“AAAAND—THEY’RE COMING DOWN the stretch, ladies and gentlemen! What a sight! Starfire, the dark horse of this race, has taken an astonishing lead! He’s leaving the competition in the dust!”
The sound of horses’ hooves pounding on the track grew louder.
“As they approach the finish line, Starfire is widening the gap, folks! It’s a true spectacle!”
The crowd noise reached a crescendo.
“Starfire crosses the finish line at 2:01 and 3/5ths of a second and wins the Travers Stakes by a staggering seven lengths! Ladies and gentlemen, what an incredible victory!”
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
“What an extraordinary performance by Starfire! Only Man O’War, one of the greatest horses in racing history, has won this race with a faster time! And there you have it, folks! A historic moment in horse racing! Starfire, the dazzling newcomer, has left us all in awe! Who is this remarkable colt that has swept the field in Saratoga in such spectacular fashion?”
Walter and Earl had bet twenty dollars each on Starfire to win.
The odds were 100:1.
When Finn had asked Isabelle how sure she was about her stallion, she told him to bet nothing. “What have you learned from October 29, 1929?”
“So, you have no faith at all is what you’re saying?”
He had bet a hundred dollars—the money his girls earned in one full week of selling their vegetables at the market.
But Finn and Isabelle had no idea that Starfire had won. Two days earlier, they’d gone clamming in Truro, a hundred miles across the water.
Bryson’s friend Bertie Dunn lent them his boat as a favor, in exchange for a pail of Cape Cod quahogs and an introduction to the “bountylicious” Eleanor.
Finn and Isabelle took with them clam rakes, pails, fishing lines, mesh baskets, and gloves. Isabelle brought two sandwiches and a flask of Schumann’s strongest brew.
They set out at first light.
They were gone four days.