Genesis...: Farewell to Reason

I. The Breeding Season Produces a Bumper Crop

The principal goal of all owners of a thoroughbred mare is to produce a healthy straight-legged foal in January.  The reason for this definitive planning is that the mare, who has been proven to have taken and declared positively pregnant by the Vet now has a gestation period of from 335-350 days or eleven months from fertilization. And the all-important fact is that the foal must be delivered on or after the first day of January. This is essential because a thoroughbred baby becomes a year old on each January first. Therefore, it would be catastrophic for the mother of a new foal to deliver in mid-December…equally poor planning to produce a foal in May which would place the baby at a decided disadvantage in an industry economically predisposed to placing the babies into service at the race-track in March of their two-year-old season. It is highly unusual for a horse campaigning as a three-year-old to be mature enough to compete with horses which are six-months older. But it has been done, in fact the Hall of Fame trainer Wayne Lucas ran a horse in the Kentucky Derby who was a May foal and that horse, Charismatic won the Derby after Lucas and the owner had run the horse in a claiming race for sixty thousand dollars.  

As you can very well see there is a window of opportunity here of only a mere fifteen days, and the likelihood that the mare covered by the stallion, will not take, requiring another mating session in 18-21 days. If the mare had the facilities of a female Praying Mantis, she could eliminate the issue by killing the stallion, after which she could use him sexually for the express purpose of fertilization, and then she could eat him, (No Pun Intended.)  

You might ask, How would that help? There is no scientific idea, except for the Theory of Relativity, which has been the source of as much misunderstanding as Natural Selection. Much of the confusion relating to Darwin’s ideas originates in the graphic phrase, survival of the fittest. This was in point of fact, which Darwin noted, not his invention but that of his contemporary, the philosopher Herbert Spencer. Evidently, Darwin felt that Spencer’s phrase captured the essence of his theory, because he borrowed it from Spencer and inserted it into the Origin of the Species at several points. Because of this choice there followed much mischief, for when the question is asked, In the phrase, survival of the fittest, who are the fittest? The answer comes back, Those who survive! Thus the central concept in Natural Selection is revealed to be, the survival of those who survive. The theory is thus reduced to a meaningless tautology, a needless repetition of the same sense in different words. 

Or, so it would seem. But this reading of Darwin is based on a misunderstanding of his ideas. In the theory of Natural Selection, fitness has a very special meaning: a fit individual is not merely one who survives, but one who also produces an offspring. Darwinian fitness means reproductive success. A person may have great physical strength, nobility of character, and brilliance of intellect, but if he or she produces no offspring, that person’s fitness is zero. 

In the case of Henry VIII, this demand for reproductive fitness is exacerbated by his demand that his queen not only reproduce but deliver a male heir to take the throne. After many years of effort with his first wife Catherine, and their failure to conceive a son, Henry used all his powers with the pope to bring about a dissolution of the marriage to permit a second marriage to Anne of Boleyn, the King is forced to start a new religion in order to dispose of Anne, when she too failed to deliver a male heir to the throne. Certainly, it is known that Anne was Henry’s intellectual equal but in Henry’s historical determination to produce a male heir to the throne as King of England and Anne’s failure to produce a son, her fitness to be Queen of England was obviated. We know Anne refused to go gently and Henry is forced to take dire measures, introducing once again the Mantis theory, except in this case he beheads Anne and neither eats her or has sex with her. 

The distinction is made clear by the Praying Mantis. Once the male Mantis has fertilized the eggs the female begins to eat him. Not at the genitals, as a means of resurrecting a flaccid penis, but she starts with his head. Sometimes the male gets away, but most often, since he is in a euphoric state after sex…his brain is secreting a hormone which inhibits copulation; but, after the male has lost his head, he copulates more vigorously, (The World According to Gorp). These circumstances enhance the male’s reproductive success, contributing greatly to the survival of the species, but severely diminish his personal prospects for survival, giving credence to the old wives’ tale, he lost his head over a piece of tail.

