The Scorpio Races characters

Also known as Puck

First appears in chapter 2

A determined teenager living with her two brothers on the island of Thisby. Orphaned when the sea horses killed her parents, she nevertheless refuses to surrender her home or let other people decide what risks she may take. She prefers ordinary island horses and rides her mare Dove with confidence.

Appears from the start

A gifted young horseman who works in Benjamin Malvern's racing stables. Quiet, self-contained, and closely attuned to the dangerous water horses, he has won the Scorpio Races four times. His strongest bond is with the red stallion Corr, though the horse belongs to Malvern rather than to him.

Appears from the start

A powerful red water-horse stallion ridden by Sean Kendrick. Corr is deadly by ordinary standards but unusually responsive to Sean, whose understanding of him is built on respect rather than the belief that a sea horse can ever be made harmless.

First appears in chapter 2

Puck's younger brother, an observant and anxious boy who repairs radios and notices details other people miss. He helps keep the Connolly household functioning and shares Puck's attachment to their island home.

First appears in chapter 2

The eldest Connolly sibling, who has carried much of the responsibility for Puck and Finn since their parents died. Restless with the family's narrow prospects, he is considering a life away from Thisby, a choice that threatens the fragile arrangement holding the household together.

First appears in chapter 2

Puck's small piebald mare and trusted riding companion. Dove is an ordinary land horse rather than one of the carnivorous horses from the sea, but she is steady, agile, and deeply familiar to her rider.

First appears in chapter 3

The wealthy owner of the Malvern horse yard and much of the property around Skarmouth. A hard, practical businessman, he employs Sean for his rare skill with the water horses and controls the future of Corr, the horse Sean wants for his own.

Also known as Mutt

First appears in chapter 4

Benjamin Malvern's resentful son. He wants the standing that Sean has earned in the stables but lacks Sean's patience and instinct with the water horses. His hostility toward Sean is open, and he treats other riders' vulnerability as something to exploit.

First appears in chapter 20

An American horse buyer visiting Thisby during race season. Sociable, perceptive, and less bound by the island's customs than its residents, he recognizes Sean's talent and takes an interest in both the Malvern horses and the people whose futures depend on them.

First appears in chapter 20

An independent older island woman who takes a practical interest in Puck and her brothers. Dory offers Puck encouragement and help without pretending that the hostility surrounding a female race entrant will disappear on its own.