East West Connection Diaries

From Athens to Dubai - The First Stop in the Flame Trail March 25, 2004 LordPye's East-West Connection trainers stepped off their chartered jet in Greece as the sun dipped low in the deep blue sky, painting it with streaks of red and purple and gold.  The warm scented Mediterranean air tickled the nostrils of the residency's representative horses as they stepped from the plane. Ray of Pye and Flying By Pye lifted their heads and sniffed the air of this new country. Ray of Pye tossed his head, mane flying, as the scent of fire reached him. All the trainers turn as they hear a familiar voice behind them. "Geez, you all are LATE!" LordPye barked as he strode toward his trainers. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it on time," Snowchief said more mildly as she walked along with Pye toward the group of jetlagged trainers. She held a large gold torch with a huge flame at its apex in her hand. "I think this needs to go with you." Sandee stepped forward and took the Flame from Snowchief as Fletch quieted the horses who weren't sure what to make of the big torch. "Customs sucks in this part of the world," explained Sjmeola. "They don't know a racehorse from a rat's behind much less how to check one through customs. Must be why we don't race here!" "Well, now that our timetable is crap, we need to make some decisions here. Perhaps I should just make them rather than go the democratic route," Pye said arrogantly. "After all, I am the CEO of this residency!" "We're tired Pye but we aren't stupid," Sandee reminded him sharply. Pye's eyes narrowed. "OK, then. Should we continue on our journey or stay in Greece overnight and leave in the morning?" As a single voice, all the trainers say, "MORNING!" Snowchief chuckles. "Lucky for you that the other simsters have left. They stayed in Macedonia last night. It's the home of Alexander the Great. There's a little taverna outside the main city of Thessaloniki. We had rooms above the taverna and there's a small stable in the back. Quaint and only modern in some ways. I'm sure you could all stay there tonight." "I hope the 'some ways' includes hot running water and toilets that flush," mutters Simond. "This is an ancient country after all." "How do we get there?" Sandee asks, shifting the heavy torch from one hand to the other. Pye points to the plane. "Get back on. Lucky for you laggers it's a very short hop to Macedonia." Everyone bids goodbye to Snowchief and piles back onto the plane. The horses, weary of travel, are a bit fractious but Fletch keeps them under control. The jet fires up its engines and in a matter of minutes the residency is back in the air.  However, the flight is indeed short and in no time at all the trainers and horses are deplaning in Thessaloniki. "You know, I saw some weird stuff when we were climbing that mountain with Ladyssecret," Pye admits as everyone gathers up overnight bags and backpacks. "There was a horse, Bucephalus..." "Alexander the Great's horse," Simond interjects in a matter of fact voice. "He was a famous warhorse. Said to be not only powerful and smart but beautiful as well." "The ghost of that horse was there...on the mountain ... and then..." Pye drifts off as he sees the skepticism in the bloodshot eyes of his fellow trainers. "Never mind. It's not important at the moment. Right now, we need to get the horses settled and then ourselves. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Pye leads the way from the airport tarmac to waiting SUVs and a horse trailer. In what seems to be only a few minutes they arrive at an old world taverna. The quaint building is ablaze with lights. Fletch and Sjmeola take the two horses around the back to the stables while everyone else steps into the taverna. The owner, a rotund Greek man who could have been Zorba the Greek if he hadn't been years younger, greeted them. "My friend! LordPye! You have returned!" He embraced a stiffly uncomfortable Pye. "We play more Hold 'Em tonight, eh?" He winked broadly at Pye who smiled a smile that was more grimace than smile. "Yiorgios, you have rooms for my friends?" A blunt Pye asked the ebullient host. "Of course! Of course!" Yiorgios led the way upstairs and all the EWC trainers followed. Their host bunked them two to a room, which no one really cared about since each room, while quaint, was furnished with modern queen size beds and large shower stalls in the bathrooms.  After everyone washed up, they gathered in the taverna for some food.  All the windows of the taverna were wide open and the smell of the sea was strong in the air.  