Download or read book The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime written by Steven A. Riess and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thoroughbred racing was one of the first major sports in early America. Horse racing thrived because it was a high-status sport that attracted the interest of both old and new money. It grew because spectators enjoyed the pageantry, the exciting races, and, most of all, the gambling. As the sport became a national industry, the New York metropolitan area, along with the resort towns of Saratoga Springs (New York) and Long Branch (New Jersey), remained at the center of horse racing with the most outstanding race courses, the largest purses, and the finest thoroughbreds. Riess narrates the history of horse racing, detailing how and why New York became the national capital of the sport from the mid-1860s until the early twentieth century. The sport’s survival depended upon the racetrack being the nexus between politicians and organized crime. The powerful alliance between urban machine politics and track owners enabled racing in New York to flourish. Gambling, the heart of racing’s appeal, made the sport morally suspect. Yet democratic politicians protected the sport, helping to establish the State Racing Commission, the first state agency to regulate sport in the United States. At the same time, racetracks became a key connection between the underworld and Tammany Hall, enabling illegal poolrooms and off-course bookies to operate. Organized crime worked in close cooperation with machine politicians and local police officers to protect these illegal operations. In The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime, Riess fills a long-neglected gap in sports history, offering a richly detailed and fascinating chronicle of thoroughbred racing’s heyday.
Download or read book The Sport of Kings written by C. E. Morgan and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2016-05-03 with total page 561 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Winner of the Kirkus Prize for Fiction • A Recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction • A Finalist for the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction • A Finalist for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction • A Finalist for the Rathbones Folio Prize • Longlisted for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence • One of New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Book Named a Best Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly • GQ • The New York Times (Selected by Dwight Garner) • NPR • The Wall Street Journal • San Francisco Chronicle • Refinery29 • Booklist • Kirkus Reviews • Commonweal Magazine "In its poetic splendor and moral seriousness, The Sport of Kings bears the traces of Faulkner, Morrison, and McCarthy. . . . It is a contemporary masterpiece."—San Francisco Chronicle Hailed by The New Yorker for its “remarkable achievements,” The Sport of Kings is an American tale centered on a horse and two families: one white, a Southern dynasty whose forefathers were among the founders of Kentucky; the other African-American, the descendants of their slaves. It is a dauntless narrative that stretches from the fields of the Virginia piedmont to the abundant pastures of the Bluegrass, and across the dark waters of the Ohio River; from the final shots of the Revolutionary War to the resounding clang of the starting bell at Churchill Downs. As C. E. Morgan unspools a fabric of shared histories, past and present converge in a Thoroughbred named Hellsmouth, heir to Secretariat and a contender for the Triple Crown. Newly confronted with one another in the quest for victory, the two families must face the consequences of their ambitions, as each is driven---and haunted---by the same, enduring question: How far away from your father can you run? A sweeping narrative of wealth and poverty, racism and rage, The Sport of Kings is an unflinching portrait of lives cast in the shadow of slavery and a moral epic for our time.
Download or read book Inside the Sport of Kings written by Keith Hoffman and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-03-14 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keith shares his perspectives, insights, interviews and stories inside the horse racing game. The interviews include Jockey agents, owners, track announcers and more. In addition, Keith will share some insights and personal thoughts regarding the horse racing business, including Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown tidbits. An easy read for beginners or racing fans. It is about the people and horses that you need to know. As a long time racing enthusiast, Keith has traveled to tracks all across North America including Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields, Hollywood Park, Belmont, Aqueduct, Monmouth, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, Arlington Park, Hawthorne and others. He has displayed a high degree of success wagering at each of the tracks he has attended and has enjoyed his experiences at each and every one of them.
Download or read book Horse Sense written by Bert Sugar and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-05-26 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the success of such books as "Seabiscuit, " horse racing has never been so popular. Written by the Kentucky Derby announcer for Fox TV, this new book takes a look at the business behind this remarkable $100 billion industry.
