Jockey (2021) Movie Script
1
- [indistinct chatter]
- [horse galloping]
[geese honking]
[man shouts]
[horse snorts]
[horses galloping]
[Jackson speaking Spanish]
[Leo] Morning.
Man, they got a bunch of horses out here
this morning.
- Yeah, they do.
- Early too.
I think these trainers trying to be slick.
Work these horses in the dark.
- Ain't they always trying to be slick?
- Yeah.
Yep, they up to something.
Look at that one there. Looks like
he's running downhill or something.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
Hey, you seen that new kid been training
at Jerry's barn?
Nah, I ain't seen him.
Can he horseback or what?
Yeah, he can ride. He can ride, all right.
His name's Gabriel.
No, we'll be all right. You know them
young ones, they come and they go.
They don't usually hang around too long.
Oh.
[Leo] What's wrong?
You know, it ain't the same anymore, Leo.
[Leo] Yeah, you getting old.
[Jackson] We both getting old.
[Leo] Yeah, but I'm like wine though.
I'm getting better.
Hey, you ever gonna
catch a horse or what?
All right.
[pensive music playing]
Morning.
Morning, Ruth.
You got another one of those?
- You can go ahead and finish it.
- You sure?
- Yeah, I was just warming up my lungs.
- Mm.
So just jog Dublin two times,
but wait till I get out there this time.
I wanna look at his right leg.
- All right, I'll gallop him, then.
- No.
- Not yet.
- He's pretty solid on it.
- He feels good.
- I am worried about that pastern.
- If we don't start pushing him...
- Jackson, just...
Just keep him tight.
Okay? I'll be right out.
[clears throat]
Ringo, no. No, baby. Go ahead.
Come on. There we go, baby. Come on.
Yeah.
Come on.
How you doing this morning?
Another day in paradise. Ain't that right?
Yes, sir.
- [man] Okay.
- You gonna get after it?
Nah, we're just gonna cruise around.
Do you wanna say a hello?
He's a beaut.
Oh, his name is See Ya Later, Alligator.
That's his name.
How beautiful are you?
- He's gorgeous.
- Yeah, he's a real nice, kind, cool horse.
He's beautiful.
[bugle trumpeting]
[insects chittering]
[grunts]
[man] Jackson, I need you
to stand up straight and still.
Take a deep breath and hold it.
Okay.
Well, is it a boy or a girl?
You've done some damage here, Jackson.
You need to get yourself to a doctor.
- You are a doctor.
- I'm a horse doctor.
But you know what bones are supposed
to look like, right?
Yeah. That's why I need you
to take a look.
I mean, how many times
have you broken your back?
I don't know. Three, I think.
I have a friend, a good doctor.
A spinal doctor.
If you're having trouble
with finances, whatever,
he can help out,
but I need you to go.
I'm sorry, Jackson.
No, it's not your fault.
- Here you go.
- No, that's fine.
Don't worry about it.
We're good.
All right, doc. Whatever you say.
Take care, Jackson.
[horses galloping]
Careful with them gaps.
You're gonna clip heels.
It's all right.
Dublin hates those outside posts, so...
How was he on the turns?
A little soft. Still stutter-stepping
in the gates like frigging Fred Astaire.
Yeah, I don't think
we're ever gonna break him of that.
China Cat's up next?
Yeah, you're gonna have
a time with him today.
He almost kicked in my fucking teeth
this morning.
At least he's keeping it interesting.
I like feisty.
He'll have the energy. If you wanna
get him out first, I think he'll last.
Listen, Dublin's owners are here,
and she really wants to meet you.
- Would you come and say hello?
- Ruth.
Come on, man.
- She's been on my case for two weeks.
- Fine, okay.
- Just say hi.
- All right.
Here he is!
- Howdy.
- This...
He's gotta change right now
for the next race.
[jockeys chattering in Spanish]
[man] Yes, sir.
Appreciate you.
What's up, Jackson?
- How you doing?
- See anything good today?
- Don't forget you got that 6:00 workout.
- [Jackson] Will do.
Hey.
You mind if I sit down?
- Sure.
- You're Gabriel, right?
- Boullait.
- Yeah.
Yeah, I know. How's your season going?
Pretty good.
Got a couple good mounts,
and I'm just trying to get some wins
under my belt, get me an agent.
Wow.
I wouldn't worry about
getting yourself an agent.
When you're ready for one,
they'll come find you.
You know, right now,
if you focus on a good trainer,
you do right by him, pfft,
you're gonna be fine.
Gina! Hey, Gina, can I get...?
Her name's Gina, right?
I don't know.
Gina?
I guess not. [clears throat]
So whereabouts are you from anyway?
Well, I was born in the South,
but I'm from outside of San Diego, really.
Why?
It's just that I used to know someone
with your last name.
What are you doing here?
- I'm hungry.
- No, that's not... [chuckles]
No, here in Phoenix.
What are you doing here in Phoenix?
I know a trainer. He'd give me work
if I work the barn, train the horses.
But didn't I see you
in Remington back in June?
And then in Houston before that?
Look, I'm not busting your balls
or anything. I'm just...
I'm just trying to understand the chances
of us riding the exact same circuit.
- What's the question?
- I'm just saying...
If you need help, fine.
But when I got trainers saying
that you're asking about me
and I see you at one track after another,
but you never talk directly to me,
- then that's gonna...
- You're my dad.
Do what?
Um, I'm your son.
- Whoo. Oh, man. Shit.
- I didn't know how to say it.
Boy, you stopped my heart there
for a second.
Hey, did Leo put you up to this?
He did, didn't he?
Kid.
You're serious with me?
Your mom's Ana Boullait?
I don't know what she told you,
but that's not possible.
Okay, I'm not gonna get
into the particulars of it,
but you and I, we are not related.
- My mom doesn't know I came to talk...
- I don't care. That's not the point.
I just wanted to meet you.
I wanted to talk.
- You wanted to talk? Talk about what?
- I don't know. Talk about, like...
I don't have anything else to give you.
- I'm not asking for anything.
- I barely have enough money.
You probably caught wind of my winnings
and came to some conclusion.
But if you've been doing this
for any amount of time,
you'd know by the time
your earnings get carved up,
there's not a lot left for the jockey.
I'm not asking for money.
Good, 'cause I got nothing to give you,
and I can't tell you
what tracks you can go on.
I don't care, but don't go around here
telling people that you're my kid.
Makes me look like an asshole.
And you know what I don't need?
To look like an asshole.
- I'm not asking for anything.
- Good, then we're on the same page.
Here, kid. Breakfast is on me.
Hey. Have you got one more in you?
I got a new one I want you to look at.
- Is it that that roan gelding from JB's?
- Nope. Brand-new.
Oh. Can it wait until tomorrow?
I've been wanting to tell you so bad,
but I was worried I would jinx it
if I talked to you about her.
All right. Okay.
[Ruth]
I just brought her out from the farm.
This will be her maiden year.
She's... She's perfect.
- She looks like she knows it.
- She's always had that look.
- [Jackson] Who told you about this horse?
- She's mine.
I bought her at a yearling sale
for next to nothing.
Nobody wanted her. Her legs were too long.
Her head was way too big.
When I saw her in the stall,
I just knew she was...
It was the way she watched the world.
Everybody said I was crazy
for spending anything on her.
They said I should send her to the rodeo.
But you knew.
Well, we'll see.
- [Jackson] What's her name?
- Dido's Lament.
- [Jackson] Out of Russo's Lamentation?
- Dido's Mercy.
[Ruth chuckles]
[Jackson] Can she run?
- There's only one way to find out.
- Are you ready?
Come on.
[upbeat music playing]
Attagirl.
You're all right. Okay, Benny.
She's like a swan with teeth.
I ain't been on a...
I ain't been on a horse like that
in a long while.
I know she can run. But she a winner?
If there's any justice in this world.
What race you putting her in first?
Mile and an eighth?
No, I don't wanna take her that long,
not in her first one.
- She'll win it. I guarantee you.
- Yeah, but I want her to win it by a mile.
Give her confidence in seven furlongs,
and then we'll stretch her out, you know?
Build her stamina up.
- And then, uh...
- Futurity.
- Futurity.
- Yeah.
What?
Ruth, as soon as I clock out,
you're gonna have every young jockey
lining up outside your barn.
And I don't wanna...
I don't have any expectations.
I know you've been, uh...
- waiting a long time for this horse.
- Jackson.
We've come this far together, right?
But we gotta be serious about it.
You and I've gotten a bit comfortable
the last few years.
We have.
Yep. I've got some weight to work off.
I swear, I will get it down.
I'm in it to win it.
If we do this,
we can't leave anything to chance.
No. No, ma'am. No.
[intense music playing]
- That's terrible.
- It hurt so bad, it didn't hurt.
You know that mare that OA was on
that climbed up like that?
- Jackson, about time you showed up.
- Sorry I'm late.
- Where you been?
- How you guys doing?
- Where you been?
- Do you think these are banker hours?
Talk to them about that bacon.
What'd you do with that bacon wrap?
- What do you call that?
- [Leo] Oh, that was the peppers?
Yeah. Oh, man.
[Leo]
The jalapeo peppers with the cheese?
I couldn't get it too hot
'cause my mom would say, "Don't get it
all hot. I can't eat that hot stuff."
I'd have been on time
if I knew you were food talking.
- This is a good subject to be on.
- [all laughs]
How'd that suit work out
for you yesterday?
Suit? I dropped some weight.
- Even the bottom of your feet sweat, huh?
- Yeah.
Sweating under my toenails.
[Martn] Yeah, I think
the quarter horses are run with 120.
Yeah, 128, I think.
They were saying that
because there's so many taller riders now
- and bigger riders have to cut weight.
- Yeah.
They're cutting so much weight
that when they go down,
there's nothing protecting their bones.
And that's why so many of us
are getting hurt now.
[Scott] Right, when that gate opens,
we got one job
and that's to try to win the race.
- [Jackson] Yeah. That's it.
- [man] Ain't that the truth.
And if I feel like I'm on something
that I can't try on,
then I don't wanna ride it.
- [man] Yeah.
- I got dropped in a quarter horse race.
- [man] Yeah.
- I got dropped in a quarter horse race.
Shattered my femur, my right femur,
broke all the ribs on the front and back,
broke three more on the other side,
punctured both lungs.
And that's what took me...
exactly nine months to come back.
[Scott] That's a long time to be living
on the disability that we get.
Two hundred a week.
Especially when you have kids,
you know, and you have to...
Even though the first two, three months
I was hurt, especially the little ones...
They're 3 and 5. They didn't want
no part of me ever go back to ride.
- You know this. No.
- [Scott] They don't want their daddy hurt.
[Mike] I was on a quarter horse.
Rode her before...
