Aaron Gryder says: READ

After decades as a cable-free household, as part of our recent move, the Quinella Castle finally joined the world of many channels. And it turns out that we've arrived in the cabled world just in time for Jockeys, the Animal Planet reality show that has been critiqued on numerous sites throughout the blogsphere.

While many others have critiqued the series, and others have focused on the awesome hit-generating power of female jocks Chantal Sutherland and Kayla Stra, here at Turf Luck, we know that inquiring minds really want to learn more about that bookmark featuring Aaron Gryder.

Yes, you know what bookmark I mean. Surely you noticed the irrepressible Joe Talamo holding a book during tonight's episode, "Foul". Joe seems rather impressed that Gryder actually appears on a bookmark, and, for a nanosecond, Talamo points said bookmark towards the camera.

Immediately, I'm sure, you said: "Hmm, can't afford the horses, the cars, or even the damn silks. But, by gum, I'm wondering, where, oh where, might I find such a useful and fashionable bookmark?"

Wonder no more, pilgrim. Your friendly neighborhood librarian has tracked down the source of this gotta-to-have-it item. You'll find Gryder grinning next to Captain Sparrow on a bookmark produced by Arcadia Public Library -- with some assistance from Santa Anita Park. You can even see pics of the photo shoot on the library's blog and Flickr stream.

And yes, dear readers, I understand that you're dying to know just what book Gryder is reading to the sanguine Sparrow. It's Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral by Kat Shehata, a book for the mid-elementary set that captures the feel of Depression-era racing by telling the tale of perennial favorite Seabiscuit. Back in 2005, I remarked upon the odd yet effective use of the actual call throughout the book, and though the illustrations by Jo McElwee are a tad murky, they do capture the feel of the great match race. The book is out of print, but used copies may be purchased through Barnes and Noble and Amazon. And of course, you can always check with your local librarian to borrow a copy for free.

And now, as author and poet Julia Alvarez knows so well, it's time for me to disappear.

Why I Am in Love with Librarians:

I love how they know things
only to pass them on,
how they fade into the faux-wood-paneled
walls of the reference room,
their faces hidden between the covers of books,

how they look up only to help you:
What is the capital of Afghanistan?
How do the Maori bury their dead?
Who invented Barbie? How many were murdered in Guatemala in '84?

—every query worthy of their attention,
any questioner taken seriously,
curiosity the only requirement.
I love how they listen, their lined faces opening,
their eyes already elsewhere:

scanning a plain for the lights of a distant city,
hunting for bodies in the highlands,
searching the web for Barbie—
their minds like those flocks of little birds in winter
swooping over a landscape, looking, looking.

And always when they get back to you,
that sweet smile on their faces,
pride and deep affection for what can be known,
as if Barbie's invention
or the tally of the massacred

could save you, could save the world!
And who knows if Stalin or Hitler
had spent their youth in the library,
history might be rewritten,
re-catalogued by librarians?

Curiosity sends us out
to a world both larger and smaller
than what we know and believe in
with a passion for finding an answer
or at least understanding our questions.

That road is paved with librarians,
bushwhackers, scouts with string
through the labyrinths of information,
helpers who disappear the moment
you reach your destination.

-- Julia Alvarez, as reprinted in Library Journal.

G'night!

Browsin' for bargains - for the kids

It's said that this is "the most wonderful time of the year." I'm not sure if that's true -- ask me after I'm done shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking -- and somehow preventing the cat from climbing to the top of the tree to gnaw on the angel's wings.

Thank goodness for Online Shopping Land, where both Amazon and Barnes and Noble are offering free shipping through the end of the week. Yup, there are bargains out in them thar' Internet tubes, and here are a few I stumbled across:

In 1963, long before Lauren Hillenbrand penned the bestselling Seabiscuit, one-time rancher Ralph Moody introduced readers young and old to the beloved Thoroughbred in Come On Seabiscuit!. Barnes and Noble reprinted Moody's book in 2004, and the hardback edition is available for $7.95 online. (Only $7.15 for B&N members. For a hardback with 172 pages! It's a steal.)

Come On Seabiscuit! would make a great gift for grade 4-6 readers, as well as ADHD grown-ups who never quite figured out all the 'Biscuit hoopla. Basics of the track (claiming races and such) are succinctly described, and the drama of the races is captured with clear and compelling language, as in this excerpt from Moody's account of the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap:

" With Seabiscuit in the center, they fought on around the end of the track almost head-to-head. Then, to stunned silence from the crowd, Wedding Call drove into the lead, bearing in a little as they whirled around the near turn and into the homestretch. Just what Red Pollard had feared most had caught up with them. They were in close quarters. The space between Whichcee and Wedding Call was barely wide enough to squeeze through. If he held Seabiscuit back and tried to go around, the race would certainly be lost. If he tried to drive between, the chance of breaking his own fragile leg was at least fifty-fifty. It was then that Doug Dodson, Wedding Call's jockey, heard Red praying aloud. An instant later his whip slashed down, and Seabiscuit shot through the narrow gap as though he'd been struck by a lightning shaft.

