Saturday is usually the best day of a horseplayer's week. Butlast Saturday was not a good one for the Happy Handicapper. It wasthe day he buried his good friend, the Exacta Kid.
He never wanted his real name published. He said where he worked,'You can talk about your golf game, or how you're getting the boatready. . . . But nobody talks about the races. If you talk abouthorses, people think you're a degenerate.'
The degenerates met in the year Northern Dancer was foaled.
The H.H. was sitting in his dormitory room when he heard a loudvoice down the hall talking something about 'Saratoga.' The H.H.,who'd tasted the joys of Buffalo Raceway and Fort Erie while in highschool, knew he'd found a kindred soul.
'Saratoga' was his nickname then. He told tales of his summer jobas an usher in the Saratoga clubhouse, how he'd escort rich peopleto their seats and give them winners.
He always tried to make the pilgrimage to Saratoga each Augustfor the Travers Stakes, named for William Travers, the track's firstpresident. He called it a 'holy race of obligation.' He even gavehis son the middle name 'Travers.'
At Saratoga, the Kid predicted greatness for a 2-year-old namedSecretariat. Years later, when he switched political parties, hesaid, 'Why wouldn't you want to be a Republican when President Bushsends you a $300 income tax refund just in time for the Saratogaseason?'
The Kid loved the Kentucky Derby. Not on TV, but in person. Mintjuleps, Derby pie, fancy hats, rowdy infield, the whole shebang.Every year, his Christmas card included a poem predicting the nextDerby winner. He was right once, with Secretariat. He called bettingon the 20-horse Derby 'the mother of all pari-mutuel opportunities.'
The Kid first showed the H.H. the Derby ropes in 1978. Not justhow to figure the winner (it was Affirmed), but how to get past theushers and into the 'good' parts of the grandstand. How to getpeople talking and asking your opinion and buying you drinks afterthe flask you'd snuck in went empty.
Their favorite Derby was 1985, the only time they agreed on thesame horse: Spend a Buck. He broke on top and led every step underAngel Cordero. It was indeed the greatest two minutes in sports.
The Spend a Buck-Stephan's Odyssey exacta returned $118.20. TheKid bet it multiple times. When he got to the cashier's window, theteller said he'd have to wait a few minutes. He turned around,raised his arms and shouted, 'Ladies and gentlemen, there will be ashort delay. They ran out of money to pay me!'
A few years ago, the Kid bought some shares in Churchill Downs.He did it for the free passes but soon got into the spirit ofcapitalism. On Derby week, he'd walk about the place like he ownedevery price-gouging inch.
'Why charge just $3.50 for a bottle of water?' he'd say. 'I saywe raise it to $5.'
On his wedding day, the Kid opened a few gift envelopes,extracted some money and sent his brother, the best man, down to OTBto put it on Honest Pleasure in the Marlboro Cup.
Honest Pleasure, who had won the Travers two months earlier, leduntil the last jump when he got nailed by the great Forego, who wascarrying 137 pounds and the newlyweds' dinette set.
The Kid missed the live TV broadcast but later watched it oftenat the Saratoga Hall of Fame.
'It was the greatest race I've ever seen, even though I lost,' hesaid.
The H.H. spent more time in the car with the Kid than withanybody else except his wife. They rolled up the betmobile milesgoing to race tracks all over, not to mention jai-alai inConnecticut and the dog races in West Virginia. The Kid was lookingforward to driving to Texas for the Breeders' Cup in October. Hefigured they could stop at tracks in Kentucky and Arkansas along theway.
On the way home from the Derby last month, they walked into RiverDowns in Cincinnati with five minutes to first post. The Kid grabbedthe Form, scanned it quickly and hit a $92 trifecta. Just showingoff.
Belmont Park was a particular favorite. In 2001, the Kidcelebrated his recovery from surgery by flying down to join theHandicapper at the Breeders' Cup. He thought he noticed an outsidetrack bias in the early races, so in the Juvenile Fillies he boxedthe three outside posts, 7, 8 and 9. The 9-7 exacta paid $768.
Before the 2002 Belmont Stakes, he said he liked two long shotsto break up War Emblem's Triple Crown try. One was Sarava. TheHandicapper thought he was crazy. Sarava paid a stakes-record$142.50.
This year, in an uncharacteristic swing to a favorite, the Kidwent to the Belmont to root for Smarty Jones. Although the Kiddidn't say anything about his liver cancer, the Handicapper had afeeling this would be the Kid's last big race and he desperatelywanted to see one more Triple Crown winner.
'The gods of racing have deemed that Smarty Jones is worthy,' theKid said before Smarty came up a length short. The gods had otherplans.
Last April, the Kid took his son to Ireland to tour the land oftheir ancestors. They visited Blarney Castle and James Joyce'shouse. But most of all, they went to the tracks: The Curragh, wherehe hit an exacta that paid 160 Euros, and Cork Race Course, wherethey spent Easter Sunday, after Mass, of course. They also went to afew others where the horses weren't running, so they just walkedaround and took pictures.
Ireland sure was the place, he said. It had everything you couldwant: big fields in every race, cold beer and good conversation.And, of course, some great exactas.
Here's looking at you, Kid.
e-mail: rsummers@buffnews.com
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