Shedrow Read Online Free PDF Page B

As he walked, he looked down at the mass of synthetic pavers that lined the entire walking arena. Not a single patch of living grass had survived the renovation.
    Jeff Willard had just saddled the horse, and he reached down to slip off the protective bell boots, extending and then stretching each of the front legs in the process. From the hind legs, a groom spun off two bandages with amazing speed and handwork.
    “Anthony, I was afraid you might not make it,” Stu Duncker said, extending his hand. “Where’s Janice?”
    “Business at home,” Gianni said. “She couldn’t make it.”
    Duncker shifted his beige Stetson dress hat a tad and said, “Well, she may miss a trip to the winner’s circle.”
    “We’re certainly in good company, I didn’t know Her Majesty the Queen was expected to have an entry. I don’t imagine she made the trip from England for our little stakes race, did she?”
    “You’ll only see that for the rare Triple Crown race,” Duncker replied with his southern drawl. “Not that a Grade II on the turf is anything to scoff at. Remind me after the race and I’ll tell you a little historical tale from
across the pond
. It has to do with Chiefly’s great, great, great grand sire, a horse named Royal Charger, in the Queen Anne Stakes of 1945. It was the event that got me hooked on this crazy business. I’ll recount it later—the horses are about to leave the paddock. It’s a splendid bit of racing history, really.”
    RIDERS UP.
    “We have a table on level three,” Duncker said. “Not the best
view
through the glass enclosure up there. I think they’ve ruined this place in the name of progress. The paddock is an abomination. It certainly wasn’t designed
with the horses
in mind.”
    “Actually, I’m going to just jockey for position at the rail. I’ll be near the winner’s circle, and I’ll be where I can hear the hoofs pound the turf as they head for home.”
    “Good man, I like your spirit,” Duncker said. “See you in the winner’s circle.”
    The view from the rail was still pleasant enough. Palm trees and a line of tall buildings off in the horizon provided a familiar, pacific backdrop. The hoof beats were still thunderous as the horses turned for home. The bright and myriad colors of the silks against the green turf course were spectacular. Reds, greens, yellows, and as the horses entered the stretch run, Bushmill’s royal blue and white, moving along the outside and approaching the two leaders. Only the width of the outer dirt track separated Gianni from the horses and he could hear the cajoles of the jockeys, yelling at their horses and each other. Once they flew by, he had to turn his focus to the announcer to hear the finish.
    AND THEY’RE DOWN TO THE FINAL FURLONG AND IT’S CHAKOS AND CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR. CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR COMING AT CHAKOS. FIFTY YARDS FROM HOME…CHIEFY ENDEAVOR AND CHAKOS…CHAKOS AND CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR…AND CHIEFLY ENDEAVOR NAILS HIM, TO TAKE THE GRADE II TROPICAL STAKES IN 1:32 and 1, A VERY FAST MILE HERE AT GULFSTREAM PARK, AND CLOSE TO THE STAKES RECORD.
    I felt it, I knew it
, Gianni thought. He put his binoculars back into their carrying case and hustled his way through the crowd to thewinner’s circle. Jeff Willard and Duncker arrived, and all eyes were on Chiefly Endeavor as he jogged down the track and pranced into the circle. He looked strong and not nearly as lathered up as some of the other horses.
    “The way he galloped out, I think he could have easily gone another furlong or two,” Jeff commented.
    After their picture was taken with the horse and jockey, the group left the winner’s circle and stood alongside the paddock. Artificial fountains in the center of the paddock gushed spouts of water and the wind carried a fine, cooling mist in their direction. Duncker began to recount the story of Royal Charger.
    “I was basically a kid and had just finished my time in the Navy, looking to find my way in the world. Those were the war