Thoroughbred Books

I really liked reading Bold Ruler. This horse was amazing with all he has done in his life. I think his Eddie Arcaro is a great rider and Bold Rulers trainer is good at what he does too.

The horse Bold Ruler was a star of the 1950s: one of the best of a generation of racehorses who participated in the memorable 1957 Triple Crown season. His story is recounted in a vivid memoir which follows the sport of horse racing overall, revealing Bold Ruler's championship runs and riders. With black and white photos adding excitement, Bold Ruler is a thoroughbred legend account which reads with all the drama of fiction and is a highly recommended pick for any horse racing fan.

My understanding is that "Bold Ruler" is the 24th and final volume in Eclipse Press' Thoroughbred Legends series, which was begun in the late 90s as a tribute to some of the great racing superstars. And this book, about this 1950s racing superstar and dominant sire (Bold Ruler was the sire of the great Secretariat) is a nice conclusion to the series. The book is written by Ed Bowen, who wrote several of the Legends books. I'm not crazy about Bowen's style, which is to spend a lot of pages discussing the ancestory of the connections to the horse more than that of the horse itself. But his detailed descriptions of Bold Ruler's many races and his very successful stud career are very well done that this is probably his best book in the series.

If this is the end of the series, I believe that it was a very good series. The majority of the top 25 race horses of all time were chronicled with the notable exceptions of Count Fleet (1943 Triple Crown winner), Tom Fool (early 1950s superstar), Buckpasser (late 1960s superhorse), Cigar (probably because there already is a nice book about him on the market) and Seabiscuit (ditto). But the selection as pretty good and almost all the books were enjoyable. And the 24 books look very nice on my bookcase. Well done, Eclipse Press!

Jay Privman, Breeders' Cup: Thoroughbred Racing's Championship Day (Triumph, 2000)

Gorgeous photography is the focus of this monstrous coffee-table book; Jay Privman's commentary is interesting, but sometimes a minor drawback (there's some repetition, and a bit of fact-fudging when it comes to the infamous 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, though Privman redeems himself somewhat when he at least refers to Frankie Deottri's ride on Swain as "ill-considered" when discussing Daylami). Few Breeders' Cup winners are not given at least some space, and a number of them are given multi-page spreads. If you're a Breeders' Cup fan, this one's a must. ****

This is a great book for any sports lover. The writer, Jay Privman, did a fabulous job telling the colorful stories of the Breeders' Cup( jockeys, trainers, breeders, owners, and horses...). The photograghs are beautiful and dramatic. A MUST HAVE BOOK!!!

I received my long-awaited copy of this book, and I must say I enjoy it very much. This is a coffee table book with numerous beautiful color photographs of the races from the Breeders' Cup inaugural (1984) to the present. The triumphs, the tragedies (for example, Go For Wand's breakdown and death in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Distaff), and the upsets (such as Arcangues' longshot win in the 1993 Classic) are beautifully chronicled in this book.

The only thing preventing me from giving it five stars was that it was a little bit on the skimpy side with regard to the commentary. I always enjoy good commentary as well as beautiful pictures in any oversized book. It is still a worthwhile purchase, however.

Edward Bowen has done it once again with having written a marvelous book about the great sires of the twentieth century and their influence upon the thoroughbred breed. All of the important sire lines are included, such as Nearco, Northern Dancer, Princequillo, Mr. Prospector, Hail to Reason, Nasrullah, Bull Lea, and, in this reviewer's opinion, the greatest sire of them all, Bold Ruler. Bowen gives a detailed biography of each sire and that horse's important descendants.

An added bonus is a section of charts in the back of the book of each sire's male line and the important winners from each of those lines. For example, the chart for Bold Ruler shows all of his male line ascendants, and his important descendants. One descendant, Bold Bidder, has under his name the important race horses Spectacular Bid and Cannonade, and Cannonade in turn sired Caveat who in turn sired Awad and Ops Smile. What is nice about the charts is that they instantly show how so few sires have had so much influence on thoroughbred racing.

