Page 128 of You'll Find Out
For the most part, Brig’s time was spent on airplanes between Denver and San Francisco. The challenge of moving the headquarters of a corporation the size of Chambers Oil was monumental. Though Brig had originally hoped that the transfer would take only a few weeks, he soon discovered that it would take months to accomplish his goal of resettling Chambers Oil on the West Coast. His impatience grew each day he was separated from Becca.
Becca and Ian continued to work daily with Gypsy Wind. Slowly the temperamental filly seemed to be settling into a routine of early morning workouts. When Brig was on the farm, he, too, would add his hand at trying to shape the skittish horse into the finest racing filly ever to set foot on a California racetrack. It was a slow and tedious job as Gypsy Wind had her own opinions about racing. Without Ian O’Riley’s patience and love for the filly, Becca would have given up. But the feisty trainer continued to insist that Gypsy Wind was born to run in the sport of kings.
The remodeling of the buildings around the farm had started and Brig insisted that a security guard be posted round the clock to watch the barns. Becca had argued against the need for the guard, but had finally agreed when she was forced to consider Gypsy Wind’s welfare. Brig convinced Becca that Gypsy Wind was a celebrity who needed all the protection available. The horse could be an easy target of a malicious attack aimed at anyone involved with Chambers Oil or Sentimental Lady. Ian O’Riley concurred with Brig, and Becca was forced to go along with his decision.
After the first few uneasy days, Becca recognized the worth of the security guard. The press had been hounding Becca day and night, and with the patient but insistent aid of the guard, Becca was able to keep the hungry reporters at bay. It was hard for Becca to retain her composure all of the time, and the press seemed adamant for a story, especially Marian Gordon. The cool reporter for theStateside Reviewreturned to Starlight Breeding Farm in search of a new angle on Gypsy Wind. The perfectly groomed Marian unnerved Becca, but she managed to hide her unease. Becca reminded herself that she was partially to blame for the furor. Not only had Dean’s confession brought Sentimental Lady’s tragedy back into the public eye, but the fact that Becca had married Brig Chambers had fanned the already raging fires of gossip concerning Gypsy Wind. Brig Chambers was one of the wealthiest men in the country, his father and a beautiful young model had recently perished in a traumatic plane crash, and Brig had once denounced Becca publicly—or at the very least refused to come to her defense. Everything touching Brig Chambers was hot copy for the scandal sheets and the press was frantic for any insight, real or fabricated, into the relationship between Brig and his wife. Gypsy Wind and her famous owners were suddenly the hottest story of the year. It was no wonder that the eager reporters weren’t easily discouraged. Dean had been right when he had predicted that Becca was begging for trouble by breeding Gypsy Wind.
Throughout most of the ordeal, including Dean’s trial, Becca had managed to appear outwardly calm and only slightly perturbed. Though she smiled rarely in public, the security of Brig’s love had given her the strength to deal with both the reporters and their insensitive questions. It was only when someone would ask too personal a question about her brother that her green eyes would darken dangerously and she would refuse to answer. Dean still refused to see her and it would take years to heal the bitter sting of his rejection.
* * *
Gypsy Wind’s first race was held in Sequoia Park. Brig had arranged his schedule in order to witness the running. Though the race was a little-publicized maiden, the crowd was expectant, largely due to the well-publicized fact that Gypsy Wind, a full sister to the tragic Sentimental Lady, was entered. If Brig’s confidence wavered, it wasn’t apparent in his casual stance or the fire of determination in his eyes. He held Becca’s trembling hand in the warm strength of his palms as he watched Gypsy Wind being led to the starting gate. Gypsy Wind’s moment of truth was at hand and it seemed to Becca that the entire world was watching and holding its breath. Even Ian appeared nervous. His face remained stern and lined with concentration as he shifted a match from one corner of his mouth to the other.
Gypsy Wind entered the gate without too much trouble and Becca sighed in relief when the nervous filly finally settled into the metal enclosure. Within minutes all of the stalls in the gate were filled with anxious fillies. Suddenly the gates clanged open. Gypsy Wind leaped forward and a big chestnut filly slammed into her so hard that Gypsy Wind nearly stumbled. Becca’s heart dropped to her stomach as she watched her game horse adjust her stride and rally, only to be bumped at the three-eighths pole by another filly.
