Horse Racing: The Shoeshine Shoeshine Boy

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Caddies & Stories. In the 13 years since then, Ussery has ridden a long way. His income hovers around $200,000 a year. The total earnings of his horses passed $13 million last week, and this year he became one of the 15 winningest jockeys of all time. When he's not driving his gold '64 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, he drives his maroon '64 Coupe de Ville Caddy. He has two homes, one on Long Island and one in Palm Springs, Fla., where he lives with his wife and two children. And his stock portfolio numbers such blue chips as A. T. & T. and Reynolds Tobacco.

The hungry Okie has arrived. "I'm out to win, but not for blood," he says. Besides, there are other things to do, like some of the reading he didn't stay in school for. He just finished a short story last week. "It was about these two guys, a college boy and a shoeshine boy. The college boy had a pretty nice job somewhere, but the shoeshine boy saved his money and invested in some real estate. The college boy told him it wasn't a good investment. In the end, the shoeshine boy was worth a billion dollars, and the college guy was a waiter in some restaurant. It was one of the best stories I've ever read."