THE RACE THAT STOPS A NATION

(A washed-up gambler, a ragtag group of misfits, and one rigged city where beating the odds might be their only shot at redemption)

It started with a twenty-dollar note and a horse named Superhero Spree.

Harry Foster was six years old when he placed his first bet. That “cheeky punt” lit the fuse on a life consumed by the rush of racing odds, scam hustles, and the toxic high of chasing the next win. Now a reformed gambler, ex-con, and barely-holding-it-together single dad, Harry’s trying to claw his way back, for his daughter, for his sister Jess, and for the misfit recovery group known as the Blinking Toads.

But the house always wins.

As gambling tycoon Norris Brooks tightens his grip on Melbourne’s betting empire and a shiny new casino threatens to pull in another generation of punters, Harry and the Toads hatch a wild plan to fight back, with rogue software, dirty secrets, and the ghosts of losses past. In a world rigged against redemption, can the longshots ever come good?

Raw, funny, and gut-wrenching, The Race That Stops A Nation is a blistering ode to broken families, burning shame, and the dangerous dream that one lucky win can fix it all. For anyone who’s ever seen a loved one lost to addiction, or been lost themselves, this is a story about fighting back, even when the odds are stacked against you.