Each year since medieval times, the Palio horse race is held in Siena, Italy; young Giorgio Terni dreams of becoming a horse trainer and riding in that race. No one believes that the beautiful mare Gaudenzia will ever be anything more than a workhorse, but in this 1960 novel for readers 8 to 12, Giorgio senses something great in her, and he's determined to teach the mare to trust people again—and to become a winning racehorse. Much as she did in Misty of Chincoteague and the Newbery Medal winner King of the Wind, Marguerite Henry sensitively portrays the relationship between humans and horses, while the Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator of The Biggest Bear adds additional flair to the tale with his dramatic paintings.