Can you see the significance of this act in the window of opportunity for the thoroughbred mare? Not knowing if the semen of the stallion will, in fact, fertilize her egg, if she were a Mantis and capable of killing the stallion, she could use him over and over, guaranteeing that the subsequent coverage would increase her window to a secure pregnancy. But the physiology plays a major role in that the stallion weighs in at 1250 pounds…and I beg you to remember the headless rooster…it does not sit still…it is a ready combatant in any continuing sexual activity and though it may be ready to copulate until the cock crows, the stallion will not be held for ease of entry by the mare.

Obviously, these are matters of interest to debate but we are talking about a valuable mare who would be well attended by a Veterinarian, skilled in equine gynecological issues. To avoid any delay in having the stallion cover the mare and getting her in foal, the vet would no doubt, prior to sending her to the stud, check her reproductive anatomy and genital organs to make certain all is in order. She would be cleared as to any possible infection, or conditions which may preclude the mare from delivering a sound foal or infecting the stallion. 

The life of the stallion’s spermatozoa cannot be guaranteed beyond forty-eight hours, and, any isolated service too long before the ovulation will be wasted effort. The mare must be watched and teased on a daily basis within her window and timely delivered to the stud, once she shows and begins to horse, thus guaranteeing the most likely chance she will be covered by the stallion and the stud team will not be required to arrange another mating session. 

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The reader here, is no doubt asking themselves what all this Natural Selection has to do with Senator Lang Elliott…and you may even be saying all this is quite interesting but where does it lead us? You, of course would be quite correct in asking what a thoroughbred horse farm in Oldham County, Kentucky have to do with this senator in the middle of a storm on natural Selection or Creationism.  

I will squeeze your interest no longer, lest the reader finds a more suitable way to spend an evening. Let me introduce myself…I am Detective Graham Lang of the Oldham County Police Department. I am, in fact, the only detective in the Oldham County Police Department. This isn’t because Oldham County doesn’t have sufficient population, but is simply because Oldham County has little or no crime to warrant more than one detective…admitting that I often go days without something to do. Since I have an obvious amount of free time on my hands, and tend to know everything about everybody in Oldham County, I am what they refer to in the book writing business the Omniscient Speaker, the fly on the wall…the know it all, who will also…tell it all, when the author decides to let me out of my little cage to spill the beans. 

I was born in Oldham County in 1970, just at the time when bussing was about to become a reality and white flight or freight would send thousands of new residents into the county to avoid having their children bused across Jefferson County in order to accommodate what Judge John Heyburn II, the political activist judge determined the best course to integrate the schools. I went to the all-white Oldham County High School and then on to Eastern Kentucky Universities Police Academy. This was the career on which I had set my heart, never wanting to do anything other than policing because I loved helping people. Yes, I was fortunate to be able to come back to my home and I take great pride in solving the little mysteries brought to me in the kaleidoscope of maniacal mass murderers passing through life in other communities, like Louisville. It is safe to say that Oldham County could have safely served as Opie Taylor’s home town…next stop, Mayberry, USA.  

Oldham County is located in north-east Kentucky on the Ohio River just east of Louisville which is home to 1.5 million people in the metro area as well as the  world famous Churchill Downs which annually plays host to the Kentucky Derby and a quarter million visitors for the three-day event. Our main character, Senator Lang Elliott owns one of the most pristine thoroughbred horse farms in a community of elegant horse farms running along US Highway 42 from Louisville through Prospect; Goshen, Skylight and LaGrange…one farm after the other connected by five boarded rail fencing of either black or white creosote. 

One of those farms on US Highway 42 is called Hermitage which adjoins the Elliott farm known as Haverhill. Hermitage Farm, operated for more than fifty years by Warner Jones who was also the Chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs, Inc. is renowned for breeding high priced yearlings, one of which sold for a then high price of fifteen million dollars. At a time when that was real money. Prior to that, Hermitage bred and won the Kentucky Derby with a horse named Dark Star. It was said that Dark Star had an edge in age, having been born in November, he was actually running in the derby as a four-year-old which gave the big horse a maturity edge as well...not fact , just whisper.  

