Books for the Equestrian in Your Life

It may not be the Kentucky Derby, but Saratoga Springs went to the horses long before Churchill Downs.

Since the inaugural meeting of August 1863, Saratoga Springs is home to one of the oldest sports venues in the country and has been the scene of memorable races, often featuring legends of the sport. Although some of the epic moments are still familiar today, such as Upset's defeat of Man o' War in the 1919 Sanford Memorial, many of the triumphs and defeats that were once famous have been forgotten. Few remember the filly Los Angeles, who thrived at Saratoga, winning sixteen stakes races, or the influential, sometimes suspicious, reasons why the track was closed three times for a total of six years. Authors Allan Carter and Mike Kane take a look back at these and other important but neglected stories and present statistics from the pre-NYRA years and a rundown of the greatest fields assembled at America's oldest track.

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.

Never before seen photographs depict the interesting history of Delaware Horse Racing.

Although Delaware is a small state, it has a rich history of horse-related activities, one of them being horse racing. From the early 1900s, horses have been used for various reasons, including farm work, means of transportation, pasture ornament, pleasure riding, and the popular sport of horse racing. Delaware Horse Racing takes the reader back decades to the good old days of popular tracks, such as Brandywine Raceway, Georgetown Raceway, Delaware Park Raceway, Dover Downs Raceway, and Harrington Raceway, where Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds raced hard and fast on half-mile and five-eighths-mile dirt tracks. Gathered from the collections of horsemen and horsewomen, previously unpublished historical photographs show legendary owners, trainers, drivers, and racehorses.

Each spring, thousands of spectators clamber onto hillsides with picnics and binoculars to watch steeplechase racing, a fast-paced equine sport born out of the fundamentals of fox hunting. Since 1894, when the first Maryland Hunt Cup was run, the month of April has been synonymous with steeplechase racing. Starting with the Elkridge-Harford Hunt races and continuing with the National Steeplechase Association- sanctioned "Big Three" races--the My Lady's Manor, Grand National, and Maryland Hunt Cup--the countryside buzzes with horses and fans every Saturday throughout the month. Images of America: Maryland Steeplechasing traces the history of Maryland's other triple crown of racing, bringing together images of Maryland's three most-coveted races for the first time in one volume.

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.

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.

Belmont Park is best known for the annual Belmont Stakes, the challenging final leg of racing's Triple Crown. But Belmont is also renowned because nearly every American champion Thoroughbred has competed on its grounds. Named for the illustrious Belmont family, the track has seen many exciting races since it opened in 1905. In addition to the eleven Triple Crown winners, Belmont Park has hosted legends of yesteryear--such as Man o' War and Nashua--and modern-day superstars like Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. In addition to the Belmont Stakes, the track is home to other important races, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Met Mile, and it periodically hosts the Breeder's Cup. Join author Kimberly Gatto as she explores Belmont's most exciting moments.

From their opening in 1740 through the 1955 closing, Belair Stud Farm became known as one of the most important stables in American racing. Although the high-profile murder of the farms final owner, Billy Woodward, eventually forced the farm to close, it did produce an extraordinary number of winning horses throughout its expansive history. The farm claims three Kentucky Derbies, three Preakness Stakes, and six Belmont Stakes, winning titles in several prestigious English races. It remains one of two stables to have produced more than one Triple Crown winner, and it is also the only stable to have produced father-son Triple Crown winners. Its list of legendary thoroughbreds includes Gallant Fox, Omaha, Johnstown, Granville, and Nashua. However in addition to the history of champion thoroughbreds, there is a second history devoted to the many interesting people whose own stories are part of the Belair Stud farm, including Samuel and Benjamin Ogle, Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, former slave Andrew Jackson, and even George Washington.

"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.

Horse racing embodies the very spirit of America, honoring our dual traditions of risk taking and adventure seeking. Known throughout the racing world, Delaware Park shines as a diamond among racecourses. The park was designed and built by Willie DuPont, a lean and wiry man for whom there was no sweeter music than "the pound of horses' hooves." In the decades that followed, Delaware Park became the home of Kelso, Secretariat and Barbaro, some
of the greatest names in horse racing history. Read about the dramatic ups and downs of this legendary institution as Kenneth Baumgardt captures the spirit of one of America's most celebrated racing destinations.