Rags to Reich

- My grandfather died yesterday, some 104 years, two weeks, and four days after his birth. Louis Reich had a remarkable life, having survived a massive heart attack some four decades ago. Though he had become quite frail physically the last few years, he lived on in full possession of his mental faculties until felled by a stroke two weeks ago. We were told during the week that his body was in the process of shutting down, and his passing came as no surprise and as somewhat of a relief. It was extremely difficult seeing him lying in bed incapacitated and unable to respond these last two weeks. We can only hope that he was having wonderful dreams that will persist on for him for all eternity.

The timing of his passing was such, with the funeral scheduled for Sunday morning, that there was little else for me to do but to forge on to Belmont day anyway. It felt a bit strange, especially considering that my grandfather had, earlier in my life, been strongly opposed to my track habits; gifts of money were always accompanied by a growling warning of "Not for the horses!" I have to admit that I didn't always quite adhere strictly to the letter of that admonition. But over the years, as he realized how much enjoyment it has brought me and, especially, that my gambling was well under control, he grudgingly accepted it. Not too long ago, speaking of money he would leave after his departure from this world, he said to me "for the horses," because he knew how much I love the game and he wanted me to be happy. He was a kind and generous man, the latter sometimes to a fault, sending money secretly to certain black sheep members of the family who did not really earn the support. He had no enemies in the world that I know of.

I regret that Pops never took to the racetrack, and thought it odd that a man who built a small fortune on a stock brokerage business would shun a game which has a number of similarities. As a younger man, he had experiences with loved ones who couldn't handle their horseplaying habits that forever turned him against it. Not only would I have loved to have shared some days at the races with him, but I saw him grow very bored late in his life. I'll always remember something that Harvey Pack once said back when he did the recap show for NYRA; he related how his own father had assured him that as long as he had racing, he'd never be bored for a day in his life.

And yesterday at Belmont was an ample demonstration of why that is true, and why I'll never be bored as my grandfather was, as long as I'm able to pick up a Racing Form. (And given the family genes - my grandfather leaves behind an older sister! - some tell me that could be for a while, knock on wood.) The weather may have been cloudy, and the attendance figure may have been a big disappointment. But the track still crackled with excitement, and, especially, with joy. I would dare you to find one single person amongst the 46,000 who was not having a great time, win or lose (and we know most of them were losing). The scene around the paddock as the horses for the Belmont prepared for the race was electric, with each entry drawing applause and cries of encouragement.

And the race I'm sure you saw for yourselves. I know I wrote that I would pass the race and just watch; but the way the betting turned out, with far too much wagered on Imawildandcrazyguy and Tiago, thus leaving Rags to Riches 4-1, I saw an opportunity and nailed the triple for $131. And I have to say that I was in so much of a fog throughout the day, that it wasn't until after the race that I realized that Rags to Riches was the ultimate hunch bet! After all, my grandfather (whose last name was pronounced rich) was a partial namesake with the filly. And he had had his own rags to riches portion of his life, picking up the pieces from the Great Depression, after his partners had hurled themselves out of office windows, and starting up from scratch again. Reich and Company was a successful Wall Street firm for more than 50 years before he sold it in the '80s.

So as it turned out, Lou Reich passed on at a time which, just barely, allowed me to still experience a horse race for the ages; one which will forever be etched on my 'greatest race I've ever seen' list. (And I was fortunate enough to view it from a seat right on the finish line, thanks a million to Jose Guerra at Warstone.) And if that wasn't enough in itself (and it would have been), I actually cashed a ticket on a horse that bears part of his name and life story. It seems as if my old Pops was smiling down with approval after all. Thanks man, I love you too, rest in peace.

I'll be spending the next few days with my family, mourning the passing of my grandfather but, mostly, celebrating his life. So I'll take a little time off from here. Please check out the other wonderfully talented bloggers of the TBA for more on the big day (and I posed for a couple of pictures with those members who were at the track, so you may even find my mug on one of them somewhere). I'll speak to you again in a few days. Peace.