The articles about Rhon were plentiful, with El Gato often implying that Rhon was a drug sniffing, womanizing, rich boy who was running the racetrack toward ruin, but he was also a philanthropist and generous to the poor. El Gato often mentioned Rhon’s business associates. Amalia said some of these associates were possibly on the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) wanted lists, with the DEA offering rewards of tens of thousands of dollars to anyone who helped capture the brutal and dangerous drug traffickers.
El Gato infuriated Rhon when he chronicled Rhon’s infidelities and girlfriends. The reporter was apparently socially friendly with Rhon at times and attended many of his parties but wrote of Rhon’s cocaine use at the decadent parties, an accusation Rhon always denied.
There were written allegations of fixed horseraces and fraudulent bets. The relationship between the reporter and Rhon seemed acrimonious. In a March 1988 article, El Gato was invited to a beauty pageant held at Agua Caliente and the journalist wrote, “I have seven lives like cats, but I do not know how many I have left.” El Gato seemed to be implying that he was afraid of Rhon.
Since 1985 new off-track “simulcasting” betting facilities were opening throughout California, causing financial ruin for the Agua Caliente track in Tijuana. Gamblers could now stay in Southern California instead of crossing the border to bet. New technologies were changing the horse betting game and there were winners and losers at the bookmakers’ level. The winners were the big US racetracks and the new US simulcasting facilities. The losers were the small tracks everywhere as bettors could now bet on the racing signals beamed in from the big classy tracks like Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Churchill Downs, and Saratoga. Non-US, off-track betting facilities, and private illegal bookmakers, were left out in the cold.
Business was so bad at Agua Caliente that Rhon sold off his black, twin-engine Lockheed JetStar executive jet, as well as six of his beloved sports cars including a Ferrari. Rhon admitted the track was bleeding money. He declined to say how much money he has lost in horseracing since he was given the track in August 1985, but he did admit, “Let’s just say that it totals in the millions. We have stables for over 1,000 horses and used to house between 800 and 1,000 horses every year. In the past year, we’ve only had between 150 and 280 horses.”
Dino said, “Agua Caliente doesn’t have enough horses and is dying. I bet that racetrack is bankrupt within a year now, because everyday horse bettors can just simulcast their bets in Del Mar. Why the hell would anyone go there now?”
Amalia had read rumors that the track company allowed Rhon to launder drug money, but there had never been any charges filed against Rhon; at least none that she could find. Rhon’s nightclub, Iguana, and his restaurants in Tijuana, allegedly were favorites of the Arellano-Felix drug cartel. To reporters and sources in Tijuana, Rhon was viewed as “the richest man and most powerful” person in the infamous border town.
“Guys,” said Amalia, “you are not going to believe this, but I’ve read in several articles that Rhon mixes the penises of tigers, lions, and dogs into his tequila and drinks it!”
“Really? Who does that?” Miami asked. “I’m sure that kind of guy won’t mind paying off millions of dollars to us gringo horseplayers.”
“Well at least he could probably afford to pay us,” said Dino.
“Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to have us killed?” asked Miami.
Later that night, Miami read up on Agua Caliente. Amalia had given him another article about how back in the 1960s, the racetrack did not pay the famous restaurant owner Earl Jones, owner of the Earl’s Hamburger chain, $10,000 when he hit the 5-10 (the Mexican track’s version of the Pick 6). They claimed it was because of a corrupt ticket writer, not the track refusing to pay.
Miami also read of a big 5-10 payout of $350,204 to one winning ticket 10 years earlier to a gambler. That night Miami didn’t sleep well thinking about the track’s apparent connection to the drug trade and its financial condition. He went to sleep thinking that maybe the 25-1 odds on Winning Colors in the Las Vegas future book would have been a better bet than 50-1 in Tijuana. He also knew that Dino just didn’t think that way. Dino’s life was about getting the edge in odds, and he knew his best friend would not have taken half the odds offered on the same horse in Mexico despite the risks. Hell, Miami thought, Dino would go to the African Congo if they had higher odds offered.
The next day, Dino checked on the current Las Vegas future betting odds on Winning Colors and learned she was now bet down to 12-1 in the Nevada casinos. He remained convinced she was a great bet and eagerly awaited her next start on a weekend in late February. Dino was now handicapping Winning Colors’ next race and was wondering what Lukas would do next. Would he stay with conventional training methods and keep the star filly running against her own sex or become aggressive and go against the tougher male runners? He knew Lukas and Klein would have to decide soon.
The Derby was becoming a personal thorn to Lukas who could not win the biggest race despite having sent out more Derby entrants than any other trainer in history. The previous year he had won over $17,000,000 in purses and 22 Grade 1 races, but his lone Derby entrant ran fifth. Would he risk the humiliation and risk running a filly again? Or, would he keep the big gray Amazon running against her own sex and earn easier Grade 1 purses against the smaller fillies?
February 19, 1988, Santa Anita Racetrack, California
Fridays were always track days for Miami and Dino and they were wearing the required sports coats and ties while having lunch at
