The Black Stallion (film) - Plot

Plot

In the summer of 1946, Alec Ramsay (Kelly Reno) is traveling aboard the steamer Drake off the coast of North Africa, when he sees a wild black stallion being heavily restrained by ropes leading to his halter and forced into a makeshift stable on the ship. Captivated by the sight of the animal, he later returns and feeds it some sugar cubes, but is caught by the supposed owner, who shoves him away, telling him in Arabic to stay away from Shetan (Devil).

Later, in their stateroom, Alec's father shows him the objects he won in a card game. He gives him a pocket knife and a small statue of Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse, from the loot and tells him the story of how Alexander became Bucephalus' master. Later that night, he is thrown from his bunk by the violent rocking of the ship. Emerging on deck, he finds that it has caught fire and is sinking. In the chaos, he sees the black stallion trapped and manages to free him with his knife. It then jumps overboard into the sea. Alec himself is thrown overboard. Trying to stay afloat in the water, he swims toward the horse and manages to grab hold of its restraints just as the ship explodes.

Alec awakens alone on the shore of an uninhabited island. At first he is sad and frightened. Exploring, he comes upon the horse, trapped again by his ropes which have become caught in some rocks. Once more he manages to free it, but it runs away. He discovers means to survive by catching fish and gathering seaweed. One morning he awakens to find himself eye to eye with an angry cobra. He is paralyzed with fear. Suddenly the horse appears and tramples it, saving his life. It then runs off again.

Alec decides to try to get closer to the horse. He offers him some seaweed. It struggles with his distrust of humans, but the act of taking the food from the boy's hand seals the bond between them. They play together, running and swimming. Finally he mounts him, and after several attempts to stay on, he rides him and the two gallop together over the island, united as one.

One day a Portuguese fishing ship arrives. Several men row a small boat to the island, and Alec calls out to them. They try to take him forcibly off the island without the horse. But it swims out into the ocean and follows them, and so both of them are taken onto the ship and rescued.

Back home in America, Alec is given a hero's welcome. He keeps the horse, which he has named The Black, in his backyard, but one morning he runs out the gate which a garbage man has left open. Spooked by the traffic in the street, he flees through the town. Alec gives chase but finally loses track of him. The next day, he meets an elderly horse owner named Snoe (Clarence Muse) who tells him where The Black is. He finds him in the barn of Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney), a retired jockey. He vigorously asserts his ownership of him, but Henry attempts to claim him himself, having spent all night trying to catch him. But when he sees the bond between the two, he realizes that he really does belong to Alec. Eating breakfast in Henry's kitchen, Alec looks out the window to where The Black is standing and realizes that he is at home on the farm. Henry offers Alec the use of a stall in which to keep him.

Later Alec wonders how fast The Black might be, and he and Henry decide to train him for the racetrack. Henry teaches Alec to be a jockey. The Black surprises him with his speed. He conceives a plan to get him into a race involving the country's two current champions. He sets up a secret demonstration at night for a reporter to witness his speed, keeping the identity of him and Alec secret. The news about the mystery horse has spread, and he is allowed to enter the race. Alec's mother (Teri Garr) at first refuses to let him ride in it but then relents, seeing how important it is to him.

The race is the most anticipated horse racing event of the year. Heading for the starting gate alongside the two champions, The Black gets into a fight with one of his opponents, sustaining a wound to his leg. Alec does not see it until he is in the gate. As he begins to dismount, the bell rings and the horses take off. He desperately tries to stay on The Black and stop him, but he keeps running. When Alec regains his balance, The Black is far behind his opponents. But he encourages him to run as fast as he can, and they are soon back in the race. As they head for the finish, he thinks back to the two of them galloping along the island's sandy beach, and The Black overtakes the other horses and wins by two lengths. Later, a veterinarian assures Alec that the horse will recover from his injury. The film ends with Alec holding the small statue of Bucephalus while The Black inspects it with curiosity.