Yiorgios brought plates of steaming hot food and covered the long table in front of the EWC crew. The trainers looked at the food warily. Pye pointed to a dish of meatballs in red sauce. "That's 'soutzoukakia'. It's spicy meat balls with garlic, fried and cooked in tomato sauce." He pointed to another dish. "That one is 'peinirli'. It's seasoned bread topped and baked with cheese, bacon, ham, eggs." He indicated two dishes near Sandee. "Fresh fried mussels and mussels cooked with rice. Over there, grilled chicken and lamb." The trainers' mouths began to water as the smell of the delicious Greek food grew more powerful. They dug in and by the time all the plates were empty, the trainers were all sagging in their chairs, replete.  Yiorgios reappeared instantly with a bottle of Ouzo and shots were passed around. A chorus of "Stin igia sou!", To Your Health!, filled the air. It wasn't long before the EWC crew were not just weary but a bit loaded too. One, by one, they stumbled upstairs to their beds and fell fast asleep. Downstairs, a wide-awake Pye cracked out a deck of cards and Yiorgios poured him another shot. "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done," sang the host in thickly accented English. With a cackling laugh, Yiorgios gestured toward the small stable in the rear. "Why are all the horses named for you, Pye? You are famous in your town?" Yiorgios cackled again. Pye winced but dealt the cards anyway... March 26, 2004 Dawn found the EWC crew - minus Pye - on the beach taking in a beautiful Greek daybreak. Sandee kicked the sand around and squished it between her bare toes. "Does Pye seem distracted and weird to you?" she asked the others. Piracing snorted. "That's normal for him!" The others chuckled, then Simond spoke up. "No, I know what you mean, Sandee. He does seem different somehow." Feltch nodded. "He's too into the Texas Hold 'Em thing. He shoulda stuck with betting the ponies. Now he's really gonna lose money. Hopefully, not the residency's." "Wonder if he lost Ray of Pye to that fat Greek guy last night," Sjmeola cracked and Piracing gave him a high-five. "Well, things will be different once we get to Dubai," Sandee reminded them. "We have a whole day of things planned out. Les is there now organizing everything with Profit. No matter how distracted Pye is, we will have Our Day in Dubai!" The others all murmured agreement and they wandered back to the taverna to pack up and get the horses ready to leave.  By the time everyone had regrouped in the main taverna and were chowing down on a nice Greek breakfast of flaky rolls, eggs with feta cheese and tomatoes and strong coffee, Pye emerged, hair wet from the shower, backpack in hand. "Aren't you all ready to leave yet?" he asked sharply, as if he wasn't the last one to the table. "I've already had three cellphone calls from Les about when we're due to arrive!" "Breakfast, Pye?" Piracing calmly offered, waving some congealing eggs around under Pye's nose. Their leader's eyes glazed over and he started to turn a bit green around the edges. Taking pity on him, Simond passed Pye a cup of coffee.  "Sorry I don't have any hair of the dog." As if on cue, their host Yiorgios emerged from the kitchen, dusted in flour. "PYE! My friend!" He engulfed Pye in another of those enthusiastic embraces. "You are leaving!" Pye extricated himself from the big man's arms and gulped down the hot coffee, nearly choking on it. "Yes, we are...I mean, I am. We're all leaving. We must get to Dubai right away!" Just then Ray of Pye stuck his head in the open window and slurped up the eggs from the plate that Piracing was still holding out.  With a tug on his lead, Fletch controlled the overzealous racehorse.  Flying By Pye looked distinctly envious of Ray of Pye.  Fletch led the horses to the waiting SUV and the EWC crew filed out of the taverna, leaving Pye to settle the bill with Yiorgios. Once back at the airport, everyone got in and buckled up. As the jet engines warmed up, Pye's cellphone went off. The captain stuck his head into the cabin. "Turn it off!" he warned Pye, who reluctantly turned off the phone missing the call.  However, once in the air, he turned the phone back on and fiddled with it, hoping for a signal. "Hey, that last call was from Les!" "Can you get through to him, Pye?" asked Sandee from behind a Thoroughbred Times. Pye punched some numbers on the phone and held it to his head. After a few moments, he folded up the phone and shook his head. "It's busy." Sandee's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I wonder what he's up to..." The flight was uneventful but at one point, Simond asked, "Has anyone figured out yet why spinecho's horses all have such odd names?" "He's a romance writer," Sandee offered. "Who else would name their horses Sexy Fresh, Shards of Delight, Greedy Husband, Why Can't I Be You, and Mine Mine All Mine?" "It's Dazzling Hobgoblin that's a weird name," Sjmeola said. "Sounds like one of those crazy CPU names but it's a homebred." Piracing shook his head. "Quick Brown Fox is the worst name in that stable.  