The highlights and lowlights have been crammed tightly together these past few weeks for Pat Day, who has experienced a nightmarish Triple Crown with Dollar Bill followed closely by the joy of becoming only the third jockey ever to ride 8,000 winners, a feat he achieved Thursday at Churchill Downs. He has been humbled and frustrated, exhilarated and celebrated, and handled each situation the same: with dignity, piety and grace.

That is very much the Pat Day way, as much a part of him as his soft hands, his patient handling of a race horse and the thousands upon thousands of winners. It is jarring to think that he once could have been so different. There have been two Pat Days. There was the self-proclaimed wild man, who abused drugs and alcohol and had a quick-trigger temper and won races in

spite of himself. There is the devoutly religious gentleman who is as good as any jockey in the business and who carries himself with class. He is someone to admire. Some no doubt envy him. He seems to live his life with a level of serenity that few of us achieve.

You probably know the story already, but it bears repeating because it is so remarkable. While watching evangelist Jimmy Swaggart on television in a Miami hotel room in January of 1984, the old Pat Day had a religious conversion and the new Pat Day was born. There would be no more drugs or alcohol or fits of temper. He would not wind up like Chris Antley, dead amid mysterious circumstances, the last chapter in a troubled life filled with drug and alcohol abuse. And while he is widely admired for turning his life around, he accepts no credit.

"All that I did was to take advantage of the opportunity and invited Christ into my life," Day said. "It is the presence of Christ in my life that turned it around. The Bible says that Christ knocks on the door of our hearts. The only thing I did was get up and open the door. All I did was to have the good sense and the ability to recognize that was the spirt of the living God in the room with me."

It was on the heels of that moment that he considered giving up his career as a jockey.

"When I committed my life to Christ in January of 1984, immediately I thought I was being called into the ministry," Day said. "I gave serious consideration to selling my jockey equipment and going into the seminary to become a minister. I realized that I had a great gift and an ability to communicate with horses and to ride races. Accepting that that is a God-given talent, I thought that I needed to do the best that I could with that. I received a revelation from God at that time that I was to take that ability, continue to pursue my career as a jockey and do the very best that I could."

That decision led to thousands of additional winners, four Eclipse Awards, induction into the Hall of Fame, a Kentucky Derby win, five trips to the Preakness winner's circle and 11 Breeders' Cup victories. He has been amazingly consistent both on and off the track. The Dollar Bill saga has been a frustrating one for everyone involved. With the 47-year-old Day aboard, he was nearly dropped in the Louisiana Derby, was slammed sideways in the Kentucky Derby and ran into even more trouble in the Preakness. Day himself wondered if trainer Dallas Stewart wouldn't be better off with a different jockey.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Day said when asked if he considered firing himself. "It was an emotional moment after the Preakness. I was very distraught and sorry for the horse. I know he's considerably better than what he's had the opportunity to show. I talked with Dallas and told him maybe I wasn't right. A little later I called him back and said I want to retract that statement."

Day figured he wasn't at fault, that other jockeys had ridden carelessly and forced him into trouble. He realized the best thing to do was to look ahead and hope for redemption in the Belmont. The worst thing to do would be to confront the jockeys who caused the problems.

"Prior to January, 1984 when I committed my life to Christ, yes, I'd have gotten very upset and there's a possibility that there'd have been some words in the jock's room," he said.

Twelve days after the Preakness, the Dollar Bill debacles were put aside for a moment or two as he guided Camden Park to an historic win in the sixth race on the Churchill card. Along with Laffit Pincay Jr. and Bill Shoemaker, he is one of only three jockeys to have reached the 8,000 milestone.

"The feeling was just overwhelming," he said. "It didn't start to sink in until (jockey) Calvin Borel went by me and hollered, 'Congratulations,' and then the rest of the field gathered up behind us and all of my fellow riders were congratulating me and wishing me well. It was just a very emotional moment for me."

He can now set his sights on catching Shoemaker and, perhaps, reeling in the remarkable Pincay. Day, who should have several good years left, could conceivably become the winningest rider in the sport some day, but he is not one to focus on such goals. His future, he figures, is in God's hands. He will ride until the God "calls me into another arena."

Perhaps Day will last another 10 months or 10 years. Then it will be time to go. His remarkable career will be over. His remarkable life will go on.