Dream Derby in the Running for Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

I am thrilled to announce that Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold has been named as a semifinalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for books related to the world of Thoroughbred racing and breeding that were released in 2023. It is a great honor to be included among the six semifinalists, in a year with some extremely tough competition. Some of the other honorees are Kim Wickens's Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse, John Paul Miller's False Riches, and Kathleen C. Mooney's Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey, all of which have been reviewed in previous posts. It is a measure of the depth of this year's field that such excellent works as Jennifer Kelly's The Foxes of Belair and Fred Kray's Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age did not make the cut. While I cannot speak for all the books I haven't read and reviewed, the sterling quality of what I have read suggests that this year's judges had a difficult task indeed. I am glad that my own effort was judged worthy of such consideration.