Foinavon

Foinavon PDF Author: David Owen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1408192217
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Book Description
It was the upset to end all upsets. On 8 April 1967 at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool, a 100-1 outsider in peculiar blinkers sidestepped chaos extraordinary even by the Grand National's standards and won the world's toughest steeplechase. The jumps-racing establishment - and Gregory Peck, the Hollywood actor whose much-fancied horse was reduced to the status of an also-ran - took a dim view. But Foinavon, the dogged victor, and Susie, the white nanny goat who accompanied him everywhere, became instant celebrities. Within days, the traffic was being stopped for them in front of Buckingham Palace en route to an audience with the Duchess of Kent. Fan mail arrived addressed to 'Foinavon, England'. According to John Kempton, Foinavon's trainer, the 1967 race 'reminded everyone that the National was part of our heritage'. Foinavon's Grand National victory has become as much a part of British sporting folklore as the England football team's one and only World Cup win the previous year. The race has even spawned its own mythology, with the winner portrayed as a horse so useless that not even its owner or trainer could be bothered to come to Liverpool to see him run. Yet remarkably the real story of how Foinavon emerged from an obscure yard near the ancient Ridgeway to pull off one of the most talked-about victories in horseracing history has never been told. Based on original interviews with scores of people who were at Aintree on that rainswept day, or whose lives were in some way touched by the shock result, this book will use the story of this extraordinary race to explore why the Grand National holds tens of millions of people spellbound, year after year, for ten minutes on a Saturday afternoon in early spring.

The Little Book of Horse Racing

The Little Book of Horse Racing PDF Author: Anne Holland
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750958286
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Book Description
Do you know what the oldest horse race in Britain is, where the term 'gee-gee' comes from, or who is credited with bringing racing to Ascot? Fact-packed but light-hearted in style, this reliable reference book and quirky guide reveals little-known facts, details of classic races, famous riders, racing records, amusing anecdotes and criminal goings-on. A compendium of the fascinating, strange and entertaining, The Little Book of Horse Racing can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about this ancient sport.

An Irish Country Practice

An Irish Country Practice PDF Author: Patrick Taylor
Publisher: Forge Books
ISBN: 1466889217
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
An Irish Country Practice is the twelfth heartwarming installment in New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author Patrick Taylor's beloved Irish Country series. Once, not too long ago, there was just a single Irish country doctor tending to the lively little village of Ballybucklebo: Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly. Now his thriving practice is growing by leaps and bounds. Not only has O’Reilly taken a new trainee under his wing, Doctor Connor Nelson, he’s also added a spirited Labrador puppy to his ever-expanding household at Number One Main Street. Meanwhile, his trusted partner, young Doctor Barry Laverty, finds himself wondering if he’s truly ready to settle down and start a family with his lovely fiancée, Sue. As the doctors cope with domestic and professional challenges, they also look after their patients and their ailments, including a mysterious cough, a housewife whose frequent “accidents” may have a disturbing cause, and a respected colleague who might be succumbing to an old vice. All is not sickness and worry, however. There’s plenty of joy and merriment to be found as well, from a visiting circus to racing to sailing . . . and maybe even a happy ending or two. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Grand National

The Grand National PDF Author: Anne Holland
Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 1474612008
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Every year the Grand National produces very different stories from jockeys and horses alike; uplifting scenes from a victor and heartbreak when a mere inch divides the loser from the winner at the end of nearly four-and-a-half miles and thirty challenging fences. In 1839 the first winner was aptly named Lottery. Back then, huge crowds rode to Aintree by horseback, in carriages, carts or on foot. Today the Grand National is probably the world's most famous horse race, with a global television audience of some 600 million in 140 countries. This richly informed book focuses on the race's various record-breakers, rather than being a purely chronological history of this greatest of all steeplechases. Many records have stood the test of time: in 2019, Tiger Roll's second consecutive victory was the first time that the feat had been achieved since Red Rum in 1973-74. Anne Holland's authoritative history celebrates one of the world's greatest sporting spectacles. 'A well-organised and cheerily anecdotal volume' Spectator

In Praise of Famous Horses

In Praise of Famous Horses PDF Author: Sean Magee
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1474610811
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Horses is an A-Z companion to perhaps the most loved of all domesticated animals. The book's entries include a wealth of unexpected, fascinating and serendipitous information, from horse-slang phrases to horses in British pub signs, and from the horse in advertising to the horse as a food item. Themes such as the horse in warfare and the horse in folklore abound. These features add up to a richly satisfying accumulation of information about the horse's role in human culture and society over two millennia. Horses will not only be a helpful reference source and congenial bedside book for those who work with or enjoy horses, but also a satisfying and browsable companion for the inquisitive general reader.

