Men such as Henry, who wouldn’t put a girl on a horse’s back, not in the afternoon anyway. Male jockeys who didn’t regard women as a threat, even when they did get a mount to race.

But Alec was not one of them. Pam had taught him many things, and some had to do with racing. It took balance and instinct and intelligence, as well as strength, to ride 1,200 pounds of horse going at top speed. And women riders were as well equipped as men to guide them. It also took great ability to make a horse relax, to have him want to do his best for you. And in this respect, women were often better equipped than men. At least, it had been so with Pam, Alec knew. Horses ran for her.

But stop thinking of Pam. It’s no time—

The gate door flew open, the bell clanged. The Merry Christmas Handicap was on and Alec knew he’d been caught unprepared for the start! From behind the chestnut filly’s braided mane, he saw the other horses break in front of him, the slop and shouts of their riders flying through the air.

Delta Belle had broken well from her number 7 stall and Gomez was outracing Iron Flight into the lead. But Liz Smith wasn’t letting her small, iron-gray filly fall behind and was moving Iron Flight as fast as she could go. Apparently she was going to make a speed duel of it early.

Alec knew it had been his fault that Pam’s Song hadn’t broken as sharply from the gate as she should. Henry would be aware of it and would probably know the reason for it. But all that would come later.

Alec moved Pam’s Song to the middle of the track, now that she’d found her stride. But she wasn’t grabbing the track as she should, and Alec knew it wasn’t to her liking.

“Easy, baby, easy,” he called, trying to relax her. “Plenty of time yet.” The distance down the backstretch to the far turn was one quarter of a mile, around the turn itself was another quarter mile, and then a final quarter down the homestretch to the finish line.

Through his filly’s pitched ears Alec saw Delta Belle begin to draw clear of Iron Flight and the rest of the field. Delta Belle was running easily, smoothly, confidently, as if Gomez knew the race was already his, having fought off Iron Flight’s challenge successfully. Liz Smith had dropped her iron-gray filly back to fourth place and it looked like she was finished. Alec moved Pam’s Song up alongside her, knowing he was in a good position and planning to stay in the clear until later when he would move on again. He wanted to save his filly’s final effort for the homestretch. She was running easily and responding to his hands. She’d have plenty left for the finish.

The field of seven horses running behind Delta Belle bunched closer approaching the turn, with snow and water splashing on every side of them. A hard-running roan filly pulled up on Alec’s right side, challenging the leaders, her rider whooping and hollering. His shouts stirred up Pam’s Song and Alec felt his filly grab for the bit.

“Shut up!” he yelled at the other jockey, knowing it would do no good but saying it anyway. He took hold of Pam’s Song, pulling her up, not wanting to go any faster. It was then that he felt the saddle slip beneath him, going forward until it was halfway off the saddlecloth! Alec reached back, clawing at the saddlecloth, but it was to no avail. With the saddle riding high on the filly’s withers, he had no control over his mount!

Pam’s Song moved forward with an unleashed burst of speed, moving ahead of Iron Flight and the others in blinding pursuit of Delta Belle only three lengths ahead.

She caught the favorite before they’d reached the turn, and with still a half-mile to go! Alec knew it was too far to go all out, as she was doing, and win. He had no choice but to stay on her, if he could, let alone pull her up. Never before had a saddle slipped on him during a race.