This weekend, Big Brown may actually make that a reality at the Belmont Stakes...even if I'm not the lucky jockey riding him to victory.
In honor of Big Brown, and his trainer, hometown boy Rick Dutrow, I asked the Maryland Horse Industry Board's executive director, J. Robert Burk, and the Maryland Horse Breeders Association's Cindy Deubler to list a few of the best horse-related reads.
For adults:
Spectacular Bid: Thoroughbred Legends, by Tim Capps
Called "The greatest horse ever to look through a bridle." The author details the heart-breaking triple crown run of Spectacular Bid, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and seemed a sure thing in the Belmont until he ran third. The reason for his third place: A stray safety pin in his foot caused a minor injury to his foot. With discussion of Big Brown's hoof crack, could we be witnesses to history repeating itself?
The Most Glorious Crown: The Story of America's Triple Crown Thoroughbreds from Sir Baron to Affirmed, by Marvin Drager
My Guy Barbaro, By Edgar Prado and John Eisenberg
The point of view of the rise and fall of Barbaro, as told by his jockey Edgar Prado. Prado made a name for himself first on Maryland tracks, much like Kent Desormeaux, the jockey of Big Brown.
Racing my Father: Growing Up With a Riding Legend, by Patrick Smithwick
An unusually moving memoir about growing up in the hell-bent-for-leather world of Thoroughbred racing as the son of the Hall of Fame steeplechase jockey A.P. "Paddy" Smithwick. Patrick Smithwick is much like Big Brown's trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. in that Richard was not always in the spotlight; he was once his father's assistant.
The Race for the Triple Crown: Horses, High Stakes and Eternal Hope, by Joe Drape
Country Life Diary: Three Years in the Life of a Horse Farm, by Josh Pons
The Ecplise Award-winning diary of the everyday life on Maryland's oldest Thoroughbred nursery. The farm that produced Cigar, which has won more money than any other horse in North America.
Merryland: Two Years in the Life of a Racing Stable, by Josh Pons and Ellen Pons
A follow up to Country Life Diary, Thoroughbred farm owner Pons discusses the triumphs, tragedies and frustrations within the industry.
Decade of Champions, by Richard Stone Reeves and Patrick Robinson
Barbaro: The Horse Who Captured America's Heart, by Sean Clancy
Eclipse-winning local author Sean Clancy tells the story of Barbaro.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand
Maryland author tells the story of Seabiscuit. The story that the movie was based on.
Affirmed and Alydar and Secretariat (Thoroughbred Legends No. 19), also by Tim Capps
Without question, the best-known American horse of any stripe in our lifetime. The story includes a ton of Triple Crown talk.
And for all our young horselovers:
Seabisuit vs War Admiral: The Greatest Horse Race in History, by Kat Shehata and Jo McElwee
The story of the greatest horse race in history. On November 1, 1938 in the Pimlico Special in Baltimore, Seabiscuit, the underdog from the West, raced against Triple Crown champion War Admiral.
Lady's Big Surprise, by JoAnn S. Dawson
Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist book about a young girl who is wildly, inexplicably, head-over-heels horse-crazy. The first part of a three-book series called the Lucky Foot Stable series.
A Horse To Remember, by Juliana Hutchings
The first novel by Juliana Hutchings, who was 14 when she wrote the book, tells the story of a young girl who moves from the city to a small town where she learns about horses, people and unconditional love.
Miranda and Starlight, by Janet Muirhead Hill
The first book in a series of six called the Starlight Series that features a 10-year-old girl and her horse. Miranda Stevens is a sweet, but feisty, girl who is living with her grandparents in Montana while her single mother tries to make it as an actress in Los Angeles.
Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry
The classic tale of the wild horses that live on the Asseteague and Chincoteague islands of Maryland and Virginia.
(Photo by gmarcelo at stock.xchng.com)