"As if the same shaft had struck the grandstand, the crowd leaped to its feet, shrieking and yelling, "Come on Seabiscuit! Come on Seabiscuit!

"And Seabiscuit came on."

Yes, it's a wonderful book, and it amazes me that this retro hardback edition is cheaper than the 2003 paperback from Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press.


Man O' War: Best Racehorse Ever by Jennifer Guess McKerley is selling for $3.99 in paperback. Published late in 2005, this book features bold, colorful pictures and a simple vocabulary that make it a great choice for kids who are starting to read on their own. (It's fun to read to younger kids, too.) I smiled when I read the author's note at the end of the book:

"Man o' War had sixty-four sons and grandsons who became racing champions. He was Seabiscuit's grandfather."

Well, that's one way to put things into perspective for preschool set.


I always feel at home on the Exclusively Equine website, and it's where I found another great buy: I Rode the Red Horse by Barbara Libby is priced at $4.95 for the hardback. Libby's illustrations are lush, and the text, based on quotes from Ron Turcotte, recounts the excitement of Secretariat's Belmont Stakes race. By the way, Exclusively Equine, "the official store of The Blood-Horse" can also be reached by phone at (800) 582-5604.



The A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy run from The Absent Author to The Zombie Zone, and kids in second through fourth grade just eat them up. Volume 18 in the series, The Runaway Racehorse is set in Saratoga Springs, where Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose discover the secret behind the disappearance of a valuable racehorse. It's a fun read for $3.99.


Recent years have seen reprints of the classic Black Stallion books by Walter Farley arrive at bookstores, where they're about $6 each in paperback. Last year, Yearling released a box set of four Black Stallion books: The Black Stallion, The Black Stallion Returns, The Black Stallion's Ghost and The Black Stallion Revolts just in time for the holidays. Amazon still has some of these sets, and this year they're selling for $16.29. Well worth it, if you have a ten-year-old on your shopping list. Boys especially seem to love resourceful young Alec, wise trainer Henry Dailey, and "the Black."

Left over from last year as well is Dreamer
by Cathy Hapka, a novelization of the movie starring Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell. Generally, I'm not much for these books-based-on-movies (I much prefer the books that spawn movies, instead), but girls seem to enjoy this one. And it does feature racing, something a lot of the "horse books for girls" leave out. My niece, the fourth-grader, reports that "it's just like the movie" and she really, really liked it. And, at $4.99, it's a lot cheaper than a DVD.


The rare subject of racehorse retirement is featured in We Go in a Circle by Peggy Perry Anderson. There's something a tad poetic about this gentle book for preschoolers that depicts an injured racehorse retired to a life in hippo therapy, which uses horseback riding as physical therapy for people with disabilities. The language is simple, the watercolor illustrations are sweet, and the message of feeling important and special is politically correct, but somehow the book avoids that sappy, condescending tone of so many "good-for-you" books. Perhaps it's the non-judgemental voice of its equine narrator. At any rate, the book charmed me, and Amazon has the hardback edition for $10, a third off the cover price.


I suppose it's never too early to expose young readers to a jockey's life, and Patsi Trollinger's Perfect Timing: How Isaac Murphy Became One of the World's Greatest Jocekys paints an accurate portrait of the skills and training involved with riding to the winner's circle. The illustrations are muddy and indistinct, filled with a sense of motion that enhances the racing story. The book also touches on the toll that "making weight" took on Murphy's health:

"The following spring, he went on another crash diet and became so weak that he contracted pneumonia. Isaac died February 12, 1896. He was only thirty-five. Two days later, more than five hundred people filled the streets of Lesxington for Isaac's funeral procession. Many of the grandest bouquets of flowers came from jockeys who had ridden against him."

Elementary school readers seem to appreciate the clarity of the writing. At $11 for the 30-page hardback, it's not quite the bargain of the other titles I came across, but it is a beautiful introduction to racing history highlighting the achievements of perhaps our finest African-American jockey.


Perhaps the most unusual deal I discovered wandering through cyberspace was the book and bobblehead package deal over at FunnyCide.com. Yes, you can purchase an autographed copy of A Horse Named Funny Cide and a Funny Cide Bobblehead -- both autographed by Sackatoga Stables' Jack Knowlton -- for only $25. I can't speak to the bobblehead, but the book has a breezy, upbeat style that kids seem to like; for example, here's my eight-year-old nephew's favorite paragraph:

Down in the winner's circle, the Funny Cide team all celebrated together. Because that was one reason why Funny had won the race -- everyone had worked together to make him a winner. But there was another reason, too. As Barclay said, "He's really, really fast."

