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Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing
Three Strides Before the Wire The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing Author:Elizabeth Mitchell "Charismatic, a colt nobody wanted, is ridden by Antley, a jockey everybody doubted. That either could be a mere mile and a half from winning the Triple Crown would be astounding; that the two of them together are so close to racing immortality would be a figment, a fantasy, a fantastic improbability . . . except that it is real." So ran a stor... more »y in the Boston Globe days before jockey Chris Antley and his horse Charismatic attempted to make history by winning the third and final race of the Triple Crown, the Belmont. After bouts with depression, drug and alcohol abuse, Antley had made a surprising comeback by riding the unknown Charismatic to victory at both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness races. Friends and family members viewed Antleys newfound success as symbolic of the new path he was forging in his life, but his story, and his horses, would not have a fairy tale ending. Journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the world of horseracing by tracing the intertwined lives of jockey Chris Antley, trainer D. Wayne Lukas, owners Bob and Beverly Lewis, and 99 Derby winner Charismatic. The adventure brings us behind the scenes of Americas racetracks, revealing the colorful history of horse racing, while also exposing the underbelly of racing scandals. Three Strides Before the Wire captures the triumphs and tragedies that are part of the fabric of horseracing, and illuminates a world wherein one day at the track can mean the difference between the fulfilled promise of the winners circle and the shattering of ones dreams.« less