Thursday, June 10,1999 Vol. 98, No. 155
Horse
Sense
Thoroughbred racing more
complex than it appears
>h Ten horses explode from the coo-coo clock gates at
S Lincoln’s State Fair Park.
Announcer Charles Pinnell is barking the early, momen
O tary developments in his South African accent and auctioneer
* ^ banter
u Infectious hope spreads across the scatter-populated
3 grandstand.
> Truck drivers, school teachers, businessmen and even a '
^ Poet Laureate are gripping their race tickets like $100 bills
g and lucky charms.
O Senior-citizen couples stand up in back to get a clear view
Plh as the thoroughbreds make the turn. Two men trade yells in an
■ off-time, jagged rap chorus: “Whip that horse! Go 8! Whip
that horse! Go 8!”
g A toddler with white, static-cling hair anticipates the stam
w pede’s arrival just outside the track fence. The leaders draw
* near and the youngster starts chasing the horses to the wire,
w The blonde perched on the walking ladder snaps the photo
£ finish. In that flash, ambition turns to disappointment for
^ most.
22 The jockeys halt their horses, along with the prospects of
X many. The once-sprinting youngster angrily throws a fist at
^ the long-gone horses as if he had just blown his rent.
^ Almost all the fervor disintegrates. Normal talk sounds
>4 mute compared to moments just before.
O A small number of winners celebrate amidst the new
(55 silence and wait for Pinnell to liquidate their luck with the
official results.
The scene of less fortunate stare at their betting forms.
Before long the winners and the losers are up from their seats
again They form several single-file lines to cashiers as if they
had just missed a bus.
And here we go again.
Please see HORSES on 6
THOROUGHBRED RACING is a consistent annual ivaw at the Nebraska State Fair, attracting
everyone from equine enthusiasts to casual gamblers.
We’re caught in a trap...
“Deathtrap,” a comedy-thriller
directed by Ina Marlowe, is current
ly being presented by the Nebraska
Repertory Theater. And Daily
Nebraskan writer Patrick Kelly is
giving it a look. PAGE 8