Corban Wilkin

What a wonderful, frustrating story! Gail, who has always had a passion for horses, learned horse racing in Europe, where drugs are banned and humane treatment encouraged. But when she came to the US, where the focus is on winning rather than the horses (meaning: it’s the norm to drug them, run them too young, etc.) and tried to race her way (and attempt to prove that it’s not just possible, but better), everyone thought she was out of touch and too soft.

She chooses a horse and names him Urgent Envoy, but can’t afford the $5000 herself, so has to partner with a group of investors. Soon, they’re pressuring her to race him too early, and when she refuses, they push her out. Upon finding out that not only have they been drugging him, but wanting him to race on a hairline fracture, Gail knows she has to kidnap him to save his life.

From there follows a years-long saga of the investors throwing so much more money than they spent trying to get Urgent Envoy back, suing Gail and even taking it to the Supreme Court! And Gail is so devoted to him, and goes through so many personal troubles, that eventually she’s living in her car with all of her money going to his boarding.

There is a happy ending, but it’s really about the journey there, and emphasizing the terrible treatment of racehorses in the US. It’s incredibly affecting and frustrating that all of this happens and keeps happening.

Side note: it’s incredible that Gail is a (single, basically) woman with no children who still lives a fulfilling and rich life, and it’s never an issue that she doesn’t have a traditional family. We need more books that normalize this.… (más)