Being 16 and free, living on the sailboat with my Dad and brother. I was rocked to sleep by the gentle waves in the marina. Just being...the wonderful verb of youth, Bills came in, Dad would say, "They can **** us, but they can't eat us." We'd laugh and peel up the Pacific coast Highway to the track, Hollywood Park or Santa Anita, to bet on the horses. We'd dope the racing form; Get chili dogs. Dad would give us money to bet with.
I saw some of the best horses ever: Secretariat Affirmed John Henry Bates Motel We saw the greatest jockeys too. William Shoemaker Liffit Pincay Eddie D.
Our tiny heroes. The thunder of the hooves coming down the homestretch still echoes
inside of me. Dad always said, "winners buy dinner, " but he always paid. We stopped at this steak place on the edge of L.A. It was dark; they had the best Fillet Mignon, you cut it with a spoon. The sun sank into the blazing ocean, and with the windows rolled down, we could taste the salt in the air.