Theo’s college friend Daniel calls, suggesting that he, Theo, and their friends take a trip to Yosemite National Park. Theo mentions to Daniel that he happens to be dating a white woman. As he and Clancy go for their run, Theo thinks about his new relationship with Jess, uncertain of the exact parameters that define it. He knows his mother, Abiona, would not approve, but he can’t imagine how his late father might have reacted. Theo likes Jess but, it is still difficult to deal with the gaps in her perception of racial equality. He decides that for now he will trust his instincts, which tell him that Jess has his best interests at heart.

When Jarret and Lexington meet Gil Patrick, Jarret believes that Lexington will finally be ridden by a jockey worthy of him. Patrick is known for his patient, intuitive, and honorable treatment of his mounts, and for the ferocity with which he challenges opposing jockeys.

After their first workout, Patrick approaches Jarret and demands, “How long?” (270). Jarret realizes he cannot hide Lexington’s condition from a fellow true horseman. The reader is not yet told that Patrick is referring to Lexington’s growing blindness.