Jimmy Crowder left the dormitory building and walked toward the stables, followed by the five grooms he supervised. Two of the men were full-time employees of Stone Fence Farms, just like he was. The others were local workers who were hired for the duration of the Saratoga meet. They walked in single file, saying nothing as they tried to come alive at five o’clock in the morning. When they reached the barn where Gallo’s horses were stabled, each moved to a different stall. They opened the top half of the stall door and turned on a light, signaling to the horses inside that their training routine was about to begin.
As Jimmy approached the last stall where Hit the Bid was located, he could see that the door was already opened, and the light was on. When he stuck his head into the enclosure, he saw the filly standing in the middle of the space—calmly nuzzling the shoulder of CJ Jamieson.
“Girl, what the heck you doin’ here so early? You don’t have to ride this horse for another hour. I was about scared to death that someone came in here and took this lady away when I saw the door open! You shouldn’t be here at this time.”
CJ smiled as she stroked the side of the thoroughbred’s neck. “I just wanted to come in and get to know her before I ride her this morning. She’s an amazing horse. She’ll be a champion, just like Tackle Tim Tom.”
“Well, we’re all hoping that’s the case. They run different, and they got different personalities, that’s for sure.” Jimmy entered the stall and began to organize the tack that would be needed for Hit the Bid’s run that morning. “Girl, you go on outside, I got work to do.”
“Do you want me to help you?”
Jimmy put his hands on his hips and gave CJ a stern look. “Little lady, my job is to take care of this horse, and your job is to ride her. I do my job well, and you got to do your job well. I don’t ride, and you don’t groom. Do you understand that? Now get on out of this stall. You can watch it from outside if you want. Just be quiet; I got to sing to her a little bit. She likes that in the morning.”
CJ stood up and moved outside the door, so Jimmy would have room to prepare the horse. As the groom began to brush the filly’s back, he started to sing:
“I find me a place in a boxcar
So I take out my guitar to pass some time
Late at night when it’s hard to rest
I hold your picture to my chest
And I’m alright
A rainy night in Georgia
A rainy night in Georgia
I believe it’s raining all over the world.”
“That sounds like a sad song, Mister Jimmy.”
“It is sad, but it calms the horse, and it reminds me of when I left Georgia forty years ago.”
“Is that when you started working with horses?”
“Yup, I went to Arkansas and started working as a groom at Oaklawn Park. I was there for quite a while until a trainer I knew asked me to come and work at a farm in Kentucky. That’s where I met Ritchie Gallo—about ten years ago. When Ritchie ended up with the trainer job at Stone Fence Farms, he offered me the position of head groom. That’s been a good move for me. I like working for Ritchie, and the owners of the farm treat me real nice. Hell, I got a four-oh-one-kay and full health benefits. And, I got this nice little apartment right there on the farm near the horses. Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet life. I like travelling, but I’m always happy to get back to Kentucky.”
“If you’re so happy, why do you sing a sad song?”
“Well, sometimes you gotta remind yourself of the bad and lonely days in order to appreciate the good days. I guess if you’re a rich little white girl, you don’t have any bad days to remember, but most people got ’em.”
CJ leaned against the door jam and put her hands in her pockets. “I’ve had bad days too, Mister Jimmy, but thanks to my mom and horses, my days are getting better and better.”
Jimmy reached into his pocket and pulled out three dollars. “You know what would make my day even better? If you go down to the break truck next to the barn and get me a coffee! Get a cup for yourself, too. I like mine black with three sugars.”
CJ took the cash and began walking down the concourse. “Was that two sugars, Mister Jimmy?”
“Three, girl, three,” shouted Jimmy. “Dang-it-all, this strange little white girl just don’t listen!”
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