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The courageous and heartbreaking story of a Czech countess who defied the Nazis in a legendary horse race.Czechoslovakia, October 1937. Europe's youngest democracy is on its knees. Millions are mourning the death of the nation's founding father, the saintly Tomáš Masaryk. Across the border, the Third Reich is menacing – and plotting to invade.In the countryside, 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 their paramilitary elite—SS officers on a mission 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...The story of Lata Brandisová is by turns enigmatic and inspiring. Born into privilege, she...