Author Of Horse Wins Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse: A Novel, Nov. 9 was awarded first prize in Castleton Lyons's 17th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, the sponsor of the prize said in a release Friday.

The work of fiction tells the story of 19th century racehorse and sire Lexington by moving back and forth through time and space from the antebellum South to modern day New York and Washington D. C.

At a reception held at Castleton Lyons outside of Lexington, Brooks received a check for $10,000 and a Tipperary crystal trophy in the form of the farm's stone tower. Two finalists for the award– Kathryn Scanlan, for the novel Kick the Latch, and Mary Perdue for her biography of undefeated champion Landaluce–also received crystal trophies, along with $1,000 checks.

“Thoroughbred literature was fortunate that an author of Geraldine Brooks's talent chose the subject of the great Lexington to weave a modern tale into this historical novel,” lead judge Kay Coyte observed.

In addition to Coyte, the judging panel included FanDuel's Caton Bredar, and Annette Dashofy, author of last year's winning entry, Death By Equine.

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’21 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award Semifinalists Announced

Six semifinalists for the 16th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award have been selected by a panel of judges and were split evenly this year between fiction and non-fiction. The semifinalists were chosen from nearly two dozen submissions.

The six semifinalists for books published in the 2021, listed alphabetically by title, are as follows:

  • Death by Equine, by Annette Dashofy
  • Dinky Becomes a Racehorse, by J. M. Chodkowski
  • Head to Head, Conversations With a Generation of Horse Racing Legends, by Lenny Schulman
  • Run With a Mighty Heart, by Jennifer Morrison
  • The Magic of Horses, edited by Joe Clancy and Nina Gardner

With a $10,000 winner's prize, the award was launched in 2006 by the late businessman and philanthropist Dr. Tony Ryan. Three finalists will be announced via press release in June and a winner will be crowned on Nov. 3 at a by-invitation winner's cocktail reception to be held at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons farm near Lexington.

For more information, contact Betsy Hager at bhager@castletonlyons.com.

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Three Finalists Named For Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

Three finalists have been selected for the 15th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award from more than a dozen quality submissions published in 2020. These include two comprehensive biographies about barrier-breaking women and an engaging novel of hope and heartbreak.

“This was the year of debut authors, including the fiction finalist,” said judge Kay Coyte, a former Washington Post and racing publications editor. “Part of the mission of the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award is to encourage new writers to cover the sport he so loved. To have this many in 2020 would have delighted him.”

The award, founded by the late Dr. Ryan in 2006, has annually honored the best in longform writing about a topic or tale related to horse racing. Its $10,000 winner's prize remains among the largest in the literary world, matching that of the prestigious National Book Award. Following Dr. Ryan's 2007 passing, this celebration of racing literature has been continued each year by his son, Shane, current president of the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons farm near Lexington.

Past winners have represented a broad range of genres reflecting the breadth and width of this great sport — including fiction, short story collections, histories, and biographies. In addition to the $10,000 winner's prize, two additional finalists receive checks for $1,000, while all three take home Tipperary crystal statuettes of the farm's iconic stone tower.

Due to pandemic precautions, for the second straight year the winner's announcement cannot follow the traditional format of an in-person reception at Castleton Lyons, but will instead be announced via Zoom conference—scheduled during the heart of America's classic season, on May 10 at 5 p.m. ET.

Below are the three finalists for the 2020 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing literature (in alphabetical order):

Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle, by Mark Shrager.
This exceptional biography follows the life path of Diane Crump from a horse-crazy child to the courageous young woman who forever altered the course of racing. Crump's dream was to be a jockey at a time when that was not considered possible for a female. She fought back hard against discrimination while enduring boycotts, insults, and even threats of violence. In 1969 Crump became the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in the U.S., the first to win a stakes, and the first to compete in the Kentucky Derby. Crump blew doors wide open for future generations of horse-loving girls to live their dreams at the racetrack.

Good Things Come, by Linda Shantz.
Mixing together optimism, heartbreak, and romance, a dash of rivalry, and a great deal of excitement, Good Things Come delivers all the goods in terms of top-notch fiction. Set in the world of Canadian racing, the story is that of an intense young woman, a troubled young man, and the quirky but talented filly that brought them together. This is the first book written by an accomplished equine artist and former backside worker who knows her subject well and tells it with a master's hand.

Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses, by Vicky Moon.
Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop is not a widely familiar name, but she was a true racing pioneer. She climbed a mountain of adversity growing up in the Jim Crow South, and later fought relentless battles against sexism and racism to become the first black woman in the United States to obtain a trainer's license. Journalist Vicky Moon's meticulously researched work tells the story of America while tracing the life of this most remarkable woman—from her blue-collar childhood in West Virginia, to her start as a racetrack groom during the Great Depression, to the saddling of her final winner at age 80.

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Trio Of Finalists Announced For 14th Annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

Three wonderful but very different books have been selected by a panel of industry judges as finalists for the 14th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, honoring titles published in 2019. These include a unique collaboration of stories told by members of the racing community; an insider's look at the career of America's most recent Triple Crown winner; and the roller-coaster life story of a legendary European trainer.

The finalists are: “Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track,” by various authors, from Louisville Story Program, edited by Joe Manning; “Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory,” by Lenny Shulman, and “The Triumph of Henry Cecil: The Authorised Biography,” by Tony Rushmer.

These three exceptional books were selected from 15 high quality submissions and were evaluated based on “clarity and elegance” of writing, ability to entertain, and as always, with regard to what the late Dr. Ryan himself might have liked.

In a normal year, the Book Award process would have culminated this past April with a ceremony in the historic stallion barn at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, near Lexington, Ky. But this is not a normal year. From necessity, the Award timeline was altered and ultimately delayed in hopes that the global Covid-19 pandemic would ease, thus making an in-person winner's reception possible later in the year. That scenario looks increasingly doubtful. As of mid-August, plans for how to reveal and celebrate the winner remain in limbo. But whether done in person, in a Zoom-type setting, or by other means, announcement of the winner will likely be made sometime in November.

The Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award was established by the noted businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in 2006 to honor the best books published in a given year on the subject of horse racing. Dr. Ryan attached to it a $10,000 winner's prize, making it one of the world's most lucrative literary awards. Winners have since included beautifully penned fictional novels and short story collections; well-researched biographies, both human and equine; in-depth sporting histories; and even a National Book Award recipient.
Stay tuned for further announcements. For additional information, contact Betsy Hager at bhager@castletonlyons.com.

Below are brief synopses of the three 2020 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award finalists, presented in alphabetical order by title.

Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track, by Louisville Story Program

A collaboration between the Louisville Story Program and members of the racing community, Better Lucky Than Good focuses on the citizens of Churchill Downs. LSP, founded in 2013 to tell previously unheard stories and oral histories, pulled together 32 self-told tales from often unseen and/or overlooked backstretch personnel—the all-important supporting cast that brings any racetrack to life. This unique soft-cover collection includes stories from a clocker, a security guard, a silks maker, a gap attendant, and a hotwalker, among many others, providing a seldom seen inside perspective of our sport.

Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory, by Lenny Shulman

Penned by a respected turf writer with a behind-the-scenes view, Justify chronicles in detail the meteoric rise of American racing's 13th and most recent Triple Crown hero, while also telling the stories of those who made him who he was—breeders John and Tanya Gunther, trainer Bob Baffert, and jockey Mike Smith. The Blood-Horse's Lenny Schulman had extensive inside access as he followed the story of the big red colt from early days to glory, and the result is masterful.

The Triumph of Henry Cecil, The Authorised Biography by Tony Rushmer

Sports journalist Tony Rushmer has penned a splendid biography of his friend, legendary British trainer Henry Cecil. Rushmer, who had years of personal access, focuses largely on the latter part of Cecil's storied life including good times and bad. The ten-time champion English trainer saddled 25 British classic winners and won important races all over the globe, but when diagnosed with cancer in 2006 he was written off by many as finished. Instead, in 2010-2011 Cecil unveiled the crowning achievement of his career in brilliant, unbeatable Frankel. This is the story of a life … of tragedy and scandals, honors and triumphs, and of a remarkable comeback by one of racing's rare talents.

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