SHRIMATI JACKPOT QUEEN

Wakalkar shares her story of using her knowledge of horse racing to become a successful woman in a male-dominated society.

Growing up in pre-independence India, life offered Wakalkar fluctuating fortunes and complex restrictions as a young woman. After her father died, she eloped, and as she and her husband settled into married life, the author soon realized that her spouse alone couldn’t provide for their growing family: “The great thing about a constant, systematic earning is that one can plan budgets well and thoroughly anticipate expenses. I did not have that privilege.” Spurred by curiosity, she asked her husband’s permission to observe the intriguing world of horse racing, a move that forever changed her life: “The race register and my study, observations, and analysis had become my full-time companions.” With acute, tenacious observation, Wakalkar crunched data and relied on intuition to choose winner after winner at the track, which “became my go-to place,” she says. Through the years, while gaining respect for her skills from some and facing criticism from others, she defied tradition and found a form of independence that was uniquely her own. Over the course of this book, the author masterfully weaves philosophies about wealth, family, life, and womanhood into her detailed narration: “To me, what mattered was the win, also not always the money but the methodology, the faith in your unique way of leading to the predictions.” In the beginning, however, the childhood-focused biographical details seem tangential to the book’s larger messages. For the most part, though, it’s a work that’s simultaneously congenial and philosophical in tone, telling a distinctive tale of breaking barriers.

An offbeat and inspiring read about one woman’s perseverance and dedication.