The trainer gives me a leg up in the paddock. Once I’m mounted, the groom takes the horse by the bridle and leads it out to the track.

When we first get out there, I’m not concentrating on the race at all. I talk with the exercise rider or look at the tote board to see how much time we have to warm up.

Mostly, it’s just chatting with the exercise rider or pony person. We talk about what’s going on with them; or if something interesting is going on with me, we’ll talk about that.

At this point, we’re looking to get the horse warmed up. There are things you can sense from the horse as you’re warming up. I check to see how the horse is hitting the ground, is it bouncing on its toes or lifeless, does it jog to the gate or just walk with its head down. When things are right, I can sense that the horse is anxious to run. Horses have moods, just like people.

By now, there’s only a couple of minutes before we move into the starting gate. As I approach the gate, I go over in my mind what the trainer told me, what the race looked like on the racing form, how I expect the race to set up, what I want to do with my horse.

All this could go right out the window the first jump out of the gate, but you go in with a plan and hope that happens. If something else happens, you improvise.

Once we get close to the starting gate, I’m anxious to get in there and get racing, just like the horse. I used to feel nervous before the start of a race, but I don’t feel nervous anymore, just anxious. I’m just thinking, "Let’s go, now!"

An assistant starter now takes the horse and leads it into the starting gate. At this moment, I want my horse to stand good, be alert, and look straight down the track so it doesn’t stumble coming out of the starting gate. At the same time, I kind of watch so I know when the last horse goes into the gate.

Now I reach up and grab the finger hold on the horse’s mane so I don’t fall back on its mouth when it breaks. I just want that starting gate to open.

The horse and I are ready, wanting to break. Then, the bell goes off as the gates slam open.

Russell Baze is one of thoroughbred racing’s all-time, leading jockeys, having won over 6,000 races.