Download or read book Willow King written by Chris Platt and published by Random House Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2002-07-15 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thanks to the faith and hard work of Katie Durham, Willow King no longer has badly twisted legs. After painstaking training, the colt has gained the strength to compete in major races-and Katie is determined to prove he's a champion. Unfortunately, her new ambition presents her with the most nerve-racking challenge of her life: earning a jockey's license and riding Willow King in the Kentucky Derby. This inspiring story, a sequel to the author's award-winning first novel, is based on her real experiences as a jockey, groom, and assistant horse trainer.
Download or read book Horse racing written by Horse-racing and published by . This book was released on 1863 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby written by Crystal Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born into an African American sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, Jimmy Winkfield grew up loving horses. The large, powerful animals inspired little Jimmy to think big. Looking beyond his family's farm, he longed for a life riding on action-packed racetracks around the world. Like his hero, the great Isaac Murphy, Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield would stop at nothing to make it as a jockey. Though his path to success was wrought with obstacles both on the track and off, Wink faced each challenge with passion and a steadfast spirit. Along the way he carved out a lasting legacy as one of history's finest horsemen and the last African American ever to win the Kentucky Derby. The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby brings to life a vivacious hero from a little-known chapter of American sports history. Readers are transported trackside to witness the heart-pounding story of a vibrant young man chasing down his dream.
Download or read book The Lucky Thirteen written by Edward L. Bowen and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In more than a century of American Thoroughbred racing, only thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, all won in the same season). Veteran turf writer and racing historian Edward L. Bowen takes us through the rich history of one of the most formidable and exciting challenges in all of sport. Bowen covers the trainers, owners, and jockeys who etched their names into the annals of thoroughbred racing, and the “lucky thirteen” who captured all three jewels of the Triple Crown, racing’s most prestigious prize.
Download or read book My Year of the Racehorse written by Kevin Chong and published by Greystone Books. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kevin Chong has grand plans. He draws up a to-do list of major milestones that will give him the life he always wanted—and the life that will inspire awe and envy in his friends. Things like settling down and starting a family; learning a foreign language; getting a tattoo. But these grand plans go out the window when Chong makes an unconventional decision: he's going to buy a racehorse. Not the whole thing—he'll become part—owner of the horse. Just don't ask him which part. Thus Chong meets Blackie, the racehorse that will win his heart, even if she doesn't always win on the track. He meets Randi, the cantankerous and foul-mouthed horse trainer with a heart of gold. He meets an assorted array of characters who work, live and drink at the track—and, one by one, the items on his to-do list are crossed out and replaced with horse-related ambitions. His goals are a bit more humble (cussing like a track worker replaces learning a foreign language), but his life has gained new meaning. The story is infused with the noise, excitement and faded glamour of the horse-racing world. It is strewn with fascinating tidbits about the history and tradition of this
Download or read book My 50 000 Year at the Races written by Andrew Beyer and published by HMH. This book was released on 1980-04-01 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Harvard dropout’s memoir of playing the horses—a great read for handicappers or those who enjoyed Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House. In 1977, before he was known as the creator of “The Beyer Speed Figure,” Andrew Beyer set out on a gambling odyssey, determined to prove himself as a horseplayer. He would marshal all his handicapping skills for assaults on four racetracks: Gulfstream Park, Pimlico, Saratoga, and the Barrington Fair. The then thirty-three-year-old Harvard dropout had the credentials for this undertaking: two years earlier, his book Picking Winners had won a claim from bettors and critics alike. But the theory of handicapping and the practice of it are two very different things, and Beyer did all he could to prepare himself for this new challenge. He consulted with other professional horseplayers. He undertook detailed analyses of trainers and their methods. He refined his speed-handicapping techniques. He developed a revolutionary method for evaluating horses shipped from one track to another. He formulated a bold betting strategy. During the year, he experienced the dizzying thrill of winning more than $10,000 in an afternoon, and agonizing frustration that drove him to bash a hole in the wall of the Gulfstream Park press box. When it was over, Beyer had amassed a profit of $50,664. His account of the year offers a rare, unromanticized look at the world of professional gambling. For horseplayers who have dreamed of beating the races, he proves that the dream is, sometimes, attainable. And he explains, in specific detail, how it can be done. There are no gimmicks in My $50,000 Year at the Races. Instead, there is a proven method of beating the races—and Andrew Beyer’s marvelously entertaining story of how he put it in practice.
