melissa shook
Beautiful Lassie Racing (2005)
About Beautiful Lassie Racing
After months of watching races at Suffolk Downs, studying the past performances of all the Thoroughbreds up for claiming in her price range, Jenifer Vickery had her eye on two horses. Since the trainer she was planning to work with had been injured, her leg in a cast, getting around on crutches, Jenifer chose the less feisty horse, Beautiful Lassie.
Someone else put a claiming slip for her into the box, so Jenifer had to wait anxiously for the coin-toss that she fortunately won, allowing her to walk away with the prize she nicknamed Sassy. That was in 2004.
I got to know Jenifer during months of puppy training at the Pawsitive Dog, her business. Later I took some photographs to illustrate a book on dog training that she’s been writing. She called not long after she claimed Sassy to see if I’d take some pictures for her. Nothing could have been more perfect.
When I first moved from New York in 1974, I spent quite a bit of time at the track. The noise and chaos was a good counterpoint to the subdued quality of Boston. After working for many years as a part-time counselor at a shelter for women, I’d become interested in the folks on the backside – a disenfranchised hard working group, comprised of a good many immigrants. Jenifer offered me an entrance to this gated area. And I started three projects. We are working on a book about the two years Sassy spent racing before being retired.
For information about dog training, please see Jenifer’s website – www.thepawsitivedog.com