Flying finish / Бурный финиш. Книга для чтения на английском языке

As he outranked my father by several strawberry leaves[143 - he outranked my father by several strawberry leaves – то есть, был герцогом (на герцогской короне эмблема в виде листьев земляники), имел титул выше] he clearly felt he had the right to be as caustic as he chose. I listened to him saying I couldn’t ride in a cart with a pig-net over it and wondered how he treated the professionals.

Julian Thackery’s father caught the tail end of these remarks as he was passing, and looked amused: and when I came out of the weighing room after changing he was leaning against the rails waiting for me.

He had brought the list of entries of his horses, and at his suggestion we adjourned to the bar to discuss them. He bought me some lemon squash without a quiver, and we sat down at a small table on which he spread out several sheets of paper. I realised, hearing him discussing his plans and prospects, that the year by year success of his horses was no accident: he was a very able man.

�Why don’t you take out a public licence?’ I said finally.

�Too much worry,’ he smiled. �This way it’s a hobby. If I make mistakes, I have no one on my conscience. No one to apologise to or smooth down. No need to worry about owners whisking their horses away at an hour’s notice. No risk of them not paying my fees for months on end.’

�You know the snags[144 - know the snags – (разг.

) знаете все подводные камни]’, I agreed dryly.

�There’s no profit in training,’ he said. �I break even most years[145 - break even most years – (разг.) заканчиваю год без прибыли и без потерь], maybe finish a little ahead. But I work the stable in with the farm, you see. A lot of the overheads come into the farm accounts. I don’t see how half these public trainers stay in business, do you? They either have to be rich to start with, or farmers like me, or else they have to bet, if they want a profit.

’

�But they don’t give it up,’ I pointed out mildly. �And they all drive large cars. They can’t do too badly.’

He shook his head and finished his whisky. �They’re good actors, some of them. They put on a smiling not-a-care-in-the-world expression at the races when they’ve got the bank manager camping on their door-step back home.