The race before I had just won on her.
Came out of the gates, was in front.
And as we were coming onto
the main part of the track, she stumbled.
And she had a really sensitive mouth.
So when I go to pick her up,
she just tosses her head
and jerks me right over her head.
- Runs right over the top of me.
- [Jackson] Oh, man.
And broke my nose in three places,
my left eye socket,
my upper jaw on both sides.
Fractured the back of my skull here,
and I had a bleed on my brain.
I can't smell or taste anything now
because of that.
The only thing I can smell is a fire,
and I can taste something that's burnt.
I can't taste nothing else.
- [man] Oh, man. That's wild.
- [Scott] Do they think it could come back?
[Mike] They said it could, but it's
gonna take another hit to my head to...
- [man] No, thank you.
- ...make it come back.
- So I'll live without it.
- Just... Yeah.
I figured the best way to get over
my fears was to get on the same horse.
- Yeah.
- I got back on her, and...
And worked her,
and then rode her in a race.
Everything went smooth.
I didn't ride her again after that, but...
[all laughing]
[Leo] That's better, the day when...
Yeah. That next day,
that next morning, I said, "I'm going."
[clears throat]
Jerry's got you cleaning stalls, huh?
Make sure
to count every dollar he gives you.
He was counterfeiting bills
a few years back.
Tens, mostly.
Listen, about the other morning, um,
I don't, uh...
I'm not really...
It's just not true, you know.
Um, I don't know
what your mama told you, but she...
Oh, hell.
We were all pretty wild back then.
You know, and that timeline
just wouldn't add up, you know?
Um...
- How many more stalls you got left?
- I got a few.
Just got a... dozen.
- Rake down the shed row and spray it down.
- Uh-huh.
Well, listen, I've gotta work out.
I'm carrying a little extra weight.
Uh, why don't you meet up
with me after? We'll get it in.
- Ain't this working out?
- Yeah.
That's working out,
but this a different kind of working out.
You'll like this one.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, for sure.
If you're set on it.
- I'll see you later.
- All right, kid. Have a good one.
Line up. You got a handful of seconds.
There you go. Get up on it. That's right.
All right. Wait, let's start back down.
- All right.
- Let me see your grip.
Is that your starting position?
That's the one you like?
Make sure you get this. Grab that mane.
Okay, cool. Try to... There you go.
Maybe... There you go.
Double up. Okay. Okay.
There you go. Okay, ready?
Push against me. All right. Get ready.
You're gonna come into that final turn.
We're gonna turn, lean in to the left.
Let him feel that weight
on that left shoulder.
There you go. Not too much
'cause he might throw you.
There you go.
Make sure you... Now get low.
You wanna block that air, okay?
Use that head.
Use that head to block that air.
You want aerodynamics. There you go.
There you go. Yeah.
Coming across the stretch. That's right.
Let him feel it. I'm gonna push back.
Push back. Use them arms.
Come on. Yeah. There you go.
Crossing the finish. Boom!
- Shit.
- How was that?
- That was all right.
- Be that easy on the day.
My fucking knee.
You're riding with a bum knee?
I'm not gonna tell nobody.
Everybody's doing something here.
It's just my ACL. I tore it.
- It just pops out of the socket.
- Okay.
[Gabriel] Yeah!
Double time. Triple time.
Give me a triple.
Taking a breakski.
That's why you brought that out.
You play poker?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
- You pretty good?
- I'm all right.
- You play 52-card pickup?
- What?
There. Pick them up.
Keep your back straight. Fifty-two cards.
There you go.
[counting in Spanish]
There you go. One at a time.
There you go. That was three.
You're gonna do three extra drops.
- [Gabriel] Fuck.
- Keep the back straight.
When you're on that horse,
coming across that finish line,
you're gonna be doing
the exact same thing.
His head's coming up, boom. Horse's head.
Horse's head, block the wind.
Block the wind.
- There you go. Okay, okay. All right.
- [groans]
What happened?
[Jackson] Works better
when you keep them legs moving.
All right, you're good.
- I'm gonna get some water.
- No. No!
You drink water,
you'll undo all that work you just did.
You wanna do that?
Here, suck on some ice cubes.
Spit them out when you're halfway done.
Only suck on half of it.
Don't suck on the whole thing.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
- How'd you do?
- I cut three pounds.
Three pounds?
That's a good afternoon.
How'd you do?
[groans]
Not so good.
I'll see you around, kid.
What?
See you around.
Okay.
[retching]
Hey. Sorry.
- Want me to toss this while we talk?
- No, ma'am.
Hey, I still like the smell.
And the way it looks.
- How was she this morning?
- She's from another planet.
The good news is, we're not gonna
have to teach her anything.
You just keep her healthy
and point her down the track.
- What's the bad news?
- The bad news is, I mean...
We won't be able to take all the credit
when she wins the futurity.
- How you doing, Jacks?
- I'm doing real good. I'm feeling good.
Is there anything else going on?
I don't, uh...
- What do you mean?
- I mean, are you feeling all right?
Why don't you just tell me
what you're driving at.
I... Well, I just...
You're leaning off
to your left in the saddle
and you're fidgeting with your reins
more than I've ever seen you.
- You seem tense when you're in the gate...
- Tense?
Benny said
you tripped coming out of the stall.
Well, fuck Benny.
And what...? You? You've never tripped?
Just tell me what's going on.
I'd tell you
if there's something to tell. It's just...
It's... It's just wear and tear.
We have always been straight
with each other.
Then why are you riding me, huh?
I know I'm not in the same shape
as these young cats,
and I don't have any illusions
about how long I can keep this up.
But I still got
a good couple years left in me.
Dude, I don't give a shit
about those younger jockeys.
I'm not comparing you.
Nobody knows a horse like you do.
You know, just if I see something,
I gotta say it, so...
- I just want to know you're all right.
- You know what?
- All right, then.
- Okay.
- I got some errands to run.
- Okay.
[ominous music playing]
[Leo] Hey, Jackson.
Do you believe in these people?
Mama saved me.
Yesterday that I got this horse...
Like, I dropped my sneaker.
Yeah, that's beside the point.
...on my ass.
My mama was the only one
come out there and see me
when I was in that jail and stuff,
and now look at us.
Well, I still love you.
[Leo]
...you can get that VIP money and stuff.
It'll make this all worthwhile. Trust me.
'Cause I know I need to get
a little bit off of my shoulders.
Hey, Jackson.
[speaking indistinctly]
Hey, Jackson.
You up?
You got to go get yourself
some potassium or something.
You're gonna get somebody hurt
if you fall off
'cause you're too weak to ride.
[pensive music playing]
[man] For real? Oh, shit.
- [man 1] Who's the favorite?
- [Martn] The two horse.
- There you go.
- Looks pretty good.
- [Martn] Oh, shit!
- [Scott] Dang it.
- [man 2] Is that Martin?
- No, I'm here.
- Is that Jess?
- No, that was Leo.
Oh, shit.
- Man.
- He got ran over.
- He got run over, man.
- [Scott] He had no shot.
- The one kept coming out.
- Yeah.
[Scott] I hope he's all right, man.
- He couldn't work her.
- [Martn] No.
He pulled the bridle off and everything.
I know. He says he can.
Hey, Jackson,
wanna go have dinner with us?
I'm not hungry. Thanks.
Hold on. These girls know who you are.
Yeah, thanks.
I gotta take care of something.
Where you gotta go? You didn't hear me?
One of them's French.
They're trying to hang.
They took Leo to SIMA.
Shit.
[monitor beeping]
How's that filly doing, Jackson?
She's gonna be all right.
She's gonna be just fine.
This never should've happened.
I should've never tried to run that filly.
She was too young,
and then I put myself in a bad spot.
Now the doctor done came in
and told me that...
my pelvis and my hips,
they're shattered, they're tore up.
I know you're gonna get up again.
I believe that.
- I believe you gonna get up again.
- Stop. And don't you lie to me, Jackson.
I don't wanna hear that.
Remember that time
when Randy Bennett flat lined
on the way to the hospital
up at Remington Park?
You know, death is...
You can't be afraid of death
any more than a baby can be afraid
of being born.
You know, it just takes us
to whatever's next.
And then we go to wherever after that.
I ain't afraid of death.
I'm just afraid of not being able to ride.
Out of all the things you do in life,
everybody's always criticizing
the good and the bad and all this,
but there's that one minute
that you feel like you're
the most important thing in the world
because everybody's watching you.
You need to... You need
to go out there and talk to Mr. Willie.
He's the one
that's sending all these good babies
and 2-year-olds out this year.
You got to make investments.
You got to look out for you.
'Cause these trainers don't give a fuck.
All they want to do is
fucking run us through there.
Easy come, easy go.
We're... We're expendable to them.
Well, you ain't expandable to me.
Yeah, fuck you, Jackson.
You're so full of shit.
[chuckles weakly]
Thank you for coming to see me.
It means a lot to me, man.
Means a lot to me.
Man, you think you could
go get me something to fucking eat?
I could eat the asshole
out of a skunk right now.
Just get all kind of shit, man.
I don't have to flip no more.
I can get fat like you.
All right.
Hey. Thought you might want a drink.
Thanks.
I'll save it for later.
Where's your French girl?
- With the pink hair?
- Yeah.
How's Leo doing?
Leo's done in.
I'm just coming to pick up some stuff,
and I'm gonna head back.
You ever been hurt bad?
I took a spill in the '90s.
Got ran over, busted my back,
cracked my head a few times,
and put me in a coma for a few days.
How about you?
I cracked both of my collarbones,
I broke my right arm,
I broke both my ankles.
Broke my nose so many times,
I can't even count how many.
But never hurt bad.
You talk to your mama much?
For what?
You know, people try to do
the best they can as they go along,
and I remember your mama having
a pretty tough time of it is all.
At least she was able to pass that along.
Well, both my folks, they're gone now.
I wish... I wish I could have been
a little more forgiving of them is...
I guess what I'm trying to say.
You're a good kid, Gabriel.
You'll be all right.
Hey, uh... [clears throat]
...you need a ride?
No. I'm gonna walk back.
I stay in Jerry Meyer's tack room.
[Jackson]
Hello, this message is for Willie.
Willie, this is Jackson Silva.
I got your number from Leo.
I hear you got
some good-looking yearlings.
When you get a chance,
please give me a call back.
I'd love to check them out,
and I hope you're having a good day.
- [Jackson] Howdy!
- Hey.
- [Jackson] You Willie? Willie.
- Willie, yeah.
- What's your...?
- You Jackson?
I'm Jackson Silva. Yes, sir.
Boy, had a tough time finding this place.
- Oh, really?
- Yes, sir. You're quite out here.
We're out in the boonies, all right,
but it's building up.
- You looking to buy one?
- I am.
