The Sport of Kings

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I never knew there was so much in it.... - Rated
I bought this book following a first trip to the horse races: not being a "man of the turf" I was interested to know more. While I started reading the book out of curiosity, I finished "Sport of Kings" quickly because it was a fascinating - and sometimes humorous - read.

Watching the Grand National on the box was my only brush with racing, but the book has provided a good introduction to the sport as a whole, even if it does focus on a relatively small part of the racing fraternity, namely the town of Newmarket and its unique relationship with racing.

The pretensions & pomposities; the pseudo-science of blood-stock & breeding; the nuances in dress and behaviour between the different participants; the word-of-mouth legends passed down from generation to generation; the values and the unspoken rules all create this society apart. Often the quirks of this world raised a smile....before I wondered how an anthropologist would objectively see my "tribe"!

In terms of style and structure, it clearly is an academic tome. Sometimes I hankered after more of a informal read, but I always felt it was warmly written (good grief, boy does this author enjoy her research!), with a nice turn of phrase often used to start off chapters and to grab attention for a particularly important point.

In short, if you're interested in what goes on behind the scenes before the starter's flag is raised, this book is for you. I can't wait to go to the races again!