“Dear God,” Becca murmured, squeezing Brig’s hand with her clenched fingers.
Gypsy Wind was now hopelessly behind the leaders, but found it in her heart to make up some of the distance and finish a mediocre fifth in a field of seven. “Thank God it’s over,” Becca thought aloud, slowly releasing Brig’s hand. She couldn’t hide her disappointment.
Brig’s smile slowly spread across his handsome features. “Well, Mrs. Peters,” he announced. “I think you’ve got yourself a racehorse.”
Becca shook her head, but the color was slowly coming back to her face. “Do you?”
Ian O’Riley cracked a pleased grin. “That you do, Missy,” he replied, as if the question were directed at him. He took off his cap and rubbed his grizzled chin. “That y’do.”
Ian was assured of the filly’s potential, and although the press crucified the dark horse for her first run, the wily trainer was eventually proven right.
* * *
Gypsy Wind’s unfortunate experiences during her first race affected her running style for the remainder of her career. After leaving the gate with the field, the fleet filly would drop back to avoid the heavy traffic and possibility of being bumped. With her new strategy, Gypsy Wind managed to win her next race by two lengths and the next seven starts by an ever-increasing margin over her opponents. She followed in her famous sister’s footsteps and won all three jewels of the filly Triple Crown with ease. Reporters began to compare her to some of the fastest horses of the century.
Becca was ecstatic about Gypsy Wind’s success. Everything seemed to be going her way. The breeding farm was being expensively remodeled, her career as a Thoroughbred horse breeder was reestablished, Gypsy Wind was winning, effortlessly, and most important, Becca was married to Brig. The only dark spot on her life was her brother, Dean. He had been found guilty of criminally tampering with Sentimental Lady and still refused to see Becca. Even during the trial, Dean had refused to look across the courtroom at Becca or even acknowledge her presence. When she had spoken with Dean’s attorney, the man had suggested that she forget about her brother until he was willing to face her again. The attorney had promised to inform Becca the minute that Dean wanted to see her.
* * *
It was when the fans and the press began demanding a match race that Becca balked. Although she had half-expected it, the thought of a match race and reliving the nightmare of Sentimental Lady’s death unnerved her. She couldn’t find it in her heart to put the additional strain on herself and her horse. Already there were rumors of Gypsy Wind challenging the colts and settling the arguments concerning which horse was the finest three-year-old of the year.
In a normal racing year, one or two of the best horses prove themselves in regularly scheduled stakes races. But this year the Triple Crown races were inconclusive. Three different colts ran away with the separate events. Added to the colt dilemma was Gypsy Wind, the undisputed filly of the year. Several tracks had made offers for a match race, supposedly a race that would settle, once and for all, the arguments surrounding the favored horses.
Rebecca remained adamant. She wasn’t about to race Gypsy Wind, though the other owners pressured her and the various race tracks were offering phenomenal amounts of money to field the event. The bidding by the tracks for the race was incredible, and added to that cash were offers from sponsors and television networks. With an attraction such as Gypsy Wind and the notoriety that followed her career, the sky was the limit in the bidding game, and the American public demanded the race!
Lon Jacobs, a prominent California promoter, couldn’t be pushed aside. He called Becca Chambers each week, hoping to entice her into entering Gypsy Wind in a match race.
“Neither I nor Gypsy Wind have anything to gain from the race,” Becca explained to Lon Jacobs for what seemed the tenth time in as many days.
“What do you mean?” the California promoter asked incredulously. “What have you been working for all of your life, Mrs. Chambers? All those years of breeding champions certainly add up. You may well have the horse of the century on your hands, but no one’s going to buy it until she stands up to the colts.”
Becca closed her eyes and her fingers whitened around the receiver. “I’m just not interested.”
“What about what the racing public demands? You have a certain obligation to the American people, don’t you?”
Becca ran her fingers through her blond hair. “I have a responsibility to my horse and my family.”
Lon Jacobs coaxed her. “I realize that the money isn’t important to you. Not now. But what about the fame? With this one race you could establish yourself as one of the premier breeders in the country.”
“I don’t know if the race is necessary for that. The entire world knows the potential of Gypsy Wind.”
“Potential, yes,” he agreed smoothly. “But she hasn’t really proved herself.”
