down?”
“I’d wait until the end of the first race.” Deb’s Wild Fancy was in the second too. “Don’t want to go too soon and tip your hand. But you also don’t want to wait too long either,” I said.
“Are you in on this one this time?”
“You bet,” I said, and he grinned.
Hardy won fifteen hundred dollars in the first race on a horse I picked out of the post parade. She just looked good. He came back from the window with a gleam in his eye.
“If that’s how this is going to go today, you and the nerd will be doing whatever it is nerds do at night.”
I only nodded. The numbers on the tote board read exactly as I wanted them to. Regal Splendor moved up to eight to one, and there wasn’t a move on Deb’s Wild Fancy at all. He stayed at thirty to one. Hardy watched me read the board. I could feel his tension rising. When the numbers flashed across in an update with twelve minutes to go, I saw that they had stayed the same. “Time to go,” I said.
“Everything good?”
“Everything’s perfect.” I stood and followed him to the window. I was counting on long lines that would let me slip into a separate one from Hardy. My luck held. He only glanced at me. I shrugged and pointed to the number of people ahead of him. He nodded. I waited for him by the stairs. He had the assured glow that bettors have when they know they’re on a sure thing. He was actually smiling. He clapped me soundly on the back, and we walked back to our seats. The crowd was buzzing. There were three horses bet down to almost identical odds. Then, thirty seconds before post time, the numbers flashed in the final update and Regal Splendor sat at ten to one. Hardy’s smile got even bigger.
“How big did you go?” I asked.
“I went ten large.”
“Nice payout.” I said.
“It will be,” he said. Then he looked at me sternly. “Won’t it, Cree?”
“I told you, there’s a ton of cash to be won on this race.”
The track announcer said the fateful words, “And they’re at the post.” The crowd hushed, and I could feel the pulse of adrenaline everywhere. Hardy’s legs bumped up and down, and his hands tapped the top of his thighs. The gate flew open and they were off.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I t went just as I thought it would. The three favorites controlled the race. They went to the front and challenged the rest of the field to stay with them. Regal Splendor ran fourth with a two-length gap between him and the favorites. Deb’s Wild Fancy hung back in seventh position and ran evenly without attracting any notice from either the crowd or the other jockeys. The pace was frantic. There wasn’t a nose between the three leaders, and the crowd was wild. Regal Splendor made a small move coming into the final turn and moved just behind them. Hardy jumped up and down in place beside me. I couldn’t hear myself think for the noise all around us. There’d been plenty of money bet, and people were going crazy.
Then, as they rounded the turn into the homestretch, Deb’s Wild Fancy came charging out of nowhere. He blasted into the straight. Regal Splendor had moved into a small lead, but the leaders were still in a tight pack. Deb’s Wild Fancy had to run wide, but he had a ton of gas left and his stride stretched out. He galloped hard to pull even as the crowd noise became enormous. Then it was between him and Regal Splendor. I don’t think I breathed. Hardy was bashing me on the shoulder and his face was crazed and wild and he yelled things that didn’t even sound like words to me. Then with ten yards to go, Deb’s Wild Fancy eased ahead and won going away by three-quarters of a length. Hardy slumped down into his seat. The crowd was electrified by the race, and the hubbub was tremendous. I sat down quietly beside Hardy.
“Let me see your ticket,” he said.
I handed it to him. He looked at it briefly. He nodded. He scowled. Then he tucked it into his pocket and elbowed me hard to my feet and put his hand inside
“I’d wait until the end of the first race.” Deb’s Wild Fancy was in the second too. “Don’t want to go too soon and tip your hand. But you also don’t want to wait too long either,” I said.
“Are you in on this one this time?”
“You bet,” I said, and he grinned.
Hardy won fifteen hundred dollars in the first race on a horse I picked out of the post parade. She just looked good. He came back from the window with a gleam in his eye.
“If that’s how this is going to go today, you and the nerd will be doing whatever it is nerds do at night.”
I only nodded. The numbers on the tote board read exactly as I wanted them to. Regal Splendor moved up to eight to one, and there wasn’t a move on Deb’s Wild Fancy at all. He stayed at thirty to one. Hardy watched me read the board. I could feel his tension rising. When the numbers flashed across in an update with twelve minutes to go, I saw that they had stayed the same. “Time to go,” I said.
“Everything good?”
“Everything’s perfect.” I stood and followed him to the window. I was counting on long lines that would let me slip into a separate one from Hardy. My luck held. He only glanced at me. I shrugged and pointed to the number of people ahead of him. He nodded. I waited for him by the stairs. He had the assured glow that bettors have when they know they’re on a sure thing. He was actually smiling. He clapped me soundly on the back, and we walked back to our seats. The crowd was buzzing. There were three horses bet down to almost identical odds. Then, thirty seconds before post time, the numbers flashed in the final update and Regal Splendor sat at ten to one. Hardy’s smile got even bigger.
“How big did you go?” I asked.
“I went ten large.”
“Nice payout.” I said.
“It will be,” he said. Then he looked at me sternly. “Won’t it, Cree?”
“I told you, there’s a ton of cash to be won on this race.”
The track announcer said the fateful words, “And they’re at the post.” The crowd hushed, and I could feel the pulse of adrenaline everywhere. Hardy’s legs bumped up and down, and his hands tapped the top of his thighs. The gate flew open and they were off.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I t went just as I thought it would. The three favorites controlled the race. They went to the front and challenged the rest of the field to stay with them. Regal Splendor ran fourth with a two-length gap between him and the favorites. Deb’s Wild Fancy hung back in seventh position and ran evenly without attracting any notice from either the crowd or the other jockeys. The pace was frantic. There wasn’t a nose between the three leaders, and the crowd was wild. Regal Splendor made a small move coming into the final turn and moved just behind them. Hardy jumped up and down in place beside me. I couldn’t hear myself think for the noise all around us. There’d been plenty of money bet, and people were going crazy.
Then, as they rounded the turn into the homestretch, Deb’s Wild Fancy came charging out of nowhere. He blasted into the straight. Regal Splendor had moved into a small lead, but the leaders were still in a tight pack. Deb’s Wild Fancy had to run wide, but he had a ton of gas left and his stride stretched out. He galloped hard to pull even as the crowd noise became enormous. Then it was between him and Regal Splendor. I don’t think I breathed. Hardy was bashing me on the shoulder and his face was crazed and wild and he yelled things that didn’t even sound like words to me. Then with ten yards to go, Deb’s Wild Fancy eased ahead and won going away by three-quarters of a length. Hardy slumped down into his seat. The crowd was electrified by the race, and the hubbub was tremendous. I sat down quietly beside Hardy.
“Let me see your ticket,” he said.
I handed it to him. He looked at it briefly. He nodded. He scowled. Then he tucked it into his pocket and elbowed me hard to my feet and put his hand inside
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