Inspirational Books About Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the few sports that have the power to create stories that few would believe unless it was seen with the human eye.
Such is the storied history of the sport, tails of yesteryear have been past down through generations and retold over and over again, with many still not believing the end of the fairytale.
Fortunately, inspirational stories in racing have been among some of the topics for books that have helped transcend the sport throughout the modern era. But, what are some of the inspirational horse racing books that you must read?
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
If you’re an avid horse racing fan, it’s likely that you have already seen the 2003 film Seabiscuit. However, a better understanding of one of America’s greatest ever horses can be taken from the 1999 release of ‘Seabiscuit: An American Legend’.
The book was praised by many for its ability to convey a sense of what life in the U.S. was like around the time of Secretariat’s career on track, while also going in depth about the team behind the equine superstar.
The book picked up notable honours throughout its release, including the 2001 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Fans of the sport can go behind the scenes of one of the world’s most dominant stars, and understand the stories of some of the key figures of a horse that was able to transcend the sport throughout the 1930s and early 40s.
Secretariat: The Making of a Champion
Another book about a thoroughbred superstar can be found in the form of ‘Secretariat: The Making of a Champion’. This book was released in 1973, and it takes the reader behind the scenes of one of the world’s most gifted and successful runners.
Secretariat was the U.S. Triple Crown winner and remains one of the only horses to have won the Kentucky Derby is under two minutes. This is a horse who appears in any Kentucky Derby betting websites as one of the best winners of the race ever.
Fans of the sport get a symmetric view of what life within racing was like during his period of dominance in this William Nack release.
Big Red remains one of the most popular equines in the sport, winning 16 of his 21 career starts, and winning Eclipse Awards on five occasions. Such was his dominance on track, he was named second on the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. horses of the 20th century.
Ruffian: Burning From the Start
One of the most devastating stories in the history of racing is retold in Jane Schwartz’s book ‘Ruffian: Burning From the Start’. The publication takes the reader back to the filly’s dominant period on track, before going in depth behind the scenes on the fateful day at Belmont Park when she broke down in a match race.
The book retells the story of the filly, highlighting how dominant she was on track and how bright she could have shone if it wasn’t for the disastrous fate at Belmont. First-hand stories of the filly are told in the book, with the personalities that shaped her career involved. Ruffian was a dominant star on the track throughout her career, winning on each of her first ten starts and winning the American Triple Tiara.
She smashed records race after race, before breaking down in the match race against Kentucky Derby victor Foolish Pleasure.
American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner’s Legendary Rise
One of the modern legends of horse racing is retold in Joe Drape’s ‘American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner’s Legendary Rise’.
The book focuses on the dominant 2015 season enjoyed by Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah, following his rise from a race-to-race account from those that knew him best. It also goes into detail surrounding the detractors of his success for those that were against owner Ahmed Zayat and his determination to gain success in the Triple Crown series in the U.S.
It is also an inspirational story of perseverance, with much of that being down to jockey Victor Espinoza and the mountains that he needed to climb after moving to the U.S. from Mexico. It is an excellent book that covers every base, with in-depth interviews from jockeys, trainers, and owners that cheered American Pharoah home on every start under rules.
A Weight Off My Mind- Richard Hughes
One of the most inspiring horse racing books can be found in the form of the official autobiography of jockey Richard Hughes.
The book highlights the challenges that riders need to overcome to reach the top of the sport, and the title doesn’t shy away from the big issues that Hughes encountered when winning the British Flat Racing Champion jockey title on three occasions.
During his career in the saddle, Hughes would achieve notable successes. Among those included wins in the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks, while he also matched a record set by Frankie Dettori when winning seven races on a single card of racing at Windsor.
