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The Last Horse Race
The Last Horse Race is a drama written by critically acclaimed playwright Karl Roboux. It was first published on Feburary 2010, by Coach K, Inc., in hardcover. The story takes place in Kentucky, where a young man named Jeramiah Fields and his best friend Robert Costello have gotten themselves mixed in with the wrong crowd at the horse races. Jeramiah must use his cunning and trust in those close to him, while battling a crumbling relationship with his father, to put the Mobsters at bay and finally realize what he has been searching for his whole life.

The book has been released as a paperback and also as an audiobook and e-book. The Last Horse Race had an initial print of 100,000 – doubled from the original 50,000 since its performace by an exceptional theater protėgė during the Corpus Christi "Our Town" Theater Convention. Since its initial release, the novel has been translated into 26 languages and rights of production have been sold in 10 countries. The play has received mostly positive feedback from major reviewers and authors.

Inspiration and Origins
Roboux says that the inspiration to write The Last Horse Race came from a simple monologue he started during lunch with his theater troupe. Roboux has had an immense love for theater, especially those that address very real urban issues, like gambling and family matters. The musical Guys and Dolls served as the basis for the major conflict story. The sense of neglegance that Roboux developed through his father's service in the Vietnam War also affected the story, whose hero shares a similar failing relationship. He feels that the massive difference in lifestyles between African Americans and whites in the 60's is something that must be preserved, and takes a lot of inspiration for the molding of Jeremiah and Henry's relationship from that of Troy and Cory in August Wilson's Fences.

Plot
The story takes place in St Matthews, KY just miles from Churchill Downs, the most famous horse racing facility in Kentucky. Jeremiah Fields is a young man who works with his father in their family's business: agriculture, primarily the corn crop. One weekend after school, Jeremiah leaves with his best friend Roberto Costell to catch the horse races. Jeremiah and Roberto (nick-named Rocky) always put small wagers on horses, never expecting to win. Until they bet on The Mirror Breaker, a horse that many saw as a dead beat, and won- with odds 150-1. They instantly become the richest men in the area, and take full advantage. This new found fame attracts the attention of Sandro de Luca, the leader of the infamous Sicilian Mafia. De Luca attempts to attract Jeremiah to his side, but Jeremiah - due mainly to the constant perstering of Rocky, denies their request. It is only when they threaten his family does he secretly agree to fund their elaborate "jobs."

Back home, the dry Kentucky heat is making it harder and harder to yield a profit from their corn. Henry comes home from his second job at the factory, and always finds some self-justification to beat his wife, Ariana. Ariana works as a tailor for the men and women of her church, and is the scapegoat to Henry's aggresion and frustration with his work. Jeremiah has offered countless times to help his parents pay for whatever they need, yet Henry's pride will not allow him to accept it. One day when Jeremiah and Rocky surprise his mother on Mother's Day with flowers and treats, he finds her bleeding on the floor, with a broken glass from a beer bottle all over the floor. He turns to his father becomes overcome with anger, and lurches forward to strike him. Henry kicks him out and tells him to never look at him again. In his anger and confusion, Jeremiah loses Roberto and finds himself lost. He sees a Jewish assasin named simply Zadok. Jeremiah blindly hires the assasin to dispose of his father, and returns home.

After talking to his mother at the supermarket, Jeremiah realizes that he made a mistake with hiring Zadok, but when he finds him again Zadok informs him that once he is given a job someone must die. Jeremiah is distraught, but Roberto suggests that he utilize the assasin to take out Sandro and finally end his reign. In the meantime de Luca has grown in territory, and his demands for funds start to get more and more outlandish. An FBI agent, Lian Jerryfield is sent down to Kentucky to investigate the growing Sicilian Mafia. When Sandro hears of the snooping agent, he sends his best men to intimidate him. After almost losing his life many times, Lian gets ahold of Rocky and gets him to talk, pointing out the exact whereabouts of Sandro.

Sandro is drawn out by the agent's request to a one-on-one metting in the market, and during negociations, Zadok takes his shot and kills Sandro. Jeremiah is arrested, but Rocky arrives to save him. Jeremiah suggests leaving all the issues of the South and go to the big city in New York. He eventually convinces his mother to leave his bum of a dad and move up with him, where he and Rocky open a succesful car garage. The play ends with Zadok preparing to set his sights on Henry, when Henry puts a revolver to his mouth and pulls the trigger.

Cover
The cover is a visual rendition of Jeremiah's monologue to his father. It represents the simplicity that the whites see negro life, yet the hard and tedious work that must be done by the poorer African Americans just to survive: "Why I gotta pick the corn papa? Why?!"