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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Equestrian & animal sports > Horse racing
This book evaluates the status quo of integrity management within
sports that involve horses worldwide. Sports governing bodies and
international sports federations are very powerful organisations
within their sphere and the governance of these sports has created
a hegemony which does not necessarily serve the interests of those
engaged in sport, rather those who 'rule' sport. This book
investigates the question of whether cheating is discouraged and
fair play rewarded, both to an adequate degree.
Exotic Betting at the Racetrack is unique as it covers the
efficient-inefficient strategy to price and find profitable
racetrack bets, along with handicapping that provides actual bets
made by the author on essentially all of the major wagers offered
at US racetracks. The book starts with efficiency, accuracy of the
win odds, arbitrage, and optimal betting strategies. Examples and
actual bets are shown for various wagers including win, place and
show, exacta, quinella, double, trifecta, superfecta, Pick 3, 4 and
6 and rainbow pick 5 and 6. There are discussions of major races
including the Breeders' Cup, Pegasus, Dubai World Cup and the US
Triple Crown from 2012-2018. Dosage analysis is also described and
used. An additional feature concerns great horses such as the great
mares Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Goldikova, Treve, Beholder and
Song Bird. There is a discussion of horse ownership and a tour
through arguably the world's top trainer Frederico Tesio and his
stables and horses in Italy.Related Link(s)
In his own words Bob talks of his early life, his path to becoming
a professional jump jockey and how it felt being at the top of his
game only to have it come crashing down with a life-threatening
diagnosis. The depths of despair going through the radical new
cancer treatment he was offered and the heights of joy with that
famous Grand National victory. This new biography also looks at the
whirlwind adventure his life has been since that glorious spring
day at Aintree and examines the tremendous fund raising efforts of
the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. Today Bob is the face of that Trust,
the UK's most successful small cancer fund that has been
responsible for raising almost GBP15Million, money which has
allowed research efforts that have all but eradicated testicular
cancer death and furthered new research enquiries into prostate
cancer. For the first time Bob shares his thoughts on his life so
far, the highs, the lows, injuries, illness and of course just what
it felt like to win 'the ultimate test of horse and rider.'
Horse racing in America dates back to the colonial era when street
races were a common occurrence. The commercialization of horse
racing produced a sport that would briefly surpass all others in
popularity, with annual races such as the Kentucky Derby,
Preakness, and Belmont Stakes growing to rank among America's most
celebrated sporting events. From the very onset, horse racing and
gambling were intertwined. As the popularity of racing and betting
grew, so, too, did the controversies and corruption. Yet, despite
the best efforts of social reformers, bookmakers stubbornly plied
their trade, adapting and evolving as horse racing gave way to team
sports as the backbone of their business. In Sports Betting and
Bookmaking: An American History, Arne K. Lang provides a sweeping
overview of legal and illegal sports and race betting in the United
States, from the first thoroughbred meet at Saratoga in 1863
through the modern day. The cultural war between bookmakers and
their adversaries is a recurring theme, as bookmakers were often
forced into the shadows during times of social reform, only to
bloom anew when the time was ripe. While much of bookmaking's
history takes place in New York, other locales such as Chicago, Las
Vegas, and Atlantic City-not to mention Cyberspace-are also
discussed in this volume. A comprehensive exploration of the
evolution of bookmaking-including the legal developments and
technological advancements that have taken place over the
years-Sports Betting and Bookmaking is a fascinating read. This
informative and engaging book will be of interest to anyone wanting
to learn more about America's long history with gambling on horse
racing and team sports.
Bill Hartack won the Kentucky Derby five times, and seemed to hate
every moment of it. ""If only Bill could have gotten along with
people the way he got along with horses,"" a trainer said. His
tragic, impoverished upbringing didn't help: his mother was killed
in an automobile accident; the family home burned down; his father
was murdered by a girlfriend; and he was estranged from his
sisters. Larry King, his friend, said it was just as well the
termperamental Hartack never married, because it wouldn't have
lasted. Hartack became one of racing's most accomplished jockeys.
But he was inveterate grouch and worked at giving the press a hard
time. At 26, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Whenever the
media tried to bury him, he would win another Derby. At the end of
his life, he was found alone in a solitary cabin in the Texas
hinterlands. Drawn from dozens of interviews and conversations with
family members, friends and enemies, this book provides a full
account of Hartack's turbulent life.
An Irish immigrant, a collection agent for crime bosses, a
professional boxer, and a prolific gambler, John Morrissey was --
if nothing else -- an unlikely candidate to become one of the most
important figures in the history of Thoroughbred racing. As a young
man, he worked as a political heavy in New York before going to San
Francisco in search of a fortune at the height of the Gold Rush.