I say that spinecho is a spinster typing teacher who writes romance novels on the side." He hides an evil knowing smirk as the others ponder the weird names in that stable. Sandee burst out laughing. "Ok, I'll go along with that one!" Fletch, Sjmeola and Simond laughed too but Pye ignored the conversation. It wasn't long before the Captain told them they would be landing in Dubai shortly. The trainers all looked out the windows at the sand below them. For fun a bit earlier, the Captain had circled above Godolphin's Training Facility in Bahrain while they looked down at the vast complex.  Now they were looking eagerly for the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai where they would kick off the Equinics by bringing the Flame to its first stop along the way. "Look! There's the track!" Fletch pointed excitedly out his window. The others gathered around, peering over his shoulders. "Wow! It's beautiful!" Simond said. "Sure is," Piracing agreed and Sjmeola nodded. "Where's Les?" asked Sandee pushing closer to the window for a better look. "Back in your seats! We're going down!" Pye snarled. The trainers looked at him in alarm and he made a disgusted sound. "Not crashing, you morons! We're landing! Get in your seats!" The trainers scrambled to their seats and buckled up. They all eagerly watched out their windows as the plane descended to the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. Once the plane came to a full stop and the door opened, they were greeted by a blast of hot air not unlike a furnace. On the tarmac, Piracing lifted one sneakered foot only to find tar stuck to the bottom of it.  "Tell me again when we're leaving," he asked sarcastically. But no one listened to him because waiting for them were Les, Profit and all the other residents of EWC, including EWC star horses SJ's Silver Ghost, winner of the 2 year old turf filly award for 2003 and the Breeder's Bowl Juvenile, Casual Connection, the GSR Cup Winner who would be racing in Dubai the next day, and graded stakes winners True Connection and Clever Connection.  In addition, the people of Dubai and some robed officials were present. Fletch led out Ray of Pye who somehow managed to hold the Flame between his teeth.  The residents burst into a thunderous round of applause as Ray of Pye stepped down onto the tarmac. While everyone was applauding, Les stepped over next to Sandee and murmured in his quiet British voice, "So how did the British Pet Psychic work?" Refusing to look at Les, Sandee focused on Pye who was standing at a podium next to Ray of Pye, the Flame burning brightly in the hot Arab sun. "It didn't," she gritted, her eyes followed Pye as he prepared to give a speech to the residents of EWC and the people of Dubai. Rocking back on his heels slightly, Les looked at Pye too as their leader spoke into the microphone. "So, was it expensive?" he asked. "You know, the psychic." "Yes," Sandee hissed. "But just because it didn't work doesn't mean that I will lose every race we're both in." Les grinned. "Oh, of course! Anyone could win. Pye or Simond or Profit. Any of the other residents." His grin widened. "It just seems so odd that we have this strange rivalry." Sandee finally looked at him. "You're a nice guy, Les. Really. But I HATE it when my horses are in a race against yours!" A frustrated expression crossed her face. "It's demoralizing!" Les gave Sandee a one-armed hug. "It's ok, Sandee. Eventually, you will win one against me!" By that time, Pye was winding up his long-winded remarks and the Dubai officials were handing him a key to the city. The top Dubai jockey, H. Harzheim, climbed aboard Ray of Pye and took the Flame.  Followed by SJ's Silver Ghost, Casual Connection, True Connection, Clever Connection, Flying By Pye, and Day of Pye they paraded out to Nad Al Sheba Racecourse which was festooned in balloons and other decorations in honor of the Equinics.  The horses cantered around the track with the Flame prominently at the front of the column.  Photographers and news crews were on hand to take many pictures and Pye gave interview after interview. Meanwhile, the residents crowded around Profit who explained that they put together an impromptu Sheik of Araby party in the center of the racetrack.  Several huge white tents occupied the grassy area and the trainers wondered what was in store for them. Once the horses were safely stabled, they rushed out to the tents. The tents hid what was a veritable Aladdin's Bazaar complete with monkeys, camels, old persian carpets, belly dancers, massive quantities of food being cooked on braziers, wine flowing copiously, robed Arab men and scantily clad, veiled young women waving palm fronds as fans to cool the weary travelers.  