I highly recommend this book and the companion book MATRIARCHS.

Written for horse people, this book serves as an excellent reference but not an outstanding read. I never became comfortable with the author's style, and his annoying habit of reintroducing his favorite source ("Sire Lines" by Abram S. Hewitt) a different way in every chapter really started to bother me. Also galling were the inexhaustible personal anecdotes, which did bring a hint of personality to the book, but often sounded like mere name-dropping. Furthermore, the author frequently omitted explanations of the racing jargon he used, although a few terms were finally defined in the last section of the book. On the other hand, the stories of the various stallions' breeding, racing, and stud careers were very interesting and seemingly well-researched. I appreciated the in-chapter pedigrees as well as the more complete sire line charts at the end. Many black and white photos are included of the famous sires and some of their progeny.

Edward Bowen has selected what he thinks are the most important sires of the twentieth century and devoted a chapter to each, giving their own achievements and those of their descendants, as well as information about some of the more interesting people involved. To this end, he has included one or two sire lines that might not actually be the most important, but where their story is particularly interesting. In his introduction, the author acknowledges that the Challenger sire line was selected instead of the Count Fleet or Pharamond lines precisely because it presented a more interesting story. None of them were essential based purely on their importance.

Of course, all the essential lines that are still thriving are there, including Nearco and Native Dancer, who between them have each established several important sire lines. Indeed, a significant proportion of the book is devoted to those stallions and their descendants, which include Storm cat, America's leading sire at the turn of the millennium, and Sadlers Wells, Europe's equivalent.

This book is not a comprehensive guide to sire lines. Although there are charts near the back of the book giving diagrams of the sire lines covered by the book, they do not list once-important but now extinct lines like the Diomed/Lexington line - a line that was already struggling at the beginning of the twentieth century, but somehow survived into the 1980's. Indeed, there is no diagram of the Herod dynasty at all, although a different branch of it survives in Europe, most notably via the Irish stallion Indian Ridge.

Also, the diagrams that are present focus, with few exceptions, on those branches where a stallion was standing in America at the time the book was written. Of course, this is understandable, as it is a book about American bloodlines, but since thoroughbred breeding is international, it is a bit misleading. The Hyperion line is not as close to extinction as the diagram makes it appear, although its long term future is uncertain.

Still, I have learned that the best place to look for comprehensive sire line charts is on the internet, which has the advantage of being more up-to-date than any book is ever likely to be. Despite my reservations about the charts, the author is a great storyteller and the charts will be sufficient for most purposes.

This book is a fabulous collection of writings about the world of horse racing--horses, jockeys, trainers, the works--by some of the best writers the sport and the world has ever seen. Count down to Derby Day 1955 with William Faulkner, revel in Damon Runyon's snappy verse about a jockey named Sande, and follow the great Andrew Beyer's misadventures at a bush track in Massachusetts.
An excellent gift for racing fans or for fans of superior writing!

Frank Scatoni, Finished Lines: A Collection of Memorable Writing on Thoroughbred Racing (DRF Press, 2002)

The anthology is a curious beast. Someone culls thousands upon thousand of pages of writing that might possibly be included and selects what that person thinks is the best (or most appropriate) of that writing to include. And I can't offhand think of a single anthology where more than an handful of other people agreed with the editor that the writing chosen was, in fact, the best or most appropriate of those thousand of pages.

Finished Lines continues on in that grand tradition. There is some amazing writing here, including some which has been far too long neglected (I pity both horse fans and non horse fans alike who have not yet read Bill Barich's brilliant Laughing in the Hills, excerpted here, even as I envy them the experience of being able to read it for the first time, and racing enthusiasts who have not read David Alexander's brilliant writing on Kelso's career have a real treat in store as well), and some that has achieved a form of immortality only because it was popular back in the day, and is the yesteryear equivalent of, say, a Britney Spears tune (do we really, really need to immortalize the mediocre prose and unreadable doggerel of Damon Runyon any more? Honestly?).

