Testing God - Post Nine

Actually, UB had somewhat eased my mind when he told me that it wasn’t the starting gate per se that upset him—just all the noise and commotion at the gate at race time. And at the training center where we were stabled, the starting gate is generally pretty quiet. There is never more than a horse or two at a time there in the morning.

When a horse acts badly in or around the starting gate (refusing to load, being fractious in the gate, or flipping—the most dangerous stunt) they are placed on what is called the Starter’s List. Not a good place to be, as it means that you are not permitted to race your horse until his name has been cleared. What this generally entails is some “schooling sessions” in the morning, with someone in attendance that has the authority to deem the bad lad or lassie “cured.”

My husband, who over the years had done nearly every job there is to do around the racetrack, has done his time on the starting gate. Next to being a jockey, working as an assistant starter is the most dangerous job on the racetrack. Responsible for insuring fair and equitable starts to each race, the assistant starters must load each horse, and remain in the gate with the fractious ones. The goal is to try to keep the “bad acters” from breaking through or climbing under the front door, or flipping backwards over the back door or worse, getting down under the gate and injuring the horses on either side with frantic thrashing. In a starting gate packed with as much as 15,000 pounds of nervous horseflesh, the potential for carnage is high.

As UB approached the starting gate, Jerry spoke to the starter, a fellow with whom he had a nodding acquaintance.

“We’re here to school,” Jerry began. “This horse is on the list.”

“Name?” queried the starter.

“The Unbelievable,” answered Jerry.

Jerry’s answer was met with a tightening of the starter’s jaw and a frown.

“I know him,” was all he said.

Daily Notes: As I was sitting here wondering if I should be worried at the slowness of my business, I looked down and realized that I have indeed received a blessing! For the first time in I don’t know how long, my hands are not cracked open and sore. My hands being in bad shape makes it rather hard to groom dogs, which is part of my business. Because I am allergic to virtually any substance that my hands come into contact with, I suffer year-round, but because the condition gets worse with cold weather and dry heated air, I’m much worse in the winter. I don’t think my hands will ever be “pretty” again, but this turn of events is refreshing, indeed! I don’t know how long it will last, but thanks, God!

Normally I reference a Bible passage in this section, but today I’m going to tell of a racing industry incident that came to me last night via Facebook in The Paulick Report. I mention it here because you will see this subject come into play later on in the story being told in this blog.

I have been involved in racing since high school, and with horses in general pretty much since I could walk. I owe horses a debt of gratitude that I don’t think I can ever repay, although I am trying. And I have come to realize that horses are the instrument that God has chosen to lead me through life, and to watch over me. My angels, if you will.

It was this indebtedness that was the driving force behind the creation of ReRun, Inc., and behind this organization fighting for a better way for racehorses for over 13 years now. It has only been in the past few years that it seemed that the racing industry as a whole was finally “getting it,” and my husband and I felt comfortable enough to turn ReRun over to a group of fresher, more energetic and very capable people while we got back to our first love…racing.

Anyway, to make a long story short, a controversy has erupted at Penn National Racecourse in Pennsylvania. Saturday evening, the jockeys refused to ride in any races in which horses owned by Michael Gill were entered. The vote was taken among the jockeys after the 5th race, in which Laughing Moon (a Gill-owned horse) broke down just past the wire, causing another horse to go down as well. It was the second breakdown of a horse owned by Gill at this track in three nights, which prompted another Penn National horseman to say, “Gill’s horses are breaking down at a rate that’s just not normal.”

In fact, according to The Paulick Report, in just over three months, 14 other horses owned by Gill have either broken down, were pulled up, returned lame, or eased at Penn National. This is nothing new for this man—his antics go back many years and at many different tracks.

I think our industry needs to do double-time on “getting it.”

My apologies for the length of this posting today, but I promise—this will tie in soon! And if you are interested in ReRun, you will find the info at www.rerun.org.