The Black Stallion

two-year-olds raced so fast.
    Miss Elsie was taking Princess Guy along at a killing pace and only two were left of the field of ten to challenge her.
    Once more they went into the first turn and Miss Elsie sought to kill off the ponderous gray colt racing alongside by again increasing the filly's speed. Princess Guy leveled out as though she had wings. Tom wondered how much more speed this black filly had. When would she reach her limit? He touched the lines again to keep Bonfire directly behind Miss Elsie.
    But Miss Elsie did not kill off the big gray colt on the turn, for he too had more speed and surged forward with the filly. Tom saw Ray O'Neil glance back at him as they went into the backstretch. He hoped it meant that O'Neil was worried, that Silver Knight had reached his utmost speed. He wanted Silver Knight to fall back, then he'd take Bonfire ahead and on to challenge Princess Guy.
    It was getting time to make his move, even if Silver Knight didn't fall back and he had to take Bonfire around the gray colt. Somewhere along this stretch he'd make his move. He got ready for it.
    Bonfire's nose was still close to Miss Elsie's head, and Tom knew she realized it was the blood bay colt—for he'd been there since the start of the race. Suddenly Miss Elsie began moving away from Bonfire! Seemingly there had been no increase of length or rapidity in the black filly's strides. But Tom knew she was going faster or she wouldn't be pulling away! Miss Elsie was going all out!
    Tom called upon Bonfire for more speed and again came the quick response from the powerful, splendid muscles in front of him. The blood bay colt pushed his nose close to Miss Elsie's head again. But then the break came—the one for which Tom had been waiting. Silver Knight started falling back, inches at first, then several feet. Just a little more room and Tom knew he'd be able to get Bonfire between Miss Elsie's sulky and the slowing Silver Knight.
    The gray colt came back to race alongside Bonfire, and Ray O'Neil was sitting alongside Tom while Miss Elsie and her black filly raced alone in front. Tom waited for Silver Knight to drop back a little more, just a few more feet.
    But the gray colt stopped losing ground. Stride for stride he raced Bonfire. Startled, Tom glanced at the man alongside him, then quickly he turned to Miss Elsie's back again. If Silver Knight wasn't going to drop any farther back, Miss Elsie
had
to move ahead.
Otherwise he and Bonfire were in a pocket
!
    But Miss Elsie didn't increase the speed of her black filly. Frantically, Tom watched the backstretch poles sweep by, and then they were going into the last turn.
He had to get Bonfire out of this pocket
!
    He let Bonfire push his head closer to Miss Elsie. She must feel his breath! She must know!
She did
. Miss Elsie knew Bonfire was directly behind her and in a pocket. She had glanced back once to see the gray colt and Ray O'Neil alongside the colt behind her.
And she knew that the colt was Bonfire
. She was afraid, not of Silver Knight but of the blood bay colt! She was going to keep him there all around the turn, down the homestretch—
right to the finish
!
    He had to get Bonfire out. "But not now!" he cautioned himself. "Wait until we come off this turn. The only thing I can do is to drop behind O'Neil and then come around him and go after Miss Elsie. It's all I can do. And there won't be much time."
    Tom heard the yell of the crowd as they came off the turn. The homestretch was ahead of them! He touched the lines, but this time it was to ask his colt to slow down, to watch Silver Knight and Ray O'Neil slide by… and then to come around in a last desperate rush to catch them before the finish line. He didn't think there'd be time to catch Miss Elsie and her black filly. He had failed his colt, George, and Jimmy Creech.
    He touched the lines again, but still there was no response from Bonfire. The blood bay colt wasn't going to slow down! He knew this was the stretch drive! Everything he had learned from them, his every instinct, told him that this was the homestretch.
Jimmy Creech had wanted a colt with gameness and the will to win
. Bonfire was fighting to be let out, and it would cost him the race.
    For only by slowing down could Tom get him out of this pocket. Bonfire was pushing his head over Miss Elsie's when it happened. The heavy-footed Silver Knight faltered for the first time, picked up stride, then half-stumbled.
    Quickly Tom turned to him, knowing the