Thoroughbred Books

Amanda Emory is widowed and trying to raise her sons. She relocates to a new job. Her life is at risk and she is trying to protect her sons so she tries not to get close to people. She has no interest in men.
Yet Robbie Preston is having his own problems with his family because they thinks they treated him unfair by passing him over to be head trainer. He feels drawn to Amanda and her son loves learning about horses. Yet he does not understand why it is so hard for her to let him love her.
There is danger, suspense and romance in this book. I learned a lot about what goes on at a horse ranch and thoroughbred racing. Being my Grandpa was a professional gambler, my Dad always told us not to gamble. But I found it interesting to learn about how the horses were trained.

Two years ago LAPD cop Dan Emory died during a drug bust leaving behind his wife Amanda and their two preadolescent sons. Deciding nine years old Kiefer, six years old Max and her needed a fresh start Amanda obtains work as an office manager at Quest Stables in Kentucky.

Kiefer especially adulates trainer Robbie Preston, whose womanizing reputation is known throughout the Bluegrass State. Her son wants Amanda and Robbie to date, but she still mourns her loss while he feels a single mom with two kids is out of his league; besides which his star horse Leopold's Legacy; winner of the Derby and the Preakness, has been banned from racing due to a breeding controversy that has surfaced just before the Belmont. Still both are attracted to one another and an insistent young matchmaker keeps coaxing them.

Although much of the plot is spent on the racing farm, SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT is a straightforward contemporary romance with some insight as to what happens behind the scenes of a major stable and a look at a trainer's job. The external suspense from Los Angeles comes late, but by then fans will relish Robbie's mentoring of Kiefer while he and the lad's mom do a love tango in which both try not to dance together.

Harriet Klausner

There is an adage in Thoroughbred racing that to become a millionaire in the sport, one must start out as a multi-millionaire. Simply, aim high and be prepared to lose serious cash while trying to hit the long homer with a special runner.

Well, that scenario is not always the case. Though the book title is a bit sensational, author Malcolm Barr, Sr. provides advice for those wishing to get into the game, but have practical dreams to compete at the local track.

The claiming route is the way that even some of the top owners initially started their stables. Claiming races are the mainstay at the tracks. They are races where any horse can be bought at a specific price, which may be a few thousand dollars or much higher, depending upon the quality of the event & racer.

A claim form is filled out before the race and - no matter what happens in the race - the individual will be the new owner. If more than one document is turned in for a racer, track officials will hold a drawing to determine the winning claim tag.

It is the easiest way to jump into the sport because the new owner now has a proven runner that can stay in training and race, instead of taking a young Thoroughbred and needing months or maybe years for the proper preparation to possibly get to the races.

For example, champion dirt and turf racer Lava Man was claimed in 2004 by a new owner for $50,000 and has earned more than $4.6 million in purse winnings, the majority coming after the ownership change.

Now that was a 1,000-to-1 claim, but Barr, Sr. describes how planning a budget and developing a good plan can put the odds in an owner's favor by claiming a racer or getting into the breeding side of the sport. The book is also interesting for fans who are seeking information about these important aspects of racing.

The Thoroughbred is essentially a sports franchise that eats, trains and can get injured, oftentimes with severe consequences. And the track is a business that is sometimes unforgiving for even the best plan that is on paper.

But if you want to get involved in the sport, why not be the one who will beat the odds?

An excellent recap of the greatest rivalry in horse racing. It tells the story of all their races, not just the well known story of the Triple Crown. Well written and balanced in its conclusions. Should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the history of the sport. A worthy addition to the Thoroughbred Legends series.

Great book, mostly... good pictures, accurate reporting, excellent layout, fun writing. My only criticism is that he *really* skimped on details on the V8 models, particularly the original V8 Vantage -- one of Aston's most important cars ever. Still, definitely worth buying.

This is the most speculative investment that a person can make in the industry.

Though there are a variety of pinhooking plans, the most common is for a person or partnership to buy a weanling or yearling and train the runner to sell - hopefully at a significant profit - at auction or privately about a year later, or sooner.

The book leads you through the various steps to pinhooking, which racing fans would also find interesting.

