Mom’s Choice Gold Medal
IPPY Award Bronze Medalist for Juvenile Fiction
Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist for Young Readers Fiction (8-12)
Starred Kirkus Review
Written from the horse’s point of view and filled with authentic details, this young adult novel chronicles the life of a well-bred Thoroughbred racehorse destined for greatness. After a promising—and winning—start on the path to the Triple Crown, a series of bad-luck events end Raja’s racing career, and he finds himself pulled into the random world of off-the-track Thoroughbreds. His odyssey takes him from the breeding farms of Ocala, Florida, to the stakes races on the Kentucky Derby trail; from competing as a show jumper on the “A” show circuit to becoming a member of the New York City Mounted Police and witnessing the horrors of the livestock auction. Finally, Raja finds himself in a stable belonging to a retired steeplechase jockey and his 16-year-old niece, where he finally has a chance to realize his destiny.
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