Still, the pearls certainly outweigh the swine, and this one's a great investment for any horse fan. You're sure to find some old friends as well as some wonderful new writing waiting to be discovered. Worth your time. *** ?

Simply terriffic book compiling columns from racing writers through the century. As a fan of the game it's a bit sad to see how the sport has lost significance as the century passed. Still, this was the best racing book I own. As much as I like "Seabiscuit", "Ruffian", and the "Secretariat" books, "Finished Lines" is my favorite because it keeps moving and covers so many great writers.

Ok, It was easy to predict that Mona would come back, because Ashleigh in the 1st book of Thoroughbred mentioned it. But the last page was really really pathetic. I mean, if you got a promotion with more money would Mona's dad really give it up? And at the last minute too? And the house deal. Usually they don't "fall through" at the last minute. The rest of the book was good, except when Ashleigh got all girly. So , it's not that bad of a book.

Ashleigh Griffen is extremely upset when Shadow; a filly she took care of gets sold. Soon all the other yearlings go too. She then finds out that her friend is moving to California. She starts acting girly and totally ignores Stardust and plans never to get attached to another horse. When a neglected mare in foal arrives at Edgardale will she change her mind?

Chris Platt rolls out another great Ashliegh book! I love how you get so involved with Ashliegh and her feelings. Just a little suggestion though, wouldn't it be nice not to killthis series? Why don't you not make Ashliegh one age the whole time, end it when she says goodbye to Stardust and write a new series called SAMANTHA! Or CINDY! Or CHRISTINA. It couldn't hurt to do something different!

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (9/06)

Caitlin Gleary is a talented horse trainer and longs to be a jockey but in the early 1900s a female jockey was unheard of. Charles Kendall is a handsome, wealthy American with a horse farm. He and Caitlin meet when to travels to Ireland to buy thoroughbreds. Their lives will never be the same.

Ninety-year-old Caitlin Gleary tells the story of her life in "Pinecroft Thoroughbreds." Her granddaughter has asked her to narrate her fascinating story on audio tape and plans to have it published. Caitlin attended finishing school with Eleanor Roosevelt, trained horses and dreamed of being a jockey. The young woman was and talented but in 1903 a female jockey was unheard of.

Caitlin was an excellent rider and had a passion for horses. The lovely, high-spirited, redhead worked closely with her father on his horse farm, Cleary Stud, in Ireland.

When thrown from her favorite mount, the humiliation increased when witnessed by Charles Kendall, a handsome American. Charles is a wealthy landowner but knows little about raising horses. Charles woos Caitlin and asks for her hand in marriage. Caitlin is intrigued to be the lady of the manor and mistress of the stables. The two make their home on his isolated estate, Pinecroft, in New Jersey. Together they discovered the pleasures of the marriage bed.

Charles had always avoided discussing his family but soon secrets began to emerge. Secrets that threaten to destroy those in Ireland as well as those in America. The Kendall family is cursed and curses have a way of passing from generation to generation; Charles feared that his children would inherit the dreaded curse.

This book is well-written and truly a pleasure to read. The characters are strong and bring emotion to the reader. The description of the estates transports the reader to Pinecroft and Ireland. This book is a glimpse into the life of the rich, famous and common worker in the 1900s. This book evokes passion for the characters; the reader feels their pain and their triumph.

I like this book, "Pinecroft Thoroughbreds,"' and take pleasure in recommending it to those readers that enjoy a unique love story with a touch of history thrown in.

By TT reviewer Nancy Arant Williams
Spunky Catie Cleary isn't having a good day. Riding is her passion, as is everything else concerning horses. But today, riding her favorite mount, she has been unceremoniously tossed over his head, suffering a head injury and excruciating fractured ribs.

