Essay Questions

How did Alec's experiences on the island help him when he was racing The Black?

Alec escaped death twice, firstly during the shipwreck and the second time when almost being bitten by a poisonous snake. He also had to endure starvation, fear and loneliness. Having looked death in the face like this and come through it when he never thought he would has made him much less afraid of everything and much less afraid of coming off the horse and getting injured. He is no longer scared by the same things people who have not survived alone on a deserted island are scared by and he knows that he can overcome all the odds as long as he is with The Black. That is why, even though riding The Black at full speed is incredibly dangerous and difficult,Alec sees it as a challenge and an adventure, not as something to be scared by.

What is it about The Black that makes him such an unusual horse?

The Black is a huge horse and being all one color exaggerated this. He is also a proud, unbroken horse and so carries himself with a pride and confidence that a more trained or "domesticated" horse does not. He is wild and this wildness turns to pure speed when harnessed, which is apparent in the look in his eyes as well. His bond with Alec is unusual as he seems to be a horse that is suspicious of too many humans but it is also his trust in the boy that makes him run fast when Alec is riding him.

People thought Jim Neville's claims about The Black were a publicity stunt; why was this?

Although the race between Cyclone and Sun Raider was already incredibly hyped up, and captured the imagination literally of the entire nation, people believed that Jim Neville was simply adding even more fuel to the fire by claiming that an untested horse could beat these two proven speedsters in a race. They might also have imagined he was trying to make himself a little money by skewing the betting odds in his favor if people bet on the mystery horse instead. The one thing that did not appear to occur to anyone was that his claims about the mystery horse might actually be legitimate and that Neville might be right about his assessment of his talent.