Sports & Recreation : Equestrian

Winning the Kentucky Derby in 1997, 1998, and 2002 has made Bob Baffert the most visible trainer in America. His wit and silver-haired good looks have made him the most popular. In this candid and often hilarious autobiography, Baffert recounts growing up in a tiny Arizona border town, where he peddled eggs after school and started riding his family's Quarter Horses. His early exploits as a jockey provide a fascinating glimpse of racing at the "bush tracks" of the Southwest, complete with shoot-outs and rigged races. Baffert's real adventures begin when he strikes up a friendship with Mike Pegram, who bankrolled his entry into Thoroughbred racing. After losing the 1996 Kentucky Derby by only a nose, Baffert vowed to return. Return he does, winning the 1997 Kentucky Derby with modestly bred Silver Charm and the 1998 Kentucky Derby with Real Quiet, who cost just $17,000. more...

Price: $9.99

Barbaro, the charismatic 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, thrilled racing fans everywhere with his brilliant victories on the track. But he won hearts around the world with his gallant fight for life after his breakdown in the Preakness Stakes. Barbaro: The Horse Who Captured America’s Heart chronicles Barbaro’s early days, his journey down the Triple Crown trail, and the heroics of his trainer, former Olympic show jumper Michael Matz. Award-winning writer Sean Clancy details Barbaro’s surgery and complications, bringing the reader close to the cutting-edge veterinary science and dedicated surgeon who nearly pulled off the impossible. More than 100 vivid color photographs pay tribute to the great courage and spirit of the most popular racehorse of recent time. more...

Price: $9.99

Do you want to know what racing’s most prominent trainers, owners, breeders, jockeys, veterinarians, and others in the racing industry really think? About drugs in racing? About the best prospects for the Derby? About racing two-year-olds? Best of Talkin’ Horses provides a unique perspective on all sorts of horse topics in this collection of the original chats. Every horse lover, and in particular every horse racing fan, will want to get their hands on Best of Talkin’ Horses. Best of Talkin’ Horses features provocative “chats” with some of Thoroughbred racing’s most prominent names. Adapted from “Talkin’ Horses,” the popular weekly online chat series hosted by Bloodhorse.com, this edited collection provides additional insights by Ron Mitchell, editor and moderator of “Talkin’ Horses." more...

Price: $9.99

A complex enterprise such as breeding Thoroughbred racehorses needs a good handbook, especially for the novice owner. The Blood-Horse Authoritative Guide to Breeding Thoroughbreds is just such a tool. It lays a solid foundation for venturing into a complicated and risky undertaking. This comprehensive reference, compiled by the staff of The Blood-Horse, America's leading weekly Thoroughbred racing magazine, provides the overview any horse owner needs to enter the breeding business. Information covered ranges from finding a mare and choosing a stallion to formulating a business plan and negotiating breeding contracts. more...

Price: $9.99

From provocative peeks into the lives of jockeys, trainers, owners, and breeders, to the down and dirty doings of bookies and gamblers, here is a literary tribute to a favorite national pastime. Editors Maggie Estep ( Diary of an Emotional Idiot ; Flamethrower ) and Jason Starr ( Twisted City; Lights Out ) have brought together original fiction and nonfiction from some of our most beloved writers. more...

Price: $14.95