Two... The two...
Them two right there are decent horses.
- That gray?
- Yeah.
They come...
They run in all kinds of colors.
You know, I had an old man tell me
when I was first starting out there,
he was sitting around there,
and I asked him, I says:
"What color you like best, Mac?"
He says, "I like them fast colors."
That's funny. That's the exact same color
I'm looking for.
Yeah. Yeah.
Come on, I'll show you another one.
- I'll be right there, Willie.
- Okay.
[pensive music playing]
...a real stocky-built horse.
About the same.
But you wanna be sure
the hind end is straight.
That it ain't cow-hocked
or sickle-hocked or...
How's Leo doing?
[Jackson] He's, uh...
- You ain't spoke to him?
- Nah, nah.
I haven't talked to him in,
man, close to a year, I guess.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, he's, uh...
- He's resting.
- Is he?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
Tell him I said hi, man,
and I'll get his phone number
and give him a call.
- I think he sure would appreciate that.
- Yeah.
- He spoke highly of you.
- Yeah, well, he's always done me good.
Who's been chewing on my reins? That you?
Come on, man.
I gotta go pick up shavings
before I come back here in the morning.
He said he was on his way.
Well, he is yours.
Punctuality runs in the family.
I'm always on time.
You're on time when there's
a check with your name on it.
I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry.
- What the hell happened to you?
- The farrier came.
Mr. Meyer had me holding horses.
They were talking more than working.
- Which one?
- [Gabriel] Ma'am?
- The farrier.
- [Gabriel] Um, Martinez.
Fucking...
I called Martinez three days ago.
- And he goes to Jerry's barn first.
- Ruth, I wanted to introduce you two.
This is Gabriel I was telling you about.
- Jackson says you got light hands.
- Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
[Ruth] You don't have to "ma'am" me.
Carlos! Bring Jolene around.
- So how long you been riding?
- Before I could walk.
- How long you been a jockey?
- Three years.
'Cause I looked you up.
I couldn't find really much.
Yeah, I just lost my bug last year.
I've been exercising horses for everybody.
I could do whatever you need me to do.
I don't mind the work.
Okay. Well, let's see what you got.
- Now?
- [Ruth] Right now.
You want me to do anything or...?
Hop down.
- That's it?
- [Ruth] 5 a.m. tomorrow.
And you tell Jerry first.
You don't leave him hanging.
He even mounts a horse like you.
- [Jackson] Can you believe that?
- What?
She fucking loved you.
And once again, Lord, we thank you
for that supernatural hedge of protection
that you placed around everybody
working with the horses today.
We thank you, Lord,
that it's gonna be a safe day
that your light
and your glory will continually shine
right here at Turf Paradise
in such a way that people will indeed
recognize your presence in this place.
And we'll be quick
to give you all the praise,
the honor, and the glory
for all that you do in Jesus' name.
- And everybody said amen.
- [all] Amen.
Praise the Lord.
Thank you, guys. Appreciate ya.
Thank you. God bless you. Appreciate ya.
Thank you, guys.
Bless you. Thank you, buddy.
- Thank you, sir. God bless you.
- Appreciate you.
[chaplain] Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
That guy in the red shirt?
He's gonna cut in to the inside
as soon as he leaves the gate.
Everybody in the first three holes
is fucked.
Give yourself time
before moving on the inside.
You'll be all right.
- Appreciate it.
- Got ya.
What hole is Gabriel in?
[man] Number five.
[pensive music playing]
- [Gabriel] Got a light?
- You have to start thinking about...
- fixing up your hair after every race.
- I ain't got none.
Yeah, you do. You get helmet head.
Look, it doesn't have to be perfect.
I'm just saying
you gotta look fresh before every race.
You know, it gives the owners confidence.
You know,
you don't wanna upset the trainer.
You piss off Ruth...
You don't wanna do that.
I already pissed Ruth off.
- Good race, kid.
- Thanks, Big O.
About what?
On the parade,
I was looking out at the crowd too much.
Okay. She wants you
to stay focused, that's all.
That's a good thing.
She doesn't want you distracted.
If I'm winning races,
why does it matter?
Listen, you ride the horse,
Ruth rides you, the owner rides her.
That's just the way it is.
It's nothing to be taken personal.
But you better take it seriously.
[man] Jackson, you gonna dance
for us tonight or what?
[Jackson] No, man. Probably tomorrow.
I'm all stoved up right now.
[man] Stop it, you lost.
[Jackson] I'm gonna go get me a tequila.
You gotta come meet Ronnie. He's a weirdo.
- Yeah. I'll be there in a sec.
- Come on.
Okay. Oh, you're gonna go talk
to them seoritas?
[Gabriel] How you doing?
Yo! Yes, sir!
As long as I got my straw
and my toothpick, nothing going down.
How long you been
drinking beers with straws?
I been doing it about,
let's see, since I was 16 years old.
- Monday's my birthday, so...
- But why do you drink beers...?
- Through a straw?
- Yeah.
Because it gets you drunk faster.
- Okay?
- I don't think I need straws.
- You're good with that straw.
- Wanna take this?
[pop music playing over speakers]
Don't you look cute!
Well, now, who you riding in the fifth?
Honor something? Honor April?
- April? Honor April.
- Boy,
I always gotta wonder about a horse
when I can't remember his name.
[all laughing]
Yeah, speaking of,
I'm not scared if you dance.
Yeah, I might. You asking me to dance?
What you need? What you need?
You need another beer, it look like to me.
- No, no, no.
- Okay, you good.
[crowd whistling, cheering]
["I Stumbled Onto Heaven" playing]
Two big blue eyes, full of surprise
Offered their welcome of paradise
The room was filled with music
We nearly danced
The whole night through
There on the hotel terrace
[announcer]
Finally, rounding out the card,
Dido's Lament, trainer Ruth Wilkes,
ridden by Jackson Silva.
This is her maiden race,
and her current odds are 19-to-1.
[scoffs]
Wish I had made a bet.
You nervous?
First day of school.
She's about to skip two grades.
[bugle trumpeting]
[announcer speaking indistinctly]
[upbeat music playing]
- Picture.
- [cameras clicking]
I don't care how much weight
you gain tonight, we're gonna celebrate.
Okay, let's go.
[Jackson]
There you go. There you go. Sooie!
All right. He rode the bull with no horns.
You know that. What kind of odds
are you gonna give this one?
- Eight seconds?
- Uh, yep.
- Eight seconds...
- A good, solid eight.
- No. I'm gonna give him four.
- Four?
You cheer for the bulls or the riders?
I'm always cheering for the riders.
- Yeah.
- There you go. Come on.
- Two, three, four...
- Two, three, four...
- Four! Four!
- Shit. Goddamn it!
- Four. Four seconds.
- Damn it! Oh!
Dash for Cash.
Special Effort...
Barb Phenomenal.
Uh...
That roan horse out of Illinois.
Uh-huh.
Uh... Oh! It's that special...
Oh, oh! Uh...
Special...
Shit. I can't remember. God.
["I'm Moving On" playing over speakers]
All right.
- Dashing Phenom. Dashing Phenom.
- Dashing Phenom.
Hey, your turn.
Mm. All right,
we got Seattle Slew on one side,
then we got First Down Dash on the other.
- Fisher King.
- No, ma'am.
- What?
- No, California horse.
- California horse.
- Bullshit.
California horse
owned by a coffee company.
- Oh, Houndstooth.
- [laughs]
Damn! I can't believe
I needed a hint on that.
- [groans]
- [Jackson laughing]
Whoo!
All right. Nope.
Hey, no Canadian horses.
I'm hip to your trickery.
Mm.
Mm, God, I want to win it all.
Dido. I want her to win.
You know, it's like the claiming races
and the asshole owners
and the last barn on the backside.
And it's okay. You know? It's enough.
You make it enough. And it's... It's good.
And then she shows up and she is...
And you remember.
You want it all.
I want her to win.
So do I.
Whoa.
Can I borrow 20 bucks?
To pay for that shot you just slammed?
No, no. They're charging me
$20 to get on that bull.
No, no, no. Hold on. I need $40
'cause I need the helmet and the vest.
I need to stay...
You know, protect myself
because I know that I'd fly
right off of that thing.
- I'll spot you 20.
- [Gabriel] Yeah?
Yeah. But as soon as you get on that bull,
you're fired.
It's good practice.
I ride on that, I ride anything.
[Jackson] The kid's got a point.
Who's gonna pay for all these?
I'm gonna dance.
Who's gonna dance with me?
I... I can't.
I'm moving on
I'm moving on...
Okay, you lead. You lead.
I'm moving on
I'm moving on
I'm moving on...
[both laughing]
To waltzing.
You can just have a little quickie.
I mean, just a dance.
- Ruth...
- That's not what I meant.
- That's not what I meant.
- Ruth. Truth in jest is...
I was just thinking
we should just play some cards.
Okay. Do...?
I mean, they're your cards.
What's your game?
I'm not really that good at cards.
- These cards are in your house.
- I know.
- Well, it's more of a training exercise.
- It is not.
You should see what I did with Gabe.
I taught Gabe 52-card pickup.
That's the stupidest game ever.
I'm gonna teach you a real game.
Is that glass, uh...?
- Are those shot glasses clean?
- They're filthy.
- All right.
- I mean, you could clean them.
- No, no, no. I got more.
- [clears throat] Let's just roll a joint.
Hi, baby.
Hi. Hi.
I've got a... I don't...
I've got a very clean-ish glass.
That's completely unsanitary, man.
I can see you. I'm right here.
[Jackson] No, look. Look how clean it is.
One...
I'm gonna roll it on this lady's face.
Look at this. What is this?
- This is your reading material over here?
- Yeah. I just...
- Yeah, I already read it.
- Sea Swept.
- You can borrow that if you want to.
- "The lives and loves of three brothers
- on the windswept shores...
- Oh, my God.
[laughing] ...of Chesapeake Bay."
Jacks?
Fuck, Jacks. What's...?
Hang on. What? What's...? What?
It's just this whole... I'm all right.
- Is that your heart? What's happening?
- No, it's nothing like that. It's just...
It's just, uh...
I can't feel that side of the body.
Jesus Christ, man. Here, let me help you.
- You want me to help you move?
- Just help me sit up.
All right, we're good. It's just, uh...
Hold on.
It's just this thing that happens.
It's, uh...
I might be in a little worse shape
than what I thought.
Jeez, you think so?
I do.
Yeah. Um...
Oh, Jackson.
- It's like pins and needles?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- It's numb?
Yeah, I don't even feel that right now,
but it'll come back.
[groans]
Let me just...
Let me just, uh...
- Hey. Stay with me here.
- Yeah? It's...
You know, it's just like Billy Parham
when he got thrown in Pompano.
You remember how he was...?