More embarrassing than the fall is that it has been observed by a very handsome American, who stays near while Catie's grandmother goes for help.
Catie, unlike most Irish lasses in 1903, cares little for men, or at least, hasn't until now. But there's something fetching about the kind and stunning man that is irresistible.

So far, she's been captivated by breeding and training horses on her father's breeding farm, Cleary Stud, in Ireland, but that is about to change.
The American, it turns out, has come to purchase stock for his up and coming breeding stables in the Pine Woods of New Jersey, USA. Before she knows it, Catie has been wooed, and falls deeply in love with Charles Kendall, a prince Charming of a man she never dreamed of encountering in her lifetime. Married to him, she will be Lady of Pinecroft, his huge estate, where she will hobnob with the rich and famous of the period, namely Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their ilk.

But all is not rosy in Camelot, Catie learns. Family secrets have torn apart Charlie's family for years, but when Charlie brings Catie home, the lid threatens to blow off the pressure cooker of their lives.

Catie, a spunky, plain speaking Irish redhead, has no trouble speaking her mind. In fact, even with years of training and the finishing school she was finally tossed out of, she still hasn't overcome her angry use of slang. But, as she finds out, it has its uses.

When the family secrets emerge, they threaten to destroy relationships on both sides of the ocean-- if any of it becomes public knowledge. Will the family be able to cope with the revelations without disintegrating? And will Charlie be able to overcome his fear that his own children will inherit the family curse?

In her amazing foray into the lives of the rich and famous of the early 1900's Selwyn Grames lets us see how very human are those in the limelight. From Presidents on down to humble Irish servants, we glimpse life as it was in the early twentieth century. Though sordid, and evil in many ways, one can't help be touched by the ordinary pain that extraordinary mortals endured, as, one day at a time, they made their marks in time. A very revealing look at history. Rated R.

In 1974, seventy-one year old Caitlin Cleary narrates her purported memoirs about living at Pine Barrens, or Pinelands, located in southern New Jersey. Her powerful narrative voice immediately establishes her as an eccentric, thoughtful, authoritative woman who promises to "tell it like it is."

As a young girl, Caitlin dreamed of become a jockey, but the door of opportunity was not yet open to young women. So it seems only appropriate that Caitlin would marry wealthy American Charlie Kendall, thereby becoming a member of the "Horsey Set". She immigrates to America with her new husband, bringing her socially ambitious brother Eamonn with her to Pinecroft, Charlie's estate in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Just before her marriage, Caitlin's father expresses his single misgiving. Charlie refuses to discuss his family at any length. Upon her arrival in America, Caitlin will learn the dark secrets of Charlie's family, which will soon threaten to overshadow her own happiness. But the secrets of the past are only a part of the dreadful events that create chaos in the lives of the residents at Pinecroft.

THE PINECROFT THOROUGHBREDS is an intricately woven tapestry of finely created emotions. The novel is filled with fierce intensity and naked vulnerability, thickly wrapped with reflection, regret and possibility. The carefully measured prose maintains a cautious tension, keeping the weave even and intriguing even as events strip away a beautiful surface to reveal ugly secrets. Moreover, the background of the New Jersey Pinelands, together with the scent of sunlight and shadow, intertwine in a novel that entrances the reader. Secondary characters provide a varied and textured background, rich with conflict. An incredible and touching read, THE PINECROFT THOROUGHBREDS by Selwyn Anne Grames comes very highly recommended.

The original publication of SIRE LINES made the career of Abram S. Hewitt, establishing his career and authority for horse pedigree followers around the world: this updated edition contains his observations on each of the sires and adds historical insight and notes for modern horse breeders, addressing modern concerns relating to horse breeding and lines. SIRE LINES is not a guide for the novice: it's for the advanced and enthusiastic horseman seeking specific statistics and details on horse breeds, offered up in both charts and text. A solid, detailed reference the horse world can't live without.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book reviews the major Thoroughbred sire lines of the last 100 years. The stories are well-written, and the pedigree info is very useful and accurate.

