Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied the Nazis in the World's Most Dangerous Horse Race

A story of endurance and defiance in an age of prejudice and fear—featuring a courageous countess who defied the Nazis in a legendary horse race.

WINNER OF THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

Czechoslovakia, October 1937. Vast crowds have gathered to watch the threatened nation’s most prestigious sporting contest: the Grand Pardubice steeplechase. Notoriously dangerous, the race is considered the ultimate test of manhood and fighting spirit. The Nazis have sent elite SS officers to crush the “subhuman Slavs.” The local cavalry officers have no hope of stopping them.

But there is one other contestant: a countess riding a little golden mare…

Lata Brandisová was born into privilege, yet spent much of her life in poverty. Modest and shy, she chafed and society’s constraints. Instead, with quiet courage, she repeatedly achieved what others said was impossible and rose above scandal to inspire her country in its darkest hour.

By turns enigmatic and inspiring, and filled with eccentric aristocrats, socialite spies, daredevil jockeys—and a race so brutal that some consider merely taking part in it a sign of insanity—Unbreakable brings to life a unique hero, and an unforgettable love affair between a woman and a horse.

 Richard Askwith is the author of Feet in the Clouds, which was shortlisted for the William Hill and Boardman-Tasker prizes and was named by Runner’s World as one of the three best running books of all time. He is also the author of Running Free, which was short-listed for the Thwaites-Wainwright Prize, and Today We Die a Little, a biography of Emil Zatopek.