"Six Weeks in Saratoga" available! Go get it!

"Six Weeks in Saratoga: How Three-Year-Old Rachel Alexandra Beat the Boys and Became Horse of the Year" published July 1, 2011. Keep it locked here, at The Carryover or go to SUNY Press to order your copy ... right now! Or head on down to your favorite bookseller.

Praise for "Six Weeks in Saratoga"

“Going behind the scenes of three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra’s 2009 triumph … O’Meara makes her story gallop and gleam.” — Chronogram

“The [book] is one of enjoyable promise, and as the author recounts little moments and inside conversations, he provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of the figures he covers. The narrative keeps game pace with outside literary standards and features bursts of brilliance, and I found it a refreshing change from the selection of racing-themed volumes available today. As O’Meara brings his subjects to life, you find yourself thinking this is the kind of guy whose work I want to follow.” — Claire Novak, ESPN.com

“O’Meara … provide[s] a tremendous amount of detail from behind the scenes that the reader would not have otherwise enjoyed … Six Weeks is essentially a Rachel book, but it’s told without neglecting the always rich backdrop of a Saratoga meet. That means there’s history, surprises, characters (human and equine), great racing, foggy mornings and sun-splashed afternoons—plenty of material through which O’Meara could exercise his descriptive abilities.” — Schenectady Daily Gazette
“O’Meara fell for a magical place and magnificent horse, which is a lovely malady that often befalls horse people, and with a great deal of heart he tells us how and why. You’ll never forget his Six Weeks in Saratoga, either.” — Joe Drape, author of Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen

“Brendan O’Meara tells the story of this proud horse with verve and great historical insight. Six Weeks in Saratoga marks the debut of an exciting new talent.” — Wil Haygood, author of Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson

“Brendan O’Meara’s Six Weeks in Saratoga is a victory to be savored by those who treasure good writing in general and tales of the track in particular. Horses may win races, but they also win hearts as this impressive book proves beyond doubt. A memorable, sure-footed debut.” — Madeleine Blais, author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Did you see Go-Go?

How bad ass did Garrett Gomez look on "Jockeys" this past Friday? They made him look like an absolute pimp.

By virtue of that, they made him the villain in this series. Best line — and I'm paraphrasing — was when Gomez said, "The only difference between me and the other guys is that I'm No. 1 and they are not."

I just about lost it. Yes, the only difference between me and you is that I'm the best and you're not the best.

Ha!

Somebody get Mike Smith some happy pills too. He looks so sad, so inquisitive. He looks like the star high school football player who wants to show everybody that he's more than a star high school football player.
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3 comments:

shortie said...

The Jockey show is a step in the right direction to getting more people to the track.It humanizes the people in the industry and creates interest in horse-racing..sort of like American Idol does to the music industry..I am a casual bettor and my eyes glaze over when I start reading about the horses blood-lines..Tell me about the people tho and it piques my interest. Maybe your columns could do more of this....Shortie

February 11, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Brendan O'Meara said...

Hey Shortie,

I think you nailed it. "Jockeys" is going to try to go mainstream by letting you see the most important personalities in the game.

My columns, at times, do touch on the human side. Check out the Stewart Elliott column on his 4,000th career win in my columns section.

I totally agree with blood lines ... they put me to sleep in a hurry.

— B.O.

February 11, 2009 at 4:15 PM
alsab42 said...

The show is unwatchable. Mike and Chantal...there's a daily double. And Joe's girlfriend cheering him on in an otherwise empty grandstand - that will bring the fans out. And, can't any of these jockeys stay on the horse? The falls (horses and riders) are the last things we want to see on a new show promoting our sport.

February 12, 2009 at 10:22 AM

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