Stealing the Night

Chapter 4|Plot Twist|

Santa Anita- Week before Sham Stakes(December 30, 2017) 

We tacked up Fury for his morning workout, but I was approached by the most unexpected person to be approached by as I tacked Fury up.

"Mr. Katey?" Says the owner of Got Gold which was Mrs. Madilynn Greta.

"Yes ma'am?" I say.

"Can you came with me to Got Gold's stall please?" She says summoning me over.

"Well, I would, but we are about to workout Fury." I say patting the big colt's neck.

"Please wait... 5 minutes. I'm begging you." She says pleading with her hands. 

I look at John and Fury a moment and sigh, "Fine." I follow her to Got Gold's stall.

She enters his stall a begins to rub him. I lean against the stall door frame.

She clears her throat, "This is going to be hard, Mr. Katey. I-I-I want you to buy Got Gold." She says quickly.

"If I may ask, why?"

"He isn't treated like he deserves. I see how you treat Night Fury, and I believe Got Gold deserves that kind of treatment too. My workers LOVE all my horses, BUT for some reason, they hate Mud Pie. We call Got Gold "Mud Pie" because he loves the mud, and he looks like a mud pie. Anyways, please buy him. I'm selling him to you because I love him."

I think it over a second, "What do you want for him?"

"With your colt, he will always be second best. Is 500,000 reasonable?"

I sigh and play with some shavings. five hundred thousand was A LOT, but this colt seemed worth it. I pull my check book out of the pocket which was inside of my suit jacket. Then I pull a pen out of my breast pocket. I put my check book against the wall; therefore, I would have a flat surface to write on, and I made the check. When I hand it to Mrs. Greta she looked to be about to tears.

"One million dollars," She says choked up. She gives me a big bear hug and begins to cry. "This is just what I needed."

We break apart, and I smile at her, "Have a wonderful day Mrs. Greta." 

She kisses Got Gold one more time on the nose and hands me his lead.

"You will love him." She says holding back tears.

"Come by and see him anytime." I say and lead Got Gold away. 

When I put him in his stall, I get John to tack him up. Then we lead Fury and Got Gold to the track. John would ride Got Gold and Fury's work out jockey Odi would ride him. 

"What's the call boss?" John says bouncing from Got Gold's bouncy trot. 

I look to Cam. He looked straight ahead, and the sun glared off of his sunglasses, "5 furlong pole."  

Odi and John trotted Fury and Mud Pie to the 5 furlong pole and let them go. Cam and I started our stop watches. 

"I call Mud Pie." Came says with a smile. 

I was taken back a second, "You think Mud Pie will beat Fury, aye?"

A grin creeps on his face.

"$20 bucks Fury beats Mud Pie." I say.

"$100 bucks Mud Pie beats Fury," Cam throws back. "Mud Pie there is a great horse."

They cross the wire.

"48 seconds flat." Cam says with a big smile.

"49.34." I say disappointed. 

"You don't have to pay me my hundred." He says slapping me in the back.

I throw a bill at him, "There smarty pants." 

Cam laughs and picks up the bill, "Just like good all times. What grade did we meet in? 6th?"

"Yup, and when we became best friends we decided to move to America and race. I would be the owner, and you would be the trainer." I say playing with my stop watch remembering the good ole times.

"And look where we are." 

"Oh yeah, two twenty-five year olds, one married with two five-year-old kids and one still free from family chaos." I say sarcastically. 

"You make fatherhood sound like the worst thing ever!" Cam says enthusiastically.

I chuckle, "Nah, marrying Elizabeth was probably the best decision I have made. Now I have the best kids anyone could ask for."

"I know, Will. I know." He says patting my back. 

John and Odi come trotting over. Cam takes Mud Pie, and I took Fury. 

"I want to send both of them to Kentucky." I say to Cam loud enough for both John and Odi to hear. 

"Well, after Sham we can go home and race Mud Pie in the Holy Bull. We'll scratch Mud Pie from the Sham." Cameron says patting the big bay's neck. 

"Sounds like a plan." I say and untack Fury.