JC / Railbird

Books Archive

Pack at the Track

Harvey Pack returns to Saratoga for another season of Siro’s seminars on Wednesday, joined by the usual suspects to handicap opening day. This summer, Pack has more than horse tips for fans: He has a memoir, the charmingly entertaining “May the Horse Be with You,” written with Peter Thomas Fornatale, in which the raconteur-horseplayer regales readers with stories of grandstand habitues, wild schemes, and bad beats, drawn from more than half a century of hanging around racetracks. “May the Horse Be with You” is classic Pack; just the thing for the Spa.

Posted in Books on July 23, 2007

Not by a Longshot

My old home track of Suffolk Downs opens on Saturday with a new owner, 102 days of racing scheduled, and dime superfectas on the wagering menu (DRF). New England’s lone thoroughbred racing venue is also the subject of a new book this spring, “Not by a Longshot,” by T.D. Thornton, who writes about the highs, lows, and ho-hum days of the track’s 2000 season so well that I found myself wishing I was back in East Boston. “Not by a Longshot” is a wonderfully evocative book, making vivid the daily routine on the frontside and backside of a hard-luck track like Suffolk, the characters who populate it, and the horses who run for them. Plus, for those who know Suffolk, there are plenty of gossipy bits …
Addendum: It was a “spiffy” opening day for Suffolk Downs, with 16,437 people in attendance (Boston Globe).
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Also recently published: “Ruffian: A Racetrack Romance,” by William Nack. A superb retelling of the great filly’s brilliant career and catastrophic end, as remembered by one of her biggest fans.

Posted in Books on May 4, 2007

The Solace of Books

I should have been writing, or at least handicapping this Saturday’s Derby preps, but the unusual spring-like weather we had in the Boston area this afternoon lured me outside for a long walk that ended at one of my favorite used bookstores — Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller — where I contemplated buying a copy of the 1991 edition of the gorgeously illustrated “Secretariat” by Raymond Woolfe and admired a first edition of Joe Palmer’s “Names in Pedigrees.” Robin specializes in equine books and knows racing, and hanging out in her cozy Cambridge shop was a nice antidote to the mid-winter no-horses funk that’s been hanging over me lately. After nearly an hour of happy browsing and conversation, I left with a copy of Avalyn Hunter’s now out-of-print “American Classic Pedigrees” and a short list of books to look forward to in coming months, including a new biography of Man O’War by Dorothy Ours, a history of the great match race between Eclipse and Henry in 1823 by John Eisenberg, and a coast-to-coast guide to American racetracks (not written by McChump). There may be no live racing in Boston until May, but at least I won’t lack for reading material about my beloved sport until then.

Posted in Books on January 13, 2006

New Books

Recently read …

“Horseplayers: Life at the Track” is a delightful memoir of the year Chicago writer and aspiring professional handicapper Ted McClelland spent playing the horses, and a funny, honest account of what it means to devote one’s life to beating the races. McClelland details his transformation from casual fan to obsessed racing geek with humor, as when he tells the story of calling his father to let him know he’d be visiting Dubai World Cup weekend — “That’s also Easter weekend,” says his father. “Is it? I didn’t see anything about that in the Racing Form,” replies McClelland — and captures the handicapper’s daily grind with equal parts wit and exasperation. Very little comes easily to McClelland or most of the other players he meets during the year — none have the preternatural discipline of one of the author’s mentors, the handicapper Scott McMannis — but among the losses, there’s an occasional big score, and eventually, an epiphany:

That’s one of the most useful statements anyone has ever made about the game, even if it is a little bleak.

Racegoers who want to know more about predicting equine behavior though and profiting off of it would do well to pick up a copy of “Insider’s Guide to Horseracing,” by New York trainer T.A. Landers. This highly readable racing primer is reminiscent of “Ainslie’s Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing” with its clear, concise, and intelligent approach to giving curious fans information on everything from equipment, shoes, and bandages, to training principles, track conditions, and reading past performances. Landers fills in the gaps left by many handicapping books, making this one an essential for the reference shelf.

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And coming out soon …
Suffolk Downs is the focus of a new book featuring more than 200 images of the track compiled by Suffolk director of public relations Christian Teja. “Suffolk Downs” is part of the Arcadia “Images of Sports” series and will be published on June 29. Teja talks to Boston Globe racing writer Ron Indrisano about the photos he chose and putting the book together.

Posted in Books on June 24, 2005