Billy and Janey’s ravishing daughter. A cool beauty determined to make it in National Hunt racing, where she is encountering bias against women jockeys.
ALAN MACBETH
Carrie Bancroft’s husband. His talent as a writer is somewhat dissipated by a thirst for alcohol, only equalled by a taste for winners. Alan’s unsung skills as a househusband, on the other hand, have contributed hugely to Carrie’s success.
TRIXIE MACBETH
Carrie Bancroft and Alan Macbeth’s long-legged teenage daughter, disastrously lacking in parental attention and totally aware of her overwhelming sex appeal.
OLD MRS MALMESBURY
Willowwood biddy who saves badgers and habitually gets the wrong end of the stick.
MICHAEL MEAGAN
One of Rupert Campbell-Black’s stable lads.
MICHELLE
A seductive, scheming stable lass at Marius Oakridge’s yard.
SILAS ‘SHADE’ MURCHIESON
Sexy but shady arms dealer and owner with more than twenty horses in training and definitely something of the night about him.
NUALA
An Animal Rights heroine.
‘KILLER’ O’KAGAN
King of the Irish jockeys, who rules the weighing room, goes brutally to work on horses with great success and has no scruples whatsoever.
MARIUS OAKRIDGE
An obsessive, brilliant trainer, who bonds with horses but woefully lacks the small talk necessary to charm owners. Marius’s yard, Throstledown, is to the south of Willowwood.
OLIVIA OAKRIDGE
Marius’s wife and, to many, the only good thing about Marius. Olivia’s charm makes up for her husband’s lack of diplomacy as she works her backside off cherishing horses, stable jockeys and owners.
INDIA OAKRIDGE
Marius and Olivia’s five-year-old daughter.
BLANCHE OSBORNE
Sampson Bancroft’s maîtresse-en-titre.
BASIL OSBORNE
Blanche’s complaisant husband.
JOYCE PAINSWICK
Formerly Hengist Brett-Taylor’s dragon of a secretary at Bagley Hall, retired to a cottage in Willowwood and missing school life dreadfully.
JASON (JASE) PERRY
A farrier who mostly shoes race-horses, consequently best gossip and worst tipster in the world. Partner of Woody Adams and Joey East in a racing syndicate entitled the Terrible Trio, which has a good deal more fun than success.
HAROLD POCOCK
Willowwood widower and gardener to Ione Travis-Lock. Runs the allotments, which mean a lot to him, and as Tower Captain rules the St James’s bellringers.
CHARLIE RADCLIFFE
Long-suffering vet.
BONNY RICHARDS
Valent Edwards’s trophy mistress – a stunning, hugely fancied actress determined to be taken seriously, paranoid about media interest in her sex life and gold-digging ability.
ROGUE ROGERS
Prince Charming of the Irish jockeys, who battles with Killer O’Kagan for weighing-room rule. Awesome rider of horses and women, Rogue is forgiven his bad behaviour because the racing world needs stars.
TOMMY RUDDOCK
Marius Oakridge’s sweet-natured stable lass, no beauty – therefore adored more by the horses than the opposite sex.
RUTHIE
Etta Bancroft’s cleaner at Bluebell Hill.
‘SHAGGER’ SIMMONS
A City Slacker – but shrewd financially. A bachelor bruiser, he owns a weekend cottage in Willowwood. Has an on-off relationship with Tilda Flood, who longs for a ring but is more often left looking after Shagger’s holiday lets.
CECIL STROUD
A red-hot QC.
BRIAN TENBY
Sampson Bancroft’s lawyer.
ALBAN TRAVIS-LOCK
Charming, self-deprecating, newly retired British ambassador who has mostly served in Arab countries. Desperately missing embassy life and spending rather too much time in the Fox with Alan Macbeth.
IONE TRAVIS-LOCK
Alban’s formidable wife – with her sister the last living descendants of Sir Francis Framlingham, whose twelfth-century stone effigy lies in St James’s church, Willowwood. After forty years as an ambassador’s wife, Ione, a serious gardener, has returned to Willowwood Hall to reclaim her rights as lady of the manor.
TRESA
A seductive blonde stable lass working for Marius Oakridge.
VAKIL
A sinister Pakistani stable lad working for Ralph Harvey-Holden.
JIMMY WADE
Former stable lad at Ravenscroft, in prison with Rafiq Khan.
CORINNA WATERS
A very famous and still beautiful actress in her late fifties who lives with Seth Bainton. Corinna and Seth have an open partnership.
TOBY AND PHOEBE WEATHERALL
Newishly weds with a house in Fulham, who weekend in Wild Rose Cottage in Willowwood. Phoebe, very pretty, works in an art gallery. Toby, rather pink, white and chinless, works nervously for Carrie Bancroft in the City, but is a nephew of Ione Travis-Lock, which means they are asked everywhere. Toby is a great friend of Shagger Simmons, who both he and Phoebe think is a hoot.
JUDGE STANFORD WILKES
A wise, not-so-young judge.
THE ANIMALS
ARAMINTA
Alban Travis-Lock’s black Labrador, missing embassy life even more than her master.
BAFFORD PLAYBOY
Shade Murchieson’s awesome bay gelding, trained by Ralph Harvey-Holden. A bully.
BULLYDOZER
A huge, sweet Irish gelding belonging to Shade Murchieson.
BARTLETT
Etta Bancroft’s Golden Retriever.
CADBURY
Dora Belvedon’s chocolate Labrador.
CHISOLM
A rescued goat – companion to Mrs Wilkinson.
COUNT ROMEO
A very lazy equine narcissist devoted to Mrs Wilkinson.
GWENNY
Harold Pocock’s black cat, who moves house mid-story.
DILYS
A sheep, companion to Furious.
FAMILY DOG (DOGGIE)
A short-legged sweet-faced hurdler, owned by the Terrible Trio syndicate.
FURIOUS
A delinquent rescued racehorse, destined for a career move into polo or eventing, but returning instead