Once Upon a Misty Bluegrass Hill by Rebecca Bernadette Mance Page A
Authors: Rebecca Bernadette Mance
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the poor children with short fuzzy red hair running with no shoes. Don ' t worry about who is going to park on the lawn or whether they will sell b arbeque. God takes care of all things big and small.
They had pinned Jolene's wild hair tightly and her head was already smarting from the countless barrette s and pins Mata had nervously poked all over her scalp . She came dressed already in her jockey outfit , not wanting a scene with the other jockeys just in case they shared a locker room.
Besides, she didn ' t want to talk to any of them anyway unless it was necessary .
It was a nother distraction she didn ' t need .
They unloaded Big Storm and sent Jolene off with the other jockeys to the waiting room . In the waiting room n o one communicated with her other than eye contact and a nod. But she couldn ' t blame them after all. They all knew each other. Raced together. It was a club and she was not one of them.
A few smiled and wished her well.
She smiled back and returned the kindness .
She soon took to pacing around the room in her little white pants, thankful she was slender and not very tall for a woman because she was certain she was the biggest one in this room.
Good thing Big Storm was b ig.
Chapter 9
A match race had been offered and agreed upon between the 3-year-old sensation Man o'War and the older champion Sir Barton, who dominated his crop at 3 and 4. The previous season, Sir Barton had won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, before that race became known as "the Triple Crown" of American racing. In the match race at 10 furlongs, known as the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup, Man o'War ran Sir Barton off his feet and won by 7 lengths in a humiliating display of superiority. That said, Sir Barton was giving the year-younger colt 6 pounds and was suffering a flare up of chronic hoof problems at the time. A film of the race shows Sir Barton floundering behind Man o'War the entire trip, looking like a beaten horse every step of the way.
That final victory marked the end of Man o'War's race career, of 20 wins in 21 starts and $249,465 in earnings, a new record. Owner Riddle opted to retire him at this young age rather than face the crushing weights the handicappers had promised to impose on the red horse to make it fair for his opposition. Man o'War retired to Hinata Farm, north of Lexington, Kentucky which Riddle leased while shopping for a farm of his own. The horse and his retinue of mares and youngstock was relocated to Faraway Farm a couple of years later where Man o'War remained one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state until his death. Thoroughbred Heritage Portraits - July 23, 2012.
It all became a blur after that .
Out to the paddock following Patrick . Big Storm was waiting for her in stall number 19. Bad pol e position…but it didn ' t matter, he ' d do it. He ' d make up the difference.
Big storm was already sweating. His eyes were rolling and his head tossing no matter that Bernie tried to sooth him . And Bernie was the only one besides her and Patrick that could do anything at all with Storm.
Bernie was nervous as heck too. He had worked with Jolene even before the trainers started coming and even before Jolene talked to Shannon about riding Storm in the Derby. Bernie was going to marry Isha in just a few weeks so he had been doing double time to help her and Storm get ready while helping Isha with the wedding plans.
Storm leaned down to her and she cuddled his head. He was scared and h e knew she was afraid which made him prance around even more .
" It ' s all right Big Man, " s he soothed through the din and loud colors of people in fancy hats and colorful clothing that stood in the middle of the paddock and around the perimeter , staring , smiling and waving .
Patrick leaned down to her. " You okay Little Red ? "
" I don ' t like this much Patrick , " Jolene whispered into his ear clutching his arm.
Patrick
They had pinned Jolene's wild hair tightly and her head was already smarting from the countless barrette s and pins Mata had nervously poked all over her scalp . She came dressed already in her jockey outfit , not wanting a scene with the other jockeys just in case they shared a locker room.
Besides, she didn ' t want to talk to any of them anyway unless it was necessary .
It was a nother distraction she didn ' t need .
They unloaded Big Storm and sent Jolene off with the other jockeys to the waiting room . In the waiting room n o one communicated with her other than eye contact and a nod. But she couldn ' t blame them after all. They all knew each other. Raced together. It was a club and she was not one of them.
A few smiled and wished her well.
She smiled back and returned the kindness .
She soon took to pacing around the room in her little white pants, thankful she was slender and not very tall for a woman because she was certain she was the biggest one in this room.
Good thing Big Storm was b ig.
Chapter 9
A match race had been offered and agreed upon between the 3-year-old sensation Man o'War and the older champion Sir Barton, who dominated his crop at 3 and 4. The previous season, Sir Barton had won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, before that race became known as "the Triple Crown" of American racing. In the match race at 10 furlongs, known as the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup, Man o'War ran Sir Barton off his feet and won by 7 lengths in a humiliating display of superiority. That said, Sir Barton was giving the year-younger colt 6 pounds and was suffering a flare up of chronic hoof problems at the time. A film of the race shows Sir Barton floundering behind Man o'War the entire trip, looking like a beaten horse every step of the way.
That final victory marked the end of Man o'War's race career, of 20 wins in 21 starts and $249,465 in earnings, a new record. Owner Riddle opted to retire him at this young age rather than face the crushing weights the handicappers had promised to impose on the red horse to make it fair for his opposition. Man o'War retired to Hinata Farm, north of Lexington, Kentucky which Riddle leased while shopping for a farm of his own. The horse and his retinue of mares and youngstock was relocated to Faraway Farm a couple of years later where Man o'War remained one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state until his death. Thoroughbred Heritage Portraits - July 23, 2012.
It all became a blur after that .
Out to the paddock following Patrick . Big Storm was waiting for her in stall number 19. Bad pol e position…but it didn ' t matter, he ' d do it. He ' d make up the difference.
Big storm was already sweating. His eyes were rolling and his head tossing no matter that Bernie tried to sooth him . And Bernie was the only one besides her and Patrick that could do anything at all with Storm.
Bernie was nervous as heck too. He had worked with Jolene even before the trainers started coming and even before Jolene talked to Shannon about riding Storm in the Derby. Bernie was going to marry Isha in just a few weeks so he had been doing double time to help her and Storm get ready while helping Isha with the wedding plans.
Storm leaned down to her and she cuddled his head. He was scared and h e knew she was afraid which made him prance around even more .
" It ' s all right Big Man, " s he soothed through the din and loud colors of people in fancy hats and colorful clothing that stood in the middle of the paddock and around the perimeter , staring , smiling and waving .
Patrick leaned down to her. " You okay Little Red ? "
" I don ' t like this much Patrick , " Jolene whispered into his ear clutching his arm.
Patrick
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