The evening after the Black’s escape and recovery, Alec returns to the barn and finds Henry with a packet of news clippings and racing gear. He shows Alec what he wore when he rode the great horse Chang to victory in the Kentucky Derby. They talk about what it would mean to race the Black. The main problem is the lack of any pedigree for the stallion, which means he cannot enter any official races. Henry promises to contact a horse racing official to find any information about the Black.

School friends of Alec, Whiff Sample and Bill Lee, come with him the next day to see the stallion. Immediately overwhelmed by his size and ferocity, the boys hide out in the barn as Alec plays tag at high speed with the Black in the field.

Time passes as Alec learns to ride the horse like a jockey in a race. He and Henry cannot get any information from the Jockey Club in the United States, so Henry writes to officials in Arabia asking for information. When winter comes, Alec introduces The Black to snowfall for the first time: “Cautiously he lowered himself to the ground then rolled over on his back.