Author: Christopher McGrath
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773902
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 417
Book Description
In 1704 a bankrupt English merchant sent home the colt he had bought from Bedouin tribesmen near the ruins of Palmyra. Thomas Darley hoped this horse might be the ticket to a new life back in Yorkshire. But he turned out to be far more than that, and although Mr. Darley's Arabian never ran a race, 95% of all thoroughbreds in the world today are descended from him. In this book, for the first time, award-winning racing writer Christopher McGrath traces this extraordinary bloodline through twenty-five generations to our greatest modern racehorse, Frankel.The story of racing is about man's relationship with horses, and Mr. Darley's Arabian also celebrates the men and women who owned, trained and traded the stallions that extended the dynasty. McGrath expertly guides us through three centuries of scandals, adventures and fortunes won and lost: our sporting life offers a fascinating view into our history. With a canvas that extends from the diamond mines of South Africa to the trenches of the Great War, and a cast ranging from Smithfield meat salesmen to the inspiration for Mr. Toad, and from legendary jockeys to not one, but two disreputable Princes of Wales (and a very unamused Queen Victoria), Mr. Darley's Arabian shows us the many faces of the sport of kings.
The Byerley Turk
Author: Jeremy James
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781873674765
Category : Byerley Turk (Horse)
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
This is the true story of the most remarkable horse in history. Foaled in the lavish Ottoman stables of the Topkapl Palace in the late 1870s, this dark bay stallion was hard schooled in the disciplines of war. Until now, his remarkable story has never been told.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781873674765
Category : Byerley Turk (Horse)
Languages : en
Pages : 424
Book Description
This is the true story of the most remarkable horse in history. Foaled in the lavish Ottoman stables of the Topkapl Palace in the late 1870s, this dark bay stallion was hard schooled in the disciplines of war. Until now, his remarkable story has never been told.
The Byerley Turk
Author: Jeremy James
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 9780811701556
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 992
Book Description
Of the three horses that were the ancestors of the modern thoroughbred, the first and greatest was undoubtedly the Byerley Turk. This book gives an account of the life of this breed, extending from the palaces of the Ottoman Empire to the streets of London and beyond, and featuring a cast of historical figures. It begins in 1679 in a remote Balkan village, where a seyis - a penniless groom - finds himself caring for a remarkable young foal. Believing it destined for greatness, and seeing a chance to escape his own humble circumstances, he begins schooling the animal in the disciplines of war. Hewing closely to the historical record, the author goes on to trace the fortunes of the Turk and its new master: In 1682, they arrived in Istanbul, where the horse was selected for the Ottoman Empire's renowned cavalry. Ridden as a battle charger in the Turkish sieges on Vienna and Buda, it was captured, along with its groom, by a party of adventuring British aristocrats and taken back to England in 1686. In London, it was bought by Captain Robert Byerley, who rode the Turk to Ireland to take on the Jacobite forces in several pivotal encounters, including the Battle of the Boyne. Eventually, the Turk was put to stud, initiating what was to become its greatest legacy: first foundation sire of the thoroughbred line.--Publisher's description.
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 9780811701556
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 992
Book Description
Of the three horses that were the ancestors of the modern thoroughbred, the first and greatest was undoubtedly the Byerley Turk. This book gives an account of the life of this breed, extending from the palaces of the Ottoman Empire to the streets of London and beyond, and featuring a cast of historical figures. It begins in 1679 in a remote Balkan village, where a seyis - a penniless groom - finds himself caring for a remarkable young foal. Believing it destined for greatness, and seeing a chance to escape his own humble circumstances, he begins schooling the animal in the disciplines of war. Hewing closely to the historical record, the author goes on to trace the fortunes of the Turk and its new master: In 1682, they arrived in Istanbul, where the horse was selected for the Ottoman Empire's renowned cavalry. Ridden as a battle charger in the Turkish sieges on Vienna and Buda, it was captured, along with its groom, by a party of adventuring British aristocrats and taken back to England in 1686. In London, it was bought by Captain Robert Byerley, who rode the Turk to Ireland to take on the Jacobite forces in several pivotal encounters, including the Battle of the Boyne. Eventually, the Turk was put to stud, initiating what was to become its greatest legacy: first foundation sire of the thoroughbred line.--Publisher's description.