Legacies of the Turf: A Century of Great Thoroughbred Breeders

by Edward L. Bowen

This book traces the careers of the men and women who bred the most outstanding Thoroughbreds of the 20th century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Horses, Horse Racing

300 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2003

About the author

Edward L. Bowen was an American Thoroughbred horse racing historian and author, and the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an institution involved in funding equine research.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curious about how the most successful Thoroughbred racehorses in America came into existence? This is the book for you.

I really enjoyed the way the author (who must’ve done an INTENSE amount of research) made history come to life while also informing the reader about the subject at hand. There was one breeder who took a lot of what he knew from racing Standardbreds in harness & triumphantly applied the knowledge to the world of Thoroughbreds, & similarly there was some crossover with polo enthusiasts. Many featured breeders were involved in politics, & many made the money they spent on horses from Wall Street. The founding of the Jockey Club, racetracks, the National Museum of Racing, & the beginnings of famous farms were all discussed with the author shining light on the major players & different bits of history that came into play throughout (like the sinking of the Titanic, & the impact that anti-gambling legislation had on the sport as a whole).

I would’ve liked a little more explanation regarding some abbreviations used in bloodline diagrams & listings of stakes winners, & sometimes the chapters got a little dense, but overall this was an meticulous & interesting look at the way history shaped horse racing, & the many pictures of the racehorses made the experience that much better.

Thank you to NetGalley & Eclipse Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Globe Pequot/Eclipse Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m a casual viewer of horse racing. I watch the Triple Crown races, as well as some other races that air on Network TV, which is rare. I’ve read a number of United States horse racing histories, so I knew some of the names that appear in this book. I was curious about this book; it was first published in 2003 and was recently released in paperback form.

Legacies of the Turf is a thorough dive into the most successful thoroughbred breeders of the last century. The book actually starts in the 1880s because one of the first successful breeders started in the 19th century and continued into the 20th. Some of these early breeders are still having an impact on thoroughbred breeding to this day.

Of course, two of the most public names are the Belmonts, the Whitneys, and Calumet. I learned so much about these farms that I realized just how much research went into this book; at times, the sheer volume of information made my head swim!

I appreciated the “family trees” featured in the book, yet also wish that some things were better explained, like the abbreviations used. Overall, I found this book very interesting, yet I think you’d have to be more than a casual fan of the sport to enjoy the minutiae presented.

[East of Reality · Rating 4 out of 5]

The majority of my nonfiction books this year seem to be horse related, so here’s another one! It’s impressive both how much money is made by racehorses, but also how much money is spent on them. The vast estates to house broodmares, the cost to ship horses from one continent to another, the careful bloodlines developed and established — and sometimes not so carefully. And it’s impressive that so many of those who shaped horse racing as far back as the 1880s are still known and respected today.

This book collects 20 such men and women and traces their influence, from the horses they bought and the races they one as well as giving a brief biography of their lives … insofar as horses are concerned. It also shows the pedigrees and pictures of some of the most influential horses, full lists of stakes winners bred by each person and farm, as well as the money made.

The writing is engaging — which can make or break a non fiction book for me — and, more importantly, it came with pictures of horses! (Okay, maybe that’s just for me.) All in all, this is an interesting book that I think will be appreciated by followers of the sport more than casual fans. It’s interesting, it’s well researched and well written, and I thank Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an ARC.