Pat LePley my former partner and forever friend is horse crazy. He grew up loving horses and would tell me stories of riding and mucking up after them when he was young. Back when we practiced together, not only did he own and race them, he was appointed by the Governor as the Racing Commissioner along with all the aggravations that brought.

I used to ride horses at a little place in the Cascades where my family went during weekends. I would dream I was on Black Beauty as I cantered along. My right wrist is slightly larger than my left because I fell off the back of one when riding bare back behind my sister (the things we used to do). Anyway, I digress.

Race track time with Pat involved him studying lines, trainers, daily booklets, statistics then deciding who to back. I on the other hand, would use a more...sensory approach. That name is pretty. I like the one with a white star on her forehead (do horses have forehead's?). I liken my approach to the studies they have done on monkeys choosing which stocks to back. I mean, who's to say.

Pat had a lovely horse who had a baby. He named her after Mary Alice from Dallas. This was the first time I had known him to name a horse after a person. Pat told me the dedication was because Mary Alice had reached out and given him pure friendship at an AAJ meeting where he didn't know anybody. She was not only warm and kind, but a warrior of a lawyer. Mary Alice the Horse went on to have a sweet career. She looked dainty but packed a lot of oomph.

There's a contested election here at AAJ. Mary Alice is the underhorse. I have heard of the pedigrees involved, have seen the campaign colors, have been told all the technical reasons why both are qualified. But this time unlike at the race track I actually personally know one of them quite well. And she is a true gem. Mary Alice McLarty.