I was mending the corral fence to the barn when I noticed Mark seemed to be daydreaming.  "What are you daydreamin' about Mark?" "Twenty-three seconds, that pretty fast, isn't it?" Asked Mark.  "Oh you mean Gabe's Sapphire colt, huh? Well it's no world record for a quarter horse, but I figure it's fast enough to beat any horse that will be in that race."  "How fast do you think Blueboy could run?" Asked Mark.  I reminded him that he wanted to make a cutting horse out of Blueboy.  He did, but he was still curious.  Mark wanted to know if we could time Blueboy.  I told him sometime we could measure out a quarter of a mile.  He was already a step ahead of me.  He already did, so I said we could.  We clocked Blue Boy at 22 seconds.  Mark was excited. 

We had gone into town.  The town was all decked out for the Charity Day Race.  There were some horse buyers in town.  Mark was going on about how he wouldn't sell Blueboy even if he'd win the race. I really hadn't decided as of yet if I was gonna let Mark race or not.  Just then Jake Preston rode up. He was the landlord for Gabe.  Gabe's, a sharecropper who was raising wheat for Preston.  Gabe was going to race his horses that he had been raising.  Preston felt that Gabe was wasting his time on those broken down nags, as he called them.  He would like to see Gabe loose. Mark told Mr. Preston that Gabe's horses were some of the best horses this country has ever seen.  He asked Mark if he was an expert.  Mark told him he knew a fast horse when he saw one.  He asked Mark how fast Blueboy was.  "He's faster then Mr. Fenway's Sapphire. We timed then both, didn't we Pa?"  "Oh, are you planning on entering him in the big race," Asked Preston.  "I'd like to, if Pa would let me," said Mark.  He felt if Blueboy was as fast as Mark said, then I should let him race.  Mr. Preston had other motives in wanting Mark to race.  Mark was sure he could win this race.  "Now that's the kind of confidence I like to hear.  That's the way you go about it son. You find out what you want and go out and get it, no matter what gets in your way," said Preston.  Preston then rode off.

"Son, if your gonna race horses there's something you gotta learn.  Don't give away all your secrets."  "Then I can race him?" Asked an excited Mark.  "Now if I was about your age and had a horse as good as yours, I'd wanna race him."  "You mean it?" Asked Mark. "I mean it. Now let me buy you a sarsaparilla."  "Yahoo," hollered Mark as he hopped on my back and we headed on thru town.

Mark had been running Blueboy.  One day when Preston was snooping around and purposely ran into Mark. He asked Mark if he thought Blueboy could win.  Mark thought so.  Preston wanted to see what Blueboy could do.  Mark hesitated, but couldn't pass up showing off Blueboy. 

While in town I ran into Gabe.  He hoped I had plenty of money bet on his Sapphire colt.  I told him I couldn't do that, if I was a bettin' man I would have to keep it in the family.  He was glad to hear Mark was racing Blueboy.  "The more the merrier," he said.  "I'll tell you something. I'm glad that Blueboy ain't been trained for racing.  Boy's got quite a colt there. With the difference between my weight and his....."  "It'll be a fine race Gabe."  If Gabe wins this race he's gonna sell his horse.  A winning horse brings in more money.  He's hoping to make enough money to buy the option on his land.  He has a wife and three children to keep. I headed over to Micah's.

   Gabe was upset.  Preston told Hattie not to allow Gabe to put anything more on his account.  He and Preston had an agreement that Gabe could charge against Preston's account until he brought the wheat crop in. He went looking for Preston.

While I was in Micah's we heard a fight break out in front of the saloon..  We rushed out to see what was going on.  It was Preston and Gabe fighting over Gabe's horses.  Preston told him if his horses were as good as what he says he should put his money where his mouth was. Gabe didn't have any money to bet and Preston knew that.  He had Gabe right where he wanted him.  "Alright, my share of the crop against yours, if  your horse don't win," said Preston.  Gabe hesitated but Preston told him he was all mouth.  "Alright, you got a bet!" Yelled Gabe.  Preston told Gabe, no backing down.  If his horse didn't win then he had to forfeit.  He made sure everyone heard it and they were a witness.  I didn't like this kind of bettin' goin' on.  Especially with Mark in the middle of it.  "I wish I hadn't told Mark he could race."  Just then....on of the townsman approached me....."Lucas is Mark's colt as fast as Jake Preston says it is? I ain't bet yet, but I'm sure gonna if that colt is that fast."  I asked him what he was talking about.  "Ain't you heard? Jake Preston just bet a thousand dollars that your son's horse is gonna win the race."

