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Apr 10th, 10
After months of reading, evaluating, and scoring, judges have selected three outstanding books as finalists
By Mary Simon (Courtesy of The Thoroughbred Times)
After months of reading, evaluating, and
scoring, judges have selected three outstanding books as finalists
By
Mary Simon (Courtesy of The Thoroughbred Times)
The late Dr.
Tony Ryan was a visionary with broad interests and a man who knew how to
get things done, be it in business, education, the arts, or horse
racing. In 1985, the Irish entrepreneur launched the successful
low-fare European airline Ryanair; less than a decade later, he funded
the cutting-edge Marine Science Institute at the National University of
Ireland; and in 2001, he brought Thoroughbreds back to James R. Keene's
historic Kentucky-based Castleton Farm-now Castleton Lyons-for the first
time in nearly a century.
Five years ago, Ryan wedded his
interest in the arts and racing when he masterminded an important
literary award. He conceived the idea of promoting the sport of kings
by recognizing the best racing-related books published in a given year,
and proposed to do so in a breathtaking way: His offer of a $10,000
winner's prize rivaled those of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer
Prize.
Soon after, Ryan enlisted THOROUGHBRED TIMES as a
promotional partner and coordinator in what would initially be known as
the Castleton Lyons-THOROUGHBRED TIMES Book Award. In April 2007,
inaugural honors went to New York Times sportswriter Joe Drape, for
Black Maestro, a biography of early 20th-century African-American jockey
Jimmy Winkfield. Following Ryan's death in 2007, the competition was
renamed to honor his memory. Now in its fourth year, the Dr. Tony Ryan
Book Award continues under the stewardship of his son, Shane.
Ryan
would no doubt have approved of the current finalists--three
exceptional, very different works, each representing the apex of
racing-genre books published in 2009. Full of heart, humor, and a deep
respect for the sport's storied past, as well as an abiding love for the
animals and people who power its engine, they include a
compassionatelook at what it takes to save an ex-racehorse; a lively
jaunt through the life of a true man for all seasons; and a stunning
tribute to one of America's premier sporting events.
The authors
will be present for a book signing at Keeneland Race Course on the
afternoon of April 23. That evening, an invitation-only cocktail and
hors d'oeuvres reception announcing the winner will once again be held
at Castleton Lyons, outside of Lexington, in the loft above the famed
barn where such long-ago immortals Domino, Commando, and Peter Pan once
held court.
The winner will receive a check for $10,000 and a
trophy made of custom-designed Irish crystal, a replica of the
magnificent fieldstone tower Ryan had erected on the property in 2003.
Runners-up will each receive $1,000 and a trophy.
The 2009 Dr.
Tony Ryan Book Award Finalists:
Beyond the Homestretch: What I've Learned from Saving
Racehorses
Author: Lynn Reardon
Publisher:
New World Library
Keeneland's
Ted Bassett: My Life
Authors:
James E. "Ted" Bassett III and Bill Mooney
Publisher: The University
Press of Kentucky
The
Kentucky Derby Vault: A History of the Run for the Roses
Author: Andrew Plattner
Publisher: Whitman
Publishing