In one tent there was even a huge hot tub (well, really a cool tub since the temperature was so hot) disguised as a watering hole with palm trees and harem girls. The EWC trainers, happy to have brought the Flame from Athens to Dubai for the first leg of the Equinics Flame Trail, fell to partying the Arab way, eating and drinking and jumping into the hot tub. The party went on until late in the night. It was clear that the East-West Connection was glad to be done with their duties that day.  As night rolled into early morning, in one tent, Pye held forth over a table of Arabs, cards in hand while out in the stable, a wickedly irreverent Ray of Pye rubbed his dripping nose against the sconce of the Flame, scratching an itch from the dusty sand... Written by Winterheart with assistance from Sandee and Simond

Minnesota to Wisconsin Unbelievable as it sounds, everything progressed just as was expected, EWC received the Flame from Great Plains in Altoona, Iowa and Hornedfrog carried it to Shakopee, Minnesota where Pye had a party honoring the EWC jockeys. We still do not know if Pye specifically requested Shakopee Minnesota but rumors abound that he did because Cantebury Park Race Track is also home to Cantebury Park Card Club. We just decided someone would always be with Pye and try to keep him out of the card room. Dougiec, Gdenovo, Jarrod, Simon, Sjmeola, and Les all decided they were up to the task but as would be expected, Pye found a card game and 13 hours later returned looking positively green. "What in the world happened to you?" asked Simon. "I lost Ray of Pye in the game," Pye cried. "What" we all chimed in unison. "You have got to be joking! And it’s not even funny!" "I wish I was," Pye cried. "I am going to the stable to say goodbye." In a somber procession we all followed but Pye was not exactly sober and suddenly decided he had to ride Ray of Pye! Jockey20 yelled, "Pye let me ride him! You are too heavy!" but as if by magic, Pye was gone, leaving us in a swirling cloud of dust. When the blinding dust had settled a bit, Pye and his love Fiorella trembled at what they saw. A horseman dressed completely in black with a falcon perched on his left shoulder. He wore a turban and his entire face, except for his eyes, was covered with a black kerchief. The horseman drew an enormous curved sword from a scabbard mounted on his saddle. The blade glistened in the light of the moon. "What is a stranger like you doing here"? the horseman asked as he held the sword to Pye's forehead drawing a pearl of blood. "I am following my personal legend," Pye replied. "It is not something you would understand." The horseman placed his sword back in the scabbard and Pye relaxed. "I had to test your courage, if you are still alive in the morning come find me," the horseman yelled as he rode off into the black night. Pye was visibly shaken and frightened for Fiorella, a young girl he had fallen in love with in the desert. When morning came Pye and Fiorella went off in search of the horseman. Melbry85 saw him first, lying on the ground, his head bleeding profusely after presumably falling off Ray of Pye and hitting his head on a rock. He appeared to have a broken leg and possibly other injuries. Theprofit called for an ambulance and as they were lifting the semi-conscious Pye onto a stretcher he was calling softly "Fiorella, Fiorella." "Look Fiorella!"  Pye cried, "There is a black tent off in the distance." Circling in the bright morning sky was a falcon. "We have found his tent, my love." The Black Rider greeted them warmly and invited them to breakfast in his tent. "Why did you want to see me?" Pye asked. "Because of the omens," the horseman replied. "The wind told me you were coming and that you needed my help. Now I will give you words of wisdom. When a person really desires something, the entire universe conspires to help that person realize his dream." Pye understood and stated, "I have Fiorella. She is the only thing I desire. She is my dream." They ate in silence and the horseman poured a red liquid into their cups. "I thought wine was prohibited here," Pye said. "It is not what enters your mouth that is evil. It is what comes out," said the horseman.  Pye drank the wine and relaxed. "Rest and enjoy yourself. Sleep here tonight," the horseman said. "I will have my servant massage you with fresh camel milk and urine. The Prophet Muhammad - upon him and his House blessings and peace - indicated the medicinal properties of camel urine for gastro-intestinal disorders, body aches and pains 1,400 years ago.  