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Greyhound: The Remarkable Story of the Harness-Racing Horse Who Inspired a Nation
For fans of Elizabeth Letts's The Eighty-Dollar Champion comes a compelling and illuminating true story about the greatest racehorse history forgot.Unbeatable like Man O' War, record-breaking speed like Secretariat, and loved by the fans and everyone who knew him like Seabiscuit. While any fan of harness racing will know and talk of Greyhound with deep reverence, outside the world of harness racing, he is almost completely unknown.An ugly, awkward underdog in his early years, Greyhound blossomed into a champion under the care of a millionaire entrepreneur owner, the guidance of a veteran trainer/driver, and the love of a young caretaker who acted as bodyguard, public relations guru, and valet for the horse. Greyhound developed into the fastest trotter in history—his mile record stood for over thirty years—and retired with sixteen of twenty-five world records still unbroken. Greyhound was a celebrity in his day—a horse with such an enigmatic personality some swore he was part human. Brought to life in these pages with painstaking detail and meticulous research, Greyhound's story is both colorful and entertaining. With nearly two hundred historical photographs and racing artifacts, many shared with the public for the first time, and a compendium of race results from the heyday of harness racing, this is more than a feel-good success story—it's the historical record racing enthusiasts have been waiting for. Greyhound is a book for anyone who has known the love of a great horse and everyone who finds inspiration in a Cinderella story.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2025
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September 23, 2025
'Greyhound' by Cheryl L. Eriksen is an utter triumph of an equine biography. One of the greatest and most beloved trotters of all time comes alive again in the pages of this remarkable book!
Eriksen does for Greyhound what Lauren Hillenbrand did for Seabiscuit - the 1930s are rendered vividly for the reader, along with the host of colorful characters that surrounded Greyhound. E. J. Baker, Sep Palin, Jimmie Wingfield, Doc Flannery, and Dooley Putnam all feature, alongside Rosalind, the star of Marguerite Henry's 'Born to Trot,' and a host of canine companions. Their trials and tribulations before, during, and after Greyhound came into their lives, root Greyhound's story both in the era and in the reader's imagination.
Meticulously researched, seamlessly blending the narrative reporting of the day with incisive, vivid prose, Eriksen's writing tells Greyhound's story in a very cinematic fashion. It is so easy to picture yourself trackside, huddling against a chilly October day, watching the grey ghost streak past on his way to setting another trotting record. The details are so intimate and pull from a rich array of sources. The footnotes and appendices are just as fascinating as the story itself. The settings are so wholly rendered that they paint a complete picture in the reader's mind. The work Eriksen did retracing Greyhound's steps is very apparent and much appreciated. She sets the record straight regarding the location of Greyhound's birth and the circumstances of his foaling, thanks to some intrepid investigative research.
The book itself is nothing short of stunning. Chock full of illustrations, both color and black-and-white, newspaper clippings, and beautiful formatting touches, the paperback is nothing short of a work of art. It is more than worthy of a place on the shelves of every horse fan, history buff, racing fan, and those who love an excellent animal story.
Greyhound was an incredible athlete. The diminishing popularity of Standardbred racing in America has dimmed his legacy, consigning him to the shadows of great equine athletes. This book brings him back into the light where he rightfully belongs. If you haven't reacquainted yourself with America's favorite horse, you simply must put this book on your TBR. Greyhound's story is an incredible one, and it deserves to be told alongside the tales of Seabiscuit, Man O' War, Secretariat, and Dan Patch.
An absolute must-read for horse racing fans aged 10 to 110!
Eriksen does for Greyhound what Lauren Hillenbrand did for Seabiscuit - the 1930s are rendered vividly for the reader, along with the host of colorful characters that surrounded Greyhound. E. J. Baker, Sep Palin, Jimmie Wingfield, Doc Flannery, and Dooley Putnam all feature, alongside Rosalind, the star of Marguerite Henry's 'Born to Trot,' and a host of canine companions. Their trials and tribulations before, during, and after Greyhound came into their lives, root Greyhound's story both in the era and in the reader's imagination.
Meticulously researched, seamlessly blending the narrative reporting of the day with incisive, vivid prose, Eriksen's writing tells Greyhound's story in a very cinematic fashion. It is so easy to picture yourself trackside, huddling against a chilly October day, watching the grey ghost streak past on his way to setting another trotting record. The details are so intimate and pull from a rich array of sources. The footnotes and appendices are just as fascinating as the story itself. The settings are so wholly rendered that they paint a complete picture in the reader's mind. The work Eriksen did retracing Greyhound's steps is very apparent and much appreciated. She sets the record straight regarding the location of Greyhound's birth and the circumstances of his foaling, thanks to some intrepid investigative research.
The book itself is nothing short of stunning. Chock full of illustrations, both color and black-and-white, newspaper clippings, and beautiful formatting touches, the paperback is nothing short of a work of art. It is more than worthy of a place on the shelves of every horse fan, history buff, racing fan, and those who love an excellent animal story.
Greyhound was an incredible athlete. The diminishing popularity of Standardbred racing in America has dimmed his legacy, consigning him to the shadows of great equine athletes. This book brings him back into the light where he rightfully belongs. If you haven't reacquainted yourself with America's favorite horse, you simply must put this book on your TBR. Greyhound's story is an incredible one, and it deserves to be told alongside the tales of Seabiscuit, Man O' War, Secretariat, and Dan Patch.
An absolute must-read for horse racing fans aged 10 to 110!
Displaying 1 of 1 review