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THE GRAY MARE J. N. Simpson Moroni, Utah Professional Division First Place Anecdote During the early days of Sanpete, horse races were run about two miles west of Moroni. Two lanes, about six feet wide and one mile long, were carefully cleared of all brush and rocks, and here some of the best races ever held in the state added an abundance of excitement to each celebration. Interest and expectations were high that memorable Fourth of July when a well known breeder of race-horses (whom we shall call Charley) came to Moroni with a beautiful gray mare, which, he claimed, could run circles around any horse in the state, and boldly offered odds of two to one to anyone who cared to bet against her. "Charley" had a reputation in racing circles and few doubted the gray mare's ability..she looked fast...conse-quently betting lagged, much to "Charley's" displeasure, until someone noticed that the mare was limping slightly while "Charley", interested only in the betting, evidently hadn't noticed the trouble. Wages against the mare immediately picked up and money flowed freely; and it wasn't until all bets were in and the horses were being led away, that "Charley" seemingly became aware of the trouble. He became desperate and argued that under the circum-stances, all bets should be canceled. Few agreed however, and it was dejected "Charley" who watched his limping mare being led away. Ashen-faced and trembling, he watched while several attempts were made to get the horses lined up, and when this was accomplished and the race was under way, "Charley" sud-denly cupped his mouth with both hands and shouted a single word, and just as suddenly the gray mare wasn't lame anymore. -77- |
