It'd be unfaithful to claim that I went down the steps to the weighing-room with a peaceful center. even though honest my pity for his plight may be, the faint probability that i'd take his position within the following race used to be enjoying hop, pass and leap with my pulse. It was once the massive race of the day, the large race of the week, a three-mile chase with a considerable prize post via a company of brewers. It had attracted a lot of most sensible horses and were good mentioned at the activities pages of the entire day's papers. Pip's mount, which belonged to Lord Tirrold, used to be the emerging megastar of the Axminster reliable; a stringy six-year-old brown gelding with not anything a lot to suggest him in the beginning sight, yet clever, speedy, and a battler. He had all of the features of a global beater, and his top years lay forward. at this time he was once nonetheless reckoned 'promising'. He was once referred to as Template. Stifling wish is a hopeless enterprise. As I went into the weighing-room I observed James Axminster speaking to Pip's shut pal, one other top jockey. The jockey shook his head, and around the room I watched his lips say, "No, i will not. " Axminster became slowly around taking a look at faces. I stood nonetheless and waited. steadily his head got here around and he observed me. He checked out me progressively, considering, unsmiling. Then his eyes have been previous me and excited about somebody to my left. He got here to a choice and walked rapidly earlier me. good, what did I anticipate? I had ridden for him for less than 4 weeks. 3 winners. A dozen also-rans. in the past fortnight I had taken digs within the village close to his solid and ridden out at workout on his horses each morning; yet i used to be nonetheless the recent boy, the unknown, unsuccessful jockey of the tv programme. i started to stroll disconsolately over to the altering room door. "Rob," he acknowledged in my ear. "Lord Tirrold says you could experience his horse. you'll larger inform Pip's valet; he has the colors. " I half-turned in the direction of them. They stood jointly, the 2 tall males, me appraisingly, figuring out they have been giving me the opportunity of a life-time, yet uncertain that i used to be as much as it. "Yes, sir," I stated; and that i went on into the changing-room, queerly stead fed via having believed that I were omitted. I rode larger than I had ever performed prior to, yet that used to be most likely simply because Template was once the simplest horse I had ever ridden. He was once delicate and steely, and his rocketing spring over the 1st fence had me gasping; yet i used to be prepared for it on the moment, and exulted in it on the 3rd; and via the fourth I knew I had entered a brand new measurement of racing. Neither Axminster nor Lord Tirrold had given me any orders within the paddock on tips on how to form the race. they'd been too thinking about Pip, whom they'd simply in short visited. The sight of his shattered leg had left them dissatisfied and preoccupied. Axminster stated merely, "Do the simplest you could, Rob," and Lord Tirrold, surprisingly tactless for therefore diplomatic a guy, acknowledged gloomily, "I positioned 100 on Template this morning. Oh, good, it really is too overdue to cancel it, i guess. " Then seeing my rueful enjoyment, extra, "I beg your pardon, Rob.