So before we get further into this story, can you just tell me, like, how does a horse race work?

所以在我们深入探讨这个故事之前，你能告诉我赛马是如何进行的吗？

As the numbers of working horses and mules in America fell from about 21m in 1918 to only 3m or so in 1960, the decline was mirrored in the overall horse population.

美国役用马和骡的数量从1918年的约2100万减少到1960年的仅300万上下，而马的总数也有类似的下降。

On a craft of this size, there is a crew of only three: the skipper who does the supervising, a No. 2 man who assists the skipper, and a general work horse, who is usually a Scandinavian. I am a Scandinavian.

在这种规模的船只上，只有三名船员：负责监督的船长、协助船长的二号手和一匹通常是斯堪的纳维亚人的普通工作马。我是斯堪的纳维亚人。