It's worth mentioning, too, that the illustrations by Barry Moser are simply outstanding, with a realistic, vivid style that makes the racetrack come alive. As always, you could do worse than include Funny Cide on your ticket.

So go forth, dear Reader, to Online Shopping Land with courage, conviction, and credit card. And if you come across any other great deals, let me know -- I've got 11 kids to shop for!

Another victim of EDS

"At first, I thought being back in Orange County was causing my fugue state, and undoubtedly it played a part. But a therapist told me I also was suffering from EDS, the Saratoga strain of which was particularly virulent. EDS -- a biological cousin of Funny Cide Fever -- is Equine Deprivation Syndrome: a dispiriting malady triggered by sudden loss of up-close access to Thoroughbred horses." -- from The Big Horse by Joe McGinniss

OK, I'm back in Pittsburgh, not Orange County (thank God!), but I understand exactly what McGinniss means. Some how, the end of the Saratoga meet, the crisp, cool weather that requires jackets (and currently, rain gear), the return to the work after days of hiking and horses all seem to say summer is over.

Still, it was fun while it lasted. We were at Saratoga for the Woodward -- and Funny Cide. The NY Thoroughbred Breeders' Association handed out free posters of the Empire State's favorite gelding, and the Sackatoga Stable folk were on hand to autograph them. I took the opportunity to ask Jack Knowlton which of the books about Funny Cide was his favorite. His diplomatic answer: "the kid's book."

Published in April, A Horse Named Funny Cide by the Funny Cide Team and illustrator Barry Moser summarizes the story of the New York-bred's surprising victory in the Kentucky Derby. Knowlton was right when he told me the illustrations were great. It's aimed at readers in elementary school; I think 3rd and 4th graders will enjoy it the most. It was available for sale at the track, but I figured (correctly!) that it would be cheaper at Amazon. It's also available from the Funny Cide website, where you can request an autographed copy.


I was struck by the number of Funny Cide fans who turned out for his Woodward. Before the race, the rail was crowded with camera-carrying fans who were there to snap a pic of Funny Cide in the post parade. Booths were selling Funny Cide shirts (and hats, and jackets, and goodness knows what else) out in the picnic area. Folks at the track were excited about -- get this! -- a horse, even though they weren't that enthusiastic about his chances in the race. (I think he went of at something like 9-1.)

As Baloo pointed out over at the Bug Boys site this horse has a following. Of course, his is a rather exceptional story, complete with schoolbus-riding owners, but Sackatoga Stable has worked hard to market Funny Cide, and the result has been the creation of a fan base. (Imagine that!)

While I was gone, a little brouhaha developed over the state of horse racing blogs. Absent from the discussion was the role of the owners and trainers who actually have access to the horses, yet seldom seem interested in providing information directly to fans. (I won't even mention tracks who can't be bothered putting a photo of a horse on their website.)

Of course these folks are busy. And maybe it doesn't seem worth the time and effort. Yet, thousands of folks have visited Tim Woolley's site for the inside scoop on Barbaro's condition. Rockport Harbor's website (still fun to visit even though Rocky's now retired) offered the gray's fans a way to communicate with each other -- resulting in a busload of Philadelphians traveling to Oaklawn for the Essex. And when Movement or Highland Cat run, the odds go crazy as TBA members throw down some heavy bets on these horses known only from their owners' blogs.

OK, maybe that's enough hyperbole for now. Blame it on this darn EDS; I keep forgetting that I'm not at a place that names a room for my favorite wager.

The Black Stallion - still galloping on

Henry heard the fall of the auctioneer's gavel and the words, "Sold to Tom Flint for sixty-six thousand dollars."

Raising his hat, Henry saw the gray colt leave the ring. Well, that's that, he thought. As far back as he could remember, it was the highest price paid for a yearling at a public sale.

---Walter Farley, The Black Stallion's Filly

In light of the $16 million price paid for Green Monkey back in February, the world of the Black Stallion seems hopelessly dated. Still, June 26 is Walter Farley's birthday, and I generally mark the occasion by pulling out my copy of The Black Stallion's Filly; its story of an unraced filly entering the Kentucky Derby always makes me smile. I smile, too, at the words, "For my good friend" that Mr. Farley penned on the title page.


Mr. Farley used to buy his horse feed from my grandfather's feed mill in eastern Pennsylvania. Grandpa had a half dozen rocking chairs scattered about the "office" where folks would sip coffee and munch donuts and just shoot the breeze while the feed was being ground. Mr. Farley would sit in the chair under the race results and autograph copies of his books for my brothers and me. Then Grandpa would tell us to skedaddle so he and Mr. Farley could talk. Yes, we used words like skedaddle back then. Yes, it was quaint. (For an idea of how quaint it all was, let me just say: the race results on the wall were from the pigeon races!)

