A quarter of a million people braved miserable conditions at Epsom Downs on June 2, 1954, to see the 175th running of the prestigious Derby Stakes. Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill were in attendance, along with thousands of Britons who were all convinced of the unfailing superiority of English bloodstock and eager to see a British colt take the victory. They were shocked when a Kentucky-born chestnut named Never Say Die galloped to a two-length triumph at odds of 33-1, winning Britain's greatest race and beginning an important shift in the world of Thoroughbred racing. Never Say Die traces the history of this extraordinary colt, beginning with his foaling in Lexington, Kentucky, when a shot of bourbon whiskey revived him and earned him his name. Author James C. Nicholson also tells the stories of the influential individuals brought together by the horse and his victory - from the heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune to the Aga Khan. Most fascinating is the tale of Mona Best of Liverpool, England, whose well-placed bet on the long-shot Derby contender allowed her to open the Casbah Coffee Club. There, her son met musicians John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison and later joined their band. Featuring a foreword by the original drummer for the Beatles, Pete Best, this remarkable book reveals how an underdog's surprise victory played a part in the formation of the most successful and influential rock band in history and made the Bluegrass region of Kentucky the center of the international Thoroughbred industry.

A new, fully authorised biography of the most successful trainer in British horse racing history. In the stratified and often secretive world of racehorse training, Mark Johnston has always been different: forthright, combative, provocative, and candid - a man who delights in questioning convention. Over more than three decades, he has gone from being a vet from a thoroughly working-class Scottish background to, mathematically, the most successful trainer in the history of British horse racing. In this new, fully authorised biography, acclaimed author Nick Townsend provides a unique insight into the world of Mark Johnston and his phenomenally successful operation. With unparalleled access to Mark and those closest to him, Mark Johnston: Phenomenon will dig into his storied career, his strong and passionate views on the sport of horse racing, and how he's planning for the future in unprecedented times, offering a fascinating portrait of one of horse racing's most singular figures.

Every year the Grand National produces very different stories from jockeys and horses alike; uplifting scenes from a victor and heartbreak when a mere inch divides the loser from the winner at the end of nearly four-and-a-half miles and thirty challenging fences. In 1839 the first winner was aptly named Lottery. Back then, huge crowds rode to Aintree by horseback, in carriages, carts or on foot. Today the Grand National is probably the world's most famous horse race, with a global television audience of some 600 million in 140 countries. This richly informed book focuses on the race's various record-breakers, rather than being a purely chronological history of this greatest of all steeplechases. Many records have stood the test of time: in 2019, Tiger Roll's second consecutive victory was the first time that the feat had been achieved since Red Rum in 1973-74. Anne Holland's authoritative history celebrates one of the world's greatest sporting spectacles. 'A well-organised and cheerily anecdotal volume' Spectator

WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2021 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 'An intelligent and often beautifully observed book' Donald McRae, The Guardian 'A must-read about a career which never dropped out of top gear' Racing Post 'A thoroughly engaging memoir. I can't recommend this insightful autobiography enough' Horse & Hound 'A superior story: an honest and self-searching account of the glories and thrills but also the doubt and barren spells that visit even rampantly successful jockeys' The Irish Times The riveting full-career autobiography of Barry Geraghty, one of the most successful jump jockeys in the sport's history. Now retired, Geraghty takes his rightful place in the pantheon of greats that includes AP McCoy, Richard Johnson and Ruby Walsh. Barry Geraghty is an Irish horseracing legend. From his first win in 1997 he has gone on to ride almost 2000 winners, making him the fourth most successful jumps jockey of all time. With the second most wins at Cheltenham in the sport's history, he has worked with all the greats - Moscow Flyer, Kicking King, Monty's Pass. Barry finally retired in July 2020, covered in scars. He has broken all of his limbs, his shoulders, his ribs, his nose. He has survived falls too numerous to recall, and spent most of 2019 with a metal cast on his leg. And yet, he kept getting back on the horse, for twenty-three years. His autobiography is about resilience, the mental power that enables the great to keep going despite the pain, despite the odds. It explores how Barry has developed the mind tools to continue to push himself, even when all seems lost. Containing startling revelations and a searingly honest insight into the life of a top jockey, this is a must-read for all sports fans.

Dr Tony Ryan Award finalist, 2019 'A wonderfully insightful, detailed and emotional biography of the legendary trainer's later years' Racing Post '[Cecil's] is a remarkable story and it has now been told with compassion, love, honesty and wonderful insight by Tony Rushmer' David Walsh, Sunday Times With a foreword by John Gosden When Henry Cecil sent out just 12 winners in 2005 it seemed as if the 10-time champion racehorse trainer's career was in terminal decline. The masterly touch that he'd shown through the glory-days of the two previous decades appeared to have deserted him after a series of painful professional and personal blows, including the death of his twin brother David. When Cecil was diagnosed with cancer in June 2006, it would have been enough to break many a man. But behind the scenes, the master of Warren Place in Newmarket was determined not to be labelled - in his words - a 'has-been'. Showing an iron resolve to fight for his professional reputation as well as his life, Cecil staged one of the great sporting comebacks. It was a story that captured the imagination of the racing public and beyond, peaking with his supreme handling of the unbeaten champion Frankel. Cecil's astonishing revival was witnessed in close-up by Tony Rushmer. The sports journalist became a trusted stable insider after being engaged in spring 2006 to help with the trainer's website and PR. He would remain part of the team right up until Cecil died in June 2013. Rushmer's unique access over seven years - in which he saw Cecil at the best and worst of times - allows him to provide a fresh perspective on an incredible part of the trainer's career. He is helped by many of those who were closest to the story, having interviewed numerous people during his extensive research. Containing fascinating detail and a wealth of new material, The Triumph of Henry Cecil shows how Cecil emerged from his slump, displayed relentless strength in the face of a cruel disease and trained the magnificent Frankel - as brilliant a racehorse as the sport has ever known.

The Queen's Plate was inaugurated, with royal blessing, on Wednesday, June 27, 1860, at the Carleton track in Toronto, located in bucolic surroundings near what is now the traffic-strangled southwestern corner of Keele and Dundas streets. There is no reason to believe that Queen Victoria was a wild-eyed devotee of horse racing. However, Her Majesty granted the petition of the little turf club in the boisterous Upper Canada community (the population of Toronto was 44,425) and offered as an annual prize, "a plate to the value of Fifty Guineas." And thus Canadian horse racing was established as "the sport of royalty." Today, the Queen's Plate is the first jewel in Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and the longest continuously run stakes race in North America. It takes place every June, and the first-place purse is $1 million. The Plate is unquestionably Canada's most famous, one-day social and sporting event. This book explores the colourful history of the Queen's Plate through words and archival photographs.

People have been racing horses for thousands of years, all over the world. Yet horseracing is often presented as an English creation that was exported, unaltered, to the colonies. This Companion investigates the intersection of racing and literature, art, history and finance, casting the sport as the product of cross-class, cosmopolitan and international influences. Chapters on racing history and the origins of the thoroughbred demonstrate how the gift of a fast horse could forge alliances between nations, and the extent to which international power dynamics can be traced back to racetracks and breeding sheds. Leading scholars and journalists draw on original research and firsthand experience to create portraits of the racetracks of Newmarket, Kentucky, the Curragh, and Hunter Valley, exposing readers to new racing frontiers in China and Dubai as well. A unique resource for fans and scholars alike, reopening essential questions regarding the legacy and importance of horseracing today.

Race Horse Men "recaptures the vivid sights, sensations, and illusions of nineteenth-century thoroughbred racing, America's first mass spectator sport. Inviting readers into the pageantry of the racetrack, Katherine C. Mooney conveys the sport's inherent drama while also revealing the significant intersections between horse racing and another quintessential institution of the antebellum South: slavery.

A popular pastime across American society, horse racing was most closely identified with an elite class of southern owners who bred horses and bet large sums of money on these spirited animals. The central characters in this story are not privileged whites, however, but the black jockeys, grooms, and horse trainers who sometimes called themselves race horse men and who made the racetrack run. Mooney describes a world of patriarchal privilege and social prestige where blacks as well as whites could achieve status and recognition and where favored slaves endured an unusual form of bondage. For wealthy white men, the racetrack illustrated their cherished visions of a harmonious, modern society based on human slavery.

After emancipation, a number of black horsemen went on to become sports celebrities, their success a potential threat to white supremacy and a source of pride for African Americans. The rise of Jim Crow in the early twentieth century drove many horsemen from their jobs, with devastating consequences for them and their families. Mooney illuminates the role these too-often-forgotten men played in Americans' continuing struggle to define the meaning of freedom.

This is the story of 'Cockney' Cliff Lines and his memories of 70 years spent in horseracing. Knowing nothing about racing or even how to ride, Cliff started as a 14-year-old apprentice to Noel Murless, and the book details his life, from riding a winner for the Queen, trying to make it as a jockey, through being a work rider/head lad to Michael Stoute, pre-training and eventually training himself. It covers the trials and tribulations he endured: apprentice accommodation, bullying, doping scandals, the stable lads' strike and his own health issues including a brain tumour. The stories of famous horses he worked with, such as JO TOBIN, SHERGAR and SONIC LADY, and those he nurtured in their early years, including PILSUDSKI and FUJIYAMA CREST, the last runner in Frankie Dettori's Magnificent Seven, are all covered, as are his travels with horses around the world by boat and plane from 1954 to the present day. And despite all the ups and downs, Cliff genuinely has no regrets about his lifetime in the Thoroughbred racing industry.

Rather like the regions intoned on BBC Radio's 'Shipping Forecast,' the names of Britain's sixty or so racecourses are regularly broadcast on TV and Radio sports programmes. But what are the racecourses actually like? Britain, where the thoroughbred evolved and where the sport of horseracing developed, has the most varied racing in the world and 60 racecourses in Britain have distinctive, intriguing and often eccentric atmospheres. Some are in parkland (Kempton, Sandown), and some follow the contours of rolling downs (Epsom, Goodwood). Some adjoin housing (Aintree, Ayr), some are bang next to busy roads (Doncaster, Wetherby), and some offer the racegoer uninterrupted views of gorgeous scenery (Cheltenham, Goodwood again). The oldest course in Britain, Chester (which staged its first races during the reign of Henry VIII), is also the smallest, running inside a Roman wall and circling the burial ground of a cross. York races take place on the Knavesmire, former site of public hangings. Other courses are products of royal enthusiasm for the sport: Charles II was largely responsible for the development of Newmarket, and Queen Anne founded Ascot. This is a portrait of the second most popular spectator sport in Britain, the country's 11th largest employer, as reflected in the colourful, eccentric and dramatic stories of the venues where it takes place.

Red Rum's classic win in the 1977 Grand National is the stuff of sporting legend. Red himself became a national treasure, and his charismatic trainer - the redoubtable Ginger McCain - became a sporting hero. While the public adored Ginger, there were those who sniped that he was a one-horse trainer. All that changed 27 years later when, in a thrilling race, Ginger won his fourth National with Amberleigh House, equalling the record of Fred Rimmer. Once again Ginger had taken the sporting world by storm. In the 70s, the popularity of Red Rum and Ginger almost single-handedly saved the great race when there were plans afoot to turn the track into a housing estate. Ginger himself is a remarkable individual - charming, forthright, not afraid to speak his mind and a hugely entertaining raconteur. This is his story, at times funny, sad, exciting and always captivating, told in his own inimitable style.

A quirky collection of true stories from the stranger side of horse racing, featuring horse-swapping skulduggery, battling jockeys and a horse that may or may not have beaten a train. Extraordinary but true stories from over 150 years of racing. This hilarious, sideways look at horse racing vividly recounts many of the strangest moments and oddest incidents from over 150 years of the sport's history. Andrew Ward recalls the time when spectators mounted two fallen horses and rode them to second and third places; the race which had to be re-run because the judge wasn't in his box at the finish; the ultrasonic binoculars that allegedly stunned a horse and unseated a jockey at Ascot, and many more. A totally original, offbeat collection of extraordinary but true stories, Horse-Racing's Strangest Races will be a delight to all lovers of the turf. Word count: 60,000

When Nan Mooney was seven years old, she sat in her grandmother May-May's living room to watch her first horse race ... And so began a turbulent romance between a woman and a sport.

