Casey's Shadow

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1

Sh*t.

How you all are?

This is KFAW, Erath, Louisiana...

coonass country.

And now we gonna play some Dr. John.

A reminder horse fans!

In three weeks' time, we have the

annual Cajun Quarter Horse Classic...

for any quarter horse, any age,

born in Louisiana.

The distance, one quarter mile.

The purse, $1300.

That's the 23rd of this month,

horsemen.

Come along and get your horse

entered today.

Mr. Beaudry wants to match

his coonass steed...

to anything 3 years old or over.

Two horses for the price of one.

Anybody want it?

That's settled. Anybody want them?

Poke around.

Clear the rails.

Clear the rails.

You got it! You got it! You got it!

Come on, baby!

Come on, baby!

Wanna play pool?

Nickel a game?

- No.

- Checkers?

I'm broke, Casey.

We could pitch pennies.

I could loan you a penny.

We could keep a tab.

Are you riding Jimmy Collard's filly

in the fifth?

- What of it?

- She's a good one.

She lame. I don't want you

riding a lame horse.

Hey, Dad,

she got no competition.

She's gonna win.

She's gonna win easy.

She shouldn't run. Run a hurting horse,

the legs break down. You'll kill it.

- I don't want you part of it!

- Part of what?

- None of your business.

- I bet five.

- When's Buddy coming home?

- You ain't riding that horse.

Buddy be home Monday, squirrel,

with a nice little colt, I hope.

Hey, coonass.

What do you say?

Hey, Mr. Marsh. When they

let you out of New Mexico...

and what they set the bail at?

Been here since last week.

Can I have a beer, please?

I heard you were training

for Tom Patterson.

How come you're not staying

in Ruidoso this summer?

I got six of his horses at Evangeline.

Six old nags that couldn't cut it

at Ruidoso.

- I'll bet you 20.

- About like that, yeah.

Have you got your kid

a decent horse yet?

Why?

You got something to sell?

I'll match anything you got her on.

Lloyd, you haven't had anything

with speed since your wife ran off.

You got it.

Come on, Mr. Marsh.

- Where you going?

- Doing a little business out here.

What kind of business?

Here she is.

- What?

- This is it.

- You want to match me with that?

- With that.

What distance?

At 200 yards,

Gypsy could beat the wrath of God.

Kelly, honey, come over here.

Okay, you're on.

That horse is at least six hands

taller than Gypsy, Dad.

Well, look, Kelly's heavier.

Look at this here.

That mare's built like la machine.

$100, 200 yards.

Is that too steep for you?

Come on.

- Don't do it.

- What do you say, Casey?

At 200 yards, Gypsy could beat

anything on four legs.

- All right. $200 to 100.

- That's the bet.

Running the rails.

Next race ain't for an hour. Let's go.

Come on.

Come on, Lloyd.

I don't suppose you know

how to play pool.

I only play for money.

Same here.

Where you heading after Evangeline?

Oh, Sunland Park, some of the Texas

futurities. You know.

Patterson pay for all that moving?

You kidding?

He got us a mobile home.

That's no life for that little girl,

unsettled like that.

Hey, there they go!

Jesus Christ!

Goddamn it, Bourdelle. A live jockey.

Come on.

Well, that's your best live jockey

in the business.

You'll get your money

sooner out of a rock, boy.

I know.

Kelly!

Let's go to New Orleans and blow it

on broads and booze!

He let him get away without paying.

He didn't do anything. Just stood there.

You gotta be kidding.

I can't help it.

I don't want to lose Eagle Leader.

Put him in the lowest claiming level

and get rid of him.

I don't believe this is

the right time, Calvin.

But I'm tired of supporting him.

Run him for 800.

I believe that that horse can win

at a $1200 level.

There's a race like that next week.

You want to keep him around

to collect the training fee.

I want to lose him.

Calvin, what you lack is faith.

No, what I lack is cash.

Welcome home!

Hey, man!

How you doing?

- Hev, Squirrel!

- Hey, Buddy!

You been keeping out of trouble?

Mostly, I guess.

Some of the time.

Yeah, I bet.

I'll race you to the gate.

Buddy!

Watch out, kid.

Watch out, Casey. Goddamn it!

Okay-

Take this in the house.

These are for you.

- Hi, Buddy.

- Dad. Calvin.

- How'd the truck do?

- Good.

Burns some oil. Aside from that,

runs real good.

Better be something with speed.

It will be.

Buddy's no fool.

Okay, mama, let's go.

Easy.

Holy gumbo mess!

A 2-year-old I wanted.

What am I gonna do with

a 100-year-old brooding mare?

I could've bought you a colt, Calvin.

But I come across this deal,

and I just couldn't pass it up.

I wouldn't have given you money if I'd

known you wasn't going there yourself.

I'm telling you, man,

this mare is the buy of the century.

1800 is all I had to pay, Calvin.

Here's your change, your papers.

Take a look.

Look, that money was for a colt

that I can run this year.

I'm taking y'all to court.

That's what I'm doing.

Dad, she's in foal to Sure Hit.

She's in foal to Sure Hit.

- Where does it say that?

- Right there.

Is that this animal?

- 363233.

- That's it.

It matches. I'll be damned.

Wait a minute, Buddy. Wait.

Costs $6000 just to breed to Sure Hit.

So? Man's a crook.

He was also drunk.

But he signed the papers.

It's a valid sale.

What kind of crook?

Did he steal the semen?

Yeah, that's close.

These papers all right?

They're all right.

I checked them out myself.

You know what this means, Calvin?

Come here.

Sure Hit is the finest producing

stud alive.

There's never been a Sure Hit foal

in Louisiana, ever.

And Buddy has got you one coming

for a lousy $1800.

This is the buy of the century.

I guarantee that.

I can't see it. All I can see,

two years this mare will be in your barn.

Two years the mare and the colt will be

out there eating, and I gotta pay for it.

All my money going out

and none coming in.

Fine. We'll give you the 1800 back

right now, Calvin, right this instant.

Yeah.

1900. That's $100 profit

in two minutes.

You can't do better than that.

Take it, Calvin.

You'll be doing us a favor, man.

No, you don't have no $1900.

Look, if this is some kind of hustle,

you and me are finished.

And I'm taking all of my horses

out of your barn, and I mean it.

This is not a hustle?

Daddy, this mare's in foal to Sure Hit.

"T-H-E. The."

"C-H-I-L-D. Child.

The child." Got that?

Gotta be some changes

made around here.

Yeah.

Like somebody aside from me

is gonna clean up this stink hole.

I'm leaving home at 4:30 a.m.,

every a.m.

I'm at the track 5 to 9, exercising.

School from 9 to 3.

And back at the track from 7 p.m. to 11.

Be 106 before I get laid.

Count your blessings.

"The child."

Read that, please.

I need some time off.

Take time off and Casey goes

to school without shoes.

You ought to go on welfare.

Welfare's for lazy bums.

I'd sell my private parts to medical

research before I went on welfare.

"The child."

What do you mean, you can't?

That's easy.

- "Child."

- There are no plates!

How the hell am I supposed to

put dinner on the table...

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