My name is Dr. Watson, and for many years I was a good friend of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. I kept a diary of his cases, and Silver Blaze is one of the first that I recorded.

Sherlock and I shared a house together I London, England. The address was 221B, Baker Street. Neither of us had a wife, so we employed a lady called Mrs. Hudson to do the cooking and cleaning of the house for us.

Thus story began one morning in 1890. Holmes and I were eating breakfast when suddenly Holmes said to me, “I have to go to a place called King’s Pyland. A horse has disappeared from there, and the police can’t find it. Will you come with me? I think trying to find out what has happened to the horse might make a good story for your diary.”

“Do you think the horse has been stolen?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Holmes replied, “I need to go to the King’s Pyland to find out. Bring your binoculars!”

I had read about a stolen horse in the newspapers.

“Why is the horse so important, Holmes?” I asked.

“Because, Watson,” Holmes explained, “it is going to run in a big race called the Wessex Cup. If it wins, a lot of people who have bet large sums of money on it will win a great deal. There are also people who don’t want it to win.”

“Because they have gambled on another horse to win,” I said.

“Precisely, Watson, so let’s go to Paddington Station and catch a train for Dartmoor.”

“Dartmoor? That’s a lonely place. Not many people live there.”

“That is true, Watson. However, as King’s Pyland is a farm near Dartmoor, we must go to the moor if we are to solve the crime.”

“I see,” I said.

When we were on the train and sitting comfortably in our seats, Holmes began tell me about the mystery.

“I got a message from Inspector Gregory asking for help two days ago—that was Tuesday,” said Holmes.

“Two days ago!” I exclaimed. “Why the delay, Holmes? Why didn’t you go to King’s Pyland Farm then?”

“Because I thought such a famous horse as Silver Blaze would soon be found. But I was wrong.” Holmes paused, and then he said, “Watson, did you read the newspaper about John Straker being murdered?”

“Yes, most newspapers reported the murder.”

“Well, Watson, John Straker was the man who was responsible for looking after the horse, training and exercising it. He was very good at his job, and Silver Blaze has won a lot of races and a great deal of money.”

“Who owns Silver Blaze?” I asked.

“The horse belongs to Colonel Ross, a rich man who owns King’s-Pyland Farm where he keeps several horses.”

“Did anyone help John Straker look after Silver Blaze?”

“He had three boys to help him. One of the boys guarded the horse at night. They were very careful because many people had bet on Silver Blaze to win, and if for any reason he couldn’t run in the Wesssex Cup, they would lose money.”

“I see,” I said, “What happened when the horse disappeared?”

“Not so fast, Watson. Let me tell you about the people at the farm. John Straker was a good man who lived in a house near Silver Blaze’s stable. He was a married man but without any children. He employed a local woman to help his wife wash and cook. Her name is Edith Baxter. There are very few houses in the neighborhood, and the nearest town, Tavistock, is two miles west, alone a lonely country road. Two miles away in another direction is a bigger farm called Capleton where there are also horses. This farm is owned by Lord Blackwater, and there is a man named Silas Brown who looks after the horses.”

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