The real stories behind the people who gave racing some of its greatest names. This volume focuses on the men whose horses have dominated racing in the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st.
The real stories behind the people who gave racing some of its greatest names include the man who bred Secretariat yet was too ill to see him race; the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates who honored his greatest player by bestowing the name Roberto on a regal colt; a Canadian industrialist who couldn’t sell a horse that become the century’s greatest stallion; and a Mormon cowboy derided by the East Coast establishment he beat at its own game.
Brash upstarts, old money, and savvy titans of industry color the pages of Legacies of the Turf (Vol. 2). Their persistence, hard work, genetics theories, and good old-fashioned luck resulted in the greatest racehorses of the second half of the century.
Edward L. Bowen is a respected racing historian whose previous works include the Thoroughbred Legends Man o' War and War Admiral as well as Matriarchs: Great Mares of the 20th Century and Dynasties: Great Thoroughbred Stallions. He is president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation, which raises money for equine research. Bowen lives in Versailles, Kentucky.
In 2004 Bowen and Legacies of the Turf (Vol. 1) were honored with a Book of the Year Award from ForeWord Magazine.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
"This is an excellent reference book, especially for racing history aficionados and students of pedigree which can be of help to new fans as well as veterans."
--Cindy Pierson Dulay's Horse-Races.net
"A 'must have' for horse enthusiasts avidly interested in following and learning from generations of human and animal legends".
--Willis Buhle, The Midwest Book Review
"Bowen does an excellent job in keeping this essentially "historical" text an easy read...this book and the first volume deserve a place on any Thoroughbred lover's bookshelf."
--Nicole Lever, www.chronofhorse.com
"As well as being simply fascinating, I found it highly readable. It never hurts that author Ed Bowen has the truck knack for making history entertaining.”
— Susan van Duke, Washington Thoroughbred