He was, like, "The birds,
they're singing in the jocks' room,"
and he just kept thinking he kept
hearing these songs, and it was...
You know, he heard the singing.
He just didn't... Just didn't make it.
You remember that?
I never, uh...
Hey.
I've never been scared before, Ruth.
There it is.
Okay. That's okay.
That's okay.
You're okay.
Hey. Hey. What's she like out there?
What is she like out there?
Dido. What's she like?
Dido's like...
Like a horse I never thought
I'd ever get to ride.
You know? I never felt...
I never felt worthy
of riding a horse like Dido.
You know,
she's the first horse I've ever had
that made me wish I was a jockey.
Hey, there's still time for you.
Oh, yeah. I don't think so.
You know, there's a...
You get older,
you start to realize that...
you know...
you and your body,
they just ain't the same.
You know what I mean?
I don't...
I think this might be
my last season, Ruth.
[sobbing] No shit, Jackson.
All right, it's coming back.
You want me
to help you get up on the couch?
No.
Let's just sit here for a while longer.
- Can we?
- Sure, buddy.
Sure, we can.
That'd be nice.
[doctor] I have consulted with a few
of my colleagues who are afraid
that you might have something
that's more degenerative.
Something that looks a lot like ALS.
Got a couple of options for you
and I'm not sure that any
one of them are gonna be something
that's gonna keep you
in the saddle at this time.
In fact, I think
it's gonna be more detrimental
than a career issue.
It's actually gonna affect your home life.
It's gonna affect your mobility.
It's gonna affect your independence.
So if, currently...
The independence of being able to get
in your car and take a drive,
that could come to an end.
This is not something
that's gonna get better.
I don't have options
as far as injections...
[pensive music playing]
[Jackson] Catch anything?
Some catfish.
Nothing else really out here.
[Jackson] There's some carp out there too,
but you don't want to eat them.
They got fertilizer for blood out here.
[Gabriel] Mm.
I got you something.
Oh, thanks. Got a burger in there too?
A couple of sips of that coffee
and one of these
will get you through a meal every day.
- What's that?
- Open it.
Those boots should fit you good and snug.
If they don't, I'll take you to Booker's.
This stuff is nice, Jackson.
I can't take this.
It's a gift.
I'd be offended if you didn't take it.
Thank you.
There's a lot of people
that say they want to help,
but they're looking for something.
I haven't met a lot of people that just...
I know. Just don't start losing.
There's nothing worse
than losing a race in new gear.
It's like you're trying to buy
the part or something.
[pensive music playing]
I love this time of day.
[Jackson]
You know what I said about that timeline?
About how it wasn't possible?
Maybe I was wrong.
My dad was a great jockey
for a little while.
And his father.
My granddad met the president of Mexico.
That's how good he was.
I just wish I'd told you sooner.
Ruidoso or Oaklawn.
I just didn't know what to say.
I wish I'd known you growing up.
I feel like I robbed myself of...
something wonderful.
I just wanna...
I'm sorry.
I've eaten some fish out of here.
They taste kind of good.
[Jackson laughing]
Hello, Ana. It's me again.
Hello, Ana. Nice to see you.
I met our son.
I met Gabriel...
And I just wanted to come back and, um...
And I just wanted to...
I'd like to...
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
I got a lot of nice clothes now.
Fuck.
Ana.
[Ana] Hey.
Hi.
Yeah. I was just passing through.
I had a match race outside of Del Mar,
and I heard you was...
- Can I help you with that bag?
- No. I'm... What are you doing here?
You look good. Uh...
How long you been here?
Uh...
Thirteen years, 14? I don't know.
[clears throat]
I met Gabriel.
You know, he's a good kid.
You did real good by him.
Where's he at?
He's at a track up in Phoenix.
Why didn't you...? You know, I would've...
I would've liked to have known he was
out there. I wish you would've told me.
- Why?
- Look, Ana.
I know I fucked up with you.
I fucked up real bad, okay?
And I'm here to own it,
and I'd like to at least think that...
at the absolute least,
I would have been there for the kid.
- You would have been there for him?
- Yeah. I'd have been there.
I could've taught him a thing or two,
something different.
Something to keep him from,
you know, becoming a jockey.
Look, I know I wasn't around.
I admit that, but you didn't tell me
he was here neither.
He's not your kid.
He's not yours, Jackson.
I got pregnant after you left.
I'm sorry that you came all this way,
but I got to wake up early.
[pensive music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
- [melancholy music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]
[man playing jazz saxophone]
[knocking on door]
- Hey.
- [Jackson] Well, I'll be!
- [slurring] Look who it is, ladies!
- I didn't realize we were having a party.
- What's going on?
- Come on in, man.
It's my son! Right?
My son, the one I abandoned
so many years ago, huh?
I'm gonna talk to you later.
Talk to me later? Talk about what?
- Nothing.
- [belches] No, no, no.
Let's talk, talk, talk. That's too much.
Come here, come here.
Why don't you come in here
and talk to everybody and tell us a story
with that beautiful imagination of yours?
And then we'll drink a little.
- I'm gonna go.
- Go? No, no, no.
Hey, I talked to your mama.
I went over there to apologize,
of all things. I mean...
Why in the fuck would you say that to me?
- Say what?
- Come on.
I mean, I'm not your fucking dad.
You know, it's... It's, uh...
I'm still trying to figure out
what the fuck's going on.
Oh, I know what it is. It's...
Look, if it's money you need,
I'm gonna hook you...
I got 6 dollars and 30...
Look, it's all yours. Keep that.
You don't owe me shit.
Uh, just come on in
and have some shots with us.
- I don't want your money.
- Come on in.
I don't want your fucking money!
- Come on. Let's go. Let's get this on.
- I hoped you were my dad.
I thought that my mom was trying
to cut you out.
Telling me some fucking story.
I was good with horses.
I saw you. You're a fucking...
You're incredible on that horse.
Oh, yeah, I'm fantastic.
I'm just gonna leave you alone.
I'm not gonna bother you no more.
[groans]
[Ruth] Hey, Jackson.
Don't worry.
I'm not taking none of your shit.
So is this how you're gonna play it?
Just sneak out in the night?
I'm not sneaking out anywhere.
I'm trying to save you from having
to say what you were gonna say.
Unless I'm wrong.
I'm sorry, Jackson.
No other jockey worth anything
would even set foot in my barn
and you were always there.
You know, I wanted this for us.
Now that you got one of your own...
can't leave anything up to chance.
It's not that and you know it.
Then tell me what it is then.
I'm not gonna watch you die out there.
You won't race a sore horse
but a jockey...
Don't start that with me.
How many times have I ridden
broken for you, huh?
Every time I break a collarbone
or a rib or bust my head,
I kept racing for you.
Yeah, and who drove you home
from the hospital?
Who gave you horses
when nobody else would?
So, what is it now, huh?
You know I can do it.
That horse knows I can do it.
Now what's the difference?
You're afraid.
That's what's changed.
Man, you said so yourself, and it's okay.
These horses will run until they...
You gotta tell a horse
when it's time to stop.
So that's it, then?
Yeah.
Well, I'll forgive you. Someday.
Call back.
Owes me a call.
George Jorge.
[Gabriel]
Hi. Can I get the special, please?
- [clears throat]
- Thank you.
You're looking right and proper out there.
Like you and that horse finally
got your rhythm together.
Hey, man. I got it.
Try not standing on her shoulder
when she opens up.
You know, lean back and let it roll.
- Coming out that turn, especially...
- Hey, man. I got it.
Big race.
- Your loss.
- I don't need this shit.
I got this horse. That's me.
How do you think you got this horse?
By working my fucking ass off.
I broke bones. I cleaned stalls.
I took shit from these trainers.
- How many stalls does a 19-year-old clean?
- [groans]
What, you busted your ass, what, for what?
- Four years? Three years?
- [groaning]
- How long you think I busted my ass?
- Sorry, can I get some pico de gallo?
Give you a leg up.
You made some introductions,
but I was on my way to do that.
I told you what I wanted to do myself.
All right, then. All right.
Well, I'll give you one last piece
of valuable advice.
Don't fucking lie to people.
Goddamn Kids.
[dramatic music playing]
Hello, Jerry.
- Yeah. Hey.
- Howdy.
- My name's Jack...
- I know who you are.
- Uh, what can I do for you?
- I hear you got a horse in the futurity.
Um...
I do.
If it's all right with you,
I'd like to ride her.
- You put him up to this?
- [man] Don't look at me.
Jackson Silva,
you wanna ride for my barn?
- If you'll have me. Yes, sir.
- Don't you ride for Ruth right now?
Well, our relationship's ran its course.
- [man] What, did you hit the jackpot?
- I guess so.
I got Jackson Silva asking me
if he can ride for my barn.
- Come on down here with me.
- Yes, Sir.
I got a horse down here that I think
with you up on it, we could easily...
[announcer] And he will be the next one
to go into the starting gate here.
[indistinct chatter]
[groaning]
[footsteps approaching]
You all right?
Never been better.
Think I might go for a run after this.
You look ready.
- I heard you were bad off.
- Nah.
I ain't too bad.
[Gabriel] I didn't mean to hurt you.
I wasn't lying.
I saw this photo and I thought:
"What if that's him?"
You know, if that's where I came from,
I could be somebody like that.
And...
I could be somebody worthy of that photo.
My dad was an angry man.
And got hurt early and caught the fear.
Couldn't race anymore.
Bitter man.
Only time he'd hug me was...
when he'd take me to the tracks.
I'd place the bets for him...
and hold his beer.
But then when them horses came racing out
of that gate with the jockeys...
Whoo.
I'd imagine them flying off
to some other place...
where they couldn't get hurt.
No one was scared.
Just a better world.
But then they'd cross that finish line...
Pops would slam his beer...
stare at me...
remind me I was bad luck.
Then he'd hand me another wad of cash
and have me place some more bets.
Maybe in this better world,
I would have been your son.
There ain't no better world.
There's just this one.
But, uh...
I certainly would be proud
to call you son.
[pensive music playing]
Stay off the rail.
You'll win it by a mile.
Feel all right?
Hello Sunshine's gonna win, Jerry.
- You really think so?
- I know it.
Did I ever tell you the story
on why we named him Hello Sunshine?
No, sir. You didn't.
Well, he was born a few days too late.
When he came out,
we thought he was stillborn.
So we're shaking him, blowing in his nose,
trying to get the gunk out.
Then, all of a sudden,
through the stall window...
Yeah.
...a little arc of sunlight landed
on his head.
That's when he took his first breath.
You just stay near the winner's circle,
Jerry Meyer.
Okay.
[dramatic music playing]
[pensive music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Ruth] You did it!
You did it!
Come on, let's go. Let's go.
