Grand Theft Horse
By G. Neri
Illustrated by Corban Wilkin
Paperback: $19.95
Ebook
Gail Ruffu was a rookie trainer known for her unconventional methods and ability to handle dangerous horses. When she became part owner of an untamed thoroughbred named Urgent Envoy, everything changed. After Urgent Envoy showed real promise, her co-owners forced Gail to speed up training and race him too early, causing the horse to develop a hairline shin fracture. Refusing to drug the horse to keep it running, Gail lost Urgent Envoy to her partners, who pushed the horse even harder. One more race would kill him. When nobody heeded her warnings, Gail had to act.
So on Christmas Eve, she rescued her own horse. A modern-day outlaw, Gail evaded private investigators and refused to give the horse up. Blacklisted by the racing world, she learned the law at night to take on a powerful L.A. attorney determined to crush her in court. As she stood up for the humane treatment of racehorses, she also faced down the system that caused their demise.
In this gorgeous graphic biography, G. Neri, author of the acclaimed Yummy and Ghetto Cowboy, retells the life of his cousin Gail, a pioneer who challenged the horse racing world for the sake of one extraordinary horse. With illustrations by brilliant newcomer Corban Wilkin, it is a must-read for horse lovers everywhere.
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Brendan Reichs, New York Times bestselling author of NEMESIS
A.S. King, Printz Award winner and author of STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO
Eric Luper, author of SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO and BUG BOY
Paul Griffin, author of WHEN FRIENDSHIP FOLLOWED ME HOME
NAACP Image Award Winner Tanya Lee Stone
Tony Medina, author of I AM ALFONSO JONES
Crystal Hubbard, author of THE LAST BLACK KING OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY
Andrew Smith, Michael L. Printz Honor and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award author of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE
Gigi Amateau, author of CHANCEY OF THE MAURY RIVER
Steve Sheinkin, author of MOST DANGEROUS and THE PORT CHICAGO 50
Donna Janell Bowman, author of STEP RIGHT UP: HOW DOC AND JIM KEY TAUGHT THE WORLD ABOUT KINDNESS
About the Creators

G. Neri is the Eisner-nominated, Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty, which CNN and Flavorwire hailed as one of the top 25 essential graphic novels of all-time. He has written thirteen books for young people, including Ghetto Cowboy, which was made into the movie, Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, debuting at #1 on Netflix. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than 25 countries. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from SUNY for his literary output. Mr. Neri lives on the Gulf coast of Florida. For more information, visit his website at gneri.com.

is the recipient of the 2012 Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize for his comic But I Can't and was nominated for the 2014 British Comics Awards in the Emerging Talent category for the graphic novel Breaker's End. He lives in London, England.