Palio Page #3

I'm the strongest.

It's life or death.

The inner courtyard

is beautiful

because you're in a bubble

away from the Piazza del Campo.

Outside, people are waiting

to cheer or judge you.

It's like a bullfight.

We're like bulls

entering the arena.

Everybody has expectations

of me...

me and my colleagues.. I mean.

The line-up

is determined by luck.

This mechanism was invented

to ensure absolute secrecy.

Once the horses come out..

the tube is opened

and the line-up is written down.

If you have a bad position

between the ropes,

if you end up

in the last positions,

your chances of victory

greatly diminish.

Ram.

She-Wolf.

Tower.

Porcupine.

Unicorn.

Owl.

Goose.

Wave.

Slowly.. Owl, slowly.

No kicking.

Panther go in.

Slowly.. slowly.

Run-in-jockey,

whenever you want.

The start of the race

is determined

by the last horse entering

known as the run-in-horse.

He decides who'll have

a good start or a bad start.

The run-in-jockey

will probably have

his enemy between the ropes.

His aim will be to catch

his enemy unprepared.

Between the ropes,

I kept my eye on my enemy..

Tower.

He had a better position

in the line-up.

Run-in-jockey stay still!

Turn around, Goose.

Guys.. calm down.

Get in.. Unicorn.

Everybody out!

When it gets chaotic

the starter

will send them all back out.

They'll all go to

the run-in-jockey

to bid money

in return for favors.

The Palio is a game

of legitimate corruption.

Without corruption,

there's no Palio.

All jockeys are corruptible.

We give our jockey

money to spend.

The richest district

spends the most.

The jockey who bids the highest

should get the best start.

Unicorn.

Owl.. don't push.

Don't push.

Easy, easy.

Unicorn.. you are fifth.

Find your position.

Unicorn.. go back

to your position.

Run-in-jockey stay still.

Come on, get in there, idiot!

Who's the run-in-jockey,

Murtas?

Maggot!

Murtas is the run-in-jockey.

He's in cahoots with Bruschelli.

Bruschelli does what no

other has done.. not even Aceto.

He's created a network

of absolute power.

Go big.. Murtas.

He comes from

that stable, just as I did.

It's only his second Palio,

and he's the run-in-jockey.

Perhaps too much responsibility

for him to handle.

So he looked for guidance

from his master.

It's a false start.

The run-in-horse

was still far from the ropes.

Unicorn started

before the run-in.

Unicorn called the start.

Clearly it was Gigi's strategy.

Ram. She-Wolf.

The Palio is a battle.

Between the ropes,

that's who I truly am.

All your aggression

and courage comes out.

We are Goose.

We are different.

We are the strongest.

No, no, no.

We won with our heart.

Giovanni, you're great.

It's hard

to explain the feeling.

You work all year long

for those 90 seconds.

If you are in front,

it seems never-ending.

But if you are at the back,

it's over in a second.

I got the Casato bend wrong.

That's when I went for it.

My enemy was on the inside.

If I don't get this right,

even though we've been

friends for years..

the Goose people

will chop me up.

An incredible Palio.

A beautiful race.

Gigi Bruschelli

was nowhere to be seen.

Giovanni was really on fire.

He wasn't there

just to take part.

He was there to be the champion.

He was a gladiator..

unlike the other jockeys.

He wasn't there for the money.

He was there to be number one.

# Thank you.. Mother of Mercy #

# Protect us from the enemy #

# And at the hour of death..

let us rise #

it's all or nothing.

I'm not interested

in mediocrity.

It's all or nothing.

I must win both Palios now.

July was an important step.

But August could make my career.

You don't

get used to losing

and you don't

get used to winning.

You don't always get

the horse you want..

but if you are a professional..

you have to deal with it.

Good morning.. Silvano.

Giovanni, take Federico

for a ride with you.

Federico.. come here

so you can learn something.

Watch closely and learn.

Stay with him, Federico.

Keep together.

Go.. Giovanni!

Giovanni.. he was trying

to push you in the ditch.

Fede, why were you

pushing him to the side?

No.. I wasn't.

Now he's claiming

he couldn't see you.

He wanted to kill me

before the August Palio.

Someone paid him to do that.

Giovanni, have a slice of tart.

No.. thanks.. just the coffee.

Just a slice of tart.

- No, thank you.

You were like a gladiator

in this great Palio.

- Something never seen before.

Never seen before?

Not like that.. never.

Someone who parries

with the whip,

with the horse.. with the hand,

you fought, you overtook your

enemy on the inside

you blocked the riderless horse

and She-Wolf's horse

with your hand.

It was an amazing Palio,

but I have to say

it was different from the Palios

of the '70s and '80s

when I was a jockey.

These days you have to deal with

a jockey like Bruschelli who is

almost at the end of his career,

so I believe it was

quite simple for you.

While I had Aceto,

Canapino.. Cianchino.. Pesse.

The only one you had to

beat was him. Am I wrong?

If you say so,

but I wouldn't dare say it.

Who should I watch out

for in August?

Gigi.

Gigi, he is a man

with a mission.

Good afternoon.. how are you?

Gigi Bruschelli

trains some of my horses.

And that's what's sort

of happens in this area.

Trainers tend to be jockeys.

This is Osama.

This is Montego.

And that's Mocambo.

Mocambo.

He's the shyest one.

Despite the fact

that I've had wonderful horses

for 25 years.. I've never won.

The Palio, it's a game

played by people

where the horse

is the unknown element.

Everything else is something

that humans can trade.

They can trade positions,

they can trade favors.

But they can't get inside

the horse's mind.

It's a desperate attempt

to control fate.

I've known Gigi forever.

He understands horses better

than any jockey before,

let alone the strange game

that the Palio is.

All

jockeys make a horse wish list

and this list

goes to the captains,

but they only consider

Gigi's list.

He decides which horses

should be selected

and where certain jockeys

should ride.

Then there's the issue

of the horses.

Naike..

Lo Specialista.. Morosita.

There'll be yet another

Bruschelli-trained horse.

You already know

which you'd like to mount

and you don't have to tell me.

Which horse would you go for

in August?

Among these ones?

Morosita.

As you saw in the July Palio..

Morosita is a strong horse.

Remember.. she was

the run-in-horse.

At the San Martino bend..

she was third.

She's a good horse.

Now you've got the bit between

your teeth, don't let go.

As soon as you relax..

the others are ready to...

- Do you know what I mean?

Perfectly.

Work hard and keep

on doing what you did in July

'cause this job

doesn't last long..

but as long as it lasts,

keep hammering.

Gigi's very, very focused.

He has won 13 Palios

in 16 years.

I hope that he wins again

and matches Aceto..

but it's not easy.

My second and third victories

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