52 pages • 1-hour read
Off to the Races
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and addiction.
Double Diablo
Double Diablo—or DD, as Billie insists that he be called, fearing that his name reinforces his reputation as a troublesome mount—is a prized horse in Vaughn’s stables and contributes significantly to Billie’s professional development. By remaining patient with the stubborn horse, she helps transform him from a mount that nobody dares ride into a champion. This feat only takes her a few short months, and Vaughn can clearly see and appreciate Billie’s competence as a horse trainer.
DD also serves as a symbol for Billie and Vaughn’s shifting relationship. Although Billie immediately extends DD the compassion that other trainers have denied him, it takes her a bit longer to extend the same courtesy to her boss. On her first night at Gold Rush Ranch, she drunkenly tells the horse, “You guys really are like the same person, DD. You can’t continue to greet people that way either. It’s unbecoming, you know? People will mistake you for being a mean boy rather than just a sensitive one” (68-69). Despite her perception of the parallels between the horse’s irascible temperament and Vaughn’s tendency to lash out when hurt, she does not immediately trust Vaughn enough to lend him the same grace that she does the horse. In this, DD also represents Billie’s understanding of herself. She recognizes that her past has made her more inclined to trust horses than people, and she actively works on this issue. In order for Billie to see the transformative power of her love, she must first see its effects on DD before she can believe that her love could have any benefit for a man like Vaughn—and that his love might have something to offer her in return.
Dermot’s Letter
Dermot’s letter, which Vaughn finds at the end of the novel, helps to punctuate the lesson that Vaughn has already learned for himself: that his beloved grandfather does not want Vaughn to sacrifice his own integrity to cover up Dermot’s lack of it. Dermot regrets that he let his dedication to a promise to his late wife threaten his relationship with his living grandson, and this sentiment parallels Vaughn’s own regret over planning to sacrifice Billie’s happiness in order to restore Dermot’s reputation. Vaughn is grateful to his grandfather for the letter, as it helps him see the error of his ways and change course before it is too late. Although Dermot’s chance to make amends is long since gone, Vaughn still has time to back out of the contract with Stefan Dalca and give DD to Billie instead.
Gold Rush Ranch
Gold Rush Ranch is the primary setting of Off to the Races and the entire Gold Rush Ranch series. It is located along the southwestern coast of Canada, outside of the Vancouver metropolitan area; Vancouver itself stands as a geographic “other” to the ranch, representing the city life that Vaughn decides to leave behind. For Vaughn, the ranch is a site of emotional conflict. On one hand, the idyllic country setting reminds him of happy childhood memories of his grandfather, even if that childhood was complicated by the grief of losing his father and grandmother, as well as his sense of abandonment over losing his own mother to alcohol addiction during her own period of grief. Although Vaughn’s complex memories make him determined to restore the ranch’s reputation, he also struggles with the ethical challenges of trying to restore his grandfather’s reputation as well. He sees the public perception of Dermot and perception of the ranch itself as synonymous, and it is only when he learns to separate these two things in his mind that he finally enjoys living on the ranch and begins to look forward to the future rather than focusing on its past. For Billie, Gold Rush Ranch initially represents a professional opportunity to prove herself in the male-dominated world of horse racing. Increasingly, however, she comes to see the ranch as the kind of home and family that she has always desired. At the end of the novel, she and Vaughn both see the ranch as representative of their happiness together.
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