After returning to the east coast, he was hired by Tammany Hall and
was soon locked in a deadly rivalry with William Poole, better
known as "Bill the Butcher." As time went on, Morrissey parlayed
his youthful exploits into a remarkably successful career as a
businessman and politician. After establishing a gambling house in
Saratoga Springs, the hardnosed entrepreneur organized the first
Thoroughbred race meet at what would become Saratoga Race Course in
1863. Morrissey went on to be elected to two terms in the U.S.
House of Representatives and two terms in the New York State
Senate. In The Notorious John Morrissey, James C. Nicholson
explores the improbable life of the man who brought Thoroughbred
racing back to prominence in the United States. Though few of his
contemporaries did more to develop the commercialization of sports
in America, Morrissey's colorful background has prevented him from
getting the attention he deserves. This entertaining and
long-overdue biography finally does justice to his astounding
rags-to-riches story while exploring an intriguing chapter in the
history of horse racing.
Belle Brezing made a major career move when she stepped off the
streets of Lexington, Kentucky, and into Jennie Hill's bawdy house
-- an upscale brothel run out of a former residence of Mary Todd
Lincoln. At nineteen, Brezing was already infamous as a youth
steeped in death, sex, drugs, and scandal. But it was in Miss
Hill's "respectable" establishment that she began to acquire the
skills, manners, and business contacts that allowed her to ascend
to power and influence as an internationally known madam. In this
revealing book, Maryjean Wall offers a tantalizing true story of
vice and power in the Gilded Age South, as told through the life
and times of the notorious Miss Belle. After years on the streets
and working for Hill, Belle Brezing borrowed enough money to set up
her own establishment -- her wealth and fame growing alongside the
booming popularity of horse racing. Soon, her houses were known
internationally, and powerful patrons from the industrial cities of
the Northeast courted her in the lavish parlors of her
gilt-and-mirror mansion. Secrecy was a moral code in the
sequestered demimonde of prostitution in Victorian America, so
little has been written about the Southern madam credited with
inspiring the character Belle Watling in Margaret Mitchell's Gone
with the Wind. Following Brezing from her birth amid the ruins of
the Civil War to the height of her scarlet fame and beyond, Wall
uses her story to explore a wider world of sex, business, politics,
and power. The result is a scintillating tale that is as
enthralling as any fiction.
This is the second edition of the classic on the history of British
horse racing. It provides a detailed and far-ranging social and
economic analysis of the major changes in British flat racing, in
particular in the period between 1830 and 1939. Four major themes
are explored. Firstly, the changing character and structure of the
sport. Secondly, the morality of racing, which was a corrupt sport
par excellence for much of the nineteenth century. Thirdly, on four
categories of participants in racing jockeys, trainers, owners and
breeders. Here, the author assesses whether or not these could make
money out of racing. Fourthly, the book examines gambling and its
important symbiotic relationship with racing. The televised,
sponsored, carefully governed sport today is a vastly different
affair from that of the 18th century. Then racing was a free,
social event, the highlight of the entertainment calendar for the
bulk of the local community. By the late 19th century most race
meetings were highly commercial enterprises, requiring payment from
all spectators, many of whom had travelled some distance to attend.
The excitement and historical interest of these meetings is well
captured here."
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.
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.
Every year, thousands of dollars are spent in the U.S. on horse
training and riding lessons. Technique and training are important
keys to a rewarding "ride," but a horse's physical, emotional and
mental comfort are just as important, and often misunderstood or
overlooked. "What we perceive to be 'bad behavior' is very often
the result of ... any number of physiological conditions that our
horses are unable to describe to us." Inspired by a true story,
Sandi Bell examines symptoms and possible sources of pain or
discomfort that cause resistant behavior so often mistaken for
disobedience. Easy-to-understand text with correlating
illustrations and photos allow a reader to have insight into the
missed influences affecting our horses. "Thursday's cantering
challenge was so clear to me. He wasn't trying to disobey the rider
... it was that he was hurting. His inability or refusal to pick up
the canter was purely because he was in pain." Responsible horse
handlers will benefit from this powerful information. Before The
'Crop' Comes Out offers a fresh perspective-steps we can take to
support our horses instead of punishing them- a positive way to
look at and approach horses with the respect they deserve. About
the Author Sandi Bell is a horse owner, writer, consultant and
instructor from the SF Bay Area. A passionate "horse advocate," she
aspires to help other horse lovers understand and remedy behavioral
issues not premeditated by the horse. Sandi's formal education
began by attending clinics, symposiums and seminars from top horse
professionals and she is currently working on a degree in Equine
Science. Read her popular blog at www.heartandsoulequine.com.
