A horse named Bago

The Grand Prix Arc de Triomphe
After the nuit blanche, wake up at decent time, 1pm, and get ready to go to the horse races. But not just any.
It’s one of the richest horseraces in France…tons of people in expensive hats. French version of the Ascot. Work smashing red hat, on a tilt, with vintage red and striped dress. Sweet and comfortable.
Sun brilliant.

Horses amazing and big. Finally, after good examination of the stats (like that ever makes a difference), make bets. Around the middle mark realize that I’m three for five in the top five!!! So, if I get the quint, that’s some serious moolah…get really excited.
Horses round the corner, I can hear them, I can see them, they’re coming.
And just at the end, crazy number 14 takes the lead and slips into first, to win the race. It’s a horse called Bago…Dude! That’s a dog’s name!

Anyways, big surprise to almost everybody on the track. Horse almost too young to run, and longshot.

File out a little disappointed at being so close to winning shitloads of money, and then NOT. Annabelle even more disappointed because she didn’t even really see the race. Scoobs and her were trapped at the counter making bets.

But was really fun to see all the super rich people in their fantastic hats and gear. Everyone super well dressed. This isn’t couture for the runway. This is couture for people who have castles! Funny scene with all these young rich girls, super well dressed and coiffed, dripping over the stairs in inebriation and sunburn, with several emptied bottles of champagne next to them. Good one girls!

Went home to eat food and finish reading new Coetzee book, which is too good. This guy is beyond good. He’s my writer of the century. “Disgrace” is a magnificent book, vicious, profound without dripping a hint of melodrama. Decisively lucid and sublimely frigid. I’d trade a thousand Bagos to be able to have an inch of Coetzee’s talent.