Typical Day
Ridem Lawnboy starts his day at 5:00AM with a protein shake, a piece of toast, and a run on his own two legs. Then he moves on to some strength training—squats, push-ups, lunges, and pull-ups—to keep him strong enough to withstand the forces bearing down on him as he rides around the track. He hopes the training will keep his own neck intact.
Ridem pulls up to the racetrack in his Mini Cooper at 6:30AM, just as the sun is coming up. He's scheduled for three races today on three different horses, and he wants to talk to each of his little ponies before he starts working them out.
In the locker room, Scratch McDuster and some of the other jockeys give Ridem a hard time for having his name on the board yesterday. Ridem totally forgot that he has to stop in at the stewards' office to go over a review of a race from earlier in the week; it's like going to the principal's office in school.
Fortunately, he's scheduled to meet them at 6:00PM, after his races are over. He also knows he has to be on extra good behavior because of this. He can't take a chance and end up not being able to race (or make money); however, he also can't afford to lose. The pressure is really on.
At 7:00AM, Ridem approaches Bleacher Seat, a young Philly that has only raced twice. Bleacher Seat is a promising horse with great strength but an unwieldy temperament.
Her trainer has instructed Ridem to take Bleacher out on a grueling four-furlong workout to make sure she understands the rules of the road and to get her temper under control.
Halfway through the workout, Bleacher Seat bucks and almost throws Ridem. The jolt shakes up Ridem, but he won't be deterred; he's going to ride her and win today.
The other jockeys groan and warn Ridem that he better have control over Bleacher for all of their sakes. If Ridem or his horse fall, he could take other horses and jockeys with him. Everybody's life is at stake if there's an out of control horse running willy-nilly on the track.
Ridem assures everyone he's got it under wraps, then goes back to whispering sweet nothings into Bleacher Seat's ear, which seems to cool her down a bit.
At 12:30PM, Ridem goes over to meet with the other horses and trainers who he'll be working with later in the day. One of the trainers is considering pulling Ridem from the fourth race of the day, based on what he saw earlier while Ridem was working out with Bleacher Seat.
Ridem convinces him that he can pull a win on the guy's horse—named Kick the Bucket (cute). In the end, there's no time for the trainer to find another rider, so he reluctantly agrees to let Ridem, well, ride.
At 12:45PM, Ridem is headed to the gate with Bleacher Seat. He talks to the horse and assures her she can win—that she will win.
The horn blows and the horses are off.
Bleacher Seat gets off to a slow start, running sort of aimlessly into another horse's lane. Ridem is able to quickly get her going and back on track. They end up finishing second—which is remarkable considering the shaky start.
The owner and many others around the track are impressed. The other jockeys, however, are annoyed that Ridem allowed Bleacher Seat to get out of her lane.
Ridem is a bit nervous that the stewards will blame him for the horse's outburst, which would be a second strike on his record. But there's no point in worrying yet. All he can do is wait and see if his name appears on the board at the end of the day. Again.
On the bright side, he'll still get some money for his efforts. A second place finish will net him five percent of the owners' twenty percent winnings from the $5,000 purse. Sure, he'll have to split that with his agent and the valet, but still, that means he's at least made something today—even if the other races are busts.
Ridem is glad Kick the Bucket's trainer trusted him enough to ride, as Ridem and Kick win the fourth race of the day. Glad to add some more cash to his stash, Ridem has made enough money to cover his next month's rent. Not a bad day at the track, and a lot better than everyone who bet against him.
The last race of the day, on a horse called Chaos Reigns Supreme, doesn't go as well. Ridem tries to keep Chaos on the inside, but gets cut off by another horse and another jockey who accidentally hits Chaos with his whip.
It wasn't intentional and the other jockey will certainly be up for review, but the end result is Chaos drops back to eighth place and never regains stride. "Oh well, can't win 'em all," Ridem thinks as he walks back to the stable afterward.
The biggest reason to celebrate is because Ridem's managed to make it out alive, again. It's an injury-free day, just like he hopes every day will be. Hope doesn't always cut it, but he's overjoyed that he'll be going home without having to stop at the track's medic first.
When Ridem gets back into the locker room at 5:00PM, he sees that his name isn't on the review board for the day. Phew. Now he only has to worry about defending himself in one race instead of two. He showers and hops in the sauna, downing a protein shake on the way into the water's warm embrace.
It's 6:00PM. The stewards play the tape of yesterday's race for Ridem and they talk about the call. During the incident Ridem lost control of his horse, which caused the other horses to crash into each other. The horses were all okay, but one of the riders was injured.
After careful review, they decide to let Ridem off with a warning, but it's not enough to completely clear his mind. He knows that he might not be so lucky next time.
Ridem finally gets home at 7:30PM. He drops his stuff by the door, makes a quick meal—lean chicken breast and brown rice—and inhales it while standing at the kitchen counter. The meal is satisfying enough, but he could really go for a cheeseburger. Unfortunately, he has to drop a pound before racing tomorrow—not his idea, but his agent and the trainer he's riding for insisted that he shed a few pounds.
At 8:30PM, Ridem sits down on the couch to watch his favorite movie (Seabiscuit, obviously), but he's so tired he falls asleep within the first ten minutes and starts to dream, as he does every night, of winning the Kentucky Derby.