Nightstorm and the Grand Slam by Stacy Gregg Read Free Book Online

riding,” she told Issie. “I honestly thought it was over when I saw you being pulled up by the stewards. It’s so hard to bring a horseback on to form after a stop like that. But you got him back on track for the second half, beautifully handled!”
    Issie brushed off the compliment. “Your boy is such a star, Tulia. He answered every question and jumped perfectly.”
    â€œBest of all,” Avery said, “he’s come through the course totally sound and ready for the showjumping tomorrow.”
    Victory had indeed coped better than any of them could have hoped. He had finished the six kilometres with only a few superficial cuts and scrapes – although Avery wasn’t taking any chances and had Stella down at the stables now, keeping the horse’s legs iced to take down any potential swelling in preparation for tomorrow.
    The trotting-up was first thing in the morning. The horses would be led out on the tarmac in front of three judges who had to approve their soundness before the competitors would be allowed to progress on to the showjumping phase.
    Stella and Avery both insisted that Victory was in fine fettle and the trotting up would be little more than a formality. But after Nightstorm’s unexpected bout of colic, Issie wasn’t taking anything for granted. She stared at the bottle of champagne that Avery had left next tothe tack box in the back of the horse truck and couldn’t help feeling that they weren’t quite ready for celebrations. Not yet.

    After much nagging from Stella after the Kentucky Four-Star, Issie had gone out and chosen a new outfit especially for the trotting-up. It was a pale blue dress with a full skirt and Issie had teamed it with a black jacket over the top and a pair of black and cream ballet pumps.
    â€œToo girly?” she asked Stella and Francoise as she paraded in the stables that morning.
    â€œIt’s gorgeous!” Stella said.
    â€œ Très belle !” Francoise enthused. “The judges will be so busy looking at you they will never notice whether the horse is lame!”
    â€œThat’s the plan,” Issie said.
    Over the years, the ritual of the trotting-up had become almost as much of a spectator event as the showjumping. That morning hundreds of onlookers gathered on the forecourt of the magnificent Badminton House to watch the riders each take their turn to trottheir perfectly groomed horses inhand for the judging panel.
    Issie waited with Victory, her stomach tied in knots with nerves. When her turn came, the brown gelding was passed without hesitation. The same could not be said for two of the big names in the competition – Millie Wardlaw and Tim Smith – when their horses were spun.
    The shock eliminations at the eleventh hour spelt disaster for Millie and Tim. They had been in second and fourth place respectively and with their exclusion from the showjumping phase Issie and Victory moved up the leaderboard. They were now lying in an incredible third place!
    Even more exciting, only three faults were now separating the top three riders – Andrew Pember-Reeves was in the lead on Mythic Realm, still on his dressage score of 37. Prudence Palmer and her horse The Changeling were in second place with time faults that pushed their score to 39. Issie was breathing down her neck on 39.5. There was only one rail separating the top three and suddenly the talk was starting at Badminton about the prospect of Issie Brown edging her way to thewinner’s podium and keeping her hopes alive for completing the Grand Slam!
    The odds were stacked against anyone achieving the three-events-in-a-row victory, but now that she lay in third place, the goal was once again within reach, and the buzz surrounding her chances resurfaced.
    â€œThe tension in the air is palpable,” Mike Partridge intoned. “This next young competitor has to keep all the rails up if she wants to stay in with a chance of winning