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> Second Meeting of the Maryland Horse Library Book Club
>> Maryland Horse Park System
>>> Washington D.C. International
MHLEC Release
September 19, 7:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
Second Meeting of the Maryland Horse Library Book Club
The new 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. It’s not too late to join in on the first book.
The first book in the club is The Great Sweepstakes of 1877, A True Story of Southern Grit, Gilded Age Tycoons, and a Race That Galvanized a Nationby Mark Shrager. Shrager will make an appearance at both meetings for his book.
Synopsis: In 1877 the members of the United States Senate postponed all business for the day so that they might attend a horse race—the iconic, polarizing post-Civil War event at the center of this story. The nation, still recovering from the depredations of the Civil War and the Reconstruction that followed, recognized it as a North vs. South encounter, pitting New York’s powerful thoroughbred Tom Ochiltree and New Jersey’s Parole—owned by the ostentatious Northern tycoons Pierre and George Lorrilard—against the already legendary “Kentucky crack,” Ten Broeck—owned by the teetotaling, plain-living Frank Harper and ridden by black jockey and former slave William Walker—representing a former slave state and its Southern values. The race and the colorful cast of characters involved reflected the still seething America during one of the nation’s most difficult and divisive periods. Shrager presents a fascinating and heart-pounding piece of history exposing the racial and economic tensions following the Civil War that culminated in one final race to the end. Amazon.com.
Sign up for the Book Club by clicking here. Buy Mark Shrager’s book by clicking here.
Monday, September 25, 4:00 p.m.
“What is the Maryland Horse Park System?” with Ross Peddicord
Ross Peddicord, Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, was instrumental in the Maryland Horse Industry Board’s creation of the Maryland Horse Park System, an alliance of three cornerstone equestrian destinations – Prince George’s Equestrian Center, Fair Hill Special Events Zone, and the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center.
Peddicord will discuss how the Maryland Horse Park System came to be and take a look at the upcoming world-class events to be held in October: the Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill on October 19-22 and 5-Star Washington International Horse Show on October 23-29 at The Show Place Arena at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center.
Learn more about the Maryland Horse Park System on Monday, September 25 at 4 p.m. at the third destination, the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center in Reisterstown.
RSVP by clicking here.
Monday, October 23, 4:00 p.m.
The Washington D.C. International with Joseph Davies
International racing at its best didn’t begin with the Breeders’ Cup. The first major event in the U.S. was the brainchild of Marylander John D. Schapiro, who took over the reins as Laurel’s president in 1950 and decided to create a race designed to bring together the world’s best horses at a mile and a half on the grass. He named it the Washington, D.C., International.
The race had its first running in 1952 and was an immediate hit, as *Wilwyn carried the banner for England. Parties in D.C. were a mainstay on the social calendar and everyone from dignitaries to royalty to movie stars were in attendance. Horses came from around the world, including Russia, for the next half-century until the Breeders’ Cup drew competitors away.
Learn more about the history of the Washington, D.C., International and racing visionary John Schapiro when his stepson, nationally recognized steeplechase trainer Joseph Davies, comes for a talk at the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center on Monday, October 23 at 4 p.m.
RSVP by clicking here.
