The most recommended thoroughbred books

A book centering on England’s Derby Stakes may seem like a strange place to launch an interest in American Thoroughbred racing, but I first read Bloodstock Breeding when I was fifteen.

Decades (and many rereadings) later, it became the inspiration for my first book. Sir Charles’s understated yet obvious love for these magnificent animals sparked my budding interest in Thoroughbreds as I read through his blend of racing history (complete with odd details and memorable tidbits about individual horses) and practical assessment of breeding practices and horse management.

I still have this book on my bookshelf today, and I probably always will.

I have read several excellent Thoroughbred biographies released within the last year, but none that moved me more than Landaluce.

Aside from being a compelling and richly written story about an amazing young racehorse who touched many lives even as her own life was cut short too soon, the book is also the story of a unique love affair between Landaluce and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who found in his champion filly both the horse and the heartbreak of a lifetime.

Not many horse books have moved me to tears since I became an adult; this one did.  

When I first picked up Seabiscuit, I was dubious; I had already read too many stories of champion racehorses that were either dry histories or overblown hero-worship.

A hundred pages later (where did the time go?) I was completely engrossed and headed for an all-night read. In Hillenbrand’s hands, carefully researched history became the foundation for a sweeping story of a great horse, the incredible cast of people who gave him what he needed to become a legend, and the world of horses, horse racing, and American life in the 1930s.

If I ever write anything half as good, I will be well content.

As a journalist, Wall reported on horse racing in Kentucky for many years before becoming a serious student of history, which makes her writing really readable. Today, most people classify Kentucky as a southern state, but before and immediately following the Civil War it was considered the west. This book explains the switch, giving horsemen credit for rehabbing the Bluegrass State’s tarnished image, albeit to serve their own financial interests. Besides introducing readers to the post-war history of Kentucky, it provides a useful introduction to horse culture. After reading it, you will understand why the Kentucky Derby is so steeped in tradition and why black jockeys, once so plentiful in the sport, are rare.

My late mother was a Secretariat junkie and this gorgeous oversized hardcover book only fueled her passion. Loaded with beautiful photos of arguably the most photogenic Thoroughbred in history, Secretariat is sheer horse lover eye-candy at its finest. Ah, but there’s also a wonderful story to go along with those pretty pictures – a true-life fairytale about one of the greatest racehorses of our time and the irrepressible team behind the wonder horse.

If you love Kentucky Derby history, you can’t go wrong with any of Jim Bolus’s magical collections of Derby stories, but this is the book that kicked everything off.

I didn’t know when I first read it that Bolus had been a sports reporter with the Louisville Courier-Journal—the hometown newspaper for the Derby—for many years, but I was enchanted by his combination of a journalist’s keen eye for the nuts and bolts of a story and a storyteller’s sense of wonder and enjoyment in his tale.

Many years after my first encounter with Run for the Roses, I find its combination of facts and warm charm as great a pleasure to read as ever; this is one of those books that has become an old friend.   

While I loved all of Marguerite’s horse books as a child this one was my favorite. This may be listed as a “children’s book” but the story is in no way “dumbed down” nor is the cruel treatment of Black Gold by his trainer glossed over. Featuring the charming illustrations of Wesley Dennis, Black Gold is a sweet but ultimately tragic underdog story.

To stick with my love of historical novels, this book is about rescuing Gamal, the last diving horse in the U.S.

In the early 1900s horses were used in a carnival stunt in which the horse with a rider on board would dive off a platform several stories high and plunge into a tiny pool of water. This is the non-fiction story of the last known diving horse. 

If you are like me, you love a good horse story. Combine that with history and this non-fiction story of the last diving horse was a perfect fit for me. As a lifelong horse lover and owner, I can't imagine asking my horses to jump off a high dive into a tiny pool. And I can't imagine being the rider that goes down with him!

The animal is a number of racehorses. The human is a collection of owners, trainers, jockeys, and more, yielding a comprehensive look at human and animal behavior in the horse racing industry. A strong, intimate novel. I used to ride but never very well, and I’ve always wondered what a horse’s “thoughts” involved. Author Smiley gave me a feel for that as she applied her own assumptions to one horse in particular.  

Whispering Creek Ranch, in Texas, is the kind of ranch I’d love to own. It’s filled with Thoroughbred horses, cowboys, and hope. I enjoyed how Meg Cole deals with her father’s massive empire after he unexpectedly passes away. The handsome cowboy who fights to keep the horse part of the place as he falls for his boss is my favorite character. He’s firm and dedicated to a vision she can’t see. He’s also the anchor for his siblings – one of them being a rebellious younger sister. This story is filled with grief, humor, and healing.