Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry

by James C. Nicholson, Pete Best (Foreword)

A quarter of a million people braved miserable conditions at Epsom Downs on June 2, 1954, to see the 175th running of the prestigious Derby Stakes. Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill were in attendance, along with thousands of Britons who were all convinced of the unfailing superiority of English bloodstock and eager to see a British colt take the victory. They were shocked when a Kentucky-born chestnut named Never Say Die galloped to a two-length triumph at odds of 33–1, winning Britain's greatest race and beginning an important shift in the world of Thoroughbred racing.

Never Say Die traces the history of this extraordinary colt, beginning with his foaling in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as the stories of the influential individuals brought together by the horse and his victory―from the heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune to the Aga Khan. Most fascinating is the tale of Mona Best of Liverpool, England, whose well-placed bet on the long-shot Derby contender allowed her to open the Casbah Coffee Club. There, her son met musicians John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, later joining their band.

Featuring a foreword by the original drummer for the Beatles, Pete Best, this remarkable book reveals how an underdog's surprise victory played a part in the formation of the most successful and influential rock band in history and made the Bluegrass region of Kentucky the center of the international Thoroughbred industry.

232 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2013

About the author

James C. Nicholson recently received a PhD in history from the University of Kentucky.

Reviews

[Mom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Upon the recommendations of other readers, I only read the chapters with historic value. It contains information that is in other horse books that I have read but sometimes it adds clarification or even missing information. For the chapters I read, I liked it but I am grateful that I was forewarned.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should have been called I Heart Pete Best, and Some Things I Think Are Interesting. The title is extremely inaccurate, because only about thirty pages are actually about the titular horse. If he had called the book 'The Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry', instead of using that as part of the subtitle, it would have been more accurate.

The false advertising is one of two major problems I have with this book. The second is that it is so unfocused. I don't think the author had a clear idea of what he really wanted to say, causing much of the book to be rambling and somewhat repetitive.

While much of the information he includes will interest you if you don't already know it, the book is not really about what it claims, so if you decide to read it, get ready for a very random, scattered history lesson. It was one I could've done without.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicholson argued that the victory of Never Say Die in the Epsom Down in 1954 proved that American thoroughbred horses could win at the highest levels. It also represented a cultural power shift, American industrialists had been been buying up European stock and moving them to Kentucky breeding grounds, which meant that the landed English aristocracy no longer had exclusive claim to owning the sport. Sheik Mohammad also invested heavily in Kentucky breeding, giving it an international flair, and one of the winners of the Derby invested her winnings to make the Cashbah, where the Beatles got their start, meaning that Never Say Die’s victory helped extend American influence in British culture, and the winnings helped extend British influence in American culture. Never Say Die’s lineage went onto successfully compete in races during the following decades.

[Rona Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a great deal about the world of horse racing and its attraction to those of extreme wealth around the world. The central story of the horse named Never Say Die after bourbon seemed to save its life: that's a fabulous Kentucky story that takes in a much larger world. Kudos to James C. Nicholson for weaving a much larger fabric of history and biography on which to feature Never Say Die's legend-making (and now bourbon-making) life. Nicely written, too.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It didn't reveal much I didn't already know except for the extremely tenuous link with Pete Best the original drummer who was replaced by Ringo well before the Beatles became worldwide phenomena.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 3 out of 5]

i will say that this isn't what i expected ... i first heard of this story while in Liverpool and to make a long story short, the mother of initial Beatle drummer Pete Best, who's name was Mona Best, places a bet on a horse in the 1954 Epsom Derby; the horse is a longshot named Never Say Die ... the horse wins, earns Mona a nice sum, which she spends on a house that becomes the famous Casbah Coffee House (an early Beatle hang) ...

well, this is supposed to be a story about that horse - but fun facts aside - it is more a story about thoroughbred breeding in the US and England ... though fractionally fascinating, it's too often one big horsey-family-tree