Oldham County lies on a gently rolling elevation with moderate to warm winters and hot summers where the gentry sip mint Julips from outfitted horse vans while watching their husbands and fathers play Polo on Sunday afternoons. There is ample and fresh cold water from high water tables fed by the Ohio River and the foals seems to flourish on the farms whose barns and fences are neatly kept and the pastures trimmed in a bucolic setting which serves as the backdrop for the dastardly deed which was presented to me by Haverhill Farm manager on Monday morning, January 2, 2006.  

William Riley, a native to Oldham County and a man I had known since high school…as well as his wife Betty, lived on the property at Haverhill Farm just inside the main gate called me early on that fateful Monday morning.  

Detective…this is Bill Riley.  

Bill, Happy New Year to you and Betty.  

Well, same to you Graham…but we have bad trouble here at the farm, so sorry to bother you but glad you are working.

Heh, Bill, that is why we are here…what’s up?  

Just awful…somebody got in here last night or early morning and stole one of our stallions.

Before I could stop myself I blurted out the obvious, How could that be Bill, you live right at the front entry to the farm, and the gate leading to the stud barn? 

This is true Graham…dandiest thing I ever saw or heard of.  Betty and I went to bed early Sunday evening after a full day of foaling…we were worn to a frazzle dealing with all the mares…neither of us heard anything. Our dogs didn’t carry on, and I knew nothing was afoul until I went to the barn to feed at five this morning. 

Bill, don’t you have a night watchman? 

Yes, poor old guy was tied up in the feed and tack room…badly beaten I’m afraid, I took him to the hospital at LaGrange, afraid he would go into shock.  

And the stallion which was taken?  

Of course it was our prized stallion, Hunter’s Destiny.  

Ok Bill, I will be right out to go over this with you again to make sure we haven’t missed anything…please don’t let anyone in the feed room or near the stud’s stall…in fact Bill, just keep everyone out of the barn.  

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Of course Bill Riley called Lang Elliott at his home on River Hill Road off River Road in Louisville before calling me. I was surprised to see the Senator at the farm when I arrived…apparently the senate was in recess and the senator’s home located less than five miles from the farm…which was located just east of Prospect at Goshen…providing the senator a quick access along River Road and then a quick left and out US 42 through Prospect past the Goshen store, St Francis Elementary and into Goshen where he took a left and into the back of the farm where Bill and Betty Riley lived.  

Senator Elliott was pacing in front of Hunter’s Destiny’s empty stall when I arrived. He was elegantly dressed even for the barn. But you have to understand that the stud barn for Hunter’s Destiny was no ordinary barn. The floor leading to the stallion’s stall was made with wide wood planks and covered in an antique hand woven Persian carpet. Outside the stall door there were twin tables and alongside these table with lamps, sat Italian leather arm chairs. On the walls which were covered in Louisiana Cyprus, there were many pictures of Hunter’s Destiny’s many famous races like the Arlington Million which he had won three times after Arlington Park had been rebuilt from the fire which destroyed the famous track’s clubhouse. Now it stood as a modified glass structure standing against the sky fully lit at night.  

Hunter’s Destiny’s stall itself was padded in order to prevent the stallion from injury should he decide to kick the wall. Hunter’s Destiny was not a dangerous horse but he did have a propensity to kick at anything which moved in his domain, be it wall, door, groom or water bucket.  

Senator Elliott was well dressed as I said…he looked like he had just stepped from Gentlemen’s Quarterly; tan slacks; blue turtle-neck sweater, camel colored jacket with patches on the elbows and he was wearing Gucci loafers with no socks in the dead of winter. Maybe he had to get out of the house quickly and forgot the socks?  He had a coffee in his right hand and switched it to his left to extend the right to shake my hand. Even in a disaster, he was elegant, every bit the well-educated and splendidly bred man of gentry.  

"Detective Lang…you know my wife, Mona Tate, of course?

