This book examines several "unsolved mysteries" of the horse racing world, including the kidnapping of the famed Irish horse Shergar.
Did jockey Ron Hansen leap off the San Mateo Bridge, or did someone force him? Did arsonists set fire to Hawthorne Race Course after a betting scam went awry? Was the great stallion Shergar killed by the IRA, or is he living in anonymity somewhere in Ireland? Great Horse Racing Mysteries examines these baffling cases and many others.
Author John McEvoy, a longtime racing writer, relies on published accounts, interviews with survivors, and old-fashioned digging to recreate some of the sport's strangest stories. For instance, the saga of the great Australian runner Phar Lap has intrigued racing fans for more than sixty years. A legend in his homeland, Phar Lap journeyed by boat to North America to take on this continent's best runners. After a stunning performance at the track in Caliente, Mexico, Phar Lap had to be guarded around the clock in the wake of alleged threats by sinister characters. Phar Lap then died under mysterious circumstances at a California ranch. McEvoy talks to people who saw Phar Lap run and adds another dimension to this intriguing story.
Other stories include the disappearance of jockey Al Snider, the demise of Calumet Farm, and the death of William Woodward Jr. Great Horse Racing Mysteries provides a fascinating look at all facets of the sport.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
"Titillating and informative. Well-researched and well written. What more could a reader want?"
-- Ann Hagedorn Auerbach, author of Wild Ride
"X-Files maven Chris Carter might consider assigning Mulder and Scully to some of these cases."
-- Joe Kristufek, Chicago Daily Herald
"Shergar's kidnapping....The Shergar story is the centerpiece of an excellent new book, Great Horse Racing Mysteries (Eclipse Press) by John McEvoy. The cases are well-presented, well-researched, and well-chosen, and we can recommend this book enthusiastically as a good read."
-- Joe Hirsch, Daily Racing Form
"It is appropriate that Great Horse Racing Mysteries has no definitive conclusions for the many questions it raises. In a sport based on endless supposition, this compelling book gives racing fans even more questions to which they'll never know the answers. Great Horse Racing Mysteries doesn't solve any of our sport's mysteries, it celebrates them by preserving the facts so they can live on."
-- Jim Mulvihill, University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program