Raising Ramiro

the legendary Streak of Light who collected all the major trophies for three-year-olds some thirty years ago.

The trainer came that Sunday morning to collect Sawdust and Ramiro to take them to a farm where Call Me Thunder would run for the day. Also in the pickup was Briggy, the loudmouthed heavyweight Jockey who was decked to ride him in the St Leger on National Heroes Day. The farm was only an hour’s drive away, and Call Me Thunder seemed calm after they let him out on the grounds and saddled him for a day of paced exercises and for him to become accustomed to Briggy being astride. Ramiro was given one of the retired racehorses to run alongside him.

The farm was about an hour’s drive away on the flat plains in the south of the parish.

They put in a lot of work in the morning as the afternoons were prone to heavy showers which would ruin the ground for good flat running. They were very pleased when the caretaker told them that it had not rained for the past two days, and that conditions were dry.

After his first hard run, Sawdust checked Call Me Thunder for injuries, and then put him in a paddock to rest when he noticed a figure standing under a guango tree to the side of Amazing Power's horsebox. He approached him from the rear and grew angry when he recognised the person as Lance Lodge, a heavyweight jockey who the racing commission had long suspected of race fixing, but had never had enough material for a conviction. In the past few years, two promising mounts had mysteriously become injured after he rode them in big purse races.

"Lodge, what you doin' here?"

Lodge, slowly and deliberately shifted to glance at Sawdust, then glance away again.

"Wha'appen man? You keeping secret round here." Sawdust did not answer him, Lodge continued, "Chungy promised that he would get me another big horse to ride. I should mount this one."

"Forget it, he is already decked."

Lodge shrugged, "Is Chungy’s horse. I will ask him."

Sawdust planted his legs firmly on the ground, crossed his hands over his chest and said in his low and low way, "Lef' the place Lodge. Nothing nuh deh here for you today."

Lodge hissed his teeth and walked towards the track, "Is your farm bwoy? For a man weh share bed with horse, a lucky you lucky to get dis work."

Sawdust grabbed Lodge's collar from behind and slapped the back of his head, but 28