar having a quiet beer, Flaxmead was twenty five to one. He had a ball and planned his next meetings. He rang his friends in the Greedy Piggy Creek Coal mine on duty and taunted them about his grand day. He informed them of the massive win by Flaxmead a big black stallion from the property directly next to the mine and owned by two children. The information crept out into the workforce via the communication network and word of mouth at crib times even to other mines via mobile phones as everyone knew Kerry Snow was in the know.

  By shift change a black stallion called Flaxmead twenty five hands high that lived on the mining lease owned by two babies just born in the Scone hospital and ridden by a ten year old had broken the lap record at Bathurst set by a V eight super car. Kerry Snow had apparently won over a hundred thousand dollars predicting the win. Communication channels in coal mines can be somewhat unreliable but the legend of Flaxmead had begun.