The brief biography of Walter Farley over at www.theblackstallion.com doesn't mention our small town, nor my grandfather's feed mill, but it does include a number of pictures of Farley, all much sharper than this one that my father took back in the early 1980s.

I can't really judge how well the Black Stallion books hold up, because for me, they will always conjure up the dust of the feed mill, the sweet scent of bubble-gum cigars, and the heat of lazy summer days spent reading in the shade of the big maple out back. Simpler times that probably seem archaic to today's kids.

But maybe I'm wrong about that. I recently learned from the Athlone Thoroughbred Marketing blog that Farley's books are still being read by grade school kids in Arkansas. And, as it turns out, in Florida, Arizona, and Texas, too. Since 1999, The Black Stallion Literacy Project has been offering schools the opportunity to use Farley's books and live horses to inspire a love of reading (and, I suspect, a fondness for horses) in elementary school students. The curriculum sounds enchanting; I especially like the idea of first-graders taking a field trip to a stable, then reading Little Black, A Pony to the horse handlers.

The best part of the program: the kids get to keep the hardcover books. Forever and ever, so that years from now, some silly blogger will be able to say, "I came across my copy of The Black Stallion today, and it made me smile."

Children's Book Week: Racetrack Reading (Part 1)

Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated during the week before Thanksgiving. In other words, it's likely this has been going on your entire life. You remember those celebrations of yore, right? No? I didn't think so. Libraries and the Children's Book Council are almost as successful at marketing as the NTRA.

Still, it's a great time to think about children's books -- and the kids in your life. The holiday season is fast approaching, and there's no better gift for the youngsters in your life than books that capture the excitement of the track and the achievements of the horses and jockeys.

Horses are popular subjects, and if you check amazon.com or bn.com, you'll be swamped with results that feature girls learning to ride show horses or mustangs yearning to run wild, with various editions of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry tossed in. Many of these are fine stories (especially Henry's), but they don't provide a picture of the racing world.

So, to help you find books you'll enjoy talking about with kids, I've listed a few of my favorites below. Share 'em with the young readers in your life and help to raise the next generation of racing fans.

**** A Horse Named Seabiscuit by Mark and Cathy Dubowski. (Grosset & Dunlap: 2003)
A great book for kids who are just starting to read alone, this little book captures the feeling of the time period in simple language, while highlighting the quirks of the beloved racehorse. My favorite line comes after a description of the Biscuit's loss to Rosemont in the Santa Anita: "The big race had turned out to be a big loss for Seabiscuit. But Seabiscuit got over it."

*** I Rode the Red Horse: Secretariat's Belmont Race by Barbara Libby. (Eclipse Press: 2003)
Gorgeous pastel illustrations and text based on Ron Turcotte's description of the 31-length win are the highlights of this book for pre-schoolers on up.

*** Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral by Kat Shehata. (Angel Bea Publishing: 2003)
An unusual book for readers age 8-12. Its picture book format implies a younger audience, but the language is definitely for older children. Across the top of each page is an illustration by Jo McElwee with a thick paragraph of text at the bottom. Dividing each page is a single line from the announcer's call of the race. I found it annoying at first, but it grew on me -- and it's kind of fun to go back and read the whole call straight through. Includes a racing glossary and information about NTRA charities.

*** Thoroughbred Racing by Kent Baker. (Chelsea House: 2002)
This book offers a surprisingly detailed look at most aspects of thoroughbred racing: breeding, training, and the racing circuit. Nicely packaged with sidebars and full-color photos throughout, it includes the kind of facts that pre-teen boys especially seem to love. It even describes pari-mutuel betting, take out percentages, and the like. A sizable portion of the book is devoted to mini-biographies of well-known horses like Secretariat, Cigar, and Affirmed. One highlight: the photo of Man O'War in his coffin. (How often do you get to see something like that?)

**** Ruffian by Dorothy Callahan. (Crestwood House: 1983)
The most notable features of this book are the rare black-and-white photos scattered throughout the text. There's a pic of Ruffian's first rider (John Truesdale), her groom (Dan Williams) and even a photo of the x-rays of Ruffian's tragic injury. The text seems well-researched and is easy to follow. Yes, it has a sad ending, but it's done well. Includes a glossary of terms like "breeze" and "racing secretary" that is helpful for the 8-10 year-old set. It's out of print -- though Amazon lists two used copies available for $60. That's a bit much for a 44-page kid's book, but if you can find it at a reasonable price, grab it.

Later this week, I'll post some of my favorites for older kids. Till then, party on! It's Children's Book Week.