"He's a good plucked 'un anyhow."
Many such remarks were passed as Tearaway went in.
"Get down," said Brant sharply, trying to rouse him.
Fred looked at him but did not seem to understand.
"Get down, unsaddle, and weigh in," said Brant.
"Yes, of course, I forgot," said Fred in a hollow voice.
Two of the stewards were looking on; they had just congratulated Picton on his win.
"Your jockey looks ill," one of them said.
"He is; he was very bad, faint, before the race, but he said he'd pull through, and I could not find a good jockey at the last moment," said Picton.
"You might have ridden her," said the other steward. "You are about the weight, and would not have made any difference to the result."