Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Annette Dashofy on Total Immersion Research

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's such a treat to have Annette Dashofy, one of our favorite Jungle Red guests (and commenter!) here today to talk about two of my very favorite things, research and horse racing. You know this book went on my must-get list as soon as I read about it!  Here's Annette to tell us more about DEATH BY EQUINE! (And so many fun photos, too!)

ANNETTE DASHOFY: Early in my writing career, research intimidated me. I would look up stuff online. Read books. Occasionally, I’d search out a phone number for a public relations connection and ask timid questions with a painfully anxious voice. I was really lousy at the phone call thing. To be honest, I still am.

 However, while writing Death by Equine over ten years ago (yes, it’s been a long time coming), I discovered a different kind of research. Full immersion. Not merely asking questions but jumping in and experiencing the world I was writing about.

 


A friend, who was a trainer at a racetrack about 45 minutes from my home, got me onto the backside with a visitor’s pass a few times. When I proved that I wasn’t going to do stupid stuff around the horses and get someone injured, she arranged for me to obtain a groom’s license. It was like an all-access pass to a different universe. 

I did have some “street cred.” I’d been a horse-crazy kid, who loved horseracing. I’d owned and ridden horses of my own (although no Thoroughbreds) for 25 years, so I knew enough to avoid getting kicked or bitten. I could wield a brush, curry comb, and hoof pick with the best of them. But hotwalking a high-strung Thoroughbred is totally different than leading a lazy Quarter Horse around the fairgrounds. (Walking a Thoroughbred is always a question of who’s walking whom, while walking a lazy Quarter Horse is like taking my cat for a “drag” on the end of her leash.)


 My time as a groom taught me that while I knew a lot, I had no idea how much I didn’t know.

 My main character in Death by Equine is a veterinarian. I may have assisted my own vet with procedures on my horses and cats, but once again, the track is something entirely different. I spent time hovering over the track vet’s shoulder as he treated the horses. I was able to be hands-on, feeling injured horses’ legs for heat and swelling. I learned various treatments for assorted lamenesses and injuries.

I asked questions and took pages and pages of notes.

Something else I learned: I’m horrible at picking winners at the races. Owners and trainers started begging me to not bet on their horses. In a business that is notorious for its superstitions, being dubbed a jinx is not a good thing.


Side note: I had three favorites for the Kentucky Derby this year. None of them finished in the money.

So while the story, the characters, and the setting (and the homicide!) in Death by Equine is all fiction, it is based very much in fact.


Reds, did any of you watch the Kentucky Derby? Or ever been to one? Readers, do you enjoy being totally immersed into a new and different world when you pick up a book? Or do you prefer something more familiar?

Annette Dashofy is the USA Today best-selling author of the multi–Agatha Award nominated Zoe Chambers mystery series about a paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania’s tight-knit Vance Township. Her latest release, a standalone, is Death by Equine, about a veterinarian at a second-rate thoroughbred racetrack seeking the truth about her mentor’s mysterious death. She and her husband live on ten acres of what was her grandfather’s dairy farm in southwestern Pennsylvania with their very spoiled cat, Kensi.


 DEBS:Here's more about DEATH BY EQUINE, which you can order here.

Veterinarian Jessie Cameron agrees to fill in for her mentor, Doc Lewis, at Riverview Racetrack so he can take a long-overdue vacation. When he’s tragically killed by one of his equine patients the night before he’s supposed to leave, Jessie quickly suspects the death is anything but accidental. Her search for the truth is thwarted by everyone from well-meaning friends to the police, including her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Undaunted, she discovers layers of illegal activities and deceit being perpetrated by the man she thought of as a father figure, creating a growing list of suspects with reason to want Doc dead. Too late, she realizes that her dogged quest for the truth has put her in the crosshairs of a devious killer desperate to silence her. Permanently. 

DEBS: I've done some fun research but Annette's takes the cake. You can tell this book was a real labor of love. And I, for one, love being totally immersed in a new world when I'm reading. (I bombed out on the Derby, too, Annette!)

Readers, any winning Derby bets? 

 

 

 


63 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Annette . . . “Death by Equine” sounds simply marvelous and I’m looking forward to reading it.

    No, I didn’t watch the Kentucky Derby . . . I was collecting grandbaby hugs! But I’m wondering what will happen now that there seems to be an issue with the winner . . . .

