The opportunity for revenge came thirty years after the despicable act calling for revenge.
Let us start with the despicable act.
Albert and William were twenty-four, newly pro handlers and sons of handlers, Albert’s Father recently dead of a heart attack, William’s father alive but retired. The sons were partnering this year, “helpin’ each other” in the now nearly universal arrangement by which handlers teamed to scout for one another, entering the same trials under both their names so they would not be drawn as bracemates. This was permitted by almost all trial sponsors save in the National Championship and the Quail Championship Invitational.
They were at Dixie Plantation (now Livingston Place) the third week of January for the Continental Derby Championship. Each had a winning Derby entered. They were close in Purina open derby points won.
Albert’s derby was drawn in the third brace. It scored two finds early in its race, then disappeared. William went in search. Fifteen minutes later Albert left the course briefly in search and from a ridge top saw William with his derby on the end of a check cord. He assumed William would lead his derby to a place on the course where it could be released ahead on the course. But instead his derby remained judicially unseen until twenty five minutes had passed since the judges had seen it and it was declared out of judgment. Then William showed up again with Albert’s derby on the rope, saying he had found it after it was declared out of judgment.
Albert was furious but decided to hide his anger and instead get even. After the stake concluded (neither Albert not William placed an entry), Albert declared the scouting partnership terminated but did not say why. Instead he vowed to himself to get revenge, and in an important stake. The opportunity did not arise over the ensuing thirty seasons, but today it appeared, and in the most important of stakes, the National Championship being run at Ames Plantation.
William was handling Comeback Jack in the tenth brace. Albert was scouting Jack’s bracemate, Faraway Flo. Jack was making a creditable bid to win. At the end of two hours Jack had scored five clean finds and run a race ideal under the Amesian Standard. His nearest competitor had scored four finds in a similar race. Faraway Flow had scored on birds twice and was running a big but some would say erratic race but her handler had vowed to leave her down unless she weakened.
Flow’s race had given Albert ample opportunity to ride unseen, though she had managed to show up on course and ahead on her own after each of her absences without assistance from Albert. He had seen that she oriented herself to her handler’s song to achieve this, so needed no guidance from him. This allowed him to give attention to Jack’s race when he occasionally dipped into woods just off the course. Albert saw his opportunity for revenge. He could catch Jack, put him on a rope, and ride to where Jack was sure to be gone at the finish when to win he would have to be seen by the judges at or after time and within whatever time the judges set as a grace period.
Albert easily caught Jack and led him off unseen. He stopped in a patch of thick woods and listened to the call of the handlers grow weaker. Then there was only the breathing of his mount and Jack, who was panting. He dismounted, took the detergent jug of water from his saddle, watered Jack and poured the rest on Jack’s chest to cool him. He looked at his stopwatch.
Guilt overcame him. He remounted swiftly and cantered through the woods parallel to the course until he heard the handlers’ songs again. William was pleading for Jack. Albert stopped his mount, dismounted and released Jack which lit out for the front in response to William’s pleading chant.
Albert waited until he was certain the gallery had passed, then rode to the course and joined the gallery from behind just as Jack scored his sixth find. He would score another at time and be declared National Champion.