Download or read book Horse Racing the Chicago Way written by Steven A. Riess and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2022-06-08 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chicago may seem a surprising choice for studying thoroughbred racing, especially since it was originally a famous harness racing town and did not get heavily into thoroughbred racing until the 1880s. However, Chicago in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was second only to New York as a center of both thoroughbred racing and off-track gambling. Horse Racing the Chicago Way shines a light on this fascinating, complicated history, exploring the role of political influence and class in the rise and fall of thoroughbred racing; the business of racing; the cultural and social significance of racing; and the impact widespread opposition to gambling in Illinois had on the sport. Riess also draws attention to the nexus that existed between horse racing, politics, and syndicate crime, as well as the emergence of neighborhood bookmaking, and the role of the national racing wire in Chicago. Taking readers from the grandstands of Chicago’s finest tracks to the underworld of crime syndicates and downtown poolrooms, Riess brings to life this understudied era of sports history.
Download or read book Horse racing written by Horse-racing and published by . This book was released on 1863 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Mirror of the Turf Or The Machinery of Horse Racing Revealed Showing the Sport of Kings as It Is To Day written by James Glass Bertram and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2023-09-26 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.
Download or read book Rex C Ellsworth written by David J. Beltran William A. Miller and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-04 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rex C. Ellsworth, a simple Mormon cattleman that never would've imagined that his love for horses would take him to the highest pantheon of Thoroughbred horse racing. From the hot Arizona desert to the bluegrass of Kentucky and to the finest European breeding centers, Ellsworth wheeled and dealed to attain the finest horseflesh he could buy in his quest to breed the best horses possible. His thoroughbreds won some the most famous races in the United States, like the Santa Anita Handicap, the Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup, Hollywood Oaks, San Juan Capistrano ,American Derby, Florida Derby, Metropolitan Handicap, Preakness Stakes and the Prix del Arc de Triomphe. To THE biggest race of them all...The Kentucky Derby. His homebred horses like Swaps, Terrang, Prove It, Candy Spots and Olden Times could still be traced in the pedigrees of many of today's top North American Thoroughbreds.In Rex C. Ellsworth....Racing's Cowboy King you'll finally have a firsthand account of many of the incidents that made him either the most hated or one of the most revered horseman of the 20th century. From the highest of the highs to his lowest of times...this is his story from those who saw it happen.
Download or read book 101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing written by Tony Byles and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you a fan of horse racing? Do the origins of this action-packed sport intrigue you? Would you like to find out more about the horses, riders and trainers involved in the famous races? If so, you are certain to enjoy 101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing. It's a chronological journey from the earliest days of racing. Read about racing before the days of the thoroughbred; the first recorders of racing; the mystery of the foundation stallions; the origin of grey horses; twins; the early bookmakers and other Turf personalities; the American Godolphin Arabian; the truth behind the origins of the Grand National and who was the real winner of the 1880 Derby. The answers can all be found in this informative new book along with many more fascinating facts about the history of racing. This book is packed with carefully researched, detailed information about all aspects of racing including famous runners, breeders, owners, jockeys and much more, so that you can't fail to learn something new. This is a must-have book for anyone with an interest in racing.
Download or read book I Got the Horse Right Here written by Joseph James Reisler and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-04-25 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Burned out by working the baseball beat for years, in the summer of 1922 Damon Runyon was looking for a new sport to cover for The New York American as a change of pace. Having pilloried golf just a few years before, he went to Saratoga that August to sample horse racing and found that “There, right in front of him, were so many of the characters he so loved from his time covering the comings and goings of the Manhattan night crowd.” This was just the tonic Runyon needed to emerge from his malaise. Runyon didn’t just cover the great races and which horse won: he would get to the track days before and roam along the backstretch, speaking with the trainers, the gamblers, the rich owners, and the wise guys, many of which became model characters in his fiction and in the musical Guys and Dolls. This book collects the best of Runyon’s horse racing columns to 1936, when he moved on to other beats.
