Fosta: Marathon Master

If nature had taken its course, Fosta would never have lived. But thanks to quick and loving intervention, the plucky little foal did survive. In the first few moments of his life, he was stolen from his dame by an expectant mare. When she had no milk to give him, he had to be fostered by a third “mother” since his own refused to take him back. From the very beginning, his chances of amounting to anything were horribly slim. Added to that, it didn’t look as if he would ever be big enough for racing. Yet Fosta has become one of the best-known horses ever to run Australia’s grueling “ultimate endurance test,” the Shahzada. For five days, the toughest and fastest horses compete internationally to cover four hundred kilometers of rugged terrain. The motto of the event is “To Finish is to Win,” and Fosta has finished an incredible ten out of eleven starts, making him one of the most consistent and enduring horses of all time. Here is his story, told so that readers will feel they are atop Fosta as he attempts to earn his last completion buckle.