A fascinating perspective of the racing industry, one you're not likely to find anywhere else, a unique look at life from the backstretch of the racetrack in the 1970's. With characters such as Magpie and Capitan, Fourfoot and Duck, it's hard sometimes to separate the humans from the horses. The male-dominated backstretch of the seventies was riskyat the best of times. It was more than a little challenging for the young women who were just beginning to find work as grooms and exercise riders. Janice Gannon, 20 and fresh out of college, found her home there; a place where misfits, misogynists, petty criminals and horse-crazy girls could all be accepted. Only a few hoof beats away from disaster, she learned to care for the quirky high maintenance thoroughbreds of the track whose colourful personalities permeate each story while discovering a less savoury side of the industry. ...along the way, Janice learned much about herself and life, and weaves the story of surviving an abusive relationship.