Thoroughbreds for you, like you said.”
His breakfast came. Steak, three eggs, and grits, and he dove in. I wondered how he stayed so small.
Callahan kept fishing.
“You up on Disaway today?”
“Nope. No more. Cot me another ride. Chigger Bite.”
“How come?”
“Me and Smokey had it out. After the race he starts chewin? my ass for lettin? Disaway out early.
Finally I says, „Hey, it wasn?t me, it was Mr. Thibideau,? and he looks at me like he thinks maybe I?m
lyin? or somethin?. Who needs that shit anyways? The owner says let him loose at the five-eighths, I
let him loose at the five-eighths.” And he laughed again. “Maybe he thought the seven-eighths pole
was the wire.” He kept talking while he ate. “It ain?t like it was some big surprise. Hell, we been
talkin? about it. Mr. Thibideau wanted to try a change-up, letting him out at the five-eighths „stead of
the stretch, maybe cut a coupla tenths off his time. He just didn?t have anything left for the stretch.
Anyways, I never argue with the owners.”
“You didn?t disagree with Thibideau, then?”
“Not out loud. Hell, he comes up just before post time, tells me boot him on the backstretch, and
that?s what I did. I just figure you want to try a change-up, why do it when you?re the favourite? I?d
rather wait until we?re not on the board—nothin? to lose that way.”
“Well, he probably had his reasons.”
“Afterwards he comes up, says he?s sorry, and gives me a double century, make up for the purse. „I
made a mistake? is all he says.”
“He had the exercise boy break him out at the three-quarters again this morning,” Callahan said
casually over his coffee cup.
“Disaway?s a marginal. Put him in a field with a bunch of heavyweights he might pull in third if he?s
feeling just right, it?s been raining, track?s soft, like that. Give him a little mud, a slow field, he takes
the money.”
“Thibideau ought to handicap him a little better.”
“Mr. Thibideau, he keeps tryin?, y?know, hopin? the horse?ll show a little more stamina. You wanna
know what I think, the pony?s a stretch runner. He won?t have it t run wide open them last three
furlongs. Also he was favouring his left front gam. Anyways, I got another ride.”
“When was he favouring the leg?”
“Just after the race. Probably got a pebble in his shoe. I told Smokey about it.”
“Well, good luck today,” Callahan said, and we moved outside. The fog had burned off and left
