[Leica] IMG: A day at the races

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On the way back from my trip to Rochester to attend a presentation of Kodak
woes, I stopped at my niece and nephew's very small horse farm in Fairport,
NY. It isn't really a farm, only seven acres, but they have four thorobred
horses which they race or show at the nearby Fingerlakes racetrack. Two of
the horses are racehorses, the other two are show horses (jumping, dressage,
even a bit of fox hunting - except that there are no foxes). New York State
gives a tax break for property used as farmland and subsidizes racehorses so
that there is a small financial incentive to keeping a stable. Even with the
break, owning race horses is one of the most expensive hobbies known to man
or woman. It makes Leica collecting look penny ante.


We arrived early on a race day. One of their horses was entered in a race
that very afternoon. The horse, a filly formally named "Afteralivebeenthru"
and informally named Ruby was a real gamble. It is a four year old with
excellent breeding. It was a granddaughter of Seattle Slew and a great,
great, great granddaughter of Man of War. The only trouble was that if was
totally blind on the left side. Ruby had lost an eye from an accident as a
colt. As it turned its head to the left in an attempt to see forward out of
the right eye, she tended to veer to the left. She demanded careful handling
and an understanding jockey to run straight.


My nephew picked Ruby up from the junkpile at a horse auction for a very low
price. No matter what the breeding, few owners were willing to purchase a
handicapped horse. Especially one that ate just as much as a fit horse. The
next stop would have been the glue factory or a French restaurant. Buying
Ruby took chutzpah. It was like buying a Leica Noctilux with a big chip in
the front element at a yard sale. It might work OK but then again it might
not.


Ruby showed a surprising turn of speed. During her maiden season of seven
races she won twice and finished in the money in two more. This was her
first race as a four year old with a new jockey in the saddle. Here is Ruby
showing off in the paddock before the race:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Fingerlakes/In+the+paddock.JPG.html


Here is Ruby's disability. No eye at all in the left side of her head:.

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Fingerlakes/Ruby_s+blind+side.JPG.html


They're off. About two seconds after the starting gate opened:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Fingerlakes/They_re+off.JPG.html


The new jockey couldn't control her. Ruby veered to the left at the start
and hit the edge of the gate. As bad luck would have it, she lost a shoe
from her rear left hoof.

It was a wet soft track. She couldn't do too much damage to her hoof. The
jockey had the sense to let her breeze around the track in the wake of the
other horses rather than running full out. Here is Ruby in good running
form. Note that all four feet are off the ground. Who needs Edweard
Muybridge when you have a DSLR?

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Fingerlakes/Ruby+in+racing+form.JPG.html


Ruby finished last. She was just loafing but was not too far behind the
winners. With a bit more experience on her back the jockey should be able to
correct that left veering tendency and let her go all out. That's the thing
about horse racing. There's always tomorrow.

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Fingerlakes/Ruby+finishes+last.JPG.html


Larry Z