Horse racing is a fascinating sport that dates back thousands of years. Since the sport has a rich history, many special and astonishing moments inspired writers to write books about the “Sport of Kings”.
When it comes to horse racing, most people think that the sport is only about race. However, there are many things behind the curtains from breeding, training, and taking care of the horse making the entire process very complex.
Once you start to learn more about the sport you’ll be attracted to its beauty and appreciate the effort from the people involved.
One of the best ways to learn more about horse racing is by reading books that cover such topics. Fortunately, there are plenty of well-known and amazing books that every horse racing enthusiast should read, here are some.
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat – The World’s Greatest Racehorse
Yes, the name of this book is striking but if you heard the story about the Secretariat, you’ll understand that the claims in the title might be true.
The Secretariat is one of the greatest racehorses to ever live, with incredible performance and breaking records on every race attended. If you are used to betting on Kentucky Derby you definitely know this name, because even after many years the record of fastest winner ever still belongs to Secretariat.
The book is written by the best-selling equestrian author Lawrence Scanlan and provides behind curtains look at the story about the fastest Triple Crown champion.
It is a great book that will also give you little information about the financial success of Big Red and the true potential of the Secretariat.
Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt Who Conquered the Sport of Kings
We’ve all heard stories about underdogs climbing the tallest mountain of their success when nobody expected such a thing, and this is a similar book based on horse racing. The book tells the story of a dirt-poor Brooklyn city slicker and a failed horse that nobody thought that has a chance in the big league.
But the owner believed that it is possible and decided to pay $1,500 to Jacob who trained Stymie to be one of the greatest horses on the racecourse. After a few years, Stymie became the first horse to win $900,000 with 25 stake wins.
It is a truly inspiring story that every horseracing enthusiast should read.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told
This is a true story of a stellar three-year filly that enters the male-dominated horse racing world. The story takes place in the late 80s, as Thoroughbred filly Winning Colors became the longshot bet of three gambling lovers.
They decided to place a bet on Winning Colors which was considered as an underdog on the Kentucky Derby in 1988 but somehow managed to win the race.
However, things get complicated as they set out to claim their prize money. They unknowingly placed bets with dangerous people who were suspected of drug cartel at a racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico. This led to the three men entering dangerous waters just to get their money.
History of Horse Racing
This is quite an easy book that every horse racing enthusiast should read. The history of Horse racing will give you an insight into the industry and provide you with more knowledge of the sport which can be later used for making your betting strategy.
The book covers some of the greatest horses, jockeys, and trainers that the world has ever seen, including 220 drawings, that will give you a glimpse of this multi-billion dollar industry.
The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup In Horse Racing History
Since horse racing is heavily tied to gambling, we have many books that cover such incredible stories. The Sure Thing is a book that will give you will open the gates of the story of a renowned gambler named Barney Curley, who somehow managed to pull off the biggest horse betting scams in history.
This fearless gambler became the mastermind of one of the most incredible gambles of all time, including a horse named Yellow Sam. At that time, he managed to get around $300,000 from bookmakers, which is equivalent to around $2 million today.
Thirty-five years later, he decided to share the story about his Yellow Sam scheme and you can find all the details in this book.
