Chris Rosser

Berny's Lucky Day

Berny Scrimshaw was a careful gambler. He thoroughly studied the form of every horse to race on a Saturday to help him make the best decision possible. The autumn carnival was nearing its end and the days were getting shorter. The chill he felt as he left the betting shop on dusk, belied the joy he experienced as he had just won $21,054 on the last race of the day. The rough 45 to 1 horse, Round-The-Outside, had poked its nose in front right on the line to make his four-race quadrella pay the largest amount all season. True to its name, it had come around the outside from the final turn to match and overtake such brilliant horses as Hoof-Hearted, Puma-Pants and WhyKickAMooCow, all more highly chanced thoroughbreds. The jockey, Peter Vaquero, whooped with joy as he realised he had taken the honours after a photo finish decision. Berny walked home whistling his favourite tune, the Music Box Dancer.