I won't tell if you won't

 

 

It may have been bad luck to name his racehorse, Stuck on You, although all indicators were pointing to the glue factory for the horse.  He never gave up hope and put him in as many races as he could afford.  His jockey, for years, struggled with a weight problem, and then had a growth spurt in the late 70’s.

Needless to say, he was never the track favorite, in fact most of the regulars considered him a joke, as racehorses went, even though they did like Scott, his owner.  Scott had purchased Stuck on You with his winnings from the lotto ticket he had found in the parking lot at the local supermarket.

“I can’t miss", he would say.  "With found money, what could I possibly lose?”

There was one secret Scott knew about his horse and so far he had kept it to himself, but the big race was coming up.  If Stuck on You could win this one, Scott would be set for life.  He would put his horse out to pasture, send his big-n-tall jockey packing and live quite comfortably forever in his double-wide on the outskirts of Palm Springs.

The big secret, known only to himself and of course the horse was that he loved chocolate bars.  Whenever he caught glimpse of a Hershey bar he would break into a run and they’re be no catching him.

Just moments before the big race, Scott sent his jockey back to the scales for a second weigh-in.   While he was gone, Scott taped Hershey bar wrappers on the inside of the horses’ blinders.  Not only could Stuck on You see the candy wrappers, but he could smell the chocolate residue.  Stuck on You was bucking and kicking all the way into the starting gate.  He was ready.

Its been said that when the stars align and luck lands in your corner, everything happens in slow motion.  This race was such an event.  From the moment the field announcer said, they’re at the gate, a calm seemed to come over Stuck on You and a focus never before seen by the jockey.  It was almost instantaneous when the metal gates flung open, and Stuck on You flew out and past everyone and never for a second looked back.

He was so fast, in fact, that even the crowd fell silent in shock.  Rumors spread concerning drug use, but of course no drugs had been used.  The announcer calling the race over the loudspeaker seemed to fall into a verbal rut.  Over and over again he kept saying, “I can’t believe this.  I can’t believe this. Look at that horse run.”  Of course, there was a media frenzy in the winner’s circle.  

The poor jockey looked like he had seen a ghost and immediately jumped from the horse as soon as it was safe to do so.  Scott stood next to Stuck on You for the photographs and to field questions from the press.  Other horse owners were clamoring around the judges, calling for additional drug testing to be done, but Scott only smiled and patted his horse.  His secret would be safe and much to his enjoyment, his racing days would be over.

 

 

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