My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love with the Sport of Kings

(Paperback)

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Kevin Chong has grand plans. He draws up a to-do list of major milestones that will give him the life he always wantedand the life that will inspire awe and envy in his friends. Things like settling down and starting a family; learning a foreign language; getting a tattoo. But these grand plans go out the window when Chong makes an unconventional decision: he's going to buy a racehorse. Not the whole thinghe'll become partowner of the horse. Just don't ask him which part.
Thus Chong meets Blackie, the racehorse that will win his heart, even if she doesn't always win on the track. He meets Randi, the cantankerous and foul-mouthed horse trainer with a heart of gold. He meets an assorted array of characters who work, live and drink at the trackand, one by one, the items on his to-do list are crossed out and replaced with horse-related ambitions. His goals are a bit more humble (cussing like a track worker replaces learning a foreign language), but his life has gained new meaning.
The story is infused with the noise, excitement and faded glamour of the horse-racing world. It is strewn with fascinating tidbits about the history and tradition of this

Reviews

"The vivid, affecting portraits of the people who live on the backstretch will remind readers of the HBO series Luck, just as the hardbitten manner in which Chong's veteran racetrackers deal with loss will evoke Jaimy Gordon's Lord of Misrule."--Booklist "...a quirky, fast-paced gallop through the exhilaration, heartbreak, and financial responsibility of owning even a small share in racehorse"—Quill and Quire

Author Bio

Kevin Chong studied at the University of British Columbia and Columbia University, where he received an MFA in writing. He is the author of Neil Young Nation and two novels. Chong lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.