Morning came early
And with it the Open Derby
Sal had the second brace
He rode the first so he’d know
Where the birds were being placed
As he’d expected they were
In the usual places at five, fifteen and twenty-eight
They didn’t fly good
But walk they surely would
He prayed Sal would stay
Her bracemate head trailed her
But thank God he backed
Her bird at five fluttered close then landed
Her eyes just grew bigger
As he fired and grabbed her collar
At fifteen she stood taller
And this bird flew better
She rose to her toes but stayed put
Through the flush and the shot
Again her bracemate backed
At twenty eight she nailed one
He was walking in to flush
When the trailer arrived and saw him then saw Sal
He stopped then dove and took her bird out
She stayed put and he asked should he shoot
The nod from the judge told him
She’d be hard to beat if she had a finish
And a finish for sure she had and showed it
He held his breath while the rest ran
Then heard the magic “Sal first”
Next came the amateur stakes
Derby first then Shooting Dog both thirty minutes
That left for Sunday the hour Open Shooting Dog
He was glad he’d gambled and entered Sal
She’d go at dusk in that stake’s last brace