Off to the Races: Mr. Darley’s Arabian

It was a bad day for Duclos last month when our horse finished out of the money in all Triple Crown races. Truth be told, we lost every other race wagered at Golden Gate Fields this season, too.

Pity we did not have Christopher McGrath with us at the betting window, as things might have turned out quite differently. He’s the celebrated author of Mr. Darleys Arabian, and the multiple kudos as a racing correspondent.

In any case, we’ve been enjoying his marvelous book, which is currently Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

With The Haskell Stakes and Breeder’s Cup yet to be run, we are taking the time to absorb all of Mr. McGrath’s observations on the Sport of Kings so that we might recapture at least part of our losings.

The only safe bet we are making today is that our readers will enjoy this rousing historical account of racing’s origin and Golden Age.

Look for more on this book as we progress beyond chapter 18: “He is far ahead of the lot, even with all his faults.”