Fantastic work and research on the concerned sire from his foaling, racing till his stud career. Very interesting reading but what I would have liked to know what special traits of his character, confirmation and racing abilities which have been passed down to his progeny; so when I look now at his great grandsons/daughters I can indentify if any of his traits are still are being carried down through his bloodlines. This is completely missing and even his progeny's career achivements have hardly been mentioned. The title is misleading!

In American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002), thoroughbred racing expert Avalyn Hunter informatively examines the pedigrees of the winners of the five American Classic horse races of the twentieth century: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Kentucky Oaks, and Coaching Club American Oaks. Closely studying the evolution of the breeding horses to be racing champions; the degree of inbreeding among race winners; and presenting an exciting history of the races themselves, American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002) is enthusiastically recommended reading for professionals as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the lineage of championship race horses.

You might think that 700 pages of statistics and history would make for dry reading, but there's flesh and bone and heart behind those numbers. A. Hunter does a wonderful job of summarizing the horses' greatest races and then tying them back to the ancestors' performances. For example, who was "Teddy" and why does he matter so much to the horses running today?
Some horses are as great on paper was they are on the track, but why does it seem that some horses come out of nowhere and succeed when nobody in their family has ever accomplished anything? Or did they? Is somebody great lurking back there in the grandsire or great-granddam spot in the pedigree?
If the numbers are dry, the text is anything but. It's easy to say "this horse was first, this one second", but it's an art to convey the effort and the struggle or, for that matter, the ease with which some horses became legends.
My only wish for change in this book would be to add more pictures. Surely the Racing Museum or whoever holds the rights to Robertson's Thoroughbred Racing in America could provide more images. Yes, it would make the book even bigger, but while it's great to read about the blood ties, it's even better to see the slant of a shoulder in the filly that reflects the same power in the grandsire.

Horse racing is a sport old and diverse, and "Best of Talkin' Horses: Chats with Some of the Thoroughbred Racing Most Prominent Personalities" is a collection of interviews from the people who make the sport happens. They talk on many issues and subjects, ranging from favorite jockeys, favorite horses, young horse racing, drugs, and so much more. A collection of Q&As consisting of many intriguing questions, "Best of Talkin' Horses" is a must for any horse racing fan.

For the past several years The Blood-Horse magazine has had an online series - Talkin' Horses - which brings in newsmakers from all aspects of the industry who answer questions on a wealth of topics.

From trainer Bob Baffert to jockey great Jerry Bailey, the guests step onto the track to dive into the happenings, history and handicapping from around the world, with small excerpts appearing in the magazine. This is a nice collection of the interviews and a fascinating look into the Thoroughbred industry from the perspective of the railbirds, who are the media members in these "press conferences."

This is just one of 8 great books they put out in the "Thoroughbred Legacy" series. I bought them out of order but soon managed to get all of the first 8 books. Very good script and very good writing by all writers involved. Can't wait for the final 4 in December.

Blacksmith Audrey Griffith is thinking about quitting Kentucky's Quest Stables. However, one of the owners asks her to do a favor; accompany family member, vintner, Shane Preston, as he attends wine shows throughout the continent. She agrees as the all expense trip sounds like heaven although she has a qualm that Shane prefers a real assistant not some bimbo candy or working class muscle babe as he perceives her to be.

When they first meet, each feels the attraction. Shane is especially euphoric that the farrier is accompanying him as he knows almost immediately he wants her for more than just a one night stand. Half way in love with Shane, Audrey cannot commit to any long term relationship. Shane realizes if he wants to win the prize of the love of his life, he will need to be patient like he is with winemaking.

With an engaging contemporary wine and horseracing backdrops though the time at the stables and tracks are somewhat limited; BIDING HER TIME is Audrey's show as the impish heroine is feisty and tough on the outside, but extremely vulnerable and susceptible to hurt inside. Shane is a solid male lead, but win, place and show belongs to the wonderful female.

Harriet Klausner