Gifts for the Bookish: 2022 Holiday Book Guide

It’s that time of the year again, everyone: it’s gift-giving season. Whether you are buying for others or are filling out your own list, finding the right something special for the people on your list can be a time-consuming challenge. But, if you are of the horsey sort or have a horse lover in your circle, shopping can feel like a scavenger hunt with lackluster clues. Look no further! I have the list for you!

From mystery to history, here are a few books perfect for your gift-giving needs in 2022.

(If you are looking for my list of new books for 2022, that list can be found at America’s Best Racing in the coming weeks.)

Tony Ryan Book Award Finalists

The Tony Ryan Book Award honors the books that exemplify the best of the sport of horse racing and those who write about it. This year’s three finalists include the portrait of a one-eyed Canadian classic winner, a story of a young woman reconciling her memories of her estranged mother, and a whodunit with a backstretch connection.

Death by Equine by Annette Dashofy — winner of the 2021 Tony Ryan Book Award

Racetrack Rogues: One Woman’s Story of Family, Love, and Loss in the Horse Racing World by Dawn LeFevre — Finalist for the 2021 Tony Ryan Book Award

Run with a Mighty Heart: How A Racehorse with One Eye Helped a Family Find Meaning in Life and Loss by Jennifer Morrison — Finalist for the 2021 Tony Ryan Book Award

John Perrotta

This year, this lifelong horseman published his eighth book, The Thoroughbred Investor’s Bible, a guide for those looking to invest in racing and breeding. He offers insights from his decades of experience in the industry in this reference book for those new to the business side of the sport. As the breeder of horses like Open Mind and Touch Gold, John knows what he’s talking about. As co-producer and writer for the HBO series Luck, he knows how to keep readers engaged and learning about a subject that can be complex and overwhelming for the novice.

This newest book joins John’s library alongside Racetracker, Half a Chance, and If Wishes Were Horses. When he’s not writing, you can find John across the pond in Ireland, where he works with the Dublin Racing Club, bringing fans of flat and jump racing into ownership. Pick up any of John’s books or find out more about the Dublin Racing Club at his website.

Pre-Orders for 2023

As you make your lists and check them twice, why not add a few extra items to your shopping? In addition to the books currently out now, look at these titles scheduled to ship in 2023.

The Foxes of Belair: Gallant Fox, Omaha, and the Quest for the Triple Crown by Jennifer S. Kelly

Yep, it’s shameless plug time. My second book looks at the life and careers of both Gallant Fox and Omaha and the names behind their historic turns around the racetrack. From the Fox’s domination in 1930 to Omaha’s stirring battle in the 1936 Ascot Gold Cup, Foxes of Belair explores how William Woodward’s childhood dream helped make the Triple Crown one of the sport’s most exalted accomplishments.

Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown by Jennifer S. Kelly 

New in paperback is my biography of America’s first Triple Crown winner. Explore how this somewhat cantankerous colt blazed a pioneering path through the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes and then became the horse tapped to challenge the juggernaut known as Man o’ War.

Isaac Murphy: the Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey by Katherine C. Mooney 

Historian Katherine Mooney follows up her book on the African Americans that once dominated American racing with her portrait of Isaac Murphy, perhaps the late 19th century’s best jockey. From his meteoric rise in the years after the Civil War to his early death, Mooney explores Murphy’s life in the context of a rapidly evolving country wrestling with the legacy of its internal conflict.

Race Horse Men: How Slavery and Freedom Were Made at the Racetrack by Katherine C. Mooney

Race Horse Men explores the growth of horse racing in the 19th century and its intersection with slavery and post-Emancipation American society. She details the delicate balance African Americans faced as they tried to exist within a culture that both needed them and their labor and knowledge to achieved their goals, but, at the same time did not want to need them and evolved to exclude them in every way possible in a few short decades.

The First Kentucky Derby: Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner, and the Little Red Horse That Wasn’t Supposed to Win by Mark Shrager

Readers may know the name Aristides, but they may not know the whole story of how this red colt became the first winner of the nation’s most iconic race. The inaugural edition brought together figures like H.P. McGrath, a ruthless owner and gambler who had no trouble manipulating his own horses to guarantee the results he needed, and the thirteen African American jockeys that once dominated the sport, their names an inextricable part of the sport in the late 19th century. Shrager aptly weaves together their disparate threads to create that historic moment in American racing.

The Great Sweepstakes of 1877: A True Story of Southern Grit, Gilded Age Tycoons, and a Race That Galvanized the Nation by Mark Shrager

Shrager’s portrait of this iconic match race reminds us why this is the statue on the side of Pimlico Race Course. Big enough to stop the nation’s business for the day, this battle between Parole, Tom Ochiltree, and Ten Broeck pitted North versus South once again, a decade after the end of the Civil War.

Diane Crump: A Horse-Racing Pioneer’s Life in the Saddle by Mark Shrager

Winner of the 2020 Tony Ryan Book Award, Shrager’s portrait of Diane Crump recalls a seminal moment in the sport: when women took their place alongside their male counterparts in the starting gate. Crump was among the first to show her mettle in a challenging moment, her perseverance honed in a thousand rides on the backs of difficult Thoroughbreds. That moxie took her all the way to the first Saturday in May and Shrager’s book recounts the journey of this pioneering horsewoman.

Fun Extras

Great Racehorses Coloring Book

For the kids in your life or the kid at heart, this coloring book gives you the chance to add your own touch to the champion horses you love. Featuring stars like American Pharoah, Sir Barton, and more, this makes a fun stocking stuffer for the racing fan in your life.

The True Story of Zippy Chippy: The Little Horse That Couldn’t by Artie Bennett

Celebrate the life of this lovable loser with Artie Bennett’s telling of the story of Zippy Chippy. Relish in Zippy’s singular personality while sharing this story of persistence and perseverance with the kids you love.

Roll, Cyrus, Roll by Chris Brown

All horses roll in the dirt except Cyrus. A little friend helps Cyrus overcome his trepidations about what he can’t do and see all of the things he can — including running really fast. Share this story of running your race your way with the kids you love and help off-track Thoroughbreds too. A portion of each book sold goes to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.