"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, July 3, 2009

The Most Exciting Horse to Watch



The easy answer, or the easy horse, in this case, would be someone like a Rachel Alexandra.  She has an elegant way of going, and she has a way of making her competition look like the Detroit Lions.  That is, to say, pathetic.

But my favorite horse to watch is Fabulous Strike.  There is something to be said for the nature of sprint races, especially HIS sprint races.  Yard for yard, they are the most exciting to watch since they are over faster than a prom night encounter.  

But Fabulous Strike is different.  He goes out early.  He goes out strong.  And he can sustain a front-end beating and come out shining.  He may be the classiest front runner we have ever seen.  Name another horse that go 22 and 44 and have enough in the tank to make it to the winner's circle.  

... Go ahead ...  OK, didn't think so.

Fabulous Strike is running in the Grade II $150,000 Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont Park Sunday for trainer  Todd Beattie and if you have a 4th of July hangover, he is worth watching for 70 seconds.  

Beattie said the son of Smart Strike is tipping the scales at 1,257 pounds, meaning he's carrying weight especially well.  He's healthy and ready to, ahem, strike.

Fabulous Strike is coming off a chilling performance in the True North Handicap when he set a half-mile time of 43 seconds and fended off a well-rested Benny the Bull.  

Watch him while you can,  because there is a significant chance that he will skip the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita because of the Pro-Ride.  

Fabulous Strike, the cure for the common hangover.  That and french fries.
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1 comment:

Glenn Craven said...

Most exciting to watch when they aren't scared to race him, that is.

Chickening out of a five-horse race because it's a furlong beyond his specialty and the baby (3-year-old Munnings) gets an 11-pound break ... truly gone are the days of connections who ran the likes of Dr. Fager.

July 5, 2009 at 3:23 PM

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