[techno music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]
- [horse galloping]
[geese honking]
[man shouts]
[horse snorts]
[horses galloping]
[Jackson speaking Spanish]
[Leo] Morning.
Man, they got a bunch of horses out here
this morning.
- Yeah, they do.
- Early too.
I think these trainers trying to be slick.
Work these horses in the dark.
- Ain't they always trying to be slick?
- Yeah.
Yep, they up to something.
Look at that one there. Looks like
he's running downhill or something.
Yeah.
[chuckles]
Hey, you seen that new kid been training
at Jerry's barn?
Nah, I ain't seen him.
Can he horseback or what?
Yeah, he can ride. He can ride, all right.
His name's Gabriel.
No, we'll be all right. You know them
young ones, they come and they go.
They don't usually hang around too long.
Oh.
[Leo] What's wrong?
You know, it ain't the same anymore, Leo.
[Leo] Yeah, you getting old.
[Jackson] We both getting old.
[Leo] Yeah, but I'm like wine though.
I'm getting better.
Hey, you ever gonna
catch a horse or what?
All right.
[pensive music playing]
Morning.
Morning, Ruth.
You got another one of those?
- You can go ahead and finish it.
- You sure?
- Yeah, I was just warming up my lungs.
- Mm.
So just jog Dublin two times,
but wait till I get out there this time.
I wanna look at his right leg.
- All right, I'll gallop him, then.
- No.
- Not yet.
- He's pretty solid on it.
- He feels good.
- I am worried about that pastern.
- If we don't start pushing him...
- Jackson, just...
Just keep him tight.
Okay? I'll be right out.
[clears throat]
Ringo, no. No, baby. Go ahead.
Come on. There we go, baby. Come on.
Yeah.
Come on.
How you doing this morning?
Another day in paradise. Ain't that right?
Yes, sir.
- [man] Okay.
- You gonna get after it?
Nah, we're just gonna cruise around.
Do you wanna say a hello?
He's a beaut.
Oh, his name is See Ya Later, Alligator.
That's his name.
How beautiful are you?
- He's gorgeous.
- Yeah, he's a real nice, kind, cool horse.
He's beautiful.
[bugle trumpeting]
[insects chittering]
[grunts]
[man] Jackson, I need you
to stand up straight and still.
Take a deep breath and hold it.
Okay.
Well, is it a boy or a girl?
You've done some damage here, Jackson.
You need to get yourself to a doctor.
- You are a doctor.
- I'm a horse doctor.
But you know what bones are supposed
to look like, right?
Yeah. That's why I need you
to take a look.
I mean, how many times
have you broken your back?
I don't know. Three, I think.
I have a friend, a good doctor.
A spinal doctor.
If you're having trouble
with finances, whatever,
he can help out,
but I need you to go.
I'm sorry, Jackson.
No, it's not your fault.
- Here you go.
- No, that's fine.
Don't worry about it.
We're good.
All right, doc. Whatever you say.
Take care, Jackson.
[horses galloping]
Careful with them gaps.
You're gonna clip heels.
It's all right.
Dublin hates those outside posts, so...
How was he on the turns?
A little soft. Still stutter-stepping
in the gates like frigging Fred Astaire.
Yeah, I don't think
we're ever gonna break him of that.
China Cat's up next?
Yeah, you're gonna have
a time with him today.
He almost kicked in my fucking teeth
this morning.
At least he's keeping it interesting.
I like feisty.
He'll have the energy. If you wanna
get him out first, I think he'll last.
Listen, Dublin's owners are here,
and she really wants to meet you.
- Would you come and say hello?
- Ruth.
Come on, man.
- She's been on my case for two weeks.
- Fine, okay.
- Just say hi.
- All right.
Here he is!
- Howdy.
- This...
He's gotta change right now
for the next race.
[jockeys chattering in Spanish]
[man] Yes, sir.
Appreciate you.
What's up, Jackson?
- How you doing?
- See anything good today?
- Don't forget you got that 6:00 workout.
- [Jackson] Will do.
Hey.
You mind if I sit down?
- Sure.
- You're Gabriel, right?
- Boullait.
- Yeah.
Yeah, I know. How's your season going?
Pretty good.
Got a couple good mounts,
and I'm just trying to get some wins
under my belt, get me an agent.
Wow.
I wouldn't worry about
getting yourself an agent.
When you're ready for one,
they'll come find you.
You know, right now,
if you focus on a good trainer,
you do right by him, pfft,
you're gonna be fine.
Gina! Hey, Gina, can I get...?
Her name's Gina, right?
I don't know.
Gina?
I guess not. [clears throat]
So whereabouts are you from anyway?
Well, I was born in the South,
but I'm from outside of San Diego, really.
Why?
It's just that I used to know someone
with your last name.
What are you doing here?
- I'm hungry.
- No, that's not... [chuckles]
No, here in Phoenix.
What are you doing here in Phoenix?
I know a trainer. He'd give me work
if I work the barn, train the horses.
But didn't I see you
in Remington back in June?
And then in Houston before that?
Look, I'm not busting your balls
or anything. I'm just...
I'm just trying to understand the chances
of us riding the exact same circuit.
- What's the question?
- I'm just saying...
If you need help, fine.
But when I got trainers saying
that you're asking about me
and I see you at one track after another,
but you never talk directly to me,
- then that's gonna...
- You're my dad.
Do what?
Um, I'm your son.
- Whoo. Oh, man. Shit.
- I didn't know how to say it.
Boy, you stopped my heart there
for a second.
Hey, did Leo put you up to this?
He did, didn't he?
Kid.
You're serious with me?
Your mom's Ana Boullait?
I don't know what she told you,
but that's not possible.
Okay, I'm not gonna get
into the particulars of it,
but you and I, we are not related.
- My mom doesn't know I came to talk...
- I don't care. That's not the point.
I just wanted to meet you.
I wanted to talk.
- You wanted to talk? Talk about what?
- I don't know. Talk about, like...
I don't have anything else to give you.
- I'm not asking for anything.
- I barely have enough money.
You probably caught wind of my winnings
and came to some conclusion.
But if you've been doing this
for any amount of time,
you'd know by the time
your earnings get carved up,
there's not a lot left for the jockey.
I'm not asking for money.
Good, 'cause I got nothing to give you,
and I can't tell you
what tracks you can go on.
I don't care, but don't go around here
telling people that you're my kid.
Makes me look like an asshole.
And you know what I don't need?
To look like an asshole.
- I'm not asking for anything.
- Good, then we're on the same page.
Here, kid. Breakfast is on me.
Hey. Have you got one more in you?
I got a new one I want you to look at.
- Is it that that roan gelding from JB's?
- Nope. Brand-new.
Oh. Can it wait until tomorrow?
I've been wanting to tell you so bad,
but I was worried I would jinx it
if I talked to you about her.
All right. Okay.
[Ruth]
I just brought her out from the farm.
This will be her maiden year.
She's... She's perfect.
- She looks like she knows it.
- She's always had that look.
- [Jackson] Who told you about this horse?
- She's mine.
I bought her at a yearling sale
for next to nothing.
Nobody wanted her. Her legs were too long.
Her head was way too big.
When I saw her in the stall,
I just knew she was...
It was the way she watched the world.
Everybody said I was crazy
for spending anything on her.
They said I should send her to the rodeo.
But you knew.
Well, we'll see.
- [Jackson] What's her name?
- Dido's Lament.
- [Jackson] Out of Russo's Lamentation?
- Dido's Mercy.
[Ruth chuckles]
[Jackson] Can she run?
- There's only one way to find out.
- Are you ready?
Come on.
[upbeat music playing]
Attagirl.
You're all right. Okay, Benny.
She's like a swan with teeth.
I ain't been on a...
I ain't been on a horse like that
in a long while.
I know she can run. But she a winner?
If there's any justice in this world.
What race you putting her in first?
Mile and an eighth?
No, I don't wanna take her that long,
not in her first one.
- She'll win it. I guarantee you.
- Yeah, but I want her to win it by a mile.
Give her confidence in seven furlongs,
and then we'll stretch her out, you know?
Build her stamina up.
- And then, uh...
- Futurity.
- Futurity.
- Yeah.
What?
Ruth, as soon as I clock out,
you're gonna have every young jockey
lining up outside your barn.
And I don't wanna...
I don't have any expectations.
I know you've been, uh...
- waiting a long time for this horse.
- Jackson.
We've come this far together, right?
But we gotta be serious about it.
You and I've gotten a bit comfortable
the last few years.
We have.
Yep. I've got some weight to work off.
I swear, I will get it down.
I'm in it to win it.
If we do this,
we can't leave anything to chance.
No. No, ma'am. No.
[intense music playing]
- That's terrible.
- It hurt so bad, it didn't hurt.
You know that mare that OA was on
that climbed up like that?
- Jackson, about time you showed up.
- Sorry I'm late.
- Where you been?
- How you guys doing?
- Where you been?
- Do you think these are banker hours?
Talk to them about that bacon.
What'd you do with that bacon wrap?
- What do you call that?
- [Leo] Oh, that was the peppers?
Yeah. Oh, man.
[Leo]
The jalapeo peppers with the cheese?
I couldn't get it too hot
'cause my mom would say, "Don't get it
all hot. I can't eat that hot stuff."
I'd have been on time
if I knew you were food talking.
- This is a good subject to be on.
- [all laughs]
How'd that suit work out
for you yesterday?
Suit? I dropped some weight.
- Even the bottom of your feet sweat, huh?
- Yeah.
Sweating under my toenails.
[Martn] Yeah, I think
the quarter horses are run with 120.
Yeah, 128, I think.
They were saying that
because there's so many taller riders now
- and bigger riders have to cut weight.
- Yeah.
They're cutting so much weight
that when they go down,
there's nothing protecting their bones.
And that's why so many of us
are getting hurt now.
[Scott] Right, when that gate opens,
we got one job
and that's to try to win the race.
- [Jackson] Yeah. That's it.
- [man] Ain't that the truth.
And if I feel like I'm on something
that I can't try on,
then I don't wanna ride it.
- [man] Yeah.
- I got dropped in a quarter horse race.
- [man] Yeah.
- I got dropped in a quarter horse race.
Shattered my femur, my right femur,
broke all the ribs on the front and back,
broke three more on the other side,
punctured both lungs.
And that's what took me...
exactly nine months to come back.
[Scott] That's a long time to be living
on the disability that we get.
Two hundred a week.
Especially when you have kids,
you know, and you have to...
Even though the first two, three months
I was hurt, especially the little ones...
They're 3 and 5. They didn't want
no part of me ever go back to ride.
- You know this. No.
- [Scott] They don't want their daddy hurt.
[Mike] I was on a quarter horse.
Rode her before...
The race before I had just won on her.
Came out of the gates, was in front.
