"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

Monday, September 21, 2009

Is it just me?

The Breeders' Cup World Championships are around the corner, roughly six weeks away, but for whatever reason, I am not excited for them.

Last year at this time, there was still the hope that Big Brown and Curlin would square off. This year the hope of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta hooking up in either the Ladies' Classic or the Mens' Classic was dashed weeks ago.

I hate to blame the track surface, but I'm going to have to. No doubt there will be impressive performances, but they will likely come from European horses that nobody has heard of. Perhaps this is why the NTRA is having guest bloggers for each division of the BC so that we will have at least heard of the horses running.

I just don't care about the next Raven's Pass or Goldikova. Strike that, I'd watch Goldikova, but you catch my drift. Could it be that the last great Breeders' Cup was in 2006 at Churchill Downs? When Street Sense won the Juvenile, Round Pond won the Distaff, and Invasor blew by Bernardini in the Classic?

But with so many races diluting the fields, I feel like I'm drinking Bud Light instead of Sam Adams.

I can't taste my beer! Now, I fear, I won't be able to taste my horse racing.
Posted by at

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

While this year's Breeders Cup certaintly faces a plethora of problems and lack of superstar match-ups, it's still 2 days and 14 races of full fields and great betting opportunities. It sure beats the alternatives - reading, spending time with loved ones, furthering your career, saving the planet, etc....No thanks! I'll take the BC rolling pick 3's!

September 22, 2009 at 10:55 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)