The Agua Caliente Story
2005 Independent Publisher Book Award Semi-Finalist! During its heyday of the 1930s and ’40s, Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, was the hottest destination for Hollywood stars, business moguls, and wealthy horse owners.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Product #:
B11-1088(BHP)
Author: David Jimenez Beltran
Pages: 208 pps.
Publisher: Eclipse Press
ISBN: 1-58150-115-3
Cover Type: Soft Cover
Subtitle: Remembering Mexico's Legendary Racetrack
ABOUT THE PRODUCT
South-of-the-border racetrack Agua Caliente combined the elegance of an exclusive resort and the excitement of a popular Hollywood nightclub. Hollywood stars flocked to the racetrack. Horse racing stars appeared there, too, among them jockeys George Woolf, Eddie Arcaro, Bill Shoemaker, and John Longden. The great Australian champion Phar Lap made his only North American start there, and Seabiscuit, Round Table, and other top horses raced there.
Agua Caliente was not without its troubles, enduring shut downs, fires, and floods. But during its forty-year history, Agua Caliente would give racing fans many fond memories of romantic Old Mexico.
Author David Jimenez Beltran feels a special connection to old Agua Caliente and that fondness is evident as he takes the reader on a journey through a fascinating piece of American and Mexican history. Numerous historical photographs -- many from the author's collection -- complement Beltran's words.
About the Author:
A former resident of Tijuana, David Beltran grew up near Agua Caliente Racetrack. Starting at age two, he attended the races there along with his father, Eugenio Beltran Sr., and his older brother, Gene Jr. He also has attended the races throughout Southern California, New York, and Mexico City.
The compilation of historical data on Caliente has been a lifelong pursuit for David, who also is interested in the general history of Thoroughbred racing. His research has appeared on several horse racing Web sites, including www.damepaso.com, www.infohipico.com, and www.todosport.com.mex, as well as in the Mexican horse racing magazine A Caballo.
In addition, he participated in a pictorial exhibit of Thoroughbred racing history in Tijuana at Tijuana’s Historical Society, Cultural Center, and Civic Hall during 2003. He contributed a photograph to the illustrated version of Laura Hillenbrand’s bestseller, Seabiscuit: An American Legend, and has donated material to the Keeneland Library.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
“Among sports venues, few have histories more colorful than that of Mexico’s grand Agua Caliente racecourse. As the proving ground of many of the sport’s legendary horses, riders, and trainers, Agua Caliente was a vital part of American racing in its golden era. The story of this beautiful, festive racecourse is one well worth telling.”
-- Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit
"The author's special connection to the Agua Caliente shines through on this journey through a fascinating piece of American and Mexican history.
--The Equiery