Palio Page #2

you have a responsibility

to your district.

You think about the Palio

every single day.

During the winter,

the captain and his lieutenants

must plan the Palio,

but only fate

will decide if it all goes well.

A captain

could do everything right,

but if the jockey gets it wrong..

or sells himself

he'll mess up the plan.

The jockeys are not trusted.

A victorious jockey is loved

but a losing jockey

might be considered corrupt.

This year I really have to win

or people will want someone new.

His name is Guess,

he's 11 years old.

He's very healthy.

He's run a few Palios

but always been unlucky.

In his first Palio,

he finished third.

He lacked experience.

Then last year,

he was second at the start.

Reaching the San Martino bend.

His angle was wrong..

so he fell and caused a pile up.

I've trained this horse

for years.

I hope he'll be selected.

Go, big bum.

Siena is the only place

where a horse can win

without a jockey.

What counts is the horse.

Gigi Bruschelli has fallen.

His riderless horse has won!

The horse has won

without Bruschelli.

13 Palios?

He's won 12 Palios, not 13.

Don't count the riderless win.

Look at my pictures.

Who's on the horse

in all my victories?

You.

If you'd seen a photo

without a jockey.

you would've asked..

"Who was riding that horse?"

I bet Bruschelli says that

he wants to win 14 Palios.

Tell him to forget it.

He's won because of one reason.

He's been riding alone.

Many of the jockeys

are his allies.

Once we stopped

he really took power.

he took the keys to the city

and began his reign.

Have you cleaned her?

He embedded himself

alongside boys

from his own stable.

Do we have Naike?

Naike, Osama,

Polonsky.. Mocambo.

Gigi Bruschelli

is like an old lion

who has a harem of districts

at his disposal.

No doubt the captains

prefer certain jockeys.

There are many strategies

and deals.

I can't really talk about this.

Aceto and Bastiano

can talk more about it.

The retired jockeys.

When I'll retire

I'll be more open about it.

Fede.. keep your hands low

and your knees high.

Let her run.

You have good posture..

but to be a great Palio jockey,

not a mediocre jockey,

you need balls.

Not small balls, big balls!

So, less Facebook, less texting.

Possibly more screwing..

but mostly concentrate.

I want you to be the best

because my reputation

is at stake.

So less chatting and more balls.

This morning

there are the first trials

for inexperienced jockeys

and horses

to try out the Piazza.

This happens only twice a year.

You must be like

a gladiator in the Colosseum.

Be ready to take on

a mortal challenge.

I want you

to be very determined,

not like a granny

shopping for cucumbers.

I started skipping days

at school

so I thought

I might as well go for it.

My dream is to be

a Palio jockey.

I caught

this beautiful sickness.

Everybody out!

A jockey mustn't fear injury.

He must be ready to win or die.

You mustn't get

the trajectory wrong.

Horses must pass through

a 1.5-meter space.

If you don't get it right,

you'll hit the columns.

Federico knows this.

What can I do?

I told him not to take it

too tight.

It's not up to us

to worry about the boy.

I never worried about myself..

how can I worry about him?

To do this job..

he can't be delicate.

There are many ways to fall.

You fell like a gentleman.

- Did you hurt yourself?

No, nothing.

- Maybe your arm hurts a bit?

- I was better off before.

This earth burns you.

# Owl's whip is high up #

# We hate Unicorn #

# We are Unicorn #

# When we arrive

in the square #

# Roll out the red carpet

for us #

The horse is allocated

to the district

four days before the race.

The top jockeys wait

to see where the horses end up.

The best jockey

is called by the district

that gets the best horse.

Five.

Shell.

One.

Ram.

Seven.

She-Wolf.

Porcupine.

Unicorn.

Once you know

how good your horse is..

then you decide what to aim for.

Either to block your enemy

or to go for the win.

Eight.

Goose.

For the past three

years, I've ridden for Goose.

My horse was allocated

to the district I know.

We have an excellent

relationship.

A stroke of luck.

I am riding for this district.

I have to try and win but also

to stop our rival.. Tower.

We have connected on a personal

level with Giovanni.

I really consider him a friend.

He's like a member of Goose.

This is the "Nerbo"

that the jockeys

hit each other with.

On the face and the hands

or on the head.

But on the face

or on the hands.. it hurts.

You're an expert on this whip.

What's it made of?

The technical term.. Bernardino

In your own words.

This Nerbo is made of.

- Of...

- Of...

The phallus of the...

Which animal is it?

- The ox.

- The ox.

It's stretched

with a weight and dried.

Originally

it's short and stubby.

- Yours would be like that.

- You have a mini-Nerbo.

For the four days of the Palio..

we live in Siena

in the district

that we ride for.

We give them our mobile phone.

We are watched

by three bodyguards.

You're always with them..

even when you sleep.

We are sort of kidnapped.

Because jockeys might take

bribes from other districts.

Jockeys in Siena

are considered assassins.

Mercenaries..

because they're paid.

They're not always loyal

to the district they ride for.

Bastard!

Son of a b*tch!

That zombie pisses me off.

Gigi pisses me off..

he'll screw us up next time.

Cool it.. ladies..

don't get excited.

When was the last time

Tortoise won?

In August 2010..

we won with the Emperor.

- Who's the Emperor?

- Gigi Bruschelli.

He manages to control Palios.

He can control any situation.

To win a Palio

is very expensive.

Each district pays

with donations from its people.

# By force and for love #

The strongest love we have

is for our district.

It's unconditional love.

Gigi sees a chance

to win his 14th Palio.

We want to see him

with his whip high.

We can't fail.

It will be so.

His neck hurts but I think

the problem is his posture.

My impression is that

he gets defensive.

The problem is not the shoulder..

rather his neck extension.

There is a thickening

on the left side

of the nuchal ligament.

- Maybe 'cause you...

- No.. I didn't force him.

That's the way he is.

I haven't given him anything

this morning.

Let's have a look

before you ride him.

A good horse or a bad horse

is all relative.

What matters is a horse

that fits your strategy.

Porto Alabe..

go and return victorious!

To the Tortoise!

Eeny.. meeny, miny.. moe..

catch a tiger by the toe.

- Panther will win.

- Goose will.

Damn, I'm drunk.

Squeeze. We can all fit in!

One, two.. three!

In Siena we're all crazy!

It's a muffled chaos to us.

From the outside..

it may look crazy.

but to horse and jockey..

it feels like

a different dimension.

It doesn't seem

like chaos to us.

I retreat into myself

and focus on what's to come.

I could be riding a donkey..

and yet I feel

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes