|
Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Equestrian & animal sports > Horse racing
The Mongol Derby is the world's toughest horse race. A feat of endurance across the vast Mongolian plains once traversed by the people of Genghis Khan, competitors ride 25 horses across a distance of 1000km. Many riders don't make it to the finish line.
In 2013 Lara Prior-Palmer - nineteen, underprepared but seeking the great unknown - decided to enter the race. Driven by her own restlessness, stubbornness, and a lifelong love of horses, she raced for seven days through extreme heat and terrifying storms, catching a few hours of sleep where she could at the homes of nomadic families. Battling bouts of illness and dehydration, exhaustion and bruising falls, she found she had nothing to lose, and tore through the field with her motley crew of horses. In one of the Derby's most unexpected results, she became the youngest-ever champion and the first woman to win the race.
A tale of adventure, fortitude and poetry, Rough Magic is the extraordinary story of one young woman's encounter with oblivion, and herself.
**WINNER OF THE GENERAL OUTSTANDING SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017**
Coping with your own death, when you are not yet dead, is a strange
thing... A natural on a horse since he was able to walk, and imbued
with a pure love of riding, Declan Murphy became one of the most
brilliant jockeys of his generation before his world came crashing
down at the final hurdle of a race at Haydock Park. His skull
shattered in twelve places, he was believed to be dead, the last
rites were read and the Racing Post prepared his obituary.
Miraculously, and the word is not used lightly, he survived and
defied medical thinking in recovering to the extent that eighteen
months after his fall, he was able to saddle up for one more race.
As usual, he won. For 23 years, Declan has been unable to tell his
story, to bring to words existence on the frontier between life and
death, to describe the incredible bond between man and horse. But
now, in an extraordinary collaboration with Ami Rao, she has helped
him find those words, a way to piece together what happened before,
during and after, what it all meant and what it means to us all. It
is a story of triumph, fear, love and loss, by turns primal,
heartbreaking and inspirational, and ultimately, it is the story of
hope, and of life.
A candid exploration of the abiding bond between humans and horses
from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley draws upon her first-hand
knowledge to examine the horse on all levels - practical,
theoretical and emotional. Drawing on the wisdom of trainers, vets,
jockeys and a real-life horse whisperer, Smiley adds an element of
drama and suspense as two of her own horses begin their careers at
the racetrack. As the horses get closer to the winner's circle, we
are enchanted, enthralled and informed about what it's really like
to own, train and root for a racehorse. Superbly reviewed in
hardback This gorgeous new paperback package will appeal to a broad
memoir market as well as to fans of horse racing A crossover book
in the manner of Seabiscuit, A Year at the Races is perfect for
paperback promotions across the board
|
You may like...
Kick the Latch
Kathryn Scanlan
Paperback
R304
R247
Discovery Miles 2 470
|