Chapter 19 #4
“Overusage of your crop,” the gentleman in a suit, who oversaw the enforcement of all race rules, reported.
Most days, I liked the authority that oversaw racing and worked to make certain the animals were treated well.
In the heat of the moment, I considered lobbing a few curses aimed at the idiot who had dared accused me of cheating.
“I tapped Alligator Bait one time with the crop in the final quarter of the race. Otherwise, I held it clear from her body, making no contact with her any other time. This is easily verifiable by video playback.”
“She speaks the truth,” the angel reported.
“And as I am familiar with the rulebook, I can verify that the complaint is invalid in nature; there was no evidence of crop abuse during the race. As such, on behalf of the track’s operators, I request verification of the accuser’s intent.
I will also streamline Miss Culling’s request for full verification.
Miss Culling, may I verify the truth of your race and race preparation in search of violations? ”
“Absolutely,” I replied, and as I’d undergone the process several times prior, I dismounted, taking care to keep a firm grip on Alligator Bait’s reins. “You have my permission to do a full verification.”
If the angel lacked finesse, I’d hit the ground, and the last thing I needed was my horse running off and causing trouble.
The angel touched my shoulder, and while the sensation reminded me of having my brains scrambled with a whisk, it ended within moments, leaving me reeling from the onslaught.
Had I been mounted, someone would have been scraping me off the ground.
As it was, I leaned against my filly, taking slow breaths to restore my sense of balance.
The headache would pass with time.
“Miss Culling has broken no rules in any of the positions she holds. In fact, she has taken utmost care to abide by all guidelines and regulations to maintain her good standing as an owner, trainer, jockey, and breeder.”
The verifier shook his head and sighed. “Miss Culling, do you wish to pursue the case?”
“That depends on who filed the complaint,” I admitted.
“Mr. Gerald Harthing is the filer.”
I recognized that name: once upon a time, he had owned Alligator Bait.
“First, I would like to disclose that he is the former owner of my horse, and he sold her to a slaughter market. Second, yes, I wish to pursue the false accusation to disrupt racing operations. However, his ulterior motives are likely relevant, as he had a horse in the race but I’m riding a horse he dumped because she wasn’t a champion in his eyes. ”
Everyone stared at Alligator Bait, who didn’t even attempt to eat her wreath of roses. I smiled, cupped her nose in my hands, and gave her a kiss.
“She speaks the truth,” the angel announced.
The race authority’s representative snapped his fingers at somebody, who brought a binder, which I recognized as the official registry papers for horses eligible to race in the qualifiers for the Triple Crown.
After some searching, he tapped at a page.
“Mr. Harthing should know better; a horse’s complete ownership record, including sales, is required.
This market is a slaughter seller, and he did not use an intermediary.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Miss Culling.
We do not permit failed racehorses to be openly sold for slaughter. ”
Huh. I hadn’t been aware of that rule. “Where is that rule?”
“It is buried in the breeder guidelines with an honorable mention in the owner guidelines,” the angel informed me, and he held out his hand. A moment later, a bound rulebook appeared, which he offered to me. “You will find it in the table of contents.”
I flipped through the book, and sure enough, the club had a list of banned buyers for horses that had started at least one race, and the slaughter market I had purchased from was on the list. “This doesn’t disqualify us, does it?”
The verifier shook his head. “No, ma’am. We value your integrity, and as it has been angelically verified that she is the same horse and you are not partner to her sale on the market, you are both still qualified. However, this does disqualify all horses he owns for this season.”
My eyes widened. “But what about his horses? What will happen to his horses?”
“The authority will be involved with the process of making certain that no horses are sold inappropriately,” he promised.
“In addition to his ejection, he will be forced to pay fines. We set examples. We can’t stop the horses from being sold to unethical buyers, who in turn sell the horse to a slaughter market, but we can stop the owners from selling to those markets, which we do. ”
While I’d already pushed the Devil to buy the stallion, I narrowed my eyes and pondered if I might be able to twist the situation to better me. “How many horses has he registered for this season?”
The verifier flipped through his book. “He has only entered Elegance in Moonlight thus far.”
“Give him the option of turning over the horse to the authority, which I will purchase for the price of all his entry fees, which will be returned to him. I will become the owner of the horse, and make his ejection stand for two years. Allow him to continue breeding, however, just require that all sales are reported directly to the authority if any horses he breeds during the period are to be eligible.” I pointed at the handbook, which mentioned the confiscation of horses deemed to be at risk of being sold to slaughter markets.
“He doesn’t lose his fees, the horse is kept safe, and he can deal with his disgrace.
He gets a little prestige, because Alligator Bait did run a good race.
” I wrinkled my nose. “I dislike the rule regarding three races with her old name attached to her new one. That gives him more credit than he deserves. However, I’m tempted to request that her permanent name be Alligator Bait, Fury of the Dawn, because let’s face it, it’s a badass name. ”
“We can authorize a change to the registration to make that her permanent name if you wish. You will have to pay the fee again, however.”
“I’ll pay it, sure.”
“I’ll file the correction on your behalf and send you the bill,” he promised. “I will contact you in the next few days about your suggestion regarding Elegance in Moonlight. Congratulations on your victory, Miss Culling.”
Without another word, he went to speak to the announcer, who riled the crowd up more over the accusation before informing everyone the race standings still stood.
Satisfied I had done my part to protect the poor stallion, I smiled through the pomp and circumstance, swearing to take my sixty-two percent of the purse and do what I could to make certain my horses enjoyed every moment of their futures with me.