Master storyteller Ralph Moody tells the thrilling story of a
plucky horse who refused to quit, a down-on-his-luck jockey who
didn't let horrendous accidents keep him out of the saddle, and a
taciturn trainer who brought out the best in both. During the Great
Depression, Seabiscuit captured the hearts of Americans from the
streets to the White House, winning more money than any horse at
that time and shattering speed records across the country. In this
real-life story Moody captures the hoof-pounding excitement of the
explosive early races to an unforgettable showdown with the feared
Triple Crown winner War Admiral. Moving and inspirational, Come on
Seabiscuit! is a reminder of the qualities that make a real
American champion. Ralph Moody is best known for his eight Little
Britches books, which have delighted generations of readers and are
all available in Bison Books editions. Ralph Moody captured the
hearts of young readers everywhere with his beloved Little Britches
saga. In this Bison Books edition of his 1963 classic, Moody brings
to life the story of a knobby-kneed little colt called Seabiscuit,
who against all odds became one of the most celebrated racehorses
of all time. Although Seabiscuit was the grandson of the legendary
Man O' War, he was neither handsome nor graceful. His head was too
big, his legs too short, and his gallop was awkward. His owners
gave up on Seabiscuit when he was two, raced him too heavily, and
tried unsuccessfully to sell him. It took the keen eyes of trainer
Tom Smith to recognize the heart, courage, and gallant
determination of Seabiscuit, the qualities of a truly great horse.
Smith's unfailing patience and astute treatments, the love and
skill of jockey Red Pollard, and the continued support of owner
Charles Howard forged Seabiscuit into a champion. Purchase the
audio edition.
The first Japanese American jockey, Kokomo Joe burst like a comet
on the American horse-racing scene in the summer of 1941. As war
with Japan loomed, Yoshio "Kokomo Joe" Kobuki won race after race,
stirring passions far beyond merely the envy and antagonism of
other jockeys. His is a story of the American dream catapulting
headlong into the nightmare of a nation gripped by wartime hysteria
and xenophobia. The story that unfolds in "Kokomo Joe" is at once
inspiring, deeply sad, and richly ironic--and remarkably relevant
in our own climate of nationalist fervor and racial profiling. Sent
to Japan from Washington State after his mother and three siblings
died of the Spanish flu, Kobuki continued to nurse his dream of the
American good life. Because of his small stature, his ambition
steered him to a future as a star jockey. John Christgau narrates
Kobuki's rise from lowly stable boy to reigning star at California
fairs and in the bush leagues. He describes how, at the height of
the jockey's fame, even his flight into the Sonora Desert could not
protect him from the government's espionage and sabotage dragnet.
And finally he recounts how, after three years of internment,
Kokomo Joe tried to reclaim his racing success, only to fall victim
to still-rampant racism, a career-ending injury, and cancer.
Racing in Doncaster contains a fascinating selection of
photographs, charting the ups and downs of this historic course.
Famous races, horses, jockeys and trainers can all be found here,
along with much detail about the St Leger, Doncaster's most
celebrated and lucrative race of all. Peter Tuffrey has gathered
together well over 200 images, many unpublished, to present a
comprehensive photographic history of the course, the meetings, and
the runners and rider who have graced Doncaster's turf. This is
must-have for all racing enthusiasts.
The great myth of horse racing is that the game is the regal and
royal Sport of Kings. It isn't. Not by a long shot.
Anyone who doubts this need look no further than Suffolk Downs, a
once-proud racecourse graced in its glory years by boisterous
throngs and champions such as Seabiscuit. Now the blue-collar East
Boston track is one of many that have fallen on hard times. These
days "Sufferin' Downs" is where grizzled Thoroughbreds come to end
their careers, hopeful young jockeys aspire against daunting odds
to begin them, and diehard fans cheer, curse and gamble on the
entire fascinating spectacle. These bit players are not just cogs
of a single, struggling horse track. They are the unseen supporting
cast for a $15 billion betting industry.
In fifteen years as a racing reporter and press box personality,
T.D. Thornton gained access to remote corners of racetrack life off
limits to the general public. He got to know the raucously
Runyonesque characters and the quirky personalities of the horses;
he learned the tricks of the trade from trainers, owners, and
jockeys; he witnessed the tragedies and small triumphs of racing
lives lived below the radar. One recent season, he finally decided
to write it all down.
"Not by a Long Shot" is a deeply textured portrait of an industry
where even the best in the business lose 75 percent of the time.
