Book bargains

Exclusively Equine, the online store at Bloodhorse.com, is holding its sixth annual book warehouse sale, and there are some true bargains available, like Bob Baffert’s Dirt Road to the Derby which is going for a buck. In fact, it looks like there’s something for many of our favorite racing enthusiasts:

For example, The Bug Boys and their fans might enjoy Ride of Their Lives: The Triumphs and Turmoil of Today’s Top Jockeys by Lenny Shulman. Or Women in Racing: In Their Own Words by John and Julia McEvoy. No Rosie Anna Napravnik in either book, but at $15 for both, a real steal.

And John over at Not To the Swift, the blog with a tabloid mentality, might find inspiration in Great Horse Racing Mysteries by John McEvoy, which delves into a number of track-related mysteries: Was Phar Lap murdered? Was the great stallion Shergar killed by the IRA? Just the sort of thing inquiring minds want to know. (Of course, that nasty Seamus fellow John’s brought on board might prefer The Greatest Kentucky Derby Upsets, as I'm sure he'll say he had the winners every time.)

Our well-educated Superfecta seems the perfect reader for The Equid Ethogram: A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior by Sue McDonnell, Ph.D., founder of the Equine Behavior Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, because in addition to the Penn connection, you know she won’t have to look up “ethogram” in the dictionary.

For Jen and the folks at Canadian Gambling, there’s The Kingmaker: How Northern Dancer Founded a Racing Dynasty by Avalyn Hunter, highlighting the Canadian icon.

And surely Alan at Left at the Gate could use a copy of Belmont Park: A Century of Champions featuring 70 color reproductions of original paintings by Richard Stone Reeves. It’s not like he sees it all that often, right?

For the folks following Japanese racing over at Striding Thoroughbreds, there’s Sunday Silence: Thoroughbred Legends #12 by Ray Paulick to highlight one of Japan’s leading sires. (Sadly, there’s no Thoroughbred Legends book on Foolish Pleasure for Valerie.)

As for the accountant in the gang, Tote Board Brad might like Handicapping the Wall Street Way: Picking Xtra Winners at the Track by Mark Ripple. (I’m assuming the proprietor of Brad Buys a Yearling already has a copy of the New Thoroughbred Owners Handbook.)

For our Texan, Suebroux, there’s Assault: Thoroughbred Legends #23 by Texas native Eva Jolene Boyd chronicling the King Ranch’s little Triple Crown winner who could while highlighting the Texas racing scene in all its glory.

For our intrepid Derby blogger, Mike at Curb My Enthusiasm, there’s Diary of a Dream: My Journey in Thoroughbred Racing by George Rowand -- though it’s about raising thoroughbreds, the typewriter keys on the book’s cover just seem fitting for one of our resident journalists.

As for Patrick, our iron horse of an organizer, there’s John Henry: Thoroughbred Legends by Steve Haskin. I suspect Patrick would be shocked to see Haskin focus on only one horse!

And though Understanding The Equine Foot sounds like the perfect book for Fran over at Hoof Care, I’m guessing she doesn’t really need a copy, since she wrote it!

As for me, your sentimental QQ, I’m partial to Etched in Stone: Thoroughbred Memorials by Lucy Zeh which includes photographs of memorials to runners who are gone now, along with their biographies and pedigrees as well as –- here’s the clincher for the librarian -- an alphabetical listing of marked graves.

Yes, there's a lot diversity in the discounted titles over at Exclusively Equine; it seems to me you could start a nice little library from this online sales bin. If the racing section in your public library is rather sad (as most outside of Kentucky are), you might want to pick up a few books to donate to your library's collection. And wouldn't your mom be proud of you then?