Obviously, these are matters of interest to debate but we are talking about a valuable mare who would be well attended by a Veterinarian, skilled in equine gynecological issues. To avoid any delay in having the stallion cover the mare and getting her in foal, the vet would no doubt, prior to sending her to the stud, check her reproductive anatomy and genital organs to make certain all is in order. She would be cleared as to any possible infection, or conditions which may preclude the mare from delivering a sound foal or infecting the stallion.
The life of the stallion’s spermatozoa cannot be guaranteed beyond forty-eight hours, and, any isolated service too long before the ovulation will be wasted effort. The mare must be watched and teased on a daily basis within her window and timely delivered to the stud, once she “shows” and begins to “horse,” thus guaranteeing the most likely chance she will be covered by the stallion and the stud team will not be required to arrange another mating session.
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The reader here, is no doubt asking themselves what all this Natural Selection has to do with Senator Lang Elliott…and you may even be saying all this is quite interesting but where does it lead us? You, of course would be quite correct in asking what a thoroughbred horse farm in Oldham County, Kentucky have to do with this senator in the middle of a storm on natural Selection or Creationism.
I will squeeze your interest no longer, lest the reader finds a more suitable way to spend an evening. Let me introduce myself…I am Detective Graham Lang of the Oldham County Police Department. I am, in fact, the only detective in the Oldham County Police Department. This isn’t because Oldham County doesn’t have sufficient population, but is simply because Oldham County has little or no crime to warrant more than one detective…admitting that I often go days without something to do. Since I have an obvious amount of free time on my hands, and tend to know everything about everybody in Oldham County, I am what they refer to in the book writing business the “Omniscient Speaker,” the fly on the wall…the know it all, who will also…tell it all, when the author decides to let me out of my little cage to “spill the beans.”
I was born in Oldham County in 1970, just at the time when bussing was about to become a reality and “white flight or freight” would send thousands of new residents into the county to avoid having their children bused across Jefferson County in order to accommodate what Judge John Heyburn II, the political activist judge determined the best course to integrate the schools. I went to the all-white Oldham County High School and then on to Eastern Kentucky Universities Police Academy. This was the career on which I had set my heart, never wanting to do anything other than policing because I loved helping people. Yes, I was fortunate to be able to come back to my home and I take great pride in solving the little mysteries brought to me in the kaleidoscope of maniacal mass murderers passing through life in other communities, like Louisville. It is safe to say that Oldham County could have safely served as Opie Taylor’s home town…next stop, Mayberry, USA.
Oldham County is located in north-east Kentucky on the Ohio River just east of Louisville which is home to 1.5 million people in the metro area as well as the world famous Churchill Downs which annually plays host to the Kentucky Derby and a quarter million visitors for the three-day event. Our main character, Senator Lang Elliott owns one of the most pristine thoroughbred horse farms in a community of elegant horse farms running along US Highway 42 from Louisville through Prospect; Goshen, Skylight and LaGrange…one farm after the other connected by five boarded rail fencing of either black or white creosote.
One of those farms on US Highway 42 is called Hermitage which adjoins the Elliott farm known as Haverhill. Hermitage Farm, operated for more than fifty years by Warner Jones who was also the Chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs, Inc. is renowned for breeding high priced yearlings, one of which sold for a then high price of fifteen million dollars. At a time when that was real money. Prior to that, Hermitage bred and won the Kentucky Derby with a horse named Dark Star. It was said that Dark Star had an edge in age, having been born in November, he was actually running in the derby as a four-year-old which gave the big horse a maturity edge as well...not fact , just whisper.
Oldham County lies on a gently rolling elevation with moderate to warm winters and hot summers where the gentry sip mint Julips from outfitted horse vans while watching their husbands and fathers play Polo on Sunday afternoons. There is ample and fresh cold water from high water tables fed by the Ohio River and the foals seems to flourish on the farms whose barns and fences are neatly kept and the pastures trimmed in a bucolic setting which serves as the backdrop for the dastardly deed which was presented to me by Haverhill Farm manager on Monday morning, January 2, 2006.
William Riley, a native to Oldham County and a man I had known since high school…as well as his wife Betty, lived on the property at Haverhill Farm just inside the main gate called me early on that fateful Monday morning.
“Detective…this is Bill Riley.”
“Bill, Happy New Year to you and Betty.”
“Well, same to you Graham…but we have bad trouble here at the farm, so sorry to bother you but glad you are working.”
“Heh, Bill, that is why we are here…what’s up?”
“Just awful…somebody got in here last night or early morning and stole one of our stallions.”
Before I could stop myself I blurted out the obvious, “How could that be Bill, you live right at the front entry to the farm, and the gate leading to the stud barn?”
“This is true Graham…dandiest thing I ever saw or heard of. Betty and I went to bed early Sunday evening after a full day of foaling…we were worn to a frazzle dealing with all the mares…neither of us heard anything. Our dogs didn’t carry on, and I knew nothing was afoul until I went to the barn to feed at five this morning.”
“Bill, don’t you have a night watchman?”
“Yes, poor old guy was tied up in the feed and tack room…badly beaten I’m afraid, I took him to the hospital at LaGrange, afraid he would go into shock.”
“And the stallion which was taken?”
“Of course it was our prized stallion, Hunter’s Destiny.”
“Ok Bill, I will be right out to go over this with you again to make sure we haven’t missed anything…please don’t let anyone in the feed room or near the stud’s stall…in fact Bill, just keep everyone out of the barn.”
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Of course Bill Riley called Lang Elliott at his home on River Hill Road off River Road in Louisville before calling me. I was surprised to see the Senator at the farm when I arrived…apparently the senate was in recess and the senator’s home located less than five miles from the farm…which was located just east of Prospect at Goshen…providing the senator a quick access along River Road and then a quick left and out US 42 through Prospect past the Goshen store, St Francis Elementary and into Goshen where he took a left and into the back of the farm where Bill and Betty Riley lived.
Senator Elliott was pacing in front of Hunter’s Destiny’s empty stall when I arrived. He was elegantly dressed even for the barn. But you have to understand that the stud barn for Hunter’s Destiny was no ordinary barn. The floor leading to the stallion’s stall was made with wide wood planks and covered in an antique hand woven Persian carpet. Outside the stall door there were twin tables and alongside these table with lamps,