It is about the many facets of the horse racing industry: the horses, trainers, and grooms who care for them on the backside; a labor of love, not just a job; the exercise riders, jockeys; the fans; and the aspiration of Sherry, a young girl, to become a jockey, a challenging goal in the face of a male-dominated sport. Her mother died when she was young, so her father, who was a jockey, brought her with him to the racetrack in the morning. There is a close relationship between Sherry; Pop, the trainer; Tom, her father; Curley, her father’s agent; and Manuel, a young Mexican boy, who grooms Jimbo, the horse that is a catalyst that holds them all together. The book encompasses the problems faced in caring for Sherry when Tom is killed in a racing accident.
