”At five this morning stall 3 was empty – my champion, gone! The yard gate was locked and nothing was broken. Only Pebble is left, in stall 7, and she's in a terrible mood.”
Evidence #1 · SCENE REPORT
”I've groomed Pebble for years. She's small, with a scar on her left foreleg. Funny thing is – the grey in stall 7 looked taller to me this morning.”
Evidence #2 · HORSE PASSPORTS
| Horse | Colour | Height | Marks | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Arrow | Grey | 16.1 h | White blaze | …4417 |
| Pebble | Grey | 15.2 h | Scar, left foreleg | …0932 |
”Victoria called me in at six to check Pebble. I scanned her chip as routine. Then I scanned it again, because I didn't believe it.”
Evidence #3 · VET'S SCAN
”I was at the hotel in town all night – I have to be fresh for the race. Every one of us has our own gate code, you know. The system logs them all.”
Evidence #4 · GATE CODE LOG
| Time | Code | Owner of code |
|---|---|---|
| 21:05 | 1122 | R. Evans (leaving) |
| 01:52 | 0707 | C. Price |
| 03:10 | 0707 | C. Price |
| 04:58 | 1122 | R. Evans (arriving) |
”I just take the bets. But I'll tell you this: somebody close to that stable knew Silver Arrow wouldn't run. Look who backed the other horse.”
Evidence #5 · BETTING LEDGER
| Time | Account | Bet |
|---|---|---|
| 19:10 | J. Smith | £20 on Silver Arrow |
| 23:40 | C. Price | £20,000 on Night Fury |
| 23:55 | A. Patel | £50 on Silver Arrow |
”I went home at nine and slept until six – ask my wife. Somebody has stolen our champion the night before the Cup. This is a disaster for me!”
Evidence #6 · FUEL RECEIPT