tome: a book, especially a large or scholarly book.

The goal of #TomeTuesday is to highlight a noteworthy book about racing or its stars for your reading pleasure. In early April, the University Press of Kentucky, publisher of Sir Barton, will release another fantastic book on a historic moment in racing, Racing for America: the Horse Race of the Century and the Redemption of a Sport. Its author is Jamie Nicholson, who has written other books for UPK, including Never Say Die and the book I chose for this week’s #TomeTuesday, The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Became America’s Premier Sporting Event.

Jamie’s exploration of the Derby is a tome for sure, an in-depth exploration of the history of our most popular and best known horse race. Sure, the horses are part of the picture, but Jamie dives in deeper, discussing the people and events that go beyond Derby Day. He profiles Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the man who imagined an American version of the iconic Epsom Derby, but whose financial troubles led him to end his life early. From there, Jamie traces those uncertain years that followed Clark’s exit from Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. He discusses how Matt Winn became the man who made the Derby the iconic event it is today and how the famous Twin Spires became part of our national fabric. With great patience and care, he traces the Derby’s evolution through war, social movements, and the evolution of the sport itself. If you were ever interested in just how the Derby became THE KENTUCKY DERBY, including how traditions like the blanket of roses came to be, this is the book for you.

As we look toward the 147th Kentucky Derby, a wide open field of three-year-olds presents their cases for wearing roses. While we watch the prep races and contemplate our choices, I hope you will pick up this tome and let us know what you learn from Jamie’s discussion of how the Run for the Roses went from one man’s dream to the grandest spectacle in American horse racing.