Yes, I smiled and she moved forward to politely hug me.

 Thank you for coming out so quickly…we are so grateful that you are working on the day after the New Year. Can I offer you a tea or coffee?  

Thank you Senator, maybe later. I have a lot of work to do and I want to strike quickly to solve this theft before the tracks get cold.  

The horse means everything to our family but at the moment I am so concerned over the condition of our night watchman Eddie…we’re just beside ourselves over this whole thing Detective…poor Bill here was shocked on his arrival to not only find our night watchman bloodied, bound and gagged but also to find our prized stallion missing…I don’t know what to say?  

It’s bad business Senator, but bad business is what we do, and my experts are now on the scene, gathering evidence, carefully looking for any clue or prints out of place. And, most important Senator, let us not forget, we have a 1250-pound flashy thoroughbred which will not be easy to hide.  

Thank you so much Graham, just so you know, we have every confidence in Bill Riley. He has been a loyal employee of this farm for at least ten years. He has my utmost respect as a trusted farm manager…I am going to have to leave it to you and Bill…but if you need me, please do not hesitate to call me on my cell phone. My wife and I are going to the hospital now to see our night watchman Eddie Renfroward before we are scheduled to fly back to Washington in the morning.  

I am truly sorry for this Senator…but don’t you worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.  

Yes, I am confident you will, my hope, is that you will recover my stallion before he is injured, or colic’s…it would be devastating to me and all the others connected to this horse that he might die from improper handling, these are delicate creatures. And of course our major concern is for Eddie Renfroward, I have spoken with Bill about speaking to you on your thoughts of posting a reward. I am ready willing and able to do so immediately. Any amount which would help to catch these bastards responsible for the pain and suffering they have cause Eddie and his family. I’ll post it with the Bank of Oldham County…any amount which will get the attention of someone who knows the whereabouts of these criminals. Please Graham, I am asking you to squeeze these bastards for what they have done to Eddie and my horse.  

Yes, sir, Senator…a reward will be very helpful, I’ll talk with Bill Riley as we get along in the investigation…and he can make the arrangements with you…but we don’t want to throw your money away, so we will be very careful.  

As the Lang's left the barn, I could see there was a general good feeling shared by the staff for the family. They were so genuine, and it was obvious that the Elliott’s felt that these employees were family and vice versa. Mona Tate hugged and kissed all before they left for the hospital and she had a warm moment with Bill and Betty Riley whom she knew were extremely depressed over the matter and I could hear her say to Betty, as they held hands… I’ll call you from the hospital. 

As my team swept the area for any special prints or to find anything out of place, I finally went to the office for that coffee and Bill Riley followed me like a hurt puppy.  

Riley finally spoke, You know Graham, it is especially troubling how these folks knew their way around this stud barn…like they had been here many times before the theft.  

What about security Bill?

This barn has the latest in technology. There is a security camera, going 24/7 at the entrance and exit, as well as one over the stall of Hunter’s Destiny. But even if they disabled those cameras, Hunter’s Destiny’s stall had a special cornea registry for all to gain entry into his stall. The cornea of anyone on this farm was preregistered and a positive actual match must be identified in order to gain entry into the stall. Obviously, no match, no entry.

Ok Bill, the first thing we need to do is review the tapes, and I need a copy of those on the farm whose cornea and finger prints have ever been recorded from the beginning…is that possible?  

Riley, had already looked at the tapes and made the discovery that the security had been breached… someone was able to place a cap over the eye of the camera and refocus it on the ceiling. 

Bill, I expect the perpetrators forced Eddie Renfroward by beating him nearly to death to utilize his own cornea to gain entry into the stall. 

Yes, they could have done so if they were careful not to damage his right eye because any damage, like a blow to the eye would have distorted the actual focus of the eye and negate a positive identification, but if all was well with Eddie, a match would have been made and the big door would have opened.  

"So, Bill…we are two down and the stallion must be lead from the stall and then the barn and apparently vanned away in the night. Into the mix comes Hunter’s Destiny whom I am told is high strung with a penchant for kicking and biting. 

