Horse-Racing's Strangest Races [ペーパーバック]

This book disappointed me somewhat due to two factors. First, nearly all of the races that are discussed are from the pre 1940 era of horse racing. I was looking for something a little more recent. Second, they are also primarily races from England. If you are interested in strange old races from England, buy this book. Otherwise, save your money.

This book was written and first published in Britain, so most of the races described happened in Britain, with only a few examples from elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is possible to enjoy the book wherever you are in the world - where they happened is irrelevant. Another point to note is that the book covers races spread over two centuries. Many of the strange things that happened during races in the nineteenth century just could not happen now because regulation is much tighter now.

Among the more recent races covered are the Grand Nationals of 1993 (abandoned after a false start) and 1997 (delayed by two days because of a bomb hoax) as well as the day at Ascot when Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners - a case when the races individually were not strange, but the combination of results was noteworthy. But of all the modern races, my favorite is the stun gun case, concerning a horse that seemed all set to win at Royal Ascot when well clear, before suddenly swerving.

The ancient races covered include (inevitably) the 1844 Epsom Derby, in which the winner was disqualified because he was a four year old (the race is for three year olds), the 1913 Epsom Derby, in which Emily Davison ran on to the course and was trampled to death by a horse, the 1962 Epsom Derby in which seven horses fell, the 1928 and 1967 Grand Nationals in which only one horse completed the course without mishap (Tipperary Tim and Foinavon respectively) and the 1956 Grand National in which Devon Loch collapsed within sight of winning.

There are other Epsom Derbies and Grand Nationals here too, as well as many more modest races in which strange things happen, including where no horse wins and the race was declared void. A fair number of novelty races are also included. On a sad note, the Hong Kong disaster of 1918, in which the stands caught fire with the loss of 604 lives, is also covered - the worst sporting disaster in the world.

Scandals are also represented. Quite apart from the 1844 Epsom Derby, these include Trodmore races 1898 (a fake race meeting) as well as Francasal in 1953 and Flockton Grey in 1982 (both cases of horse-swapping).

Some of the races described are not strange at all. Star Appeal's victory in the Arc De Triomphe is included, but nothing strange happened, although he was (and still is) the longest priced winner of the race. There are other races whose inclusion could also be questioned, especially as others with more obvious claims have been omitted, like the race at Royal Ascot in the 1970's in which the first three horses past the post (all well clear of the fourth) were all disqualified for interfering with each other and the race given to the fourth horse. In the 1980's, the St Leger had to be switched to Ayr because of holes in the ground at Doncaster. This episode is not included either.

Despite these reservations, inevitable with a book of this kind, this should provide plenty of amusement to horse racing fans everywhere. For those interested in other sports, be aware that this is one of a series covering a variety of sports including golf, motor racing, cricket and soccer.

It appears from this book as though jump races in England are the most prone to strangeness, especially if jockeys are not familiar with a particular course and head off in the wrong direction, taking the horses behind them on the same erroneous journey. Horses jump the wrong jumps, lose their jockeys, and are sometimes caught and mounted by spectators. At any rate, the horse that crosses the finish line first is not always the winner, and may or may not always have the jockey who began the race with it.

Electric starting gates and finish line cameras took much of the strangeness out of horse racing, so most of the stories in this book occurred before these two innovations came in to widespread use. The majority of the races in this book take place in England, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I was a bit disappointed at first by the sameness of the incidents, but as I kept reading, some real corkers popped up that had me shaking my head. One of my favorite stories involved a race meet in Accra, Ghana in August1966 where the jockeys went on strike because the Turf Club refused to sacrifice a cow at a particularly dangerous bend in the race track.

There are still strange occurrences on race tracks. Earlier this year, two Thoroughbreds were accidentally electrocuted in the parade ring at Newbury racecourse in England. Horses still dump their riders and run the wrong way, and gamblers still attempt to fix races. This book ends in 2004, with a man-versus-horse marathon in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales (the man won).