THE END OF A DREAM?... sad times (Part 59a)

No one answered, which didn’t surprise me. Whenever my parents went to the races they would always eat in the clubhouse so it made sense that they would’ve already left. I was about to go back to the barn gate when I decided to call Elle’s house and I don’t know why. It was a complete shock to hear Elle’s voice. Right from her very first words I knew something was wrong. “Where are you? Your father's been trying to reach you!” she almost screamed into the phone. I told her I was still at the track and then I innocently asked “Why?” She then told me that my grandmother had had a stroke and was in the hospital and that everybody wanted me home as soon as possible. Back then I really didn’t know what a stroke was but I knew it wasn’t good. My head was now spinning with how to prioritize all my responsibilities... job... horses... family. I told her to try and let my parents know I’d be there as soon as I could. I remember standing there next to the phone trying to figure out just what had to be done. As I stood there I saw a trainer that I barely knew headed into the cook house. I asked him if he had any “news” as to why there was so much security at the barn gate. He told me that the rumor was that Antney and his brother had been suspended for cheating and that all the horses under their care were barred from racing. Even though it was just a rumor it had credibility as I knew that Antney and his brother, like me, were on the "list" and weren’t being allowed into the barn area. What he told me pretty much finalized the fact that I wouldn’t be racing that night.

Back at the barn gate Will showed up and I tried to explain what I knew about the situation. I told him that I hadn’t been formerly notified but that my name was on the “list” that the guard had and that Mr S was going to have to make some kind of arrangement for the two horses that I was caring for. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and retrieved a card from it. He gave me the telephone number of the racetrack that was just outside the city as well a man's name and for me to have this man paged. That was all he told me. I wanted to smack him up side his head. Here I am trying to do the right thing under very trying circumstances and he’s being a pompous ass. I also needed to get going towards home and the hospital as well. However, I did call the track and after about a half hour got the person I was looking for on the phone. It turned out that it was Mr S’s son. I didn’t even know he had a son and what was more puzzling was that he was also a trainer/driver. I explained what I knew about my situation and he told me he’d take care of everything. As I drove away from the racetrack I realized how little I knew about my employer and was puzzled beyond belief that he hadn't told me about his son.

Both my parents and my grandfather were at the hospital when I arrived. My grandmother was in intensive care and they didn’t think she’d survive the night. She’d actually had two separate strokes with one partially paralyzing her and the other pretty much taking her mind. It was not very good news.

I did get to tell my parents and grandfather about the situation at the track. They all thought it was strange that I had not received any formal notification of the suspension of my license. I told them of the “rumor” but I also told them that I didn’t believe it. In all the time I’d been at the track I’d not heard anything that would give credence to it. I’d found Antney and his brother to be fair and honest and I just didn’t believe it. I told them that, over time, I’d become leery of some of the things the Racing Commission was doing and this just added to it. I told them that I still couldn’t figure out how I was involved since I was not employed by Antney. It truly was a mystery.

By 11pm everyone was pretty much out of it due to the stress of the situation. There was talk of getting some sleep and coming back in the morning but my grandfather was afraid that my grandmother might not make it through the night and wanted a family member to be there so that she wouldn’t die alone. I was still “keyed up” from the situation at the track so I volunteered to stay.

My father returned around 6am to find no change in my grandmother’s condition. He was worried about my grandfather’s state of mind so, seeing that everything was quiet at the hospital, left to go look after him. They arrived back around 9am or so and had a newspaper with them. Right on the front page was a headline “THE FIX IS ON!” with a picture of Antney and one of his horses racing at the track. It was like a dagger through my heart. Here was the profession I’d chosen being exposed on the front page of a city newspaper. I felt betrayed by Antney as well as the whole harness racing industry.

After reading the article I still didn’t have all the information that I needed. All I found out was that an unnamed trainer/driver at the track outside the city (where Mr S's son was racing) was supposedly involved in some race “fixing” and had implicated Antney and his brother. There was no detail at all other than all Antney’s horses were barred from racing and that he and his brother were suspended indefinitely. I continued to wonder how I was involved.

I left around 10am and went to see Elle and the kids. I was still worked up about my suspension but was able to get a nap before going back to the hospital. Another all night vigil found no appreciable change in my grandmother’s condition. The next morning’s newspaper had a few more details but it was written for the “masses” and not for someone involved so it wasn’t very satisfying. Since my grandmother’s condition was “stable“ my father told me to head for the track to see if I could get clarification.

To be continued...