Casey's Shadow Page #4

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"Five thousand dollars...

against a purchase price

to be negotiated."

Oh, I bet I took me home the

wrong baby from the hospital.

I bet you're out of the First National

Bank by the Wall Street Journal.

Buddy, you done it. You done it.

You owe me 5 bucks, Casey.

You'll get it.

I charge 20 percent interest,

monthly. That's 10 bucks.

- I can add.

- You multiply for percents, dummy.

So? I can multiply.

- Casey, can that colt run?

- Of course.

- Want a match?

- No.

For the whole 5 bucks.

From here to the gate.

If you beat me,

you're out of debt. Come on.

Come on.

Casey, be careful!

Casey!

Whoa, Casey. Whoa, Casey!

Get off. Get off.

Dad.

Get Shadow. Get the leg wrap.

Get the vet.

He's just a little kid.

What are you gonna do to him?

Kill him.

Let me go. No!

Get in there.

Told you to stay off him.

- I needed $5.

- Five dollars?

We're aiming at a million-dollar purse,

and you destroy his legs on a $5 race?

Casey, we talked before. You don't

listen. Pull down your pants.

- I'm too big.

- You're too big to be so stupid.

I know.

But don't tell them if I cry.

Okay?

He'll be fit as a fiddle by 3. Shouldn't

run none of these colts as 2-year-olds.

It's like asking a 14-year-old boy,

still growing, to run the Olympics.

It's a cruelty.

Just another week, Shadow,

and they'll take this thing off.

Casey, this pony's liable

to step on Shadow.

Dad's right. I think you're demented.

Buddy said if you didn't have new

shoes by dinner, he's gonna whup me.

And if we see any likely girls in town,

you're walking home. Now, come on.

Don't move, you hear?

Come on!

I'm so horny even

Gypsy's starting to look good.

What's "horny"?

- It's getting better. Did you notice?

- Well, maybe a little.

You're not favoring it as much.

I can see that even if they can't.

Please get well. Please?

See that? And that?

It's not healed completely.

Hasn't been long enough. I wouldn't

move him, much less run him.

Well.

Six, eight months in the pasture,

he'll be sound...

and we can campaign him as a

3-year-old. Take him to Florida maybe.

Maybe even California. We can still

clean up, he's so full of talent.

Dad?

Give me some tobacco.

You're not gonna take him

to Ruidoso.

Will you quit telling me what to do!

- What the hell are you staring at?

- I don't rightly know.

Smells like a dead skunk

or bullshit or something.

You asking for the removal

of your teeth, son?

You can't take him, Dad.

He's not sound!

I won't run him if he's not sound!

You know that.

But if we take him now,

get him used to the altitude...

two months, walking around,

taking it easy, he's gonna be sound.

I'm not coming with you.

Sure you are.

I want my children at my elbow

when I win the All-American.

A coonass colt's never won the

All-American. This year he's gonna.

They say a cowboy with one

old horse can't win no more.

That running quarter horses is for

the rich and the fancy these days.

But in '66, an old boy with nothing but a

gas station and one good horse won it.

This year, this old boy's gonna do it.

We're leaving the end of the week.

- You the folks from Louisiana?

- That's right.

Y'all want cheap hay,

y'all come to Mescalero.

Mescalero. Thank you.

How come everybody knows us?

I don't know.

I don't like it.

We're not here to like it.

Well, I'll be damned. Bourdelle.

I'll see you in the barn.

Well, Randy, Lloyd,

when did y'all get here?

Last night.

- What you in, Rainbow Futurity?

- Just the All-American.

- You got balls.

- I would hope so.

There are 220 horses here

for the All-American.

They're holding 22 time trials,

all in the same day.

You gonna run in the top-10 time trials...

among 220 horses

with an inexperienced colt?

I reckon.

I think I'd put him in a softer race.

At least get your expenses back.

- I wanna keep him sound, Marsh.

- See you.

- Sure wants to run.

- No way, Randy.

- Couple more times. Slow and easy.

- Okay.

I'll see you.

Hey.

- You going to the swimming pool?

- Obviously.

- You want some company?

- Suit yourself.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to the 68th day of racing...

here at beautiful and friendly

Ruidoso Downs...

home of the All-American Futurity,

the world's richest horserace.

And in the first race, the Rainbow

Quarter Horse Futurity...

at a distance of 350 yards.

- -of Amarillo, Texas, trained by Pete

O'Brien. The rider will be Ron Herrera.

Number six is Foolish Phil,

owned by Dale Pearson...

of Oklahoma. Trained by Sam

Aswalha. The rider will be Joe Kellen.

Number seven is Smooth Chocolate,

owned and trained...

by Sarah Blue of Oklahoma.

The rider will be Bobby Adair.

Number eight is Aspirational, owned

by Tom Patterson of New Mexico.

Trained by Mike Marsh.

The rider will be Jimmy Donovan.

Number nine is Hit Again, owned by the

Pearson Farm of Santa Ana, California.

Number nine is Hit Again, owned by the

Pearson Farm of Santa Ana, California.

Trained by Kent Hollinger. And the

rider will be Willy Losh.

- Hi, Lloyd.

- Hi, Marsh.

Mr. Bourdelle?

Bourdelle.

You the one with the coonass colt?

That's me.

Tom Patterson. Can we talk business?

I had an idea you were somewhat taller.

- Excuse me.

- Sure.

What price do you have on the colt?

Sarah Blue's got an option

to buy him after the All-American.

You find out what her top price is.

I'll give you 50,000 more.

She'll back out.

But I want him running under

my name in the All-American.

Well, he's not for sale

before the All-American.

For a price, everything's for sale.

Not the coonass colt.

There you are. Set him.

There they go!

Attention, will the horse ambulance

go to the starting gate immediately?

The horse ambulance to

the starting gate immediately, please.

They're broke, both of them.

I heard them go.

- How about you? You all right?

- I'm okay.

- Got your curare?

- Yes.

Damn it, all of Aspiration's

babies are like this.

They're fine-boned,

legs like toothpicks.

If you'd keep them till they're

3-year-olds, you'd have winners.

Running them at 2,

all you have is carcasses.

- This just makes me sick.

- Talk to Mr. Patterson, doc, not me.

If it can't run at 2,

he doesn't want to bother.

Now put her to sleep.

I think it's too late to get Nicodemus.

He's probably riding for Bubba.

Let's get Cordova or Bobby Adair.

I want the best.

Hey, how about Mike Metter?

Look at little Kelly.

- Lord, how she's grown.

- Yeah.

She's the best bug boy I got.

How's life been treating you, kitten?

Fine. Thanks.

You've done a real good job on

Tricky Mickey. I'm here to thank you.

Well, he's a good old horse.

Donovan can't ride in the trials.

He's got a fractured pelvis.

- We're talking jockeys.

- Well, how about me?

Now, now.

- Look, why not, Daddy?

- Absolutely not.

Nobody'd hurt me. They raised me. I've

been around those guys since I was 7.

They looked after me, wiped my nose.

Not one of them would hurt me!

Goddarn it, the answer is no!

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