National Network for Equitable Library Service

"Eight or nine times a day, day after day, men and horses go out and line up and start running, and the next thing you know, you are in mystery-land." So says Leo, a sad-sack gambler with an incredibly intricate betting system. Leo is one of dozens of characters - some human, some equine - who struggle through two years in the life of horse racing. Unimaginably rich magnates rub elbows with stable managers struggling to make ends meet. Trainers and jockeys balance the precarious demands of owners and horses. Can't-miss colts canter next to glue-factory-bound geldings. From tragic spills and winner's circle presentations, the only thing predictable about horse-racing - and life - is its total unpredictability.