    I definitely enjoy being immersed in a new a different world . . . familiar is good, but new and different is wonderful, too . . . .

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    1. Joan, I'm wondering about this new Derby scandal too. But what a plot for a mystery novel! I'll be following it closely.

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  2. The answer to the question is yes. I enjoy being immersed in a new world. And I enjoy reading about a world I'm at least partially familiar with. It depends on my mood.

    Great job capturing the back stage world of horse racing in this one. I felt like I learned quite a bit.

    This is a fun book, so be sure to get it.

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  3. Annette, you know how much I loved Death by Equine. My review of this thrilling book is on my Reading Room blog, with a link on my FB page. I also just posted a lengthy interview with Annette on my blog, and Annette gave such great answers.

    Being a lifelong resident of Kentucky, the Kentucky Derby has always been a big deal, but,alas, I’ve only ever watched it on TV. I loved that I’d read your book before the Derby, Annette, as I learned lots about the backside I hadn’t known. I do enjoyed being immersed in the backside of Death by Equine.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy! But I can't believe you've never to the Derby. One of these days, maybe we can go together.

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  4. My copy of the book dropped on my Kindle, and I'm so excited to read it, Annette.

    Give me immersion reading any day, especially if it concerns horses (I was also a horse-crazy kid, although I've never owned one.) For the book I'm currently writing, I might have to find someone at a small airport, pester them with questions - and go up in a small plane, which frankly terrifies me!

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    1. Edith, I've been up in a small plane once--on my honeymoon no less!--and it's...different. Exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. But oh the VIEWS.

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  5. I have occasionally paid attention to the Kentucky Derby but for the most part, I just see the 30 second highlight clip on the sports reports part of the news.

    But given the cheating scandal over this year's winner, I've been paying more attention to that aspect of the story now. Especially since it involves the biggest trainer in the horse game who has been accused of cheating before.

    As for immersion? Yes, I like to be involved in the story when I pick up a new or new-to-me series. Of course, if I like the series then I come to appreciate the familiarity of it in future books.

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    1. Jay, this scandal has all the ingredients of a great mystery. A powerful suspect. Lots of red herrings (did someone sabotage his horse and if so, WHO?) High stakes...VERY high. All that money that was wagered and paid out plus the winner's purse. And a ticking clock with the Preakness Stakes only days away.

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  6. Welcome Annette! I love to hear success stories about books that have been in the pipeline forever! I'm intrigued by horses, but afraid of them. Maybe in another life I'll get to know them...

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    1. Thanks, Lucy. This one has definitely been in the pipeline (and under the bed and in a drawer) forever.

      Also, you might very well be the sane one, being afraid of horses. Considering how many times I've been bitten, kicked, stepped on, and bucked off, I have to be a little nuts to still love to get my hands on one any chance I get!

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  7. Congratulations on the book, Annette. Of course, you know I think it's fabulous.

    I say bring on the immersion.

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  8. Can't wait for Death by Equine to drop on my Kindle!

    I was a horse crazy kid and used to exercise when I was in college. There is nothing like the track in the morning. Although I did not watch the Derby this year, I was in attendance - hat on head - in 1972. It was a huge spectacle. I suspect it's only gotten larger! Best of luck with the book. Sounds wonderful.

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    1. You got to see Riva Ridge win? Cool! And thanks so much, Kait!

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  9. Good morning, Annette! I do believe that Death By Equine is on my Kindle this morning, too! I am all caught up with your series and am very excited for you, wishing you much success with this stand-alone book.

    I have loved horses since I was tiny. I think it is something in your blood, either you are drawn to them or you are not. I did a tiny bit of riding as a child, one of those kids with no knowledge and little fear. As a young adult I finally took riding lessons, mostly dressage on my professional trainer friend's thoroughbred. When I married Irwin, I convinced him to take a horseback riding honeymoon. My friend helped prepare him with western riding lessons. Then the two of us flew into Calgary and made our way to Banff. There, we saddled up with a fabulous outfitter and rode up into the Assiniboine and over the continental divide to a rustic lodge at the base of the mountain for a week.