I had gone back to the ranch to wait for Mark to come home.  It wasn't going to be easy to tell my son he couldn't race Blueboy.  Wasn't long and Mark came riding in all excited.  He had taken Blueboy for another run.  "Pa! He's even faster then I thought he was!"  "I couldn't get to sleep last night just thinkin' about him."  "You think I've really got a good chance of winning?" Asked Mark.  "Mark.....did you know that Jake Preston bet a thousand dollars on you?"  "No foolin'.....that must mean he really thinks I'm gonna win!" Said Mark.  I told him I didn't like this betting busy and I thought it was ending up a grudge fight between Preston and Fenway.  I then told him even tho it wasn't his fault, I felt he should wait until next year to race Blueboy.  "Pa.....you promised me." "I've been counting on it more then anything I've counted on in my life."  "It's not just me, but I promised Blueboy.....I guess that sounds kind of silly doesn't it?"  I told him that it wasn't silly and I understood.  I told him not to get his hopes up.  I told him I had to go into town that he should stay here and do his chores.  As I rode off Mark told Blueboy....."Don't worry Blueboy.....Pa will let me race ya'.....he knows how much it means to us."

While I was in town Preston approached me and said he hope Mark was taking good care of Blueboy.  I asked him why he bet a thousand dollars on Mark.  I told him it didn't make much sense him bettin' that much money on Mark.  He said he felt Mark was going to win.  I told him it didn't make sense unless he knew something I didn't.  I told him I didn't like what he was doing to Gabe.  He said all he did was help Gabe and the thanks he got was him spending all his time on those nags of his.  I told him to recall his bets on Mark, that I wasn't going to let Mark race.       

I decided not to let Mark race. Mark was upset.  "Pa, you promised me!  I've been counting on it most more then I've counted on anything before in my life." "Mark don't get your heart set on it."  I told him I was going into town.  He should do his chores.

"I don't care what you say it isn't fair," said Mark.  "I promised Blueboy!"  I tried to explain to him what was going on.  I didn't want him involved in a fixed race.  He didn't believe it.  He felt if he raced Blueboy fair and square and do his best to win, it should be enough.  "I already told you Mark, the answer is no."  He was upset and went into the house to bed.  I didn't feel good about telling Mark he couldn't race, but I had no other choice.

The next morning I was making breakfast.  I thought Mark was still in bed.  I told him breakfast was ready and there was no reason why we couldn't go into town and watch the race.  He never answered me or even came out to eat.  So I went to check on him.  He was gone, so I headed for town.

Preston ran into Mark in town and tried to persuade him into racing.  He told him I would understand.  Mark told him he was going to wait for me to come into town.  With that Preston had his hired hand to fix it so Gabe didn't get in the race.

Mark went looking for Gabe and found him in the stable beaten up.  He came and got Micah and me.  Somebody wanted to make sure Gabe wasn't in that race and I'm sure I knew who it was.  If Sapphire's not in that race Gabe will have to forfeit his crop.  He was in no condition to ride.  "Mark you wanted to be in that race.  The bet was on the horse not the rider.  You think your up to it son?"  "You mean me ride Sapphire?"  "That's what I mean."  "Sure," said Mark.  He got on Sapphire and took off for the start of the race.  "Don't worry Mr. Fenway, I'll ride Sapphire and we'll win, no matter what.  Thanks Pa."

I would have loved to have seen the look on Preston's face when Mark showed up on Sapphire to race.  Micah told me he'd take care of Fenway, that I should go and watch Mark.  I was proud of my boy.  He raced  mighty fine.  I felt so proud when my boy crossed the finish line first. "Good boy!" I yelled.  Mark came running to me yelling as he jumped into my arms, "I won Pa, I won. Did you see me?"  I sure did!

I took Gabe's horse back home with us.  I was working him until Gabe got better.  "Pa, do you think that it's true that I won that race because I'm so much lighter then Mr. Fenway?"  "Weights a big factor in the race, no doubt about that.  What's the matter, you think your horse still could have beaten Sapphire?"  "I guess I'll always wondered who would have won."  "Well, why don't we find out.  You see that boulder down at the end of the road, that's the finish line." "Ready, go!"  I got to the boulder first and won.  Then I asked Mark if he was satisfied.  "Yeah but, just wait until next year.  Blue Boy will be a little older and I'll be a little bigger."  "Well son, as far as I'm concerned your pretty big right now."