Few sports are as transferable to other media outlets than horse racing, with some of the most iconic stories on the track achieving great success at the box office in films and also in written literature in the forms of books.
Retelling iconic stories is no straightforward task though, as experts and passionate fans of the sport, who will likely have seen the moments live, will be the main target audience.
Therefore, books about illustrious moments on track must stand out from the crowd, ensuring that the reader can be taken to that point of history, reliving every detail in a unique way.
Success on track is something that all fans of the sport aspire to achieve, and this handy guide here: https://www.twinspires.com/preakness-stakes/handicapping/
This could help pinpoint potential areas of interest for the upcoming Preakness Stakes.
But, what are some of the key factors that authors must take into account to ensure that a reader is taken to the track when reading a publication about racing?
Evocative Sounds
One of the main ways in which writers are able to take the reader to the track and make them feel as close to the action as possible is by using evocative sounds and sights.
This includes detailed descriptions of the sounds of power that horses will travel at on the track, while also acknowledging the roars from the crowd when each horse will run past.
Authors will also use visual flair to describe horses and jockeys before and after racing, with most typically describing horses as ‘gleaming’ in their coat in the parade ring before taking to the track.
Importantly, authors will also need to set the scene before big races, explaining the atmospheric tension, both among fans in attendance and among the jockeys before heading into the starting gates.
This will raise the anticipation ahead of a big race, indicating just how significant the race is.
Focus on the Bond
Given that many racing fans would have witnessed a sporting legendary tale in real time, authors will typically need to bring something else to an iconic success.
This often revolves around writers looking to tell the story from the perspective of the jockey and trainer, indicating their passions for the horse and the challenges that they have needed to overcome in order to achieve their dream.
Following a riders’ point of view is a proven method when retelling legendary stories on track, as the emotions between a jockey and a horse are typically very similar. Adding a trainers’ perspective is also important, as nobody else will know the equine as well as the trainer.
This is achieved perfectly in Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan, as she goes into extreme depth about the struggles that the trainer needed to overcome, including the gruelling labor and emotion endurance.
Find the Emotional Angle
Horse racing legends have the power to live forever due to the emotion that they are able to bring out of the reader.
Therefore, iconic moments that have defied logic, or successes that have been achieved by underdogs typically invoke memories for readers, and these are often able to tell the most powerful stories.
Authors such as Laura Hillenbrand focus on the power that the sport has to inspire those that watch it, with her book Seabiscuit: An American Legend being one of the most popular equine titles in history.
The book focuses on the story of the legendary Seabiscuit, who brought hope to Americans during the Great Depression. On track, the small horse would win 33 of his 89 career starts, and was named U.S. Horse of the Year in 1938.
An emotional angle could also come in the form of a jockey’s story. This was the case in Champion’s Story, which follows the life of legendary rider Bob Champion after he was diagnosed with cancer. The rider would later return to the saddle to win the 1981 Grand National aboard Aldaniti.
Expert Insight
Many readers that pick up books about horse racing will already be a fan of the sport, meaning that publications will need to offer an in-depth insight. This includes offering expert opinions from trainers and owners surrounding horses, providing something that can’t be fund anywhere else.
Historical books about iconic moments from yesteryear can also do excellent work in terms of educating fans that are fans of the modern product. A good example of this is Adam Powley’s When Horse Racing Was Horse Racing.
This publication takes the reader back generations to when the sport was less professional as it is in this modern day.
However, books like this do an excellent job of showcasing the historic traditions of the Sport of Kings, showing what action on track previously looked like before modifications for horse welfare have been implemented.