I have not heard of anyone who initially got involved in Thoroughbred racing through pinhooking, due to the time and financial risk involved. If you are at the point of wanting to try this facet of the industry, you certainly attend the races and may be involved in racing partnerships.

I urge you to talk with owners and trainers to get a real perspective; and listen well. The book is a great resource, but nothing beats solid advice from those involved 24/7 with these great athletes.

This is a great, easy to read book. Self gives lots of information about different breeds of horses, plus personal stories of horses she has known.
An "oldie but a goodie."

Attorney/horse owner Forman provides the most objective yet passionate view of the internal workings of thoroughbred racing I have yet encountered.He allows us along on his dream of owning a champion while pointing out the reality involved.There are winning moves born of desperation and stinging defeats brought on by misplaced confidence.The average racing fan's image of smart money and stable manipulations are put to rest quickly.Even the campaign of his most successful runner is a story of hits and misses, most coming when they are least expected.Mr. Forman's unbridled fantasy gives way to grudging optimism and finally a more realistic version of success. The fact that the setting takes place at the middle level of the racing scale, in Chicago, and not the power centers of racing such as New York or California probably give it more relevance to the average fan or owner.The shifts in the Owner/Trainer power dynamic are more subtle at this level than they would be in the Big Time, or at the very lowest levels, for that matter. Overall the book is a very satisfying account of one persons realization that going after the dream is the true goal.And win or lose,what you learn along the way is what counts.

Quest Stables still reels from the breeding scandal involving their Kentucky Derby champion. Widower head trainer Brent Preston wonders who is trying to destroy his family's thoroughbred operations. When he finds a tentative clue, he decides to go sleuthing.

After he informs everyone he is going on vacation to get away from the pressure of the sandal, Brent flies to England. However, his clue fails to pan out until he meets schoolteacher Lady Devon Hunter. He courts her hoping she will be the avenue to her brother Nolan, who is somehow involved in the States' racing disgrace. To his shock, Brent falls in love and Nolan reciprocates. However her former spouse refuses to believe they are finished and her sibling wants the Yank to go home before he learns more about his role in the scandal.

This Silhouette Thoroughbred Legacy entry moves the overarching plot forward as Brent investigates by following a lead to England only to find love with the sister of his suspect. The story line is fast-paced with an amateur sleuth feel to it; however that also leads to asking why Brent did not hire a local professional private investigator; his reasoning seems off kilter. Fans will enjoy this fun love crossing the Atlantic even as Devon does not come across as a villainess; the romantic suspense crowd will insist Ken Casper missed an opportunity while the purebred romance reader will say tally ho well done Mr. Casper.

Harriet Klausner

Be certain to buy the updated, 2005 reissue of this book in order to get the History Channel DVD. The book itself is also updated to Birdstone's defeat of Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont.

Affirmed won the triple crown in 1978 and Seattle Slew in 1977, so this 1975 edition will only have the first nine winners--another reason to buy the 2005 edition.

Like handicapping a race at your favorite Thoroughbred track, there are two (or more) ways of looking at the 2007 edition of the almanac.

It is essential for anyone needing a guide to the recent and past history of the sport in breeding, racing - the tracks, racers & races, owners and trainers - and auctions. But the publication needs a format change in 2008 to give it a new start.

Besides the front "Year in Review" section and a couple other inside features on the past season, the bulk of material is simply updated with one line of new information, with chapters within pages of each other from year-to-year.

Statistics alone don't drive the sport and the Thoroughbred Times weekly publication has outstanding race and auction photographs. Perhaps a yearly recap in photos, along with a history of the sport from the photographic archives of the publication would make the almanac much more visually appealing.

Even the drab layout of the World Almanac got a major boost some years back with photos.

I am hooked into buying the almanac each year due to my involvement in the Thoroughbred industry. The publication may be a means to get a reader curious about aspects of the sport, which may translate into going to the races and then becoming a fan (and getting friends involved, too).

There are too many missed opportunities in the industry to get material out to casual fans or those seeing the sport for the first time and I'm afraid that same rut has captured The Original Thoroughbred Times Racing Almanac.

But it's not too late for 2008.