"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

Friday, April 10, 2009

Blue Grass Winner

Here he is. The winner of the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Are you ready?

General Quarters.

Here's a question: How do you make a historically relevant Grade I irrelevant?

...

...

Still thinking?

Ok ...

Put it on Polytrack so only really desperate horses will run your race. This may not be entirely fair. Sure my favorite horse, Monba, won it last year and then went on to finish last in the Derby. But a year prior, Street Sense finished second in an exciting blanket finish and then went on to win the Derby.

Things to think about.
Posted by at

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

that race has been irrelavent since it went to poly. the whole "poly", synthetic craze is just another thing hurting racing. anyone that handicaps seriously knows that these performances can not be gauged or justified. the breeders cup has become a joke because its two years of poly. the results might as well be in the toilet. the blue grass is a training or earnings event, winning it means nothing on how the horse will perform three weeks from now! keenland is good for betting grass races, but the only day i bet any poly races was last saturday because the card was so good. any other day i won't even bet keenland, you might as well throw numbers in a hat and pick one. just when racing was hurting. it got kicked harder by this poly scenario. i don't see where its any safer either, why are the trainers always complaining about it ? it was a pipe dream that was not researched or developed properly.

April 13, 2009 at 8:37 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)