    Since then we've done a couple of wonderful dude ranch holidays. I have been stepped on (once was enough), gone off at a jump (the horse just stood there looking innocent, like "What?"), been run away with (okay, they must stop eventually), almost rolled over on (I jumped off, or kicked as hard as I could, "Stupid horse!"), nuzzled and slobbered on. Just the smell of a horsebarn makes me dizzy with possibilities. I still dream of riding.

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    1. Judy, don't you just love that look they give you after you come off? "What are you doing down there???" I've also been run away with, one time on VERY fast horse, headed straight for a wire fence. "Stopping eventually" wasn't an option. I managed to shorten up on one rein and muscle her head around, almost to my knee, to get her to turn away from the fence. And yes, I've almost been rolled on too. Ah. Good times! ;-)

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    2. But you owned horses! The knowledge and responsibility that you have dwarfs any of my experiences. I SO respect your horsey creds!!

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    3. Judy, you have done so many interesting things!

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  10. Congrats on your stand-alone, Annette! It sounds like a great read.

    I like to learn while reading, so immersion in a new topic is a bonus when I pick up a book.

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  11. As a longtime fan of yours, Annette, I'm really happy for you about Death by Equine. Can't wait for time to completely immerse myself in that world with you.

    I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, but have been to Lexington's wonderful and less crazy Keeneland race meet. It's even more elegant than the Derby, without the mass of people. And the ladies dress up, complete with hats. I think the most I've ever won is $30. However, it's impossible to live in Cincinnati without getting invited to at least one Derby Day party; it's a big deal here.

    As you know, I was never on a horse until I was 55, but have since had some great rides, both in Ohio and Wyoming. Learning to ride was one of the great joys of my life. And trail riding with girlfriends the best part of it.

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    1. Karen, I've loved hearing of you horseback adventures!

      I've heard so much about Keeneland and hope to get there someday. In the meantime, the racetrack in this book is about as far from elegant as you can get!

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    2. There's a racetrack less than three miles from our house, which used to be called River Downs. Now it's part of a Belterra casino complex. We used to take the girls to see the last couple races (when they stopped collecting admission), at least once a year. It was pretty seedy back before they spruced it up to be part of the casino.

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    3. They charged admission??? Wow. Here, unless you want to get into the clubhouse, there's no admission. They want you to spend your money at the betting windows.

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    4. Yes, back in the day. We have not been to the track in years, so I don't know what they do now.

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    5. I grew up in the next town to the Santa Anita racetrack. Guess what? I've never been to a horse race in person! I did learn to drive in the Santa Anita parking lot, though.

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  12. Death by Equine is awesome and really took me to the track. I have been fascinated by racing since I was a kid but have only been to a few pretty low level races. We always went to Louisville after school was out which many years was after season was over. I feel like I have been on the backside now. Thanks for another wonderful books and congratulations on another winner!

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  13. Congrats, Annette! This sounds really good!

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  14. Annette, welcome to Jungle Reds. I love dressing up for Kentucky Derby though I admit I have never been to a Kentucky Derby. A long time ago I went to the Royal Ascot with my boyfriend and that was another lifetime ago!

    Loved loved the Dick Francis horse racing mysteries. My great uncle, who was a radio journalist And a voice coach to actors like Richard Kiley, loved his books too.

    Adding Death by Equine to my list of books to preorder. I need to impose a book buying ban soon. LOL.

    Diana

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    1. Thanks so much, Diana! I adore Dick Francis too!

      Also, you don't even need to preorder. As of today, Death by Equine is available for purchase.

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    2. My mother owned and re-read so many of the Dick Francis mysteries. I love them, too.

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    3. Annette, thank you! I have seen so many Advanced copies on bookstagram that I am in the mindset of pre-ordering and I'm out of the loop regarding the date of publication. I just looked at your book over at Goodreads and saw that it is published TODAY!

      Diana

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    4. Edith,

      Our family love the Dick Francis mysteries too. I saw the TV series on PBS Before I read the mysteries, though.

      Diana

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  15. My grandparents loved the Kentucky Derby and attended many derbys in the 1960's. They had a commemorative Kentucky Derby cocktail glass for each Derby they attended that listed all of the previous winners. They would have Derby parties for their grandchildren, and once I bet a dime with my Grandfather on a horse who's name I loved, Majestic Prince, and he won. I was so proud of my winnings.

