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$21.99
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In the early 1800s, Saratoga Springs was mostly a tourist destination because of its natural mineral waters and their healing powers.
But that changed in 1863 with the opening of the Saratoga Race Course. From then on, summers in the Spa City came alive with the excitement of the sport of kings. Since the victory of the great horse Kentucky in the introductory Travers Stakes, the racecourse has showcased the sport's greatest champions. Otherwise seemingly uncatchable thoroughbreds--including Man o' War and Secretariat--faced unexpected defeat on its turf, earning Saratoga the nickname the Graveyard of Champions. Author Kimberly Gatto chronicles the story of the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in the country, with tales of the famous people and horses that contributed to its illustrious history.
Harness Racing in New York State
9781609496043
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$21.99
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Since the eager stallion Messenger trotted off a boat from Europe in 1788, harness racing in America has been a popular sport, and nowhere is this truer than New York State. In the nineteenth century, harness racing attracted spectators from all walks of life. An 1823 race was so popular that businesses adjourned for the day to watch it. The sport reached its peak when the spectacular Roosevelt Raceway opened in 1957. Dean Hoffman offers an in-depth history of the sport's evolution in the Empire State, from the drivers and breeding to betting, legislation and accounts of the most exciting races. Join Hoffman as he sheds light on one of New York's most venerable sports traditions.
New York’s Greatest Thoroughbreds
9781467149211
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$21.99
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Champion Race Horses of the Empire State
From Saratoga to Belmont Park, New York hosts some of horse racing's most important races, but many of the most successful thoroughbreds of the past five decades also have called the state home. Say Florida Say seemed to only improve with age, winning thirty-three times throughout a seven-year career that made him a regional favorite in the 1990s. The first ever New York horse to win the Kentucky derby, Funny Cide, rose to national prominence in 2003, winning both the Derby and the Preakness in incredible fashion. The thoroughbred Audible shared owners with triple-crown winner Justify, and though embroiled in some controversy as a result, was also an elite race horse during a brief career.
Author Allan Carter highlights the stories behind the greatest New York thoroughbreds of the past half-century.
Noor
9781609495619
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$21.99
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While Seabiscuit is perhaps the best-known Thoroughbred in history, Charles S. Howard owned another remarkable racehorse that should never be forgotten. Irish-bred Noor dominated the 1950 racing season, setting world records in victories over Citation and winning the Hollywood Gold Cup by defeating a Triple Crown winner, the Horse of the Year and the previous year's Kentucky Derby winner. Sadly, that fame faded as he failed to sire champions, and Noor was buried in an unmarked grave in Northern California decades later. Veteran turf writer Milt Toby recounts Noor's colorful career and the inspiring story of racing enthusiast Charlotte Farmer's personal mission to exhume the Thoroughbred's remains for reburial in central Kentucky years after the horse was inducted into the hall of fame.
Marcus Daly's Montana Empires
9781467148252
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$24.99
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“Prince of the American Turf and Mining King of the World”—P.A. O’Farrell
With business savvy honed in the West’s rowdy mining camps, Marcus Daly rose from poor Irish immigrant to Gilded Age magnate. From the mines of Butte, Montana, to America’s largest smelter in a town he also named Anaconda, Daly’s Anaconda Copper Company made a fortune. He used it to build his dream—a Bitterroot Valley ranch and a horse racing empire that stretched from California to New York. Meanwhile, his gregarious and generous façade hid a sly manipulator, one locked in a battle for political dominance with rival copper king W.A. Clark.
With detailed research and more than one hundred photographs, historian Brenda Wahler peels back the layers of a complex industrialist, revealing his historic influence and legacy.
Suffolk Downs
9780738538204
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$24.99
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Since opening on July 10, 1935, Suffolk Downs has played host to some of Thoroughbred racing's greatest champions, including Triple Crown winners War Admiral, Whirlaway, and Assault, as well as other greats such as Seabiscuit, John Henry, and Cigar. In addition to these legendary horses, hall of fame jockeys George Woolf, Johnny Longden, Eddie Arcaro, Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero, and Jerry Bailey have all competed at the East Boston oval. The signature race at Suffolk Downs, the Massachusetts Handicap, maintains a prominent date on the Boston sports calendar. The list of heralded visitors to Suffolk Downs is in no way limited to the racing world. Entertainer Bing Crosby and television star Rin Tin Tin have made appearances, and the Beatles performed their final Boston show at Suffolk Downs in 1966. Through nearly two hundred images, Suffolk Downs revisits these monumental racehorses, personalities, and events.
Nasrullah
9781626190146
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$21.99
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Nasrullah arrived in Kentucky in 1950 and forever changed the modern American thoroughbred.
Bred in royalty by the Aga Kahn, Nasrullah's journey from Europe to America was one of glorious victories and grand potential. He was the first horse to lead both the American and English sire lists, which led to a legendary line of descendants that includes nine U.S. champions, three Hall of Famers and ninety-eight stake winners like Bold Ruler, Noor and Nashua. Nasrullah is even grandsire of the famed Secretariat. Ride along with author Melanie Greene as she recounts the compelling history of a truly remarkable horse that is sure to take any equestrian fan beyond the bluegrass.
