Race Day: A Spot on the Rail

by Max Watman

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566636086
• ISBN13: 9781566636087
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Very enjoyable read

Watman's writing style is cool and fluid as a mint julep, and reading this book will give you just such an exciting, warm and fuzzy feeling. He has a real talent for bringing you into the moment with him- even if horse racing isn't your bag, you'll get wrapped up in the heat of the sun, the clomping of hooves, the roar of the crowd. This book is a fun ride and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Addicted to Horse Racing? You will be after this

So, I grew up in Texas, but not around horses. Horse racing didn't hold much appeal. I moved to Virginia and I'd gone to a few point-to-points with my wife's family, but that was mostly about the bourbon and the cigars. But in the past few years, there have been three events that have started what I suspect will be my eventual decline into horse racing madness. The first was watching thoroughbreds train near Middleburg, Virginia. No crowds, no noise, no gambling. Just standing on the rail, feeling the ground shake, watching these beasts run, their breathing almost as loud as their hooves on the turf. I can only compare it to seeing a low-altitude flyby of an F-16 on afterburner. The next event was visiting Churchill Downs and watching the movie "The Greatest Race" at the Kentucky Derby Museum. It's a spectacular 360-degree wrap-around movie that damn near choked me up with the raw emotion of the Derby. Don't go to Louisville without seeing this. And finally, reading Max Watman's book. "Race Day" captures the mythology, the emotion, and the history of horse racing better than anything I've ever read. The book is broken into bite-size pieces, each one describing an historic race. Watman gives us the history of the track and talks about the characters involved, often exposing the seedier side of horse racing's history. The buildup to each race gives the reader context and heightens the anticipation. By the time the horses line up at the gate, you'll have a vested interest in the outcome. His description of the races themselves will leave you breathless. This is edge-of-your-seat reading and at the end of each chapter, you'll have to remind yourself that you're actually sitting on the couch, or laying in bed with a book in your hand. Watman is one of those rare authors who can paint a complex, vivid scene using a handful of words and put the reader right in the middle of the action. I devoured "Race Day" in a couple of sittings. I only wish that I had managed to stretch it out a bit. Maybe I should have poured myself a bourbon and lit a cigar between chapters. Horse racing can become addictive (and I'm not even talking about the gambling and drinking.) If you're already addicted, buy this book. You're going to love it. If you're not addicted yet, I have to warn you. This book may be the beginning of your downfall.