Mr. Darley's Arabian

by Christopher McGrath

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681773902
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Christopher McGrath has won multiple awards as a racing correspondent, for seven years with the Independent (London). He has been voted Racing Journalist of the Year and commended as Specialist Correspondent at the UK Sports Journalism Awards. He has interviewed many leading figures on the international Turf, and also contributes a regular column on other sports. This is his first book. He lives in England.

Table of Contents

Timeline xi

Introduction i

Part I Roots

1 'The most esteemed race amongst the Arrabs both by Syre and Dam' 11

2 'The cross strains now in being are without end' 27

3 A Groom with a View 38

A Day at the Races: Outwood Racecourse, Wakefield, 4 September 1745 49

4 'He won as many hearts in Newmarket as he lost in Scotland' 53

Part II Rakes

5 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere' 63

6 Breeding Discontent 73

7 The Way Ahead 82

A Day at the Races: Epsom, 16 May 1793 91

8 The Regeneration Gap 95

Part III Ringers and Wrong 'Uns

9 Nobblers, Broken Heads and the 'artful dodger of the corps' 107

10 The West Awake 116

11 'I see a rum set in my day … But these beat all calculation.' 124

A Day at the Races: Doncaster, 17 September 1845 135

12 'Mr Palmer passes me five times in five minutes.' 139

Part IV Age of the Iron Horse

13 Full Steam Ahead 151

14 Old Sweats and New Money 164

A Day at the Races: Epsom, 20 May 1863 173

15 'She is my brood mare. The others are my hacks' 177

A Day at the Races: Alexandra Palace, 1 July 1868 191

16 'The lad rode as well as any could' 195

Part V The Fast Set

17 'My God, Berkeley, this is too hot!' 209

A Day at the Races: Ascot, 17 June 1897 225

18 'He is far ahead of the lot, even with all his faults' 229

19 Jewels in the Crown 245

Part VI War Horses

20 'All their young men are killed' 263

A Day at the Races: Epsom, 6 June 1923 281

21 'I have no method. Method is imitation. I invent.' 285

Part VII Raising the Stakes

22 'Chuck, what I tol' you?' 301

A Day at the Races: Churchill Downs, 2 May 1964 321

23 'Bang him on the nose early, Bobby. Make his eyes water.' 327

24 'They'd run through a wall for you.' 343

25 'I'd be surprised if there's ever been a better horse' 356

Acknowledgements 365

Illustration Credits 367

Glossary 369

Bibliographical Notes 375

Index 407

Editorial Reviews

11/21/2016
The Darley Arabian unites “the lineage of nineteen out of twenty thoroughbreds lining up for any race, anywhere in the world,” writes veteran horse racing reporter McGrath in this frustrating book. In the family tree of horse racing, the Darley Arabian is basically the trunk. McGrath details 25 of the branches sprouting from this almost mythical horse—which, ironically, never raced—beginning from to its birth in 1700. This leads to tales of debauchery by horse owners, noblemen, and racetrack principals; and the development of more humane training methods for horses to a “numbers game.” Telling a story of this massive scope is an ambitious undertaking, and McGrath fails to achieve it. His devotion to side characters and their turbulent stories, though entertaining, often takes readers off course. The commitment to research’s nooks and crannies is so complete that McGrath casts his work more as a reference book than an intriguing example of narrative nonfiction. Devoted subjects of the sport of kings will adore the historical diversions; others may feel overwhelmed. Color and b&w illus. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

A fascinating book. McGrath’s book is erudite, his style wry and his descriptions of horses and men astute.

The Sunday Times (London)

Fascinating. This isn’t just a book about horse lineage. The wonder of it is how McGrath manages to use the bloodline to trace so much else. A stunner of a book, deserving of an audience much beyond horse-racing fans.

Booklist (starred)

This is a history about the sport of kings—horse racing—as told through the bloodlines of 25 horses. But like Seabiscuit, critics say this entertaining work is so filled with memorable characters and details of the distant times in which these champions competed that even those who've never clutched a ticket stub and cheered on a filly will be enthralled.

BookFilter

McGrath has the advantage of being a superbly gifted writer. He can wield a dependent clause like a stiletto. And his access to today’s mightiest figures in racing greatly enhances the book’s final sections. For both popular and scholarly readers who love horses and horse stories, the book is amply worth reading.

Equine History Collective

Ambitious and unique. McGrath unrolls a remarkable history of thoroughbred racing in England over 300 years.

Wall Street Journal

McGrath has produced a racing book like no other—a book of remarkable scope. For the horsemen the racing careers of great horses are there. But McGrath’s book will be read by a much wider public for its lively social history.

The Spectator (UK)

Chris McGrath has provided us with an important addition to the history of horse racing.

The International Journal of the History of Sport

Ambitious and unique. McGrath unrolls a remarkable history of thoroughbred racing in England over 300 years.

Wall Street Journal