Del Mar Racetrack
9780738531465
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$24.99
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Where the Turf Meets the Surf entered horseracing lore after the 22nd District Agriculture Association (DAA) established a 241-acre fairground at Del Mar that included a stadium and one-mile oval racetrack in the 1930s. The venue gave an enterprising trio the impetus to bring thoroughbred racing to the San Diego County coast. The Del Mar Turf Club was led by Harry Lillis Bing Crosby, Pat O'Brien, and Bill Quigley. A DAA contract to hold a 55-day annual racing season was secured, and on opening day, July 3, 1937, the velvet-voiced Der Bingle greeted the first patrons at the gate. Racing established the Del Mar name beyond California, but it was suspended in 1942 for World War II. The Marines moved in and the Del Mar Turf Club Aircraft Division formed to manufacture wing ribs for B-17s. Racing reopened in 1945 to continued success under the direction of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club president Joe Harper.
Chicago's Horse Racing Venues
9780738560809
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$24.99
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The popularity of horse racing in Chicago has yet to be rivaled in any other metropolitan area. Since the 1800s, the Windy City's enthusiasm for both harness and Thoroughbred racing led to 10 major racetracks being built in the Chicago area. Four of those raceways—Balmoral, Maywood, Hawthorne, and Arlington—are still racing and thriving today. From Washington Park, Lincoln Fields, and Worth Raceway on the city's South Side, to the Near West Side venues of Hawthorne Race Course and Sportsman's Park, to Arlington Park's northwest locale and Aurora Downs to the west, Chicago's racing community has enjoyed a long and sometimes scandalous history. Chicago's Horse Racing Venues provides insight into Chicago's rich racing history and a behind-the-scenes look at the people and horses involved.
Orzel
9781626199620
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$21.99
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In 1967, Scottsdale's longtime Arabian horse breeder Ed Tweed embarked on a mission to race the horses he bred. He imported a chestnut stallion from Poland named Orzel, or Eagle in English, that flew past competitors to become the first U.S. National Racing Champion. Among other wins in halter and performance, Orzel was the victor in the debut of the U.S. National Championship Ladies' Sidesaddle category, partnered with Tweed's granddaughter Shelley Groom Trevor. Thousands of fans visited the legendary performer in retirement at Brusally Ranch. Decades after Orzel's death, horses he sired continue his winning legacy. Author Tobi Lopez Taylor chronicles this triumphant story.
Maryland Thoroughbred Racing
9780738541549
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$24.99
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Thoroughbred racing has always played a central role in Maryland's identity and must continue into the 21st century. Gov. Bob Erlich and countless other Marylanders salute the cherished history of thoroughbred racing, though jousting is the official state sport. This volume highlights the people, places, races, faces, and, most important of all, the horses that have held the public's attention and bolstered Maryland's economy for several centuries. Subjects range from the legendary to the forgotten and from millionaires to railbirds. Horse racing is a great equalizer, drawing fans of all ages and walks of life.
Del Mar
9781609493103
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$21.99
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For nearly seventy five years, summertime at Del Mar Racetrack has been a place for fun and entertainment, a place, as Eddie Read said, where nobody's in a hurry but the horses. Since its founding by Bing Crosby and his Hollywood friends in 1937, Del Mar has hosted some of thoroughbred racing's finest: from dancing Zenyatta and scrappy Seabiscuit to San Diego's own hall-of-famers Best Pal and Azeri. In this collection of vignettes, celebrated turf writer and San Diego sports journalist Hank Wesch recalls noted jockeys, infamous matchups, and the best of Del Mar.
Churchill Downs
9781596298873
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$21.99
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In the bustling city streets of late 18th century Louisville began a tradition of thoroughbred racing that has transcended centuries.
Follow author Kimberly Gatto as she chronicles the history of the world’s most famous racing venue, which revolutionized the “Sport of Kings” and created the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Clark Handicap races. Fans will enjoy the tales of various horses, from the early triumph of Ten Broeck over Mollie McCarthy to the Derby victory of the heroic thoroughbred Barbaro. Churchill Downs: America’s Most Historic Racetrack recounts the various financial hardships, the introduction of parimutuel betting, the construction of the famed twin spire grandstand, and how the age of television transformed Churchill Downs into the majestic track we recognize today.
Virginia Horse Racing
9781596294394
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Virginia, mother of presidents, is also the mother of American horse racing. From the very beginning, Virginians have risked it all on the track as eagerly as on the battlefield. Follow the bloodlines of three foundation sires of the American Thoroughbred through generations of rollicking races and larger-than-life grandees wagering kingly stakes, sometimes on horses not yet born. How did the horse nicknamed Damn His Eyes get protection money from other horse owners? What did it mean to tap the claret to break a neck-and-neck tie? Why was Confederate cavalry so much better than Union—was it the riders, or was it the mounts? All these and many more stories of horsemanship on and off the track fill the pages of Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf.