Some may call it a pre-mid-life crisis.

You are in your 30’s, girlfriend-less, and without any hopes of ever buying a house thanks to Canada’s property bubble.

So you buy a horse.

Not as a pet or to breed, but to race against other horses, possibly owned by other pre-middle-aged men tired of sliding through weekends Simpson’s re-runs on their parents couch.

Chong becomes a part-owner and thus he meets Blackie, the horse that will win his heart, even if she doesn’t always win the race.

He meets Randi, the cantankerous trainer with a heart of gold. He meets assorted characters who work, live, and drink at the track. And, one by one, the items on his to-do list are replaced with horse-related ambitions.

My Year of the Racehorse is strewn with fascinating tidbits and infused with the excitement and faded glamour of the horseracing world. Ultimately, it is the moving tale of a young man’s discovery that a meaningful life can arise from the most unexpected of circumstances.

Chong’s book, My Year of the Racehorse, is published by Greystone and available March 31.