Rat Race Trivia Quiz

Answer: His passengers squabble about what he comes to realize is race fixing.

After all the arguing and ill feeling he has had to listen to throughout the flight, Matt becomes "mildly curious to see what would happen in the 3:30." So, when invited later, he goes in to the races, leaving the Cherokee locked but unattended.

Answer: "You lousy bloody skunk!"

Matt's resigned comment, "It really was one of those days", ends the chapter. The next chapter begins with the girl's embarrassed realization that she had the wrong man. She apologizes and, after this inauspicious beginning, the relationship proceeds quite satisfactorily.

It turns out that she thought Matt was Derrydown Sky Taxis' previous full time pilot,Larry Gedge, who stole a hundred pounds from her and then absconded to Turkey - richly deserving to be called a lousy skunk in your humble quiz maker's opinion.

Answer: Colin Ross's sister Nancy

Midge is Nancy's twin sister. Fennella, aka Fenella Pain-in-the-neck, is Colin's would-be girlfriend, whom we meet later in the book.

Annie Villars is a trainer and one of Matt's passengers. She becomes a regular along with jockeys Collin Ross and Kenny Bayst. At one point she gives Matt information that helps him solve a minor puzzle and, eventually, gives him insight into the main mystery.

Answer: Rudaments/Unraveling the race fixing scheme involving him helps solve the larger mystery.

Candlestick is mentioned in passing later on. Curiously, a horse named Candlestick is also mentioned in Francis' 2007 thriller "Under Orders".
Clipclop appears in 2006's "Bonecrack".

Red Rum is a real life horse, albeit of legendary status, whose achievement of winning the Grand National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, has never been equaled. He came in second in 1975 and 1976.

Answer: He teaches at an art school.

Though Chanter describes himself as the fuzz (a term which to this American translates as police), Matt understands that he is a teacher. When Matt asks if he ever sells his work, Chanter just gives him a baleful stare. At one point, when the subject of insurance comes up in conversation, Chanter declares it to be immoral.

Answer: Eric Goldenberg

Carthy-Todd has nothing to do with the attack, since it springs from the race fixing scheme with which he is not connected. It is unclear whether Maj. Tyderman knows in advance about the attack, though he seems just as angry with Kenny as Goldenberg. Though Annie claims Kenny must have deserved the beating, Matt can see she doesn't like the idea at all. Colin is concerned about Kenny and even more about Matt who, after all, still has to fly them all home.

Answer: Matt is feeling awful two hours on from the beating he took from Kenny's attackers.

In fact, Colin's sisters Midge and Nancy are there, and Matt feels at home at once.

Answer: The sabotage will do no real harm, since Mat can cope.

When Matt runs into the saboteur by chance after Nancy has taken off, the saboteur is horrified, showing that he is not heartless and evil, not a murderer.

Answer: For publicity to increase subscriptions to the Racegoers Accident Fund.

Only nonclaiming incidents like the blowing up of the unoccupied Derrydown Cherokee are useful to the planner of the fraud with the fund. In the event, the sabotage of Nancy and Colin's plane works out better from his point of view than he could have dared hope for.

Answer: To prevent him revealing the attempted fraud with the Racegoers Accident Fund.

We don't see the Major again after the Cherokee Four is sabotaged, but we know the danger to Nancy and Colin distresses him. We can only speculate that he told the con artist cum murderer that he wanted out of the whole mess. In any case, it's pretty certain he was killed to silence him.

Answer: He likes him and feels protective towards him.

Matt's actions, attitudes and comments, as well as most people's reaction to him, show him to be an insightful and sensitive man. His instinctive outrage and protectiveness on discovering just how the Duke is to be victimized while being made the scapegoat for the intended fraud with the Accident Fund is a case in point.

He observes, "One couldn't help feeling protective. One couldn't help wanting to stop it."

Answer: Yes

The murderer of Maj. Tyderman tries to kill Matt by the same means and for the same reason. Matt survives, though he is badly injured. Once the attacker leaves, Matt sets off bravely, if rather dizzily, to warn the murderer's next intended victim of his danger.

Answer: Tries to kill the duke so as to collect £200,000 as per the covenants included in the fund's setup.

Though he is the brains of the operation, the con artist cum murderer is less dexterous than the saboteur. Also, he suffers from overconfidence. He didn't wait to make sure Matt was dead before charging off to kill his next victim. The combination proves his undoing.

Answer: He meets a terrible end when he runs onto the racetrack at Warwick.

Dick Francis is old fashioned, and quite right in this quiz maker's opinion. Like Hercule Poirot, Mr. Francis does not approve of murder. Though his heroes may not always get an unambiguously happy ending, his villains always get their comeuppance in the end. In this case, it is rather a dreadful one, but no less deserved for that.

Answer: False

At the end of the book, it's a pretty sure thing that Nancy will marry Matt. The exact words are:

"Nancy," I said. "Will you...will you..."

"You nit," she said. "You great nit."