Kicking off the 2024 series is Dorothy Ours who will discuss her book “Man o’ War: a Legend Like Lightning” at the next MHLEC Book Club
Next Meeting Tuesday, Jan. 9
MHLEC News
REISTERSTOWN, Md.—The Maryland Horse Library Book Club, held in conjunction with Wasabi Ventures Stables, is a great way to enjoy great books and connect with fellow horse lovers!
There will be two meetings on each book, held every third Tuesday via Zoom.
The next book in the club is Man O’War: a Legend Like Lightning by Dorothy Ours.
Location: Zoom
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Sign up for the book club mailing list, including Zoom links
Dorothy Ours’s Man o’ War: A Legend Like Lightning tells the fascinating true story of one of the greatest racehorses who ever lived.
His trainer said that managing him was like holding a tiger by the tail. His owner compared him to “chain lightning.” His jockeys found their lives transformed by him, in triumphant and distressing ways. All of them became caught in a battle for honesty.
Born in 1917, Man o’ War grew from a rebellious youngster into perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time. He set such astonishing speed records that The New York Timescalled him a “Speed Miracle.” Often, he won with so much energy in reserve that experts wondered how much faster he could have gone. Over the years, this and other mysteries would envelop the great Man o’ War.
The truth remained problematic. Even as Man o’ War–known as “Big Red”–came to power, attracting record crowds and rave publicity, the colorful sport of Thoroughbred racing struggled for integrity. His lone defeat, suffered a few weeks before gamblers fixed the 1919 World Series, spawned lasting rumors that he, too, had been the victim of a fix.
Tackling old beliefs with newly uncovered evidence, Man o’ War: A Legend Like Lightning shows how human pressures collided with a natural phenomenon and brings new life to an American icon. The genuine courage of Man o’ War, tribulations of his archrival, Sir Barton (America’s first Triple Crown winner), and temptations of their Hall of Fame jockeys and trainers reveal a long-hidden tale of grace, disgrace, and elusive redemption. — From Amazon.com
Fourth Monday Talk: “A Horse Racing Author’s Journey” with John Eisenberg
Location: At the Library
Date: Monday, Jan. 22, 4:00 p.m.
The Maryland Horse Library & Education Center will kick off our 2024 “Fourth Monday” series with an author talk from Baltimore author and sportswriter John Eisenberg!
Eisenberg has written five books on horse racing, from The Longest Shot: Lil E. Tee and the Kentucky Derby, to Hallowed Ground: A History of Gainesway Farm, with Native Dancer, The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America’s First Sports Spectacle, and My Guy Barbaro, co-written with Edgar Prado, in between.
Editor’s Note: I have three copies of Eisenberg’s “Native Dancer: The Grey Ghost, Hero of a Golden Age” and I think I might need a fourth.
Eisenberg will talk about his experience as a horse racing author and share interesting tales about each book. He will also have books available for purchase and signing.
Attendance is free.
Fourth Monday Event: The Legacy of Black Horsemen documentary
Location: At the Library
Date: Monday, Feb. 26, 4:00 p.m.
The Maryland Horse Library & Education Center celebrates Black History Month with a showing of The Legacy of Black Horsemen.
Produced by PBS affiliate KET in Lexington, Ky., this hour-long documentary tells the stories of the Black horsemen who shaped the sport through its embryonic period in the 19th century. The documentary uses interviews with historians, paintings, and more to capture the impact of Black horsemen on racing.
Attendance is free.
