In horse racing, there is no such thing as a sure thing.

But in 1988, Mark Paul and his friend Dino Matteo were convinced they had one.

A big, brawny grey filly named Winning Colors had burst onto the California racing scene a year earlier and Dino was swept away.

So in the wee hours of a January morning, 1988 Dino and ‘Miami’ Paul headed out to make a future book wager on the filly for the Kentucky Derby. Not to Las Vegas, but to Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico.

What could go wrong?

Agua Caliente had racing and a sportsbook that offered big odds on sporting events and Winning Colors was 50 to 1 to win the Derby that year.

Along with another friend, Bernie, the pair of accomplished gamblers took a wad of money, played some races and then made their move to wager on the Derby futurebook.

What follows is a story you would likely see in film or a fictional thriller but it happened to Miami, Dino and Bernie.

This compact memoir reads like a thriller injected with fun gambling and horse racing tales, a little humour and a whole lot of cringe-worthy moments as the boys follow their dream in the form of a big grey filly.

“If she doesn’t run in the Derby, what happens to the money you bet on her?”

“They keep it and we get second jobs at McDonalds”

And not just that. When the filly did win and the boys realized they had bet with the Mexican cartel, they didn’t even know if they would get their money or get out alive.

You can visit markpaulauthor.com to get your copy, or pick one up on Amazon or through your favorite bookseller.

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