Heliacal Star

Thoroughbred racing is one of the oldest, richest, and most traditional of sports. In ancient Greece, horse-drawn chariots sped around oblong hippodromes. In North America, racing dates to the mid-1600s on Long Island, only a few miles east of present-day Belmont Park. Today, crowds cheer and scream from the stands as intelligent, athletic equines thunder toward the finish line, but few consider the welfare of the horses once the track lights go dark.

It's at Belmont Park where former bookie Matt Galiano encounters the bewitching Heliacal Star, a horse on the cusp of greatness-if only he weren't at the center of a race-fixing scheme. It's also where Matt meets fledgling trainer Kristine Connelly, whose trust and savvy he needs if he's going to have any chance of escaping the gangsters embroiled in heinous activities at the track-and who are none too pleased to encounter Matt there, years after he's caught skimming from their coffers. As they bond over their love of horses and racing, Matt and Kristine must learn to lean on each other, or they'll lose more than just a wager.