The Blue Collar Thoroughbred

An Inside Account of the Real World of Racing

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About the Book

The world of Thoroughbred horse racing is much more than the glitz-and-glamour Saturday races shown on TV. From Sunday through Friday, there are a myriad of horses who run, not for million dollar purses, but in the smaller claiming races that keep horse-racing alive and financially viable. On these same days, there are the bettors, owners, trainers and jockeys who form the backbone of horse-racing with their less-than-glamorous livelihood. This volume presents a non-fiction insider’s look at today’s sport of Thoroughbred racing from a day-to-day, behind-the-scenes vantage point. Divided into three sections, it discusses the racing, breeding and jockeying which is the reality of Thoroughbred racing. From trainers and jockeys to the editor of the Illinois Racing News, men and women well versed in the sport provide firsthand insight and experience regarding the actualities of Thoroughbred racing. Selected racing records and an extensive glossary of horse racing terms are also included.

About the Author(s)

Gene McCormick has written numerous books on a variety of subjects. He is president of a marketing and public relations company and lives in Wayne, Illinois.

Bibliographic Details

Gene McCormick
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 180
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, glossary, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3049-9
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      v
Introduction      1
Prologue      3

I. AT THE TRACK
1. Pssst … Anybody Wanna Buy a Horse?      9
2. Lighting Up with a Loverboy      29
3. Try, Try Again. And Again.      45
4. Rejuvenation, Risk, Reward and Retirement      57
5. A Time of Reckoning      73
6. Pssst … Are You Sure You Don’t Wanna Buy a Horse?      79
7. How You Gonna Keep ’Em Down on the Farm…?      83

II. ON THE FARM
8. Mole Meadows and the House of Optimism      97

III. RIDERS UP
9. Breakfast of Champions      115
10. “We rode for the love of it,” or “I was tryin’ to kill the son of a bitch!”      129
11. How to Ride a Thoroughbred to the Hall of Fame      135
12. Running Hard, Going Slow      151

Selected Racing Records      159
Glossary      163
Index      167