Best Horse Racing Books – A Fantastic List
Horse racing has such an incredibly rich and captivating history that you’re never in any danger of running out of ways to learn about it.
Books about horse racing, racehorses and famous jockeys abound and are so popular there are always new ones to find.
Today, I’ve compiled a list of ten of the best books about horse racing from across recent years, so read on to find one you’re sure to love.
Seabiscuit (2002), Laura Hillenbrand
What would a list of horse racing books be without a mention of Seabiscuit?
This rip-roaring tale of equestrian achievement brings to life one of the oldest and most famous horses in racing history.
Laura Hillenbrand’s novel tells the story of how in a chance meeting three men came together to train this horse than had been floundering at the lower ranks of racing and raise her to greatness.
A fantastic and exciting tale of grit, grace, goof fortune and stubborn determination.
Eclipse (2011), Nicholas Clee
Eclipse isn’t a racehorse that everyone has heard of, but he still changed racing forever.
This true account tells that story, of Dennis O’Kelly, an outcast from the racing industry whose horse because the undisputed champion of the sport.
One of the earliest settings of all our books in this list, Eclipse was an 18th Century horse competing in the early days of modern racing, and this book is both an enthralling, captivating read and a great historical account of contemporary horse racing.
Henry Cecil: Trainer of Genius (2014), Brough Scott
What would all of our most famous racehorses be without the determined trainers who got them to go that extra mile?
Henry Cecil is one of the most well-known horse trainers in history, and his 25 English classics include four Derby winners-no small achievement!
This biography of his life tells of all the ups and downs, the wins in horse racing, the losses in his personal life, and how he managed to dust himself off after personal trials and climb back to the top of the industry.
An excellent read.
The Sure Thing (2015), Nick Townsend
In the summer of 1975, a renowned and extremely bold punter masterminded one of the greatest gambles of all time with a horse named Yellow Sam.
Using a meticulous and perfectly legal plan involving dozens of people, phone calls and months of preparation, together with Yellow Sam they beat the bookies and earned millions for themselves.
A captivating story of these events, The Sure Thing tells the story of how they managed to pull off this amazing feat.
Horse Racing’s Strangest Tales (2017), Andrew Ward
This one is a hilarious and vivid compendium of some of the strangest and oddest moments from horse racing history.
Because who doesn’t love a weird tale?
From jockeys being reared off their horses by sonic binoculars or judges who weren’t in their boxes when the race finished, this book is full of funny, bizarre, and uplifting stories from throughout the history of horse racing.
There’s plenty of grit, determination, hardship and triumph in the world of horse racing, but there’s also plenty of laughs and oddities.
Rough Magic (2020), Lara Prior-Palmer
The winner of several awards and garnering great praise from all sorts of publications, Rough Magic tells the story of the great Mongol Derby, an incredible test of endurance ran over the vast Mongolian steppe.
Driven by her own restlessness and love of horses, Lara Prior-Palmer races for seven days through extreme heat and unbelievable storms, sleeping with the local nomads and even battling illness and dehydration.
A fantastic read.
Stable Lass: Tales from a Yorkshire Racing Yard (2019), Gemma Hogg
Coming straight from the horse’s mouth (or the stable lass’s mouth), this book takes us off the racetrack and behind the scenes to one of the toughest jobs in the industry.
Gemma Hogg tells us of how rewarding her career in the stable has been, and how incredibly fulfilling it has been to work with so many different horses over the years.
Horse racing is a global phenomenon but much of its roots are traceable to England, especially Yorkshire, so it’s a really interesting read for anyone interested in the stables as well as the racetrack.
Dream Horse (2021), Janet Vokes
Another moving true story, Dream Horse tells the tale of an ordinary Welsh woman who dreams of breeding a race horse, and the horse Dream Alliance who eventually went on to become a champion and bring a community together.
After becoming fixed on the idea of breeding a racehorse, she collates a syndicate of friends to pay for the foal’s care and eventually coach it greatness.
We all love an underdog story, don’t we?
Frankel (2021), Simon Cooper
Greatness in horse racing is defined by speed, and in Newmarket Heath in 2011, one horse named Frankel rode his jockey to greatness to become one of the most successful racehorses of all time.
Simon Cooper here gives a comprehensive account of the horse’s whole life and how it achieved what it did in compelling and captivating prose.
Frankel is one of the greatest horses in racing history, though you may not have heard of him.
True Colours: My Autobiography (2021), Barry Geraghty
This autobiography tells the true story of Barry Geraghty, one of the most successful jump jockeys in horse racing history.
An Irish horseracing legend, Geraghty’s wins began in 1997 and he has gone on to ride almost 2000 winners over his career, making him the fourth most successful jump jockeys of all time.
This book is about resilience, the mental power that enables greatness and the ability to persevere through pain.
So, whatever your niche interest in horse racing, there’s bound to be something here for you.
Horse racing has spread to become a global institution since it was invented, and the richness of literature on the subject reflects that.
Don’t waste any more time here; pick a book and get reading!