NEWS
Six semifinalists for Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award
Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:40 PM
Six published works have been named semifinalists for the fourth annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by Lexington’s Castleton Lyons farms and THOROUGHBRED TIMES.
Renamed in 2009 for the late founder of Castleton Lyons who created the prize in ’06 to reward literary excellence, the award is presented annually for the best book published about an aspect of the Thoroughbred industry. The winning author receives a $10,000 prize and a trophy made of custom-designed Irish crystal. The runners-up will each receive a trophy and a check for $1,000. The winner will be announced during an invitation-only reception on April 23 at Castleton Lyons in Lexington.
The 2009 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award semifinalists:
The Training Game: An Inside Look at American Racing’s Top Trainers
Author: Karen M. Johnson
Publisher: Daily Racing Form Press
Beyond the Homestretch: What I’ve Learned from Saving Racehorses
Author: Lynn Reardon
Publisher: New World Library
The Kentucky Derby Vault: A History of the Run for the Roses
Author: Andrew Plattner
Publisher: Whitman Publishing
Kokomo Joe: The Story of the First Japanese American Jockey in the United States
Author: John Christgau
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Keeneland’s Ted Bassett: My Life
Authors: James E. “Ted” Bassett III and Bill Mooney
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Equine ER: Stories from a Year of an Equine Veterinary Hospital
Author: Leslie Guttman
Publisher: Eclipse Press
The six semifinalists were chosen from books published during 2009 and submitted to THOROUGHBRED TIMES for consideration. They are a broad assortment of well-written biographies, autobiographies, journals, and histories.
The winner will be selected by a panel of three judges: Mary Simon, Kay Coyte, and Dr. Rudolph Alvarado. Alvarado’s The Untold Story of Joe Hernandez: The Voice of Santa Anita won the 2008 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. The other Book Award winners are Joe Drape for Black Maestro, on the life of Jimmy Winkfield, in 2006; and T. D. Thornton for Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard-Luck Horse Track, about Suffolk Downs in suburban Boston, in ‘07.
For more information, contact Thoroughbred Times President and Editor Mark Simon, (859) 260-9800 or msimon@thoroughbredimes.com.