    I was sorry to read about Medina Spirit, the $35,000 horse. I had actually picked Soup and Sandwich because it was a white horse, but it came in last - oh well. I can't wait to read Death by Equine and enjoyed your post today!

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    1. Thank you, Celia. Yes, the saga of Medina Spirit continues. I'm very curious to learn the outcome.

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  16. Death by Equine is now on my Kindle! I'll be starting it just as soon as I finish Jenn's terrific For Batter or Worse. I am a huge, huge Dick Francis fan, and love reading anything to do with racing. My dad was also a Francis fan and loved racing. We went to Oaklawn Park every spring and it was one of the highlights of my childhood and teen years. We had horses, too, when I was really small, and I rode but didn't keep it up, sadly.

    What a scandal over the Derby! You are so right, Annette, it has all the makings of a mystery. Is someone trying to sabotage Bob Baffert? Gigi Norwood and I usually watch all the Triple Crown races together (except for last year when we were in lockdown) so we'll be watching the Preakness with great anticipation!

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    1. I love Dick Francis too, Deborah! The Preakness is going to be doubly interesting this year! Will Medina Spirit run? What if he wins? Death by Equine is supposed to be a standalone, but the story ideas are raging!

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  17. Oh, Annette - a standalone! So exciting. And this one's obviously been percolating awhile and comes from the heart. And what fortuitous timing, what with all the intrigue about the Derby winner. I confess, horses terrify me. I fell off one at camp but they awarded me the riding trophy because I got back on and scored top points at their gymkana. I've still got the trophy. Never got back on a horse. But I adore reading about them! Going to order my copy now. Wondering, is there a horse/character that has a starring role in Death by Equine?

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    1. There are several horses playing key roles in it, Hallie! And that's all I'm going to say on the topic! ;-)

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  18. Our county fair has races during the run of the fair. My church used to have a concession next to the track and twice a day you used to hear "and as they round the Tea Room turn" from the track announcer. My dad and granddad rode when dad was a kid and granddad boarded horses when I was a kid. I've ride a coup!e time at a local kids camp, but that's about it. I normally watch but this year I missed the Derby.

    The new book sounds good, Annette. I'm off to check it out, well I will once I'm done with work.

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    1. Our county fair has racing too, but it's harness racing instead of flat racing. (Horses pulling those little carts versus being ridden.) Thanks, Deana!

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  19. Congratulations, Annette! I always think I'll watch the Derby, and I never do. Ross's parents were professional horsemen, but it was all about steeplechasing, jumping, and dressage. My late father-in-law, the horsiest man in the world, didn't like flat racing precisely because the incentives to mistreat horses (through overwork, drugging, etc) was so high.

    But it makes for the best fiction, because there is SO much money being carried on those long, (relatively) fragile legs...

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    1. Thanks, Julia. Usually, I'm at the Agatha Banquet at Derby post time, so watching it this year was a rare treat. And you're right. There are sooo many stories to be told. Corruption and intrigue (and big money!) all around the backside!

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  20. Congratulations! I admit I watch the Derby and the other two races of the Triple Crown every year. Besides the two minutes of the race I love the back stories that are told about the horses, owners, trainers, jockeys. This year I was loving the story of the college friends who bought a horse together. My sister (who is really a horse person-she has two and fosters two horses) thinks Bob Baffert is Satan incarnate. No strong opinions there. When I worked in El Paso we had tax clients who were involved in the New Mexico racing circuit. One couple had horses in claimer races and were always heartbroken when someone claimed their horse. Another owned the mobile starting gate and leased it to the tracks during the season.

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    1. Pat, your sister's opinion is shared by many in that world. I don't know the man, so won't say more. Claiming races are torturous! And yes, I love the backstories told in the hours leading up to the race. My favorite this year was the trainer who grew up two blocks from Churchill Downs and was bringing his first entries to the Derby. Loved the college friends too!

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  21. Oh, congratulations on the book! Fantastic! Jonathan and I have a derby tradition. He can pick any three horses, and I get all the rest. it works really well, and we each win about half the time. This year, I had the “winner” by default, and I am still enraged about the outcome. If the allegations are true, that is such an outrageous example of personal greed and arrogance that may destroy an entire event. Did you see them strutting around afterward? If the allegations are true, it is terrible. i’m must say I am not sure about horse racing as an event— I always wonder what the horses think.

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    1. Thank you, Hank. For the most part, from what I've seen, the horses love to run. It's in their nature. But there's definitely a very dark side to the sport. Greed, YES. It's going to be very interesting, watching this play out.

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  23. Truth is stranger than fiction.
    The timing of this post is perfect given the results of the doping tests on the Kentucky Derby winner!

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    1. Yes, it is, Libby. I wrote this post well before the news broke. There's always something going on behind the scenes in the racing world.

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  24. Happy Book Birthday, Annette! What a great experience you had working on the backstretch.

    I love horse racing, especially standing by the rail as they thunder past, but danged if racing doesn't routinely break my heart.

    The horses can't wait to get out there and run. Even in Lexington at the breeding farms, the foals race each other in the fields. Even at the stallion retirement home Old Friends, the old boys eye each other in nearby turnouts and challenge each other to races. So, even after track life, they still find joy in speed. As with so many things, human ego and greed spoil their fun. Let alone ours. Don't get me started. :) LOL.

    I grew up in northern Kentucky where my parents would take me to River Downs (now Belterra) and Latonia (now Turfway Park.) My mom used my system of picking winners ... the tallest horse! :) I was six. I would run to the paddock, spot the horse with the longest legs, run back and tell her the number. She'd go to the window to place a $2 bet to show. She had a couple come in that way.

    I second all the love for Keeneland. The track also has an AWESOME library, plus Lexington has a great bookstore south of town.

    However, although Keeneland is my first love for a racetrack, I'm quite partial to Saratoga, which I live closer to now. I'm hoping to get there again to watch morning works and feel the thunder by the rail in the afternoon.

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    1. Thank you, Rhonda. Yes, racing is definitely addictive. And it's broken my heart many times.

      More evidence that they love to run. How many times have we seen a horse toss his jockey and keep on racing!?

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  25. Congratulations! How wonderful that you worked in the stables. My horsy is experience consists of childhood with an ornery pony who decided to retire early from any usefulness, and horses in books from Marguerite Henry's books to those of Dick Francis. I look forward to the ride your book offers!

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    1. Ornery pony. Is there any other kind? I have had some much loved but very ornery ponies over the years.

      Ah, Marguerite Henry. Loved her books. Walter Farley's too.

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  26. What an amazing experience you had! Could you ever see yourself being an equine Vet? I love reading about things like this that I would never be able to do myself. And you were able to get a book out of it. Well done.

    There are so many occupations that I had never imagined. On the phone one day with tech support of things I had the most interesting conversation with the woman. Not sure how it came about but she told me her son is an equine dentist! Probably there is a better name for it but if so I don't remember it. But I'm sure even horses, as well as other animals, need their teeth taken care of too.

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    1. Equine dentist is indeed what they're called. At least, all I've called them. Horses' teeth continue to grow throughout their life, hence the term "Long in the tooth" meaning old. The teeth need to be rasped (literally RASPED) to remove sharp edges that develop. My vet did this at least once a year on all our horses.

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  27. Congratulations, Annette! As a major horse lover, I am so all over this book!!! I find the horse racing world fascinating and try to get to the track a couple of times per year so your book will be wonderful for me. Side story: My college roommate and I were at the track in Yonkers for a bachelorette girls' evening and she bet on a long shot. Needless to say she won big time, and paid for her wedding dress with the winnings. Best night at the races ever. LOL.

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    1. Thanks, Jenn. And WOW! She definitely had some serious luck on her side!

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  28. Childhood love of horses but since I lived in the city, no real experience except through books, TV, and movies. I was very disappointed when I saw my first horse race because reading a chapter on a race in The Black Stallion took longer than a real race. I usually watch the Triple Crown but watched Murdoch Mysteries this year. Bob Baffert has always been my favorite trainer so I hope he is not guilty. Drugs seem to spoil all sports even horse racing.

    My tour of Kentucky and Tennessee included a Horse Day which was Keeneland, the Kentucky Horse Park and someplace else. Later we saw Churchill Downs. Good luck on your book.

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    1. Sally, if you think Thoroughbred races are over fast, you should check out Quarter Horse racing. As the name suggests, the races are only a quarter mile, and a Quarter Horse will out run a Thoroughbred at that distance every time. I swear, you blink and you miss it!

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