Part memoir, part journey into the compelling world of Thoroughbred horse racing, My Racing Heart gallops headlong into the wild culture and fabulous creatures that rise up around a racetrack. Nan Mooney looks at the horses, jockeys, and trainers; the gambling and corruption; and racing's age-old history and forever offbeat society. From the dusty backstretch at a small-town track to the stands at magnificent Churchill Downs, Nan Mooney captures the risks and the glory, the excitement and the passion, for horse lovers, sports fans, and anyone who has ever craved a place to run wild.

Now in paperback, reporter Elizabeth Mitchell introduces her readers to the mysterious, mercurial world of horse racing in a book that's as fast-paced and colorful as a day at the track. Focusing on the 1999 Derby winner Charismatic, Mitchell traces this horse's amazing and ultimately tragic story, from the birth of a foal through its surprising rise to fame. Mitchell also follows the major players in Charismatic's life, including the family who bred him, the trainer, the owners, and the famed jockey Chris Antley, whose own story is more tragic than that of his horse. Through these interlocking stories a sense of familiarity with the key players in the industry evolves, as well as a greater understanding of the heart and soul of a sport that has fascinated human beings for centuries.

This unique "behind the scenes" description of British flat racing is based on first hand experiences in Newmarket, the Suffolk town regarded as the international headquarters of the sport. Cassidy offers an insider's look at the rituals of horseracing--including those on the racecourse and at the bloodstock auction--and shows how racing, betting and the bloodstock industry are connected. Her insightful descriptions of the class structure of Newmarket explain how racing professionals preserve both the sport and their status quo.

The History of Horse Racing in 100 Objects is an ambitious and extensive work that embraces the vast sweep of a global sport, condensing its heart and soul into a century of milestones that connect its ancient past and its vibrant present. It takes the reader on a wild ride from racing's earliest organised blossoming in the 16th century to its most modern technological advances, via the innovations that have contributed to the shape of the sport and the great horses, characters and events that have delighted and intrigued countless generations. Here are the 100 objects that make horse racing what it is, that describe its journey through the ages, that express its eternal fascination for all those who fall under its intoxicating spell. By turns inspirational, informative, revelatory and thought-provoking, this evocation of the sounds, colours and history of horse racing will appeal to both devotees of the great sport and those discovering it for the first time. It's a sure-fire winner.

Remarkable Racecourses is a beautifully presented collection of the world's most striking racecourses. Lavish photographs and informative text show why each racecourse is unique, whether it's the oldest, longest, shortest, most southerly, most northerly, most beautiful or most extraordinary. Among the 70-plus racecourses included are Laytown in Ireland (the only race run on a beach under Turf Club rules), St. Moritz in Switzerland (which takes place on a frozen lake), Pukekohe Park in New Zealand (which is located in the centre of a motor racing circuit), Cartmel in Cumbria (where spectators enjoy the action from the centre of the circuit) and Epsom Downs in Surrey (which is a left-handed, open-ended, horseshoe-shaped course). The book travels across continents, from rural England to Outer Mongolia, to bring you the most astonishing racecourses on the planet. Remarkable Racecourses features more than 70 racecourses including Aintree, Ascot, Baghdad Equestrian Club, Beirut Hippodrome, Birdsville, Cartmel, Champ de Mars, Capannelle, Chantilly, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Chester, Ellerslie, Epsom Downs, Flemington, Goodwood, Hamilton Park, Happy Valley, Hialeah Park, Iffezheim, Kernic Bay, Laytown, Longchamp, Mahalaxmi, Maisons-Laffitte, Meydan, Moonee Valley, Newmarket, Pontefract, Pukekohe Park, Santa Anita, St. Moritz, Tokyo, Turffontein, Woodbine.

Celebrating a Century of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe charts the history of Europe's - and arguably the world's - greatest horse race. Established in 1920 and staged in Paris on the Bois de Boulogne, the Arc is a truly international contest attracting runners from England, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Germany and the USA. This illustrated race-by-race account traces the exploits of many all-time racing legends. From Ribot, Sea Bird, Allez France and Mill Reef, to Dancing Brave, Sea The Stars, Treve and Enable. It's also a who's who of the turf starring the Rothschild, Aga Khan, Wildenstein, Wertheimer and Head families, as well as Marcel Boussac, Vincent O'Brien, Lester Piggott and Yves Saint-Martin. The modern era features luminaries such as Andre Fabre, Coolmore, Godolphin, John Gosden, Frankie Dettori and Khalid Abdullah. You'll discover which champion hurdler won the title, which horse came back from stud to recapture his crown and which jockey ended up in prison as a result of his win.

