Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track

by T.D. Thornton

Book Overview

The great myth of horse racing is that the game is the regal and royal Sport of Kings. It isn't. Not by a long shot. Anyone who doubts this need look no further than Suffolk Downs, a once-proud... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586484494
• ISBN13: 9781586484491
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great behind the scenes view

As someone originally from Boston, having spent many afternoons at Suffolk Downs, I'm a little bit biased. However, I found this book to be extremely interesting and very well written. While many books like this are written as advertisements, Mr. Thornton has no problem in exposing some of the less desirable sides of the industry. The overall balance between good and bad, happy and sad, is quite fair. There were passages that made me laugh out loud, others that were quite sad. There is an interesting section that exposes the chaos and corruptness that is Massachusetts state government. I would certainly recommend this book, especially to casual horse racing fans, industry insiders maybe not so much.

The forgotten heros

Excellent read for anyone who has ever been interested in the goin's on of the pari-mutual world. I'm a greyhound racer, but all the problems of the horse industry apply to the dogs. You could substitute the name "Suffolk Downs" in the book with any greyhound track in the country and everything would apply. I couldn't put it down.

For those who love the track

A fantastic read on one track in particuar and the entire racing industry as a whole. An important and very enjoyable read for anyone who loves the track. Thornton covers it all, from the politicians down to the wackiest track degenerates. Highly recommended for anyone who has been bitten by the racetrack bug at some point in their life. At some point racing is going to be gone for good. This book tells us all the great things, available nowhere else, that we're going to lose.

An Insider's View

I've grown up around horses, without really appreciating horse racing, except as the occasional spectator at big event races (or once or twice, as the owner of a former race horse). I found myself completely captured by the book -- not so much because I like horses, but because it brought together for me all of the reasons I worry about horse racing and yet want racing to survive because it is so much a part of the horse "world." Horses are symbols both of freedom and tragedy, as so clearly demnonstrated with this tale. T.D. Thornton is a masterful writer who does not follow a formula. In some ways, his strong and elegant writing reminds me of another favorite writer, Tracy Kidder, as he lets the story unfold rather than forcing a snappy ending. While Publishers Weekly criticized "Not by a Long Shot" as perhaps not having a strong enough narrative line -- that was exactly what drew me in, because the story never felt contrived or fomulaic. The tale of Suffolk Downs and its cast of characters, both four footed and two (and a few whose legs no longer work) are fascinating. I both wanted to hurry to the end -- and dreaded getting to the end, because that would mean I would have to exit the stage where anything can happen, including an unexpected win from an unlikely pair or a blood chilling accident from a pair that try too hard. I deliberately refused to allow myself to look at the sporting news to see whether Suffolk Downs itself still survives today -- and I won't give away that outcome here. I found myself eager to spend a day at my own local race track after reading this book, just to compare notes. This book is in the great tradition of memoirs, giving the reader an insider's view of a special place. Thank you, T.D. Thornton! I'll be looking for your byline elsewhere.