The world of Thoroughbred horse racing is much more than the
glitz-and-glamour Saturday races shown on TV. From Sunday through
Friday, there are a myriad of horses who run, not for million
dollar purses, but in the smaller claiming races that keep
horse-racing alive and financially viable. On these same days,
there are the bettors, owners, trainers and jockeys who form the
backbone of horse-racing with their less-than-glamorous livelihood.
This volume presents a non-fiction insider's look at today's sport
of Thoroughbred racing from a day-to-day, behind-the-scenes vantage
point. Divided into three sections, it discusses the racing,
breeding and jockeying which is the reality of Thoroughbred racing.
From trainers and jockeys to the editor of the Illinois Racing
News, men and women well versed in the sport provide firsthand
insight and experience regarding the actualities of Thoroughbred
racing. Selected racing records and an extensive glossary of horse
racing terms are also included.
When Citation (1945-1970) retired in mid-1951, he was horseracing's
first and, to that point, only millionaire racehorse. Following his
1948 triumphs at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont in
1948, it would be twenty-five years before another horse
(Secreteriat) would again wear the coveted Triple Crown. Citation,
by legendary announcer and longtime horseracing insider Phil
Georgeff, reveals all about the thoroughbred, his remarkable
career, and those in his inner circle. Georgeff delves into
Citation's unusual bloodline; the death of his original rider, Al
Snider, swept out to sea while fishing off the Florida keys;
Citation's stunning 1948 Triple Crown victory; and the ultimate
effects of the horse's excessive, aggressive schedule (racing on
little rest after traveling cross-country in sweltering vans and
railroad boxcars). Based on interviews from those who knew the
thoroughbred, including famed jockey Eddie Arcaro and renowned
son-and-father trainers Ben A. and Jimmy Jones; Citation is more
than merely the biography of a gifted horse. It the full story of
the greatest sports figure in the history of horseracing, a
champion who won or placed in thirty different contests in his
career and whose spirit continue to captivate the American public.
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.
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.
" On the first Saturday in May every year in Louisville,
Kentucky, shortly after 5:30 PM, a new horse attains racing
immortality. The Kentucky Derby is like no other race, and its
winners are the finest horses in the world. Covered in rich red
roses, surrounded by flashing cameras and admiring crowds, these
instant celebrities bear names like Citation, Secretariat,
Spectacular Bid, and Seattle Slew. They're worth hundreds of
thousands of dollars. But in 1992, a funny thing happened on the
way to the roses. The rattling roar of 130,000 voices tailed off
into a high, hollow shriek as the horses crossed the finish line.
Lil E. Tee? ABC broadcasters knew nothing about him, but they
weren't alone. Who knew about Lil E. Tee? A blacksmith in Ocala,
Florida, a veterinary surgeon in Ringoes, New Jersey, a trainer a
Calder Race Course, and a few other people used to dealing with
average horses knew this horse -- and realized what a long shot Lil
E. Tee really was. On a Pennsylvania farm that raised mostly
trotting horses, a colt with a dime-store pedigree was born in
1989. His odd gait and tendency to bellow for his mother earned him
the nickname "E.T." Suffering from an immune deficiency and a bad
case of colic, he survived surgery that usually ends a horse's
racing career. Bloodstock agents dismissed him because of his
mediocre breeding, and once he was sold for only $3,000. He'd live
in five barns in seven states by the time he turned two. Somehow,
this horse became one of the biggest underdogs to appear on the
American sporting landscape. Lil E. Tee overcame his bleak
beginnings to reach the respected hands of trainer Lynn Whiting,
jockey Pat Day, and owner Cal Partee. After winning the Jim Beam
stakes and finishing second in the Arkansas Derby, Lil E. Tee
arrived at Churchill Downs to face a field of seventeen horses,
including the highly acclaimed favorite, Arazi, a horse many people
forecast to become the next Secretariat. A 17-to-1 longshot, Lil E.
Tee won the Derby with a classic rally down the home stretch, and
finally Pat Day had jockeyed a horse to Derby victory. John
Eisenberg draws on more than fifteen years of sports writing
experience and a hundred interviews throughout Pennsylvania,
Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas to tell the story almost nobody
knew in 1992. Eisenberg is a sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun
and has won more than twenty awards for his sports writing,
including several Associated Press sports editors' first
places."
Beloved for his thunderous, commanding voice and affable
personality, Phil Georgeff, known as "The Voice of Chicago Racing,"
holds the world record for calling the most horse races an
astounding 96,131. During his fifty years in the sport, Georgeff
brushed shoulders with every great jockey and saw just about every
great horse, from 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation to 1973's
Secretariat. Part memoir, part historical analysis, and part
nostalgic remembrance, this book is the quintessential guide to the
history of thoroughbred racing in the twentieth century.
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