Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life, Low Life, Sporting Life: a History of Racing in 25 Horses Free

FREE MR DARLEYS ARABIAN: HIGH LIFE, LOW LIFE, SPORTING LIFE: A HISTORY OF RACING IN 25 HORSES PDF

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Darley's Arabian by Christopher McGrath. Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Mr. In a bankrupt English merchant sent home the colt he had bought from Bedouin tribesmen near the ruins of Palmyra. Thomas Darley hoped this horse might be the ticket to a new life back in Yorkshire. But he turned out to be far more than that, and although Mr. In this In a bankrupt English merchant sent home the colt he had bought from Bedouin tribesmen near the ruins of Palmyra. In this book, for the first time, award-winning racing writer Christopher McGrath traces this extraordinary bloodline through twenty-five generations to our greatest modern racehorse, Frankel. The story of racing is about man's relationship with horses, and Mr. Darley's Arabian also celebrates the men and women who owned, trained and traded the stallions that extended the dynasty. The great Eclipse, for instance, was bred by the Duke who foiled Bonnie Prince Charlie's invasion with militia gathered from Wakefield races and went on to lead the Jockey Club. But he only became a success once bought and raced by a card-sharp and brothel-keeper - the racecourse has always brought high and low life together. McGrath expertly guides us through three centuries of scandals, adventures and fortunes won and Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses our sporting life offers a fascinating view into our history. With a canvas that extends from the diamond mines of South Africa to the trenches of the Great War, and a cast ranging Low Life Smithfield meat salesmen to the inspiration for Mr Toad, and from legendary jockeys to not one, but two disreputable Princes of Wales and a very unamused Queen VictoriaMr. Darley's Arabian shows us the many faces of the sport of kings. Get Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses Copy. Hardcoverpages. More Details Other Editions 6. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Mr. Darley's Arabianplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Mr. Apr 30, Nooilforpacifists rated it liked it Shelves: british-historymusic-art-entertainment. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One need not be a horesracing fan to enjoy, Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life there are no straight lines anywhere. Indeed, I would have appreciated a pictorial description of the lineage of some of the champions, the sort of thing seen in flyleafs of books on British royalty. The book's premise begins with the first Arabian horse to come to England since the Roman empire. English horsemen had been trying to import such stock for years; the Bedoins, fully aware of the value of swift horses who needed watering only every two to three days, made such sales illegal. Back-door attempts had been made for decades, but first succeeded only in in the form of an Arabian stallion bought by a Mr. The tribes refused to sell any mare, considering them more precious. Something of a wastrel, and bankrupt, Darley didn't even survive Syria long enough for the voyage home: he fell from the eponymous horse and died from the wounds. Mr Darley's horse did somewhat better -- raced; won; and sent to stud, albeit with only one excellent male offspring. According to the book, even though two other Arabians were brought to Britain somewhat later, every thoroughbred comes from a line through this "Bleeding Childers"--a terrible race horse, but tremendous stud. There's nothing wrong with the 80 percent: it all just flows together--though I couldn't name more than one or two breeders, trainers, jockeys or horses. The anecdotes were terrific, at least for anyone with a passing knowledge of 18th-early 20th Century British politics and aristocracy. The growth of horse racing from a local dalliance on a Tory or Whig's estate to a public and Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life invention of the railroad national sport mirrored the maturation of Britain. Mind you, nor was India. Anson's immaculate manners caused him to avoid the unpardonable solecism of opening a telegram while hosting ladies to dinner at Simla in Low Life As a result, he dismissed all talk of a Sepoy mutiny until finally remembering the envelope he had pushed under his plate. It was a last message scrambled by the Delhi telegraph clerks before they fled the Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses wave of arson and butchery in the Colonial compound. Many of the anecdotes concern the British Royals. Victoria loathed horse racing--she saw only gambling, prostitutes, pickpockets: and she wasn't far wrong. Her increasingly aging son, the future Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life Edward but then nicknamed "Bertie", loved horse racing and kept his own stables. The man, after all, needed something to do waiting for mummy to die, other than running around with other "Marlborough House" swells and loose women. Lord Charles Beresford once turned down Bertie's dinner summons with a telegram: "Can't possibly. Lie follows by post. Bertie's son, George V, became the first and only reigning monarch to run a Derby winner. There's more like that; should you enjoy such gossip, it's a fun read. Not much for U. Except this: one of those who cabled congratulations to Bertie for winning the Derby was Chauncey Depew--an American politician who once defined a pessimist as "a man who thinks all women are bad, and an optimist as one who hopes they are". Feb 29, Rena Sherwood added it Shelves: animalsequine-literaturenon-fictionthe-crap-shelf. This isn't just crap -- this is toxic waste. It starts off flying from the gate but then starts stumbling at Chapter Two and began floundering ever since. It is terrible prose that does not explain anything very well. It's written for a British audience so there are a lot of in-jokes or side-swipes at characters from English history, but I have a feeling the average Brit wouldn't be able to follow this mess, let alone an American that lived in the UK like me. I did try to finish this. Oh, how I tr This isn't just crap -- this is toxic waste. Oh, how I tried. I was about page when I realized that for the last three pages I did not know if the names on the page referred to horses or humans. And that's the main flaw of the book. If you've read The Kentucky Thoroughbred by Kent Hollingsworth and my sympathies if you have then you know Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life kind of book I mean. Even the pages of illustrations were human-centric and not horse centric. Only four or five Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses the horses mentioned in the Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses were pictured. Owners, trainers, jockeys and even owners' mistrisses are featured, instead. I don't even think the author likes horses as much as Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life likes history. For example, he mentions that Birdcatcher was chestnut "with grey flecks. He mentions Birdcatcher tail, but not Birdcatcher spots. Here's a modern thoroughbred with Birdcatcher spots: I'd call that a bit more than "flecks" -- wouldn't you? It's amazing that junk like this ever gets published. This is stuff that would be quickly deleted from a Wikipedia entry. View all 4 comments. Mar 03, J. You needn't be a fan of horse racing to read this book, but it helps. Chris McGrath is a racing journalist and he's penned an interesting history of the sport and a line of remarkable horses, focusing on the UK but also examining the sport's spread to the United States and other countries around the world. Even if you have only a cursory interest in horses, the cast of characters--from monarchs to mountebanks--involved in the history and their follies and foibles offer intriguing diversion and mak You needn't be a fan of horse racing to read this book, but it helps. Even if you have only a cursory interest in horses, the cast of characters--from monarchs to mountebanks--involved in the history and their follies and foibles offer intriguing diversion and make the book worthy of a reader's time. McGrath reveals that all thoroughbreds descend from just three stallions imported to England some years ago and the Darley Arabian has the distinction of having provided a majority of the champions in the last century. The story of this line began when a bankrupt merchant shipped a colt purchased from a Bedouin tribesman home in Thomas Darley did not live to join his Arabian in England and the horse never ran a race. Mr. Darley's Arabian

The audacious and inspired history of horse racing told through the bloodline of twenty-five exceptional Arabian steeds. In a bankrupt English merchant sent home the colt he had bought from Bedouin tribesmen near the ruins of Palmyra. Thomas Darley hoped this horse might be the ticket to a new life back in Yorkshire. But he turned out to be far more than that, and although Mr. In this book, for the first time, award-winning racing writer Christopher McGrath traces this extraordinary bloodline through twenty-five generations to our greatest modern racehorse, Frankel. The story of racing is about man's relationship with horses, and Mr. Darley's Arabian also celebrates Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life men and women who owned, trained and traded the stallions that extended the dynasty. The great Eclipse, for instance, was bred by the Duke who foiled Bonnie Prince Charlie's invasion with militia gathered from Wakefield races and went on to lead the Jockey Club. But he only became a success once bought and raced by a card-sharp and brothel-keeper - the racecourse Low Life always brought high and low life together. McGrath expertly guides us through three centuries of scandals, adventures and fortunes won and lost: our sporting life offers a fascinating view into our history. With a canvas that extends from the diamond mines of South Africa to the trenches of the Great War, and a cast ranging from Smithfield meat salesmen to the inspiration for Mr Toad, and from legendary jockeys to not one, but two disreputable Princes of Wales and a very unamused Queen VictoriaMr. Darley's Arabian shows us the many faces of the sport of kings. Christopher McGrath has won multiple awards as a racing correspondent, for seven years with the Independent London. He has interviewed many leading figures on the international Turf, and also contributes a regular column on other sports. This is his first book. He lives in England. For the horsemen the racing careers of great Mr Darleys Arabian: High Life are there. McGrath unrolls a remarkable history of thoroughbred racing in England over years. The wonder of it is how McGrath manages to use the bloodline to trace so much else. A stunner of a book, deserving of an audience much beyond horse-racing fans. But like Seabiscuit, critics say this Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses work is so filled with memorable characters and details of the distant times in which these champions competed that even those who've never clutched a ticket stub and cheered on Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses filly will be enthralled. He can wield a dependent clause like a stiletto. For both popular and scholarly readers who love horses and horse stories, the book is amply worth reading.

In a bankrupt English merchant sent home the colt he had bought from Bedouin tribesmen near the ruins of Palmyra. Thomas Darley hoped this horse might be the ticket to a new life back in Yorkshire. In this book, for the first time, award-winning racing writer Christopher McGrath traces this extraordinary bloodline through twenty-five generations to our greatest modern racehorse, Frankel. The story of racing is about man's relationship with horses, and Mr Darley's Arabian also celebrates the men and women who owned, trained and traded the stallions that extended the dynasty. The great Eclipse, for instance, was bred by the Duke who foiled Bonnie Prince Low Life invasion with militia gathered from Wakefield races and went on to lead the Jockey Club. But he only became a success once bought and raced by a card-sharp and brothel-keeper - Low Life racecourse has always brought high and low life together. McGrath expertly guides us through three centuries of scandals, Low Life and fortunes won and lost: our sporting life offers a fascinating view into our history. With a canvas that extends from the diamond mines of South Africa to the trenches of the Sporting Life: A History of Racing in 25 Horses War, and a cast ranging from Smithfield meat salesmen to the inspiration for Mr Toad, and from legendary jockeys to not one, but two disreputable Princes of Wales and a very unamused Queen VictoriaMr Darley's Arabian shows us the many faces of the sport of kings. Christopher McGrath. A Groom with a View. Age of the Iron Horse. Old Sweats and New Money. Ascot 17 June Epsom 6 June Raising the Stakes. This is his first book. Title Page. The Fast. War Horses.