On a sun-drenched late May afternoon in downtown Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where the temperature is at a sweet spot – not too hot, but warm enough to hint of the summer heat to come – Tom Durkin, who arrived on his bright blue Vespa (his preferred mode of transportation) sits outside of a coffee shop conversing with a man at a nearby table.

A new children’s book by former Major League Baseball player Chris Carpenter that tells the story of a real-life racehorse is set to be released in July with a percentage of the proceeds to be donated to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and providing sanctuary to retired racehorses.