The image of the Derby winner with his leg in plaster was broadcast around the world. Alongside Mill Reef stood a baby-faced man who had won the Arc, the King George, the Eclipse, and now the Derby. He trained for the Queen and Queen Mother, and Lester Piggott, Willie Carson and Frankie Dettori all rode for him, but where had he come from and how had he got there? Ian Balding's story is one of heartbreaking loss and outrageous good luck. He left Cambridge without a degree but with a rugby blue, and became one of the outstanding amateur sportsmen of his generation. Balding's burgeoning talent was quickly noticed and he was soon running Peter Hastings-Bass' stables at Kingsclere. Ian had no money and no experience of running a business, but he learnt fast. In Making the Running, Ian Balding reveals the pressure of maintaining the pace and shares the highs and lows of the sport of kings.

Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing is the classic guide to everything you need to know to pick winners. Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing covers recent technological changes and the basics of breeding, conformation, calculating speed and pace, the factors of condition, class, and weight, rating jockeys, stables, and tracks, tote-board tips, and sixty tips for profitable betting.

Postcards from the World of Horse Racing: Days Out on the Global Racing Road is the new book by international-racing expert Nicholas Godfrey. In a series of evocative, informative pieces from around the racing world, Godfrey visits 20 different countries on six continents, from unforgettable high-profile events at major racecourses - such as the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs or the Dubai World Cup at billion-dollar Meydan - to racing venues on the road less travelled - like Morocco, Uruguay and Switzerland, where they race on a frozen lake in St Moritz. Among those he encounters are America's mighty mare Zenyatta, Triple Crown hero American Pharoah and Black Caviar, the 'Wonder from Down Under'. As well as reliving his experiences, Godfrey prefaces each postcard with a how-to guide for those wishing to follow in his footsteps. Illustrated with a range of colour photographs, the book also features a foreword by Brough Scott, one of the most respected sportswriters in the business.

The moving true story of an ordinary Welsh woman who dreamed of breeding a race horse, and Dream Alliance, who defied the odds to become a champion and brought a community together. Janet Vokes was working behind the bar in her local working men's club in the small Welsh mining community of Cefn Fforest when she fixed upon the idea of breeding a racehorse. She'd always loved animals, having dabbled in showing whippets and racing pigeons, and her husband Brian used to be a rag and bone man with a horse of his own. Why shouldn't a working-class horse take on the high flyers in the rarified world of racing? She bought a mare for GBP350, paired her up with a pedigree stallion and helped to create a syndicate of twenty-three friends from the village - each paying GBP10 a week - to raise the resulting foal, Dream Alliance. He may have grown up on an allotment but Dream Alliance had star quality, beating all the odds to become a winner at a number of world-class racetracks. Then a terrible injury to his leg threatened not just his career but his life. Refusing to have him put down, the syndicate paid for experimental surgery and Dream Alliance went on to not only make a full recovery but win the Welsh Grand National. Funny and charming, Dream Horse by Janet Vokes is the extraordinary story of a woman who defied the snobbery of the racing world to breed a champion, and a remarkable horse who brought a community together.

A compilation of the toughest I Spy challenges, this deluxe book of picture riddles will put your child's detective skills to work. Incredible photographs and clever rhyming riddles combine to provide hours of mind-bending entertainment.

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This ultimate collection will stimulate your child's visual discrimination, logic, and problem-solving skills.

__________________ The bookies always win. But one man has been proving them wrong for four decades. In the summer of 1975 Barney Curley, a fearless and renowned gambler, masterminded one of the most spectacular gambles of all time with a racehorse called Yellow Sam. With a meticulous, entirely legal plan involving dozens of people, perfectly timed phone calls, sealed orders and months of preparation, Curley and Yellow Sam beat the bookmakers and cost them millions. They said that it could never happen again. But in May 2010, thirty-five years after his first coup, Curley staged the ultimate multi-million-pound-winning sequel. The Sure Thing tells the complete story of how he managed to organise the biggest gamble in racing history - and how he then followed up with yet another audacious scheme in January 2014.