"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

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Carryover's Half-assed Live Kentucky Derby Blog

5:36 ... My two readers are alive to Dialed In and Midnight Interlude in the Pick 4.

Go get 'em, scouts!

5:11 ... my eyes are already going on me. That's no 77 minutes to post. Must have been 87 before. Ick. Do we really need 90 freakin' minutes?

Yes! Yes we do. That telecast is likely to bring in skin to this game, or at least keep the ones who like it that much more interested. So bring it. I'm going to get some water.

Water! Water! Water!

Funny sidebar. T-shirt hawkers were selling "Gotcha Bitch" Osama bin Laden shirts outside. Leave it the Stars and Stripes to pounce on this to sell shirts. That's capitalism. Gotta love it!

5:00 ... Now that you've pre-ordered your copy of "Six Weeks," let's focus on the Derby. We're 67 MTP. I don't know what to think anymore. I'm getting kinda tired. And my night has yet to begin.

I'm hoping to get the hell out of dodge early tomorrow. Then it's back to the shoe store Monday morning. Should've requested that day off.

4:19 ... "Six Weeks in Saratoga" is now available for pre-order at Amazon.  That's exciting if you want to save a few bucks.

3:58 ... Could it be that when Bruce Springsteen wrote "Girls in their Summer Clothes" that he was writing about Derby Day? 

3:56 ... Now THAT was a speed duel. Delong didn't get the lead. It was a three-horse duel for crackers. He put a nose in front at the top of the stretch but that's not the wire. Hey people, we're two races away from the Derby!

3:50 ... two minutes to yet another crushing defeat!

3:41 ... went for Delong Road in the ninth here. 50-1 on the morning line. Seems to be the only speed in this race. He's definitely not the classiest of animals, but if he can get to the front, slow this down, maybe he's got enough to win this thing. So I put $5 on him. He's now 24-1.

3:22 ... My Louisville House Party story is up on Kentucky Confidential. Go check it out. These Louisvillians know how to party. 

2:55 ... This is my blog and I can use profanity as I see fit. It is a shit show out there. The good news is two fold:

Placed my Derby bets for my father and I (read: for me) ... .50 tri box (see below) but added Nehro for a total of $60. I put $20 to win on the 23-1 Shackleford as well.

Another thing, bought my first mint julep and it was a little awful. Over the past few months, and especially this week, I've been introduced to good bourbon. The MJ is too sweet, at least the ones they make here at the Downs. Either way I got a glass here for Good Ol' Pete. Took one for the team.

2:12 ... Dale Romans wins the Grade 1 Humana Distaff with Sassy Image at 16-1. That ought to make for a happy Romans family tonight. Now we just Shackelford to hit the board and we're gold, Jerry, gold!

1:51 ... Started raining. What does this mean in the cosmic scheme of the earth? Nothing. What does it mean for Kiaran McLaughlin? Everything. He wants it to rain bad for his colt Soldat. It'll be interesting to follow the odds on Soldat at the Derby nears.

As it stands my five horses are Mucho Macho Man, Archarcharch, Midnight Interlude, Shackleford, and Dialed In. A tri box with them and maybe $20 on Soldat to win and that'll do folks.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So....are you still heading north on 95...or did the Bourbon get your tongue ?

May 10, 2011 at 7:26 PM
Brendan O'Meara said...

Animal Kingdom took my tongue and my heart.

I wish I was on 95. Instead I spent mind-numbing miles on 71 and 90 through Ohio and New York.

May 11, 2011 at 6:00 AM

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