Racing Books

My husband was thrilled to get this for his birthday. He hardly puts it down. There is so much information about horses, trainers, jockey, owners - it is exciting to find out facts you did not know.

This is a must-have for anyone interested in the 2005 racing year.

If you have a question about some facet of the Thoroughbred industry, the answer is probably waiting to be found in the nearly 2,400 pages of this encyclopedia.

The Daily Racing Form remains a respected name in the release of publications covering the gamut of the sport and this vast resource tool stands at the apex. And this is not simply a volume that will find a cozy home on a bookshelf; it is a magnificent guide that will be used for years.

Like a champion who can find the winning stride on dirt, turf and synthetic surfaces, the current edition of the manual is the class of a quality field of reference guides that are on the track.

I enjoyed reading this book as it goes into quite a lot of depth. I was a little disappointed in the technical accuracy; I found some of the information on camshafts and transmission gearing to be a little inaccurate. Although, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the sport of Top Fuel drag racing, or anyone interested in reading about the most awesome display of power and torque in the world.

When I was growing up, Mario Andretti was one of my heroes. When you put Jim Clark and Mario Andretti on the same racetrack, I was in heaven. This book is the ideal coffee-table book about the greatest race car driver of the 20th century but you may want to put your copy in a cabinet like I do (so that it doesn't get damaged). The readers of "Racer" Magazine voted Mario the best. The photography in this book is fantastic, even the older black and whites are clear. If you like racing especially the "good-old-days", then you will love this book.

This book beautifully celebrates the equestrian show "Apassionata"!
Complete with four audio CDs and incredible photography, this is not a book to miss. I saw the show with my mum and dad and I bought the DVD while I was there, but I wished I could have perchased something I didn't need a machine for to look at. Now I have it! This wonderful book brought back all the memories of this emotion-packed show. The only disappointment I had was that not all the music in the show or the DVD were on the CDs. Obviously, it isn't possible to cram all the gorgeous music from the shows into four CDs, but I had hoped for some of my favorite pieces to be there. (For example, the thrilling music from "Cross of Fire" and "Pas De Deux" were not on the CD.)
Other than that small complaint, I love the book and photos. The CDs are also excellent!

My Father is a landspeed racer (Seldom Seen Slim) and enjoyed reading through the book and pointing out places he's been and people he has met. Great for any person interested in landspeed racing.

Disclosure -- I'm selling one.

When I was a teenager and started to race, Mike Halwood was the greatest motorcycle road racer on earth, and my hero. Even after he retired, he came back just for fun to win the Isle of Man 2 times -- once on a Ducati, and once on a 2-stroke GP bike (in different classes).

This book is his 150 pages of instructions for beginning racers that was my bible, and I won 3 out of my 4 last races.

If you were racing in the '60's or are racing in vintage races you'll especially love it, but for any lover of racing history and student of the attitudes of champions, this is a great and nifty book. It does have lots of pictures of classic racing througout.

It's also still a great getting-started manual. Most of what he's saying still applies. He teaches you to have an intelligent, analytical, and practical approach to racing and winning.

Chapters:
Physical and Mental Requirements
How to Start
Machine Preparation
Learning the Course
Scrutineering and Practice
Before the Race
The Start
Riding Technique
Pit Stops and Race Control
Tactics
Weather Warnings
Machine Characteristics
Accidents and Insurance
Index

Sir Peter O'Sulleven claims, in the foreword to this book, that Ascot is the most famous racecourse in the world. Whether it is or not, it has established itself as one of the most important racecourses in Britain over the past 200 years.

Ascot's history begins almost 300 years ago, in 1711, but took a long time to establish itself. Documentation of the early history is incomplete - for example, the result of the first race staged there is not known, although a list of all the horses competing was preserved. Apparently, the person who was supposed to record the result didn't turn up to see the race. Such modest beginnings contrast sharply with what Ascot later became.

This book, written with the co-operation of the royal family, explains their role down the years. You are not left in any doubt which kings and queens enjoyed horse racing and which ones were uninterested.

Ascot only really started to blossom in the reign of King George III, who was the subject of the movie The madness of King George. The king was not interested in horse racing, but his son the Prince Regent was, and it was he (who eventually became King George IV) who made Ascot into a major racecourse, which it has remained ever since. The prince was also responsible for beginning all the pageantry that has now become part of the Ascot scene every June.

Despite the royal patronage and the fashions, ultimately it is the racing that most of us are really interested in. Many champion racehorses have competed at Ascot and their exploits are given plenty of coverage. Although not a champion in the true sense of the word, Brown Jack was a very popular horse in the 1920's and a whole chapter is devoted to his exploits.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was inaugurated in 1951 and has now become Ascot's most prestigious race. Run at the end of July, it has been won by some great champions including Ribot, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Dahlia (twice), Shergar, Dancing Brave, Lammtarra, Swain (twice), Daylami and Galileo. Plenty of coverage is given to this great race, including the exciting finish in which Grundy beat Bustino.

Traditionally, the Gold Cup was Ascot's most prestigious race. Staged on the Thursday of the royal meeting in June, it is run over two and a half miles. It is still a race worth winning, but despite some popular winners such as Sagaro (who won three Gold Cups) and Double Trigger, this race is not particularly important these days. In the nineteenth century, horses who won the Epsom Derby as three-year-olds sometimes ran in the Gold Cup as older horses. They did not always win, but many did, notably Isinglass, the Triple Crown winner of 1893, as a five-year-old in 1895. No modern Epsom Derby winner would attempt to win the Gold Cup; the last one to try was the 1969 winner, Blakeney. The Gold Cup is given plenty of coverage in the book.

Ascot has also seen plenty of champion milers, including Brigadier Gerard, Kris, Rose Bowl, Warning and Dubai Millennium, while steeplechasing and hurdling also get coverage. Desert Orchid won eight times there, including his thrilling victory over Panto Prince in the 1989 Victor Chandler.

A chapter is devoted to the extraordinary day in 1996 when Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners, a feat unlikely to be matched in my lifetime.

This is a magnificent book, well worth the price, which tells you everything you need to know (up to the time of publication) about one of the greatest racecourses in the world.

Very rare DB2's photo, it is a beautiful.
Vintage Aston's super book.
Very nice !