Mud, Sweat & Gears

Mud, Sweat & Gears PDF Author: Ellie Bennett
Publisher: Summersdale Publishers LTD
ISBN: 0857656074
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 271

Book Description
The tale of a scenic cycling trip—including an index of the 50 finest beers tasted on the trip"One more wouldn't hurt," said Mick. I looked at him doubtfully. "I'm not sure. It's gone three o'clock already. What time does it get dark in Cornwall at this time of year?" "Not for ages," said Mick, waving his hand dismissively. "One more and then we'll get on." He headed back to the bar with our empty beer glasses.As Ellie's 50th birthday approaches and her ambitions of a steady income, a successful career, and an ascent of Everest seem as far away as ever, she begins to doubt she's capable of achieving anything at all. So when her best friend Mick suggests a grueling cycle ride from Land's End to John O'Groats, she takes up the challenge. They opt for the scenic route which takes them along cycle paths, towpaths, and the back roads and byways of Britain, unable to resist sampling local beers in the pubs they pass along the way. But as the pints start to stack up faster than the miles they’re putting under their tires, Ellie wonders if they'll ever make it to the finishing line.

Horse Racing's Strangest Tales

Horse Racing's Strangest Tales PDF Author: Andrew Ward
Publisher: Portico
ISBN: 1911042831
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
Extraordinary but true stories from over 150 years of racing. This hilarious, sideways look at horse racing vividly recounts many of the strangest moments and oddest incidents from over 150 years of the sport's history. Andrew Ward recalls the time when spectators mounted two fallen horses and rode them to second and third places; the race which had to be re-run because the judge wasn't in his box at the finish; the ultrasonic binoculars that allegedly stunned a horse and unseated a jockey at Ascot, and many more. A totally original, offbeat collection of extraordinary but true stories, Horse-Racing's Strangest Races will be a delight to all lovers of the turf. Word count: 60,000

The Ghosts of Cathkin Park

The Ghosts of Cathkin Park PDF Author: Michael McEwan
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
ISBN: 1788853148
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
The summer of 1967 was Scottish football's finest hour. Celtic won the European Cup. Rangers reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Kilmarnock got to the semis of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Scotland defeated world champions England at Wembley. It was the best of times. With one exception. Third Lanark Athletic Club, one of the country's oldest and most successful football teams, a founder member of the Scottish Football Association, and to date one of only four teams to defeat both Rangers and Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final, played its final game. And hardly anybody seemed to notice. Why? Michael McEwan brings rich archival research together with interviews with the key surviving players in the Third Lanark squad from that final season, as well as opposition players and other relevant figures from the era. Over 50 years on, the demise of Third Lanark remains one of Scottish football's darkest hours – and, by ludicrous coincidence, it occurred in the midst of one of its brightest.

Courses for Horses

Courses for Horses PDF Author: Nicholas Clee
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1474618448
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
SHORTLISTED FOR BEST SPORTS WRITING AT THE 2024 SPORTS BOOK AWARDS In parks, on downlands and heaths, by motorways, overlooking firths: the racecourses of Britain and Ireland are as various as the people you meet there. Some - Newmarket, Epsom, the Curragh - are rich in history, and among the most celebrated sporting venues in the world; others - Fakenham, Bangor-on-Dee, Perth - offer more modest but no less enjoyable spectacles. Journeying round these courses, Nicholas Clee meets the people who bring them to life: from those in the spotlight, including a Grand National-winning jockey, Derby-winning owner and top TV commentator; to many others with key roles in the sport - bookmakers, form experts, racecourse managers and more. From them, he learns about the bravery, dedication, skill and expertise that make racing one of our most popular spectator sports. Whether basking in sunshine or sheltering from a hurricane, sampling a variety of pies or recoiling from the world's worst curry, losing his money with the bookies or at the Tote windows, Clee soaks up the atmosphere, delves into racing business, and marvels at the uniqueness of each course and its people. Written with a keen eye, gentle humour and a deep love for the sport, Courses for Horses take us behind the scenes at that grand outing: a day at the races.
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Rits Blog by Crimson Themes.