And as we were coming onto
the main part of the track, she stumbled.
And she had a really sensitive mouth.
So when I go to pick her up,
she just tosses her head
and jerks me right over her head.
- Runs right over the top of me.
- [Jackson] Oh, man.
And broke my nose in three places,
my left eye socket,
my upper jaw on both sides.
Fractured the back of my skull here,
and I had a bleed on my brain.
I can't smell or taste anything now
because of that.
The only thing I can smell is a fire,
and I can taste something that's burnt.
I can't taste nothing else.
- [man] Oh, man. That's wild.
- [Scott] Do they think it could come back?
[Mike] They said it could, but it's
gonna take another hit to my head to...
- [man] No, thank you.
- ...make it come back.
- So I'll live without it.
- Just... Yeah.
I figured the best way to get over
my fears was to get on the same horse.
- Yeah.
- I got back on her, and...
And worked her,
and then rode her in a race.
Everything went smooth.
I didn't ride her again after that, but...
[all laughing]
[Leo] That's better, the day when...
Yeah. That next day,
that next morning, I said, "I'm going."
[clears throat]
Jerry's got you cleaning stalls, huh?
Make sure
to count every dollar he gives you.
He was counterfeiting bills
a few years back.
Tens, mostly.
Listen, about the other morning, um,
I don't, uh...
I'm not really...
It's just not true, you know.
Um, I don't know
what your mama told you, but she...
Oh, hell.
We were all pretty wild back then.
You know, and that timeline
just wouldn't add up, you know?
Um...
- How many more stalls you got left?
- I got a few.
Just got a... dozen.
- Rake down the shed row and spray it down.
- Uh-huh.
Well, listen, I've gotta work out.
I'm carrying a little extra weight.
Uh, why don't you meet up
with me after? We'll get it in.
- Ain't this working out?
- Yeah.
That's working out,
but this a different kind of working out.
You'll like this one.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, for sure.
If you're set on it.
- I'll see you later.
- All right, kid. Have a good one.
Line up. You got a handful of seconds.
There you go. Get up on it. That's right.
All right. Wait, let's start back down.
- All right.
- Let me see your grip.
Is that your starting position?
That's the one you like?
Make sure you get this. Grab that mane.
Okay, cool. Try to... There you go.
Maybe... There you go.
Double up. Okay. Okay.
There you go. Okay, ready?
Push against me. All right. Get ready.
You're gonna come into that final turn.
We're gonna turn, lean in to the left.
Let him feel that weight
on that left shoulder.
There you go. Not too much
'cause he might throw you.
There you go.
Make sure you... Now get low.
You wanna block that air, okay?
Use that head.
Use that head to block that air.
You want aerodynamics. There you go.
There you go. Yeah.
Coming across the stretch. That's right.
Let him feel it. I'm gonna push back.
Push back. Use them arms.
Come on. Yeah. There you go.
Crossing the finish. Boom!
- Shit.
- How was that?
- That was all right.
- Be that easy on the day.
My fucking knee.
You're riding with a bum knee?
I'm not gonna tell nobody.
Everybody's doing something here.
It's just my ACL. I tore it.
- It just pops out of the socket.
- Okay.
[Gabriel] Yeah!
Double time. Triple time.
Give me a triple.
Taking a breakski.
That's why you brought that out.
You play poker?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
- You pretty good?
- I'm all right.
- You play 52-card pickup?
- What?
There. Pick them up.
Keep your back straight. Fifty-two cards.
There you go.
[counting in Spanish]
There you go. One at a time.
There you go. That was three.
You're gonna do three extra drops.
- [Gabriel] Fuck.
- Keep the back straight.
When you're on that horse,
coming across that finish line,
you're gonna be doing
the exact same thing.
His head's coming up, boom. Horse's head.
Horse's head, block the wind.
Block the wind.
- There you go. Okay, okay. All right.
- [groans]
What happened?
[Jackson] Works better
when you keep them legs moving.
All right, you're good.
- I'm gonna get some water.
- No. No!
You drink water,
you'll undo all that work you just did.
You wanna do that?
Here, suck on some ice cubes.
Spit them out when you're halfway done.
Only suck on half of it.
Don't suck on the whole thing.
- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
- How'd you do?
- I cut three pounds.
Three pounds?
That's a good afternoon.
How'd you do?
[groans]
Not so good.
I'll see you around, kid.
What?
See you around.
Okay.
[retching]
Hey. Sorry.
- Want me to toss this while we talk?
- No, ma'am.
Hey, I still like the smell.
And the way it looks.
- How was she this morning?
- She's from another planet.
The good news is, we're not gonna
have to teach her anything.
You just keep her healthy
and point her down the track.
- What's the bad news?
- The bad news is, I mean...
We won't be able to take all the credit
when she wins the futurity.
- How you doing, Jacks?
- I'm doing real good. I'm feeling good.
Is there anything else going on?
I don't, uh...
- What do you mean?
- I mean, are you feeling all right?
Why don't you just tell me
what you're driving at.
I... Well, I just...
You're leaning off
to your left in the saddle
and you're fidgeting with your reins
more than I've ever seen you.
- You seem tense when you're in the gate...
- Tense?
Benny said
you tripped coming out of the stall.
Well, fuck Benny.
And what...? You? You've never tripped?
Just tell me what's going on.
I'd tell you
if there's something to tell. It's just...
It's... It's just wear and tear.
We have always been straight
with each other.
Then why are you riding me, huh?
I know I'm not in the same shape
as these young cats,
and I don't have any illusions
about how long I can keep this up.
But I still got
a good couple years left in me.
Dude, I don't give a shit
about those younger jockeys.
I'm not comparing you.
Nobody knows a horse like you do.
You know, just if I see something,
I gotta say it, so...
- I just want to know you're all right.
- You know what?
- All right, then.
- Okay.
- I got some errands to run.
- Okay.
[ominous music playing]
[Leo] Hey, Jackson.
Do you believe in these people?
Mama saved me.
Yesterday that I got this horse...
Like, I dropped my sneaker.
Yeah, that's beside the point.
...on my ass.
My mama was the only one
come out there and see me
when I was in that jail and stuff,
and now look at us.
Well, I still love you.
[Leo]
...you can get that VIP money and stuff.
It'll make this all worthwhile. Trust me.
'Cause I know I need to get
a little bit off of my shoulders.
Hey, Jackson.
[speaking indistinctly]
Hey, Jackson.
You up?
You got to go get yourself
some potassium or something.
You're gonna get somebody hurt
if you fall off
'cause you're too weak to ride.
[pensive music playing]
[man] For real? Oh, shit.
- [man 1] Who's the favorite?
- [Martn] The two horse.
- There you go.
- Looks pretty good.
- [Martn] Oh, shit!
- [Scott] Dang it.
- [man 2] Is that Martin?
- No, I'm here.
- Is that Jess?
- No, that was Leo.
Oh, shit.
- Man.
- He got ran over.
- He got run over, man.
- [Scott] He had no shot.
- The one kept coming out.
- Yeah.
[Scott] I hope he's all right, man.
- He couldn't work her.
- [Martn] No.
He pulled the bridle off and everything.
I know. He says he can.
Hey, Jackson,
wanna go have dinner with us?
I'm not hungry. Thanks.
Hold on. These girls know who you are.
Yeah, thanks.
I gotta take care of something.
Where you gotta go? You didn't hear me?
One of them's French.
They're trying to hang.
They took Leo to SIMA.
Shit.
[monitor beeping]
How's that filly doing, Jackson?
She's gonna be all right.
She's gonna be just fine.
This never should've happened.
I should've never tried to run that filly.
She was too young,
and then I put myself in a bad spot.
Now the doctor done came in
and told me that...
my pelvis and my hips,
they're shattered, they're tore up.
I know you're gonna get up again.
I believe that.
- I believe you gonna get up again.
- Stop. And don't you lie to me, Jackson.
I don't wanna hear that.
Remember that time
when Randy Bennett flat lined
on the way to the hospital
up at Remington Park?
You know, death is...
You can't be afraid of death
any more than a baby can be afraid
of being born.
You know, it just takes us
to whatever's next.
And then we go to wherever after that.
I ain't afraid of death.
I'm just afraid of not being able to ride.
Out of all the things you do in life,
everybody's always criticizing
the good and the bad and all this,
but there's that one minute
that you feel like you're
the most important thing in the world
because everybody's watching you.
You need to... You need
to go out there and talk to Mr. Willie.
He's the one
that's sending all these good babies
and 2-year-olds out this year.
You got to make investments.
You got to look out for you.
'Cause these trainers don't give a fuck.
All they want to do is
fucking run us through there.
Easy come, easy go.
We're... We're expendable to them.
Well, you ain't expandable to me.
Yeah, fuck you, Jackson.
You're so full of shit.
[chuckles weakly]
Thank you for coming to see me.
It means a lot to me, man.
Means a lot to me.
Man, you think you could
go get me something to fucking eat?
I could eat the asshole
out of a skunk right now.
Just get all kind of shit, man.
I don't have to flip no more.
I can get fat like you.
All right.
Hey. Thought you might want a drink.
Thanks.
I'll save it for later.
Where's your French girl?
- With the pink hair?
- Yeah.
How's Leo doing?
Leo's done in.
I'm just coming to pick up some stuff,
and I'm gonna head back.
You ever been hurt bad?
I took a spill in the '90s.
Got ran over, busted my back,
cracked my head a few times,
and put me in a coma for a few days.
How about you?
I cracked both of my collarbones,
I broke my right arm,
I broke both my ankles.
Broke my nose so many times,
I can't even count how many.
But never hurt bad.
You talk to your mama much?
For what?
You know, people try to do
the best they can as they go along,
and I remember your mama having
a pretty tough time of it is all.
At least she was able to pass that along.
Well, both my folks, they're gone now.
I wish... I wish I could have been
a little more forgiving of them is...
I guess what I'm trying to say.
You're a good kid, Gabriel.
You'll be all right.
Hey, uh... [clears throat]
...you need a ride?
No. I'm gonna walk back.
I stay in Jerry Meyer's tack room.
[Jackson]
Hello, this message is for Willie.
Willie, this is Jackson Silva.
I got your number from Leo.
I hear you got
some good-looking yearlings.
When you get a chance,
please give me a call back.
I'd love to check them out,
and I hope you're having a good day.
- [Jackson] Howdy!
- Hey.
- [Jackson] You Willie? Willie.
- Willie, yeah.
- What's your...?
- You Jackson?
I'm Jackson Silva. Yes, sir.
Boy, had a tough time finding this place.
- Oh, really?
- Yes, sir. You're quite out here.
We're out in the boonies, all right,
but it's building up.
- You looking to buy one?
- I am.
Two... The two...
Them two right there are decent horses.
