Secretariat Page #2

- I wanted to ask you about that sale

of those broodmares that

my mother stopped a few weeks ago.

I know you and your brother aren't

horse people and you suffered a loss,

but you don't need

to worry about this right now.

Apparently, I do

since they're my father's horses,

and the sale would've been bad business.

It's bad business to come to a barn,

interrupt a trainer's work.

- Not if you want to keep him.

- I understand.

- But about that sale?

- What about it?

They were worth twice

what we were going to sell them for.

I couldn't sleep last night,

so I checked the books

and I made some calls this morning

to be sure.

Like you say, I don't own the horses.

Your father has to sell them.

But as trainer,

you would know their worth

and that they were about to be sold.

I'm wondering why it had to be my mother

who stopped the sale and not you.

The old man, your father? Ask him.

I'm asking you! My father's been sick

for quite a long time now.

You've been paid

to look out for his interests.

And I do! Just because this place

is going downhill it ain't my fault.

The sale was going to be

to Oakworth Farms?

I learned this morning that the owners

of Oakworth were already talking

about selling our horses for twice

the price they were going to pay us.

- You train for them, too, don't you?

- I don't have an exclusive deal here.

I work for them sometimes. So what?

So if you arranged a deal

that gave them four horses

at half their market value

and they paid you back, plus an extra

share on everything they made,

that wouldn'tjust be disloyal.

That would be committing fraud.

Who the hell do you think you are?

Coming here, accusing me?

Someone who knows enough law

to know she's right.

And I'm not "missy" anything.

Get your things and get off my farm!

I have a contract, and I'll sue you.

If I ever even hear your name again,

I will see that you go to prison!

- [Car engine starts]

- [Tires squealing on gravel]

Where does Bull Hancock eat lunch?

At his club, every day.

But it's gentlemen only.

[Indistinct chatter]

[Woman] Uh, miss?

Uh... Miss, you can't...

I'm sorry, Mr. Hancock.

I told her this was a gentleman's club,

and she just...

It's all right, Brenda. It's all right.

Thank you, Seth.

I apologize for interrupting.

It's fine. I have friends here,

Miss Chenery.

Thank you.

Well, how's it going?

I fired Earl Jansen.

Do tell.

Does that mean you're selling the horses

or keeping them?

The farm's in bad shape, as is Daddy.

But I'm not willing to sell it

unless I get what it's worth.

Well, horse farm needs

a strong hand on the reins,

but the hand that threw Earl Jansen out

the door looks pretty strong to me.

Well, I've got a family back in Denver.

I need a good trainer

just to get things stabilized.

You need to talk to Lucien Laurin.

He's a French Canadian.

Dresses like SuperFly.

He's trying to retire.

What do you mean, "trying"?

[Faint indistinct chatter]

[Grunts]

Mr. Laurin?

Excuse me. I'm Penny Chenery,

Chris Chenery's daughter.

And, um, I need a trainer. Bull Hancock

suggested that I find you...

Yeah, Bull called me, but I tell you,

I'm tired of babysitting half-ton

animals who are nearly as stubborn

and stupid as their owners are.

I've lost interest in racing.

Don't even follow it anymore.

Well, I'm in a bit of a tight spot.

I wonder if you mightjust try it

- for a few months and see how...

- I don't need to try anything,

and trainers don't go anywhere

to work for a few months.

- They go where there is a good horse.

- We have plenty of good horses.

No, you don't. You have one or two

that might be worth the time,

but you're a little short on people over

there who know what they're doing.

Well, that's why I've

come to see you, Mr. Laurin.

Miss, you're not hearing me. A trainer

makes his living off commissions.

Ten percent off sales,

ten percent offwinners.

To get a top trainer,

you need a top horse.

You're going to have to go back to Bull

and see if he has any other ideas.

Mr. Laurin, two of our mares

are pregnant by Bold Ruler

who is the finest stallion

of his generation.

- Fore!

- [Man] Hey!

- Fore!

- [Man] Watch where you're hitting!

Well, I yelled "fore," you idiot.

That's what "fore" means.

You see how I am, Miss Chenery,

when I put myself

in a position to do something poorly?

And I'm afraid at your stable,

I'd be yelling "fore" all day long.

Give my regards to your father.

Fore!

[Whinnies]

- [Jack] When are you coming back?

- [Penny] Soon.

I need to talk to you

about this coin toss thing.

- [Jack] Coin toss?

- [Penny] Jack, listen.

Stallions cost more than mares.

No, they're more glamorous.

But Daddy knew that a great horse

comes just as much

from the mare as the stallion.

He invested in mares,

which is the first smart thing he did.

Second smart thing he did

was he made a deal with Ogden Phipps.

[Jack] Phipps? Richest man in America?

[Penny] Yes.

Instead of paying a stud fee,

Daddy made a deal to breed Phipps'

best stallion with our two best mares.

When the mares are close to term, they

toss a coin to see who gets which foal.

That coin toss is in two weeks!

What's the difference? I don't have

any idea which horse to choose.

I've been through the stud books, Jack.

Bold Ruler, that's the sire.

He was fast,

but he couldn't last over distances.

Now the two dams are

Hasty Matilda and Somethingroyal.

Hasty Matilda is eight years old.

She's still young.

Since broodmares tend to produce their

best offspring while they're young,

that makes herfoal the obvious choice,

since Somethingroyal's 17.

But her grandsire was Princequillo.

He had great stamina, Jack.

- Penny? Penny!

- Do you know what that means?

- What?

- [Jack] Sire and dam and Sam-l-Am?

What is this?

Come on. We need you here, Penny.

Come home.

Right after the coin toss.

[Line goes dead]

- You about ready?

- We're ready.

- Excuse me just a minute.

- Mmm-hmm

I'll be making the toss.

Are you waiting on anybody else?

- No, I came alone.

- We toss right on the hour.

- Good luck to you.

- Thank you.

Hi. Good to see you, Mr. Hancock.

How are you?

Hollis. What are you doing here?

I called Jack about our tax issues,

and he told me you fired our trainer.

How do you expect we can

fetch a good price on the farm

ifwe don't have

a training operation in place.

He was dishonest. He had to go.

You came down here because of a trainer?

This coin toss is big.

The foal could be worth a great deal.

I checked with some of Phipps' people.

They think he wants

Hasty Matilda's foal.

So that's who we'll choose.

No, Hollis, I think that's wrong.

Somethingroyal's colt could have an

unusual mix of speed and stamina.

Phipps has the best horse people in

the world. You know more than they do?

Come on.

Please don't take offense, Miss Chenery,

but your father almost never

won our coin tosses.

And I do hope you've inherited his luck.

All right. We're all here now.

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