Glory Be had done his best, just as James had wanted. He tried his hardest. He ran an intelligent race. Although Glory Be was disqualified right out of the gate, he’d kept running. Without urging, he’d made a glorious run.
Chapter 107
The Celebration
The Glidewell team were all invited to join James, Mary, and Maizie for dinner to celebrate a memorable Kentucky Derby. When Wil, Capp, Tommy, Corky, Fritz, Eddie, and Ernesto arrived at the Brown Hotel, they were ushered into a room reserved for private dinner parties, which was bursting with flowers sent by Glory Be’s fans. Streamers of blue and orange were hanging from the ceiling of the private room, and a jazz combo played softly in the corner. James was overheard to say, “What would they have done if we had legitimately won the thing?”
Finally, when the conversation turned to the race itself, a dispirited tone spread in the room. All were trying to put on a brave face, some more successful than others. When the talk turned to the accident in the stall involving Tilly Coombs there was a collective shudder, partly for Tilly and partly for what she may have succeeded in doing. The string of bad luck weighed heavily.
At the request of James and Mary, Maizie sang a few jazz standards that she and the combo both knew. Her voice was a welcome antidote to the heavy mood. Capp’s heart swelled as he watched her perform. He tried to forget about the last twenty-four hours, and listening to Maizie sing helped to soothe his disappointment.
When Maizie finished, James stepped forward and gave Maizie a fatherly hug. Then he turned to the crowd. “Mary and I are so proud of her.” Maizie smiled as the room erupted in applause.
Then James turned to face his team. When the room was quiet and he had everyone’s attention, he began, “There is so much to say. We all experienced unfathomable disappointments over the last two days. I have thought deeply about this. As far as Miss Coombs is concerned, please pray for her recovery. We think we know her intentions, but she has faced a great loss and doesn’t know where to direct her anger. She paid a dear price for her actions, and Mary and I have offered our sincere concerns to the Coombs family. We are grateful no harm came to our horse. So, if you can put all that aside, please do. We have.
“As far as the Derby today, no one need burden themselves with blame. We were hit hard with unlucky events. Say we were jinxed. Say we were hapless. Say this Derby was ill-fated. But do not blame.”
The crowd began to clap, but James shushed them.
“There is another way of looking at this, a better way. We can’t walk away from this experience saying if this or that hadn’t have happened, we would be the winners. That only serves to make us feel angry and resentful. There is no comfort in those feelings. What happened, happened, plain and simple. And I implore you, is the fact that our beautiful horse lost out in the Derby of any real significance? When you think about it, won’t his gallantry and the beauty of his fortitude and athleticism be remembered far longer than who won this Derby? Most will remember the horse who endured a rough start at the gate, lost his rider, and continued to run. That will be the story on everyone’s lips.”
The audience stirred in recognition. Many nodded, some smiled, and all agreed.
“When I realized Eddie had been thrown, I was sick and angry. But when I began to focus on what Glory Be was doing, I was uplifted. I found myself rooting for him, thrilled with the way he ran. Glory Be will continue to have a great career because he has the spirit of a champion. No better proof of that than what he did today. There is an ancient saying by Confucius: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
“Glory Be taught me that today. We may have fallen, but we did rise. So let’s put the disappointment to rest and enjoy our dinner.” James lifted his drinking glass and concluded: “On to the Preakness!”
“On to the Preakness!” The audience clapped and cheered. As the effect of James’s inspiring thoughts touched the hearts and minds of those present, Capp took Maizie’s hand and smiled his big Kentucky slow-growing smile.
The next morning in the newspaper, the outcome of the Kentucky Derby was on the front page. There were two articles: one describing the horse that had won the race; the other, an article about the horse that had won hearts. The picture in the center showed the beautiful horse, stretching long, edging out Omaha at the finish, his saddle blanket emblazoned with his name, Glory Be.
Chapter 108
What’s Next?
May 1935
Following the Derby, Mary had the time to make a few changes at Glidewell. Mary removed Josie from the domestic staff and found a place for her to work and learn. Ol’ Jon’s back had been giving him problems and he needed some help. He had so much information to share and was a patient mentor. Mary felt that Josie could help him in the garden and learn about plants and herbs. This would be Josie’s education. She’d have a skill that could help sustain her throughout her life. Josie’s hair, always wrapped in a clean head rag, gave her the look of a healer. Mary saw the headwrap as a symbol of Josie’s rebirth and her gratitude