- That gray?
- Yeah.
They come...
They run in all kinds of colors.
You know, I had an old man tell me
when I was first starting out there,
he was sitting around there,
and I asked him, I says:
"What color you like best, Mac?"
He says, "I like them fast colors."
That's funny. That's the exact same color
I'm looking for.
Yeah. Yeah.
Come on, I'll show you another one.
- I'll be right there, Willie.
- Okay.
[pensive music playing]
...a real stocky-built horse.
About the same.
But you wanna be sure
the hind end is straight.
That it ain't cow-hocked
or sickle-hocked or...
How's Leo doing?
[Jackson] He's, uh...
- You ain't spoke to him?
- Nah, nah.
I haven't talked to him in,
man, close to a year, I guess.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, he's, uh...
- He's resting.
- Is he?
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
Tell him I said hi, man,
and I'll get his phone number
and give him a call.
- I think he sure would appreciate that.
- Yeah.
- He spoke highly of you.
- Yeah, well, he's always done me good.
Who's been chewing on my reins? That you?
Come on, man.
I gotta go pick up shavings
before I come back here in the morning.
He said he was on his way.
Well, he is yours.
Punctuality runs in the family.
I'm always on time.
You're on time when there's
a check with your name on it.
I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry.
- What the hell happened to you?
- The farrier came.
Mr. Meyer had me holding horses.
They were talking more than working.
- Which one?
- [Gabriel] Ma'am?
- The farrier.
- [Gabriel] Um, Martinez.
Fucking...
I called Martinez three days ago.
- And he goes to Jerry's barn first.
- Ruth, I wanted to introduce you two.
This is Gabriel I was telling you about.
- Jackson says you got light hands.
- Yes, ma'am. Thank you.
[Ruth] You don't have to "ma'am" me.
Carlos! Bring Jolene around.
- So how long you been riding?
- Before I could walk.
- How long you been a jockey?
- Three years.
'Cause I looked you up.
I couldn't find really much.
Yeah, I just lost my bug last year.
I've been exercising horses for everybody.
I could do whatever you need me to do.
I don't mind the work.
Okay. Well, let's see what you got.
- Now?
- [Ruth] Right now.
You want me to do anything or...?
Hop down.
- That's it?
- [Ruth] 5 a.m. tomorrow.
And you tell Jerry first.
You don't leave him hanging.
He even mounts a horse like you.
- [Jackson] Can you believe that?
- What?
She fucking loved you.
And once again, Lord, we thank you
for that supernatural hedge of protection
that you placed around everybody
working with the horses today.
We thank you, Lord,
that it's gonna be a safe day
that your light
and your glory will continually shine
right here at Turf Paradise
in such a way that people will indeed
recognize your presence in this place.
And we'll be quick
to give you all the praise,
the honor, and the glory
for all that you do in Jesus' name.
- And everybody said amen.
- [all] Amen.
Praise the Lord.
Thank you, guys. Appreciate ya.
Thank you. God bless you. Appreciate ya.
Thank you, guys.
Bless you. Thank you, buddy.
- Thank you, sir. God bless you.
- Appreciate you.
[chaplain] Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
That guy in the red shirt?
He's gonna cut in to the inside
as soon as he leaves the gate.
Everybody in the first three holes
is fucked.
Give yourself time
before moving on the inside.
You'll be all right.
- Appreciate it.
- Got ya.
What hole is Gabriel in?
[man] Number five.
[pensive music playing]
- [Gabriel] Got a light?
- You have to start thinking about...
- fixing up your hair after every race.
- I ain't got none.
Yeah, you do. You get helmet head.
Look, it doesn't have to be perfect.
I'm just saying
you gotta look fresh before every race.
You know, it gives the owners confidence.
You know,
you don't wanna upset the trainer.
You piss off Ruth...
You don't wanna do that.
I already pissed Ruth off.
- Good race, kid.
- Thanks, Big O.
About what?
On the parade,
I was looking out at the crowd too much.
Okay. She wants you
to stay focused, that's all.
That's a good thing.
She doesn't want you distracted.
If I'm winning races,
why does it matter?
Listen, you ride the horse,
Ruth rides you, the owner rides her.
That's just the way it is.
It's nothing to be taken personal.
But you better take it seriously.
[man] Jackson, you gonna dance
for us tonight or what?
[Jackson] No, man. Probably tomorrow.
I'm all stoved up right now.
[man] Stop it, you lost.
[Jackson] I'm gonna go get me a tequila.
You gotta come meet Ronnie. He's a weirdo.
- Yeah. I'll be there in a sec.
- Come on.
Okay. Oh, you're gonna go talk
to them seoritas?
[Gabriel] How you doing?
Yo! Yes, sir!
As long as I got my straw
and my toothpick, nothing going down.
How long you been
drinking beers with straws?
I been doing it about,
let's see, since I was 16 years old.
- Monday's my birthday, so...
- But why do you drink beers...?
- Through a straw?
- Yeah.
Because it gets you drunk faster.
- Okay?
- I don't think I need straws.
- You're good with that straw.
- Wanna take this?
[pop music playing over speakers]
Don't you look cute!
Well, now, who you riding in the fifth?
Honor something? Honor April?
- April? Honor April.
- Boy,
I always gotta wonder about a horse
when I can't remember his name.
[all laughing]
Yeah, speaking of,
I'm not scared if you dance.
Yeah, I might. You asking me to dance?
What you need? What you need?
You need another beer, it look like to me.
- No, no, no.
- Okay, you good.
[crowd whistling, cheering]
["I Stumbled Onto Heaven" playing]
Two big blue eyes, full of surprise
Offered their welcome of paradise
The room was filled with music
We nearly danced
The whole night through
There on the hotel terrace
[announcer]
Finally, rounding out the card,
Dido's Lament, trainer Ruth Wilkes,
ridden by Jackson Silva.
This is her maiden race,
and her current odds are 19-to-1.
[scoffs]
Wish I had made a bet.
You nervous?
First day of school.
She's about to skip two grades.
[bugle trumpeting]
[announcer speaking indistinctly]
[upbeat music playing]
- Picture.
- [cameras clicking]
I don't care how much weight
you gain tonight, we're gonna celebrate.
Okay, let's go.
[Jackson]
There you go. There you go. Sooie!
All right. He rode the bull with no horns.
You know that. What kind of odds
are you gonna give this one?
- Eight seconds?
- Uh, yep.
- Eight seconds...
- A good, solid eight.
- No. I'm gonna give him four.
- Four?
You cheer for the bulls or the riders?
I'm always cheering for the riders.
- Yeah.
- There you go. Come on.
- Two, three, four...
- Two, three, four...
- Four! Four!
- Shit. Goddamn it!
- Four. Four seconds.
- Damn it! Oh!
Dash for Cash.
Special Effort...
Barb Phenomenal.
Uh...
That roan horse out of Illinois.
Uh-huh.
Uh... Oh! It's that special...
Oh, oh! Uh...
Special...
Shit. I can't remember. God.
["I'm Moving On" playing over speakers]
All right.
- Dashing Phenom. Dashing Phenom.
- Dashing Phenom.
Hey, your turn.
Mm. All right,
we got Seattle Slew on one side,
then we got First Down Dash on the other.
- Fisher King.
- No, ma'am.
- What?
- No, California horse.
- California horse.
- Bullshit.
California horse
owned by a coffee company.
- Oh, Houndstooth.
- [laughs]
Damn! I can't believe
I needed a hint on that.
- [groans]
- [Jackson laughing]
Whoo!
All right. Nope.
Hey, no Canadian horses.
I'm hip to your trickery.
Mm.
Mm, God, I want to win it all.
Dido. I want her to win.
You know, it's like the claiming races
and the asshole owners
and the last barn on the backside.
And it's okay. You know? It's enough.
You make it enough. And it's... It's good.
And then she shows up and she is...
And you remember.
You want it all.
I want her to win.
So do I.
Whoa.
Can I borrow 20 bucks?
To pay for that shot you just slammed?
No, no. They're charging me
$20 to get on that bull.
No, no, no. Hold on. I need $40
'cause I need the helmet and the vest.
I need to stay...
You know, protect myself
because I know that I'd fly
right off of that thing.
- I'll spot you 20.
- [Gabriel] Yeah?
Yeah. But as soon as you get on that bull,
you're fired.
It's good practice.
I ride on that, I ride anything.
[Jackson] The kid's got a point.
Who's gonna pay for all these?
I'm gonna dance.
Who's gonna dance with me?
I... I can't.
I'm moving on
I'm moving on...
Okay, you lead. You lead.
I'm moving on
I'm moving on
I'm moving on...
[both laughing]
To waltzing.
You can just have a little quickie.
I mean, just a dance.
- Ruth...
- That's not what I meant.
- That's not what I meant.
- Ruth. Truth in jest is...
I was just thinking
we should just play some cards.
Okay. Do...?
I mean, they're your cards.
What's your game?
I'm not really that good at cards.
- These cards are in your house.
- I know.
- Well, it's more of a training exercise.
- It is not.
You should see what I did with Gabe.
I taught Gabe 52-card pickup.
That's the stupidest game ever.
I'm gonna teach you a real game.
Is that glass, uh...?
- Are those shot glasses clean?
- They're filthy.
- All right.
- I mean, you could clean them.
- No, no, no. I got more.
- [clears throat] Let's just roll a joint.
Hi, baby.
Hi. Hi.
I've got a... I don't...
I've got a very clean-ish glass.
That's completely unsanitary, man.
I can see you. I'm right here.
[Jackson] No, look. Look how clean it is.
One...
I'm gonna roll it on this lady's face.
Look at this. What is this?
- This is your reading material over here?
- Yeah. I just...
- Yeah, I already read it.
- Sea Swept.
- You can borrow that if you want to.
- "The lives and loves of three brothers
- on the windswept shores...
- Oh, my God.
[laughing] ...of Chesapeake Bay."
Jacks?
Fuck, Jacks. What's...?
Hang on. What? What's...? What?
It's just this whole... I'm all right.
- Is that your heart? What's happening?
- No, it's nothing like that. It's just...
It's just, uh...
I can't feel that side of the body.
Jesus Christ, man. Here, let me help you.
- You want me to help you move?
- Just help me sit up.
All right, we're good. It's just, uh...
Hold on.
It's just this thing that happens.
It's, uh...
I might be in a little worse shape
than what I thought.
Jeez, you think so?
I do.
Yeah. Um...
Oh, Jackson.
- It's like pins and needles?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- It's numb?
Yeah, I don't even feel that right now,
but it'll come back.
[groans]
Let me just...
Let me just, uh...
- Hey. Stay with me here.
- Yeah? It's...
You know, it's just like Billy Parham
when he got thrown in Pompano.
You remember how he was...?
