PALIO
"ROCKY ON HORSEBACK" - The New York Times
The Palio is the oldest horse race in the world, and turns the Italian city of Siena into a high-stakes battleground of strategy, intrigue, and simmering machismo.
Legendary rider Gigi Bruschelli has won 13 Palios in 16 years. Born in Siena, the Palio is in his blood. Two races away from beating the world record, Bruschelli will do anything to win, but one jockey stands in his way, his former apprentice, a handsome young Sardinian driven by a fearless passion to become number one, Giovanni Atzeni.
A behind-the-scenes look at the most exhilarating and dramatic race in the world, Spender captures the passion, intrigue and intensity of the Palio, opening up a secret world only a chosen few have previously been given access to.