'Come for a ride with me, and see what I see, down in the dirt and sweat and horseshit, right in the belly of the work of a racing stable. These are my real people, and this is the life I would lead if I hadn't been looking out for my father, a child of the Depression. Be a teacher, he said, or a nurse, people always want those people. I only just started riding work when he was lying in a coma. Could I tell him how much I would love to be a jockey? I could not.'
In 2015, Marty Smith set out to immerse herself in the world of thoroughbred horse racing-to spend time in the stables and training grounds of the Hawke's Bay racecourse, and talk to people in every role. The project turned out to be harder-and more surprising, funny and drawn out-than she'd ever expected. Over ten years, the lives of the racecourse opened up, and the book became a portrait of a changing industry and the people within it. This is a life of hard work and constant risk, as well as community and love. And horses.