He was, like, "The birds,
they're singing in the jocks' room,"
and he just kept thinking he kept
hearing these songs, and it was...
You know, he heard the singing.
He just didn't... Just didn't make it.
You remember that?
I never, uh...
Hey.
I've never been scared before, Ruth.
There it is.
Okay. That's okay.
That's okay.
You're okay.
Hey. Hey. What's she like out there?
What is she like out there?
Dido. What's she like?
Dido's like...
Like a horse I never thought
I'd ever get to ride.
You know? I never felt...
I never felt worthy
of riding a horse like Dido.
You know,
she's the first horse I've ever had
that made me wish I was a jockey.
Hey, there's still time for you.
Oh, yeah. I don't think so.
You know, there's a...
You get older,
you start to realize that...
you know...
you and your body,
they just ain't the same.
You know what I mean?
I don't...
I think this might be
my last season, Ruth.
[sobbing] No shit, Jackson.
All right, it's coming back.
You want me
to help you get up on the couch?
No.
Let's just sit here for a while longer.
- Can we?
- Sure, buddy.
Sure, we can.
That'd be nice.
[doctor] I have consulted with a few
of my colleagues who are afraid
that you might have something
that's more degenerative.
Something that looks a lot like ALS.
Got a couple of options for you
and I'm not sure that any
one of them are gonna be something
that's gonna keep you
in the saddle at this time.
In fact, I think
it's gonna be more detrimental
than a career issue.
It's actually gonna affect your home life.
It's gonna affect your mobility.
It's gonna affect your independence.
So if, currently...
The independence of being able to get
in your car and take a drive,
that could come to an end.
This is not something
that's gonna get better.
I don't have options
as far as injections...
[pensive music playing]
[Jackson] Catch anything?
Some catfish.
Nothing else really out here.
[Jackson] There's some carp out there too,
but you don't want to eat them.
They got fertilizer for blood out here.
[Gabriel] Mm.
I got you something.
Oh, thanks. Got a burger in there too?
A couple of sips of that coffee
and one of these
will get you through a meal every day.
- What's that?
- Open it.
Those boots should fit you good and snug.
If they don't, I'll take you to Booker's.
This stuff is nice, Jackson.
I can't take this.
It's a gift.
I'd be offended if you didn't take it.
Thank you.
There's a lot of people
that say they want to help,
but they're looking for something.
I haven't met a lot of people that just...
I know. Just don't start losing.
There's nothing worse
than losing a race in new gear.
It's like you're trying to buy
the part or something.
[pensive music playing]
I love this time of day.
[Jackson]
You know what I said about that timeline?
About how it wasn't possible?
Maybe I was wrong.
My dad was a great jockey
for a little while.
And his father.
My granddad met the president of Mexico.
That's how good he was.
I just wish I'd told you sooner.
Ruidoso or Oaklawn.
I just didn't know what to say.
I wish I'd known you growing up.
I feel like I robbed myself of...
something wonderful.
I just wanna...
I'm sorry.
I've eaten some fish out of here.
They taste kind of good.
[Jackson laughing]
Hello, Ana. It's me again.
Hello, Ana. Nice to see you.
I met our son.
I met Gabriel...
And I just wanted to come back and, um...
And I just wanted to...
I'd like to...
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
I got a lot of nice clothes now.
Fuck.
Ana.
[Ana] Hey.
Hi.
Yeah. I was just passing through.
I had a match race outside of Del Mar,
and I heard you was...
- Can I help you with that bag?
- No. I'm... What are you doing here?
You look good. Uh...
How long you been here?
Uh...
Thirteen years, 14? I don't know.
[clears throat]
I met Gabriel.
You know, he's a good kid.
You did real good by him.
Where's he at?
He's at a track up in Phoenix.
Why didn't you...? You know, I would've...
I would've liked to have known he was
out there. I wish you would've told me.
- Why?
- Look, Ana.
I know I fucked up with you.
I fucked up real bad, okay?
And I'm here to own it,
and I'd like to at least think that...
at the absolute least,
I would have been there for the kid.
- You would have been there for him?
- Yeah. I'd have been there.
I could've taught him a thing or two,
something different.
Something to keep him from,
you know, becoming a jockey.
Look, I know I wasn't around.
I admit that, but you didn't tell me
he was here neither.
He's not your kid.
He's not yours, Jackson.
I got pregnant after you left.
I'm sorry that you came all this way,
but I got to wake up early.
[pensive music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
- [melancholy music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]
[man playing jazz saxophone]
[knocking on door]
- Hey.
- [Jackson] Well, I'll be!
- [slurring] Look who it is, ladies!
- I didn't realize we were having a party.
- What's going on?
- Come on in, man.
It's my son! Right?
My son, the one I abandoned
so many years ago, huh?
I'm gonna talk to you later.
Talk to me later? Talk about what?
- Nothing.
- [belches] No, no, no.
Let's talk, talk, talk. That's too much.
Come here, come here.
Why don't you come in here
and talk to everybody and tell us a story
with that beautiful imagination of yours?
And then we'll drink a little.
- I'm gonna go.
- Go? No, no, no.
Hey, I talked to your mama.
I went over there to apologize,
of all things. I mean...
Why in the fuck would you say that to me?
- Say what?
- Come on.
I mean, I'm not your fucking dad.
You know, it's... It's, uh...
I'm still trying to figure out
what the fuck's going on.
Oh, I know what it is. It's...
Look, if it's money you need,
I'm gonna hook you...
I got 6 dollars and 30...
Look, it's all yours. Keep that.
You don't owe me shit.
Uh, just come on in
and have some shots with us.
- I don't want your money.
- Come on in.
I don't want your fucking money!
- Come on. Let's go. Let's get this on.
- I hoped you were my dad.
I thought that my mom was trying
to cut you out.
Telling me some fucking story.
I was good with horses.
I saw you. You're a fucking...
You're incredible on that horse.
Oh, yeah, I'm fantastic.
I'm just gonna leave you alone.
I'm not gonna bother you no more.
[groans]
[Ruth] Hey, Jackson.
Don't worry.
I'm not taking none of your shit.
So is this how you're gonna play it?
Just sneak out in the night?
I'm not sneaking out anywhere.
I'm trying to save you from having
to say what you were gonna say.
Unless I'm wrong.
I'm sorry, Jackson.
No other jockey worth anything
would even set foot in my barn
and you were always there.
You know, I wanted this for us.
Now that you got one of your own...
can't leave anything up to chance.
It's not that and you know it.
Then tell me what it is then.
I'm not gonna watch you die out there.
You won't race a sore horse
but a jockey...
Don't start that with me.
How many times have I ridden
broken for you, huh?
Every time I break a collarbone
or a rib or bust my head,
I kept racing for you.
Yeah, and who drove you home
from the hospital?
Who gave you horses
when nobody else would?
So, what is it now, huh?
You know I can do it.
That horse knows I can do it.
Now what's the difference?
You're afraid.
That's what's changed.
Man, you said so yourself, and it's okay.
These horses will run until they...
You gotta tell a horse
when it's time to stop.
So that's it, then?
Yeah.
Well, I'll forgive you. Someday.
Call back.
Owes me a call.
George Jorge.
[Gabriel]
Hi. Can I get the special, please?
- [clears throat]
- Thank you.
You're looking right and proper out there.
Like you and that horse finally
got your rhythm together.
Hey, man. I got it.
Try not standing on her shoulder
when she opens up.
You know, lean back and let it roll.
- Coming out that turn, especially...
- Hey, man. I got it.
Big race.
- Your loss.
- I don't need this shit.
I got this horse. That's me.
How do you think you got this horse?
By working my fucking ass off.
I broke bones. I cleaned stalls.
I took shit from these trainers.
- How many stalls does a 19-year-old clean?
- [groans]
What, you busted your ass, what, for what?
- Four years? Three years?
- [groaning]
- How long you think I busted my ass?
- Sorry, can I get some pico de gallo?
Give you a leg up.
You made some introductions,
but I was on my way to do that.
I told you what I wanted to do myself.
All right, then. All right.
Well, I'll give you one last piece
of valuable advice.
Don't fucking lie to people.
Goddamn Kids.
[dramatic music playing]
Hello, Jerry.
- Yeah. Hey.
- Howdy.
- My name's Jack...
- I know who you are.
- Uh, what can I do for you?
- I hear you got a horse in the futurity.
Um...
I do.
If it's all right with you,
I'd like to ride her.
- You put him up to this?
- [man] Don't look at me.
Jackson Silva,
you wanna ride for my barn?
- If you'll have me. Yes, sir.
- Don't you ride for Ruth right now?
Well, our relationship's ran its course.
- [man] What, did you hit the jackpot?
- I guess so.
I got Jackson Silva asking me
if he can ride for my barn.
- Come on down here with me.
- Yes, Sir.
I got a horse down here that I think
with you up on it, we could easily...
[announcer] And he will be the next one
to go into the starting gate here.
[indistinct chatter]
[groaning]
[footsteps approaching]
You all right?
Never been better.
Think I might go for a run after this.
You look ready.
- I heard you were bad off.
- Nah.
I ain't too bad.
[Gabriel] I didn't mean to hurt you.
I wasn't lying.
I saw this photo and I thought:
"What if that's him?"
You know, if that's where I came from,
I could be somebody like that.
And...
I could be somebody worthy of that photo.
My dad was an angry man.
And got hurt early and caught the fear.
Couldn't race anymore.
Bitter man.
Only time he'd hug me was...
when he'd take me to the tracks.
I'd place the bets for him...
and hold his beer.
But then when them horses came racing out
of that gate with the jockeys...
Whoo.
I'd imagine them flying off
to some other place...
where they couldn't get hurt.
No one was scared.
Just a better world.
But then they'd cross that finish line...
Pops would slam his beer...
stare at me...
remind me I was bad luck.
Then he'd hand me another wad of cash
and have me place some more bets.
Maybe in this better world,
I would have been your son.
There ain't no better world.
There's just this one.
But, uh...
I certainly would be proud
to call you son.
[pensive music playing]
Stay off the rail.
You'll win it by a mile.
Feel all right?
Hello Sunshine's gonna win, Jerry.
- You really think so?
- I know it.
Did I ever tell you the story
on why we named him Hello Sunshine?
No, sir. You didn't.
Well, he was born a few days too late.
When he came out,
we thought he was stillborn.
So we're shaking him, blowing in his nose,
trying to get the gunk out.
Then, all of a sudden,
through the stall window...
Yeah.
...a little arc of sunlight landed
on his head.
That's when he took his first breath.
You just stay near the winner's circle,
Jerry Meyer.
Okay.
[dramatic music playing]
[pensive music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Ruth] You did it!
You did it!
Come on, let's go. Let's go.
[techno music playing]