Is it reasonable to think this horse is going to respond positively to a stranger?" 

More, and more Graham this theft is pointing to an inside job? I am going to get some help to research our files to determine any connection to anyone going back to the installation of the system through the computer to get a match on anyone who may have handled Hunter, at any time. Obviously, that person or person’s must have a special knowledge of this horse because, as you say, he did have a penchant for being aggressive and not just anyone could handle him.

Bill, I have a theory about how they got Hunter’s Destiny from the stall to the waiting van. I believe someone he knew, forced Eddie to open the door, placed the shank on him and walked him out the back door, leading the big horse through the paddock and down the lane leading to the back entrance where the security camera was disabled, loading him on the van and driving away in the early hours of the morning. 

But Graham, there is a fly in the ointment because there is no gate at the back paddock! Anyone taking a horse at that point must have a chain saw to cut through a five board rail attached by screws, so a hammer would have been of no use, and either method would have been noisy.  

Well, I say we walk back to the back paddock and determine if they did cut through the fence or utilized some other methodology similar to those utilized by loggers for example.  

Bill Riley and I walked through the back exit of the stallion barn as the other horses nickered for morning oats. There were fresh hoof prints, easily seen in the fresh snow which had fallen in the night. We followed them along a row of fences until we reached the back paddock, located some two hundred yards from the barn. A chain had been utilized, attached to a truck and the fence rails were pulled out, permitting Hunter’s Destiny to walk through freely and onto the van…there would have been little or no noise associated with pulling the fence apart.  

Pretty slick Bill! They use poor old Eddie Renfroward to gain entry into the stallion’s stall and then an experienced hand feeds the big horse a few mints to calm his fears and take the stallion out the back of the barn to avoid any alarm attracting you from your sleep…I’d say they were in and out of here inside a half-hour…max!  

Not a sound from the dogs? 

They came in the back way Bill…got the drop on Eddie…definitely an inside job…they knew their way around this place and they knew the horse. 

I’d like to go to the hospital, Graham?

No problem Bill, I’d guess we will be here the rest of the day but I would appreciate it if you could call the security and have them begin the research on the former employees and the breach of the technology. 

Ok Graham, I should be back soon…just check with Betty should you need anything…and thanks again for all your help and insight. 

Try not to worry Bill, we will get these guys and Hunter.

At the moment I am most concerned for Eddie who is fighting for his life. 

I was worried about Eddie as well, it would be hard for this team of crooks to hide a twelve hundred fifty-pound horse, but Eddie had been beaten severely, no doubt he fought to protect the horse, refusing to let them into the stall of Hunter’s Destiny. Eddie was no stranger to horse farm security. He had been around through the investigation of the Alydar fiasco. He remembered how the big horse at Calumet Farms had ostensibly been able to kick a hole between the door and the frame, wedging his hind leg between them…a major steel door and frame. This great horse and stallion was supposed to have kicked a hole, jamming his leg and breaking it…and the explanation was that he was able to do so because of his temperament…baloney! 

All security guards at all the farms in Kentucky had debated that one for years after the event. Everyone was certain there was foul play to enable the collection of the mortality insurance on Alydar which was for twenty-five million dollars. But Eddie wonder aloud, at the time, to anyone who was within ear-shot about the evil mind which could have conjured such an evil act against a great horse who had done nothing wrong throughout his entire life. And, at the time of his death, Alydar had a full book of mares, collecting a cool one-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-dollars per cover working out to around two point five million per season.

What a sad day for the equine industry in general and all horse lovers in particular. This gallant animal who had battled the outstanding horse, Affirmed in all the triple crown events, only to come up short by less than a combined half-length will be remembered in many years to come by the strength of his progeny, manifested in his come from behind style, winning at different distances and on various surfaces. 

And the inside racing community will never forget the outsider a person who catered parties for a living was able to gain access to one of the daughters and marry into the hundred-year-old legacy of this family.