Rest well tonight and tomorrow purchase a camel because horses tire bit by bit but camels can walk long distances and never seem to tire. If you purchase a female you will also have milk to drink." We stayed at the hospital as long as we could. Pye had been semi-conscious 3 days now and the doctor offered no advice as to when or if he would come out of the coma but now it was time we moved on. The Flame had to be taken to Madison, Wisconsin and passed to Gallop Racers. We could not leave Pye alone so we picked names from a hat. Les and the Profit were to remain with Pye and call us frequently advising us of Pye's condition. Hornedfrog passed the Flame to Piracing who carried it to Wisconsin and sadly related what had transpired to Gallop Racers as he transferred the Flame to them. We returned to Shakopee and took up our vigil at the hospital. Dr Phil and Kerikow flew in from China. Looking like a page from GQ, Dr. Phil studied the CT scan but all he would say is, "Give it some time." Les, in a way only a Brit can, asked sarcastically, "Any more good news, mates?" Kerikow, a tournament poker player himself, smiled and said, "Yep, games at Indian Casinos are strictly regulated and they are not allowed to accept chattel so I suggest you send someone to investigate." But looking at us, he must have had a pang of empathy and said, "I’ll go." Redskin volunteered to accompany Kerikow. As if we needed anything else to happen, Dr Phil announced nonchalantly that a huge bouquet of flowers at the desk was not allowed in ICU. "Someone should take it to the hotel."  When we claimed it, we saw the card was only signed "F". Written by Sandee To Epsom Downs in Epsom, Surrey, England "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop to England. The weather ahead is good, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed and after a few minutes, the Captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the Flight Attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" An unnamed EWC resident yelled, "That's nothing! You should see the back of mine!" The mood of East West Connection had taken a jubilant turn several weeks ago when Pye totally recovered. Ray of Pye was back in Pye’s stable. We were sworn to secrecy as to how this occurred. All we can publicly state is THANK YOU KERIKOW. The entire Flame carrying adventure in Surrey was a delight. We golfed at Wentworth County Club, visited a Swan Sanctuary, actually saw several species of Cygnus, an dsomeone suggested the possibility of a Sim swan racing game. We were almost unanimous in our veto. We romped through a field of real lavender and as we sat amid the purplish fragrant blooms acting like kids, Pye related his dreams while he was in the hospital, sparking hilarious laughter. It was such a fun time we did not mind drinking warm beer and eating kidney pie at all. We stayed in Farnham, England an old market town with narrow streets lined with some of the finest Georgian architecture in the south of England and toured a 12th century castle. Almost every yard was flower filled. Epsom Downs Racecourse was prim and proper English. They enforce a strict dress code for Vodafone Derby Day. They prefer gentlemen in morning dress with top hats, obligatory on Derby Day. Ladies are asked to wear formal dress and hats. Outside of the Vodafone Derby meeting they request visitors wear jackets, trousers, shirt and tie, however, what they call "smart casual" is permitted. We never did learn what "smart casual" attire was. Denim, jeans, sport shoes, and bare tops are not permitted.   While carrying the Flame we saw many sim friends waving and cheering us along the route. But one in specific stands out in my memory. He approached FinkFarms whispering,  "I sent Pye a huge basket of flowers and no one called me to inform me if they arrived in good condition or if they arrived at all!  I spent 4 months credits on that bouquet!"  "Well, Fabman we would have called you. We sure would have but the card was signed only "F" and we were at a loss to know who actually sent them. Yes they were fresh and beautiful and you have no idea how relieved we are to know it was you!" Later when FinkFarms related this to us, we laughed ourselves silly. Of course, Les was our Falme bearer in his country and when we passed the Flame to Nexis 24 we started to discuss the horses EWC would enter in the Equinics. We knew that Casual Connection will be on the card along with possibly Happy Rah Band, Happy Honeymoon, Quiet Little Drink, Numberoneson, Runaway Train, Ray of Pye, Point Delivered, Silver Victory, Donnie Rizzo, Sadler’s Pye, June Ton, and Clever Connection. For sure we will have others and we are looking for some wins. Written by Sandee

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