My Racing Heart: The Passionate World of Thoroughbreds and the Track - Hardcover

Mooney, Nan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060198532 ISBN 13: 9780060198534

Publisher: Harper, 2002

Synopsis

When Nan Mooney was seven years old, she sat down in her grandmother May-May's living room to watch her first ever horse race. In that single afternoon, she launched what would become a turbulent romance between a woman and a sport.

My Racing Heart is part memoir, part journey into the compelling world of Thoroughbred horse racing. At its heart is Nan's relationship with her grandmother, an adventurer, racing connoisseur, and woman of courage and compassion. May-May fostered in Nan a love of Thoroughbreds and the track, ushering her into a rare corner of the world where risk taking is daily currency.

Nan thought her emotional link to the races died with May-May, only to have it roar back to life a decade later at New York's Belmont Park. This renewed relationship culminates in a grown-up appreciation for a universe where expectations are constantly defied, and in the realization of a longtime dream -- a trip to the Kentucky Derby.

Far more than just a personal tale, My Racing Heart lets readers in on the wild culture and fabulous creatures that rise up around the racetrack. Nan Mooney probes every aspect of the sport: the horses, jockeys, and trainers, the gambling and corruption, its ages-old history, and its forever offbeat society. She takes readers from the backstretch of a small-town track to the stands at Churchill Downs, from the mind of an intrepid gambler to the soul of a Thoroughbred. She explores how the sport itself, and the men and women who participate in it, flourish upon the principle that there are no sure things.

My Racing Heart will speak to every horse lover, to every sports nut, and to everyone who cherishes the thrill of possibility or has ever craved a place to run wild. This unique and exquisite memoir perfectly captures the lure, the glory, and the heartbeat of the track.

About this title

About the Author:

Nan Mooney grew up in Seattle, half an hour north of Longacres racetrack, and graduated from Scripps College in California. Her work appears in The Blood-Horse, the journal of record for Thoroughbred horse racing. She lives in New York City. You can reach her at myracingheart.com.

Review:

“[Mooney] is an ambitious writer . . . . she manages to cash her share of winning tickets.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Mooney embraces the best parts of the horse world. It’s hard not to join her in this love affair.” (USA Today)

“We’re off on a lovely ride. By the time [Mooney’s] heading for home she’s got us cheering her on.” (Washington Post)

“Vivid memoir . . . Mooney escorts us with an unscrupulous, generous eye through her romance with the track.” (O magazine)

“A wonderfully expressive love story. A dazzlingly successful blind date, deeply and unexpectedly satisfying, between readers and Thoroughbreds.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Deeply felt. Will prod the curious to investigate what it is about this sport that can inspire such love.” (Booklist)

“Mooney has sliced open her soul and let the horse run free. Her words are intoxicating. Her stories glow.” (Daily Racing Form)

“This is a confession and a love story, with all the fear and second-guessing that those bring.” (Hartford Courant)

“An engaging introduction to the lure of the racetrack. [And] a confirmation of horseracing’s gritty glamour.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

“A love poem to racing. . . A fine book and a joy to read.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0060198532
• ISBN 13: 9780060198534
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320