And Here Comes Santa Claus

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David Swords and Brick Moltz

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Was December 24th, a dark, blustery day. The usual suspects assembled at the Fairgrounds
Mustache pencil thin, with fat Plaquemines Slim. Little Louie Black stood looking all around
He saw over in the shadows, holding forth and holding sway
Big Daddy Carlos Marcello giving red and green boutonnieres away
Otherwise the crowd was spare with Christmas in the air, the card promising, no relief from the gray
Except in the 9th, an allowance including maidens, Devil Best hadn't lost a race
And a skinny bay named Santa Claus who had never won, clearly entered for fools lacking reason
Me, I was no moron, though by the 7th had only twenty, of the dollars the wife had saved for the season
We watched the odds on the board as the ninth came along. Devil Best chalked at three to two
Little Santa Claus at ninety-nine to one, got the sentimental interest of very few
At post time, Louie Black lurked near the bedding window as the colts loaded in the gate
So when the odds on Santa Claus went from long to pretty short laid a thousand on his nose to win the race
"Whoever said there ain't no Santa Claus?" Slim and I heard Louie mutter, put my last twenty on the hunch
Squandered all the handicapping wisdom of the day, limped blindly to the rail to watch them run
"And they're off!"
Santa stumbles out the gate, settles at the rear, a frontrunner, Devil sets the pace
They thundered down the backstretch, Santa lays dead last, the clods flying in his face
I cannot watch, close my eyes, even start to pray. The ponies storm the final turn
They hit the stretch, straighten out, Devil by five on the rail, shattered field fading as he burns
Suddenly everything goes quiet, a gasp shimmers in the air. I peek down the track at the scene
Moving on the outside, alone and closing fast, is a muddy little figure whose silks are red and green
The PA crackles from on high, as if God could speak through clouds, a ray of sunshine appears
A short pause, like a lightning bolt, then the rumble of thunder. "And here comes Santa Claus!"
Splits our ears
Santa hits the wire, wins by head, the railbirds neither speak nor move
A lame horse has become a miraculous rocket, hard-bitten hearts melt at what's been proved
Meanwhile, in the shadows, Louie watches Big Daddy kiss the wad of hundreds in his paws
To no one in particular, as he drags his Lucky Strike, Louie says
"Always knew there was a Santa Claus." Always knew there was a Santa Claus

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