Pony tales aren't always pretty

I never intended to write a breakdown story.

My short story, "Expendable," which Bushwick Daily published on Sunday is not a sunshine and rainbows horse story. I have to be honest, I really wanted to write one of those. I'd love to write something that changes people's preconceived notions of what it's like at the racetrack.

But when you sit down with your pen and your notebook, you can't do anything but write down what comes into your head. And this is what came into my head. I spent six months at the racetrack (here I am below, shipping a horse to a race) and I saw many beautiful things - but I saw dark things, too.

I do think that "Expendable" redeems the racetrack a little by admitting that it works both ways. There are bad trainers, there are good trainers. There are people who see horses as expendable, sure, but not everyone looks upon them that way. Just as it would be wrong to paint everyone at the racetrack as evil, though, it would be wrong to pretend that it's anything other than what it is.

For the most part, horse racing fans are not oblivious to the tragic side of the sport. "Lord of Misrule," the National Book Award winner set at a crumbling racetrack, was well-received despite its faithful portrayals of horses on their last legs, running beyond their ability and soundness, and the organized crime element which is an inevitable part of a sport based upon wagering. No one likes the truth, but at least they are honest with themselves and admit that there are serious problems in the business of racing.