On the racetrack, history is made two minutes at a time. Race Day tells the story of American horse racing through the stories of its most intriguing, most confounding, most entertaining races since the early nineteenth century, including the great tracks where they were run and the people and horses that marvelously came together to make it all happen. Here is Jim Dandy beating Gallant Fox at Saratoga; the first Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs; Man o' War's Preakness at Pimlico; Johnny Longden's last ride in the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita; Secretariat losing the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct; Alydar winning the Bluegrass at Keeneland; John Henry, Bill Shoemaker, and the first Arlington Million; Smarty Jones's heartbreaking loss at the Belmont Stakes; and many more. Throughout Race Day , Max Watman, a seasoned observer of the sport, concentrates on great stories and personalities. He's traveled to each of the tracks, interviewed the principals who are still around, eavesdropped in the track kitchen, stood in the winner's circle, gone to horse libraries. Most of the fun of his book is atmospheric. It starts on May 27, 1823, when sixty thousand people-including most of Congress, Andrew Jackson, and Aaron Burr-packed the Union Race Course on Long Island to watch the match race between American Eclipse representing the North, and Sir Henry representing the South. The race was to be run in four heats, with a flag flown atop the nearby bakery so that those in town might know the fate of their wagers-white for a Northern victory, black for a Southern one. After the first heat, the black flag rose on the rooftop, and the stock market crashed. Race Day is filled with such wonderful stories and illustrated with 20 black-and-white photographs. Watman describes an ideal day at the races, but it is a mighty long day. It begins with American Eclipse's legendary match-race victory over Sir Henry in 1823 and extends to last year's Belmont, in which Birdstone dashed Smarty Jones' hopes of becoming the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. Affirmed also appears on Watman's race card, as do his archrival Alydar and other luminaries such as Gallant Fox, Man o' War, Secretariat, John Henry, Cigar, and many more of the best Thoroughbreds ever to trod the American turf. Despite the crowded program, Watman finds plenty of time to set the scene for each race by providing the backgrounds of the major players, both equine and human. There are digressions, explanations, and anecdotes galore; and there are times the reader might be impatient to get on with the race. In the end, however, each race makes for a good story, and Watman, the racing correspondent for the New York Sun , is an amiable companion. Bill Ott Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “An entertaining buffet of racing lore and legend told in a novel fashion and a crisp tempo.” ―Joe Hirsch, Daily Racing Form “There is nothing like a good racetrack story and Max Watman has mined the best and told them better than they've ever been told. A fascinating journey for anyone-racetrack lifers to casual fans.” ―Sean Clancy, Saratoga Special “Max Watman's intimate, comfortable, and stylish prose about horse racing is almost equivalent to a perfect day at the races.” ― Alaska Horse Journal “Wonderful.” ―Kacey McCann, Bridle & Bit “Colorful writing style...very thrilling reading...a great tribute to American Thoroughbred racing.” ― Horse-Races.Net “An excellent tribute to racing, one that can be enjoyed by any fan of the sport.” ―Cindy Pierson Dulay, Horseracing.About.Com “Fresh and Humorous.” ―Amy Ford, Library Journal “An easy, compelling read for horse racing fans who wish for something off–season.” ―Diane C. Donovan, editor, Midwest Book Review, Midwest Book Review “ Race Day is filled with such wonderful stories.” ― Speedhorse “Watman's easy–reading, agreeable style dresses up his chapters.” ―Lenny Shulman, Blood–Horse “Each race makes for a good story, and Watman...is an amiable companion.” ―Dennis Dodge, Booklist “Many of these stories will be familiar to race fans. But the telling makes them worth reliving.” ―Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times “It's an easy and entertaining, but very insightful, 235-page read for the lover of the Thoroughbred sport.” ―Steve Flairty, Kentucky Monthly “His enthusiasm for the sport is contagious...Watman doesn't miss a beat.” ―Lauren Maruskin, Equiery Max Watman is the regular turf correspondent for the New York Sun and has written about horse racing for the New York Times and the New York City OTB. His work has also appeared in Harper's , the Wall Street Journal , and Parnassus . Mr. Watman is also the fiction chronicler for The New Criterion and an editor of the Nebraska Review . He was raised in the mountains of Virginia and now lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York. Used Book in Good Condition