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At the Track: A Treasury of Horse Racing Stories
An anthology of twenty-three winning tales from the race track, a place that consistently spawns good writing. AT THE TRACK showcases the very best racing thrillers of the past 150 years and includes renowned authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, Ellery Queen, Damon Runyon, and Dick Francis.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Did Not Finish
May 2, 2026DNF
This is a review of the 1986 edition, which was up on The Open Library. This book was dedicated to Dick Francis. Not sure how Francis took the news. Even if the Open Library ever comes back up, I really can't be bothered with this. The first stories (except for the Francis) were so incredibly boring ... those that I hadn't seen in a dozen other anthologies, that is.
The stories were apparently selected for anything other than horses or accuracy about horse racing, or anything like that.
Stories:
* "The Day of the Losers" by Dick Francis. The day in question, of course, being the day of the Grand National, the UK's most famous race. It was an auspicious, if depressing, beginning to this anthology.
* "The Field Against the Favourite" by Angus Reach. Exerpt from Clement Lorimer; or The Book With the Iron Clasps. Written in 1849, this was one of, if not the, first story ever published that combined racing and intrigue.
* "Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Apparently, it's illegal to have a racing anthology without this classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, blunders and all.
* "The Great Derby Swindle" by Guy Boothby. The owner of the second favorite in the Derby decides to steal the favorite.
* "A Mysterious Stable" by Nat Gould. I have no idea if he's related to Elliot Gould. Although Nat Gould is a popular writer, this is a really bad story of a private detective investigating a stable. Just why is never explained.
* "The Iron Prune" by Barclay Northcote. Written in 1917. No idea what happened here.
* "The Downfall of Mulligan's" by Banjo Patterson.
* "The Broken Link Handicap" by Rudyard Kipling. A racehorse owner figures out how to beat the favorite without the use of drugs or injuring the horse. Kind of amusing, but you can easily find this in anthologies much better than this.
* "A Horse of the Same Colour" by Edgar Wallace.
* "The Snatching of Bookie Bob" by Damon Runyon.
* "The Race-Gang Racket" by Frank Johnson.
* "The Ascot Tragedy" by H. C. Bailey.
* "Horse of Death" by Ralph Straus.
* "Horseshoes for Luck" by Anthony Gilbert.
* "Long Shot" by Ellery Queen.
* "Jorkens Consults a Prophet" by Lord Dunsany.
* "The Owners' Handicap" by Leslie Charteris. Not to be confused with The Breeders' Cup.
* "The Racing Robot" by Robert Bloch.
* "The Grand National Case" by Julian Symons. A jockey in the Grand National is killed in the race ... by poisoning. Not a bad Sherlock Holmes rip-off, but has almost nothing to do with racing. This murder could've taken place anywhere.
* "A Derby Horse" by Michael Innes.
* "A Day With the Toffs" by Geoff O'Hara.
* "Outside Chance" by John Welcome.
* "Breakneck" by Jon L. Breem.
This is a review of the 1986 edition, which was up on The Open Library. This book was dedicated to Dick Francis. Not sure how Francis took the news. Even if the Open Library ever comes back up, I really can't be bothered with this. The first stories (except for the Francis) were so incredibly boring ... those that I hadn't seen in a dozen other anthologies, that is.
The stories were apparently selected for anything other than horses or accuracy about horse racing, or anything like that.
Stories:
* "The Day of the Losers" by Dick Francis. The day in question, of course, being the day of the Grand National, the UK's most famous race. It was an auspicious, if depressing, beginning to this anthology.
* "The Field Against the Favourite" by Angus Reach. Exerpt from Clement Lorimer; or The Book With the Iron Clasps. Written in 1849, this was one of, if not the, first story ever published that combined racing and intrigue.
* "Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Apparently, it's illegal to have a racing anthology without this classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, blunders and all.
* "The Great Derby Swindle" by Guy Boothby. The owner of the second favorite in the Derby decides to steal the favorite.
* "A Mysterious Stable" by Nat Gould. I have no idea if he's related to Elliot Gould. Although Nat Gould is a popular writer, this is a really bad story of a private detective investigating a stable. Just why is never explained.
* "The Iron Prune" by Barclay Northcote. Written in 1917. No idea what happened here.
* "The Downfall of Mulligan's" by Banjo Patterson.
* "The Broken Link Handicap" by Rudyard Kipling. A racehorse owner figures out how to beat the favorite without the use of drugs or injuring the horse. Kind of amusing, but you can easily find this in anthologies much better than this.
* "A Horse of the Same Colour" by Edgar Wallace.
* "The Snatching of Bookie Bob" by Damon Runyon.
* "The Race-Gang Racket" by Frank Johnson.
* "The Ascot Tragedy" by H. C. Bailey.
* "Horse of Death" by Ralph Straus.
* "Horseshoes for Luck" by Anthony Gilbert.
* "Long Shot" by Ellery Queen.
* "Jorkens Consults a Prophet" by Lord Dunsany.
* "The Owners' Handicap" by Leslie Charteris. Not to be confused with The Breeders' Cup.
* "The Racing Robot" by Robert Bloch.
* "The Grand National Case" by Julian Symons. A jockey in the Grand National is killed in the race ... by poisoning. Not a bad Sherlock Holmes rip-off, but has almost nothing to do with racing. This murder could've taken place anywhere.
* "A Derby Horse" by Michael Innes.
* "A Day With the Toffs" by Geoff O'Hara.
* "Outside Chance" by John Welcome.
* "Breakneck" by Jon L. Breem.
April 21, 2022
This book was a neat compilation of racetrack woes. Richard Peyton previews each story with an informative introduction to each author. The only thing I don't like about horse racing is the greed. That is what leads all of these characters into the rough times every time. It also makes others, by cheating, small fortunes. I never bet money on a horse yet, I just pick the one I like best, usually by their name, and hope they win!
May 18, 2021
Fun stories of life at the racetrack featuring the horses, the characters and the atmosphere.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews