Another Old Houston Story & The Triple Crown

[rnoldh]

Yesterday I came across another old Houston story. Today, I've been trying to call my Mom for Mother's Day ( but the circuits are busy ), so I have a bit of time to post this. No one seems to give a **** about these old Houston stories except perhaps shikar and LK, but here goes. Yesterday I was with a friend of of about 30 years, MaryLou C. She tells me that she's been invited to the owners box of Mine That Bird for next weeks's Preakness Triple Crown race. That's not typical so I ask her what's up. It turns out that she is the daughter of Harriett Peckham. A google search on Harriett turns up this: Harriett Peckham This is just the tip of the iceberg. Harriett is the grandmother of Walt ( the kid I started a thread about concerning Scott Storch and his $30,000,000 cocaine problem ) Here's the thread about Walt and Storch Harriett's gone now but certainly not forgotten, Her daughter, my friend MaryLou C. told me Harriett Sr. was a very modest woman. That's an understatement! Dozens of time I would babysit for Harriett's grandkids Walt and Harriett Jr. ( named for her ). Not for money but because she and they were very close family friends to me. That's why I'm like an uncle to the kids. And they are like my nieces and nephews. Anyway, I used to have many long talks with Harriett Sr. Never once did she mention her quarter horse fame! In addition her family started Dr. Pepper, the beverage maker as well as having vast Texas land interests. To me she was just the sweetest older lady ( this was 20 years ago ). Well, in addition to everything else it turns out that she employed Leonard Blach as her veterinarian:

Here he's holding the Kentucky Derby trophy here with the jockey. He was Harriett's veterinarian for 27 years. He was a veterinarian, not a racing man, and she taught him the horse racing business. He was at her Buena Suerte ranch, cited in the above link for many years. Unlike most, including my friend Craig Cullinan she made money at horse racing and breeding, an extremely difficult thing to do. She is revered in the old order horse racing set. Yet she never mentioned this once to me. Talk about being humble. Anyway, Mine That Bird's co-owner Blach certainly remembers and reveres her. He's invited MaryLou and others to the owners box at the Preakness for the race. I don't know nor care much about horse racing ( and I doubt I'll be going to Baltimore for the race ). But, I'll damn sure be rooting for Mine That Bird. PS: Blach and his co-owner bought Mine That Bird for something like $9,500 which is like a $.99 cent diet Coke in the thoroughbred horse racing world!

 

[Jekyll]

cool

 

[dragon8]

wow. Nice story. Everyone knows someone thats famous.