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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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Six Semi-Finalists For Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award Announced

Even as a deadly pandemic stopped the world in its tracks, the business of horse racing continued — and thankfully, so too did the art of writing about it. The year 2021 brings with it the 15^thannual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, once again recognizing the best long-form writing the world of racing has to offer. Despite strict limitations set by COVID-19, authors continued to ply their trade, as evidenced by the exciting crop of racing-themed books that arrived last winter in the offices of Book Award sponsor Castleton Lyons.

As always, submissions represented multiple genres, from story collections to biographies, to works of fiction. Remarkably, nearly half of the 2020 submissions fell in the latter category, a strong group that served up mysteries and romance, misfits and second chances, crime, heartache, and equine greatness. Several of the titles represented excellent efforts by first-time authors.

After reading steadily through early spring, the Book Award judges selected six semi-finalists, including four fictional volumes and two stand-out biographies of trail-blazing women in racing.

A by-invitation reception has been held at Castleton Lyons' Kentucky farm each April since the award's inception in 2006. It had become a rite of spring until last year when the pandemic upended everything. The 2020 winner's announcement was by necessity moved back to November and was conducted remotely for the first time, via Zoom conference. That will likely be the format again this year, with a tentative target date of late April.

Below are the semi-finalists for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for excellence in thoroughbred racing literature published in 2020:

A Hole Through the Wind, by Alan Patterson.

This improbable but engaging semi-autobiographical tale of twin colts—one, big and handsome, the other a tiny castoff—is revealed through the diary and reminiscences of an old horseman. Written by an ex-jockey, the story centers around a young black man, the kindly farm manager and his daughter who take him in, and the undersized colt with an outsized heart they all believe in. It is a simple, feel-good tale for troubled times.

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.

First-Time Starter, by Stan D. Jensen.

This charming novella, penned by a former owner, jockey's agent, and published author, reminds one how wonderful racing can be. It centers around a beautiful but seemingly incorrigible filly, her old-school trainer, a loving groom, and a has-been jockey. As the story develops, the filly transforms from an angry, vicious, untrusting animal into the glorious racehorse she was meant to be. First-Time Starter is a short, quick read encompassing a single day in the life of its cast of characters, and it leaves you wanting more.

Good Things Come, by Linda Shantz.

Mixing together hope, 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 racing 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 they both love. 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.

Ruffian, by Precious McKenzie.

This fictionalized account of the life of Ruffian as seen through the eyes of a young girl is a well-penned read for older children and young adults, as well as a broader audience. No one who lived through the brilliant career and untimely death of this immortal filly could forget Ruffian. And those who came later will learn from these pages of her all-too-brief life and those of the people who surrounded and loved her.

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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Tony Ryan Book Award Finalists Announced

Six finalists have been announced for the 2021 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which recognizes the year's best long-form writing on racing. The award is presented annually by Castleton Lyons.

A Hole Through the Wind, by Alan Patterson, reveals the lives of twin colts through the diary and remembrances of an old horseman.

Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle, by Mark Shrager, is a biography of the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in the U.S.

First-Time Starter is a novella written by former owner and jockey's agent Stan Jensen.

Good Things Come is the first novel by equine artist Linda Shantz and mixes hope, heartbreak and romance on the Canadian racing scene.

Ruffian, by Precious McKenzie, is a fictional account of the life of the champion filly as seen through a young racing fan.

Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses, by Vicky Moon, is the biography of the first black woman to obtain a trainer's license in the U.S.

The Tony Ryan Book Award winner had been announced at a Castleton Lyons reception in April since 2006, but the 2021 announcement was by necessity moved back to November and was conducted remotely for the first time, via Zoom conference. A similar format is expected this year with a tentative target date of late April.

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Racing Pioneer Sylvia Bishop Featured In New Book

A chance meeting, an exchange of pleasantries in Virginia with a stranger while waiting in line for a cup of coffee, led Vicky Moon on a 15-year journey that has resulted in “Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses.”

The book tells the story of Bishop, a pioneer in sport who became the first Black woman to win a Thoroughbred race as a licensed trainer, according to Moon's book, while training horses at Laurel Park, Timonium and Charles Town, as well as former tracks Hagerstown Race Course, Shenandoah Downs and Cumberland Race Track.

Moon, an author of several books including the “The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis” and “Equestrian Life,” was fortunate to spend time with Bishop before she died in December of 2004.

“After the chance meeting with one of her relatives waiting for coffee, I was able to spend one day a week with her from August of 2004 until December of that year when she passed away,” Moon said. “She knew the impact of what she did, but in a very unassuming way. She would sit on her couch and say, 'I was the first Black woman to do this.'”

There was probably no one better to tell Bishop's story than Moon, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, learned to ride in nearby Davie, and watched her family's horses run at Gulfstream Park, Hialeah Park and Calder as a child.

“My mother would let me skip school to go to Hialeah,” recalled Moon, a resident of Fort Lauderdale who spends summers in Virginia.

Moon's chance encounter in the coffee shop and the time she spent with Bishop led to her 15-year study of Bishop's life as well as her determination to break stereotypes and segregation in Thoroughbred racing over the past century.

Born in West Virginia, Bishop, one of 17 children, worked as a groom at Charles Town at the age of 14. While many of the horses she trained ran under her husband's name, she became the first licensed Black woman to train the winner of a Thoroughbred race in the United States on October of 1959 with a horse named Chalkee.

Bishop, who left racing for financial reasons between 1973-1987 to work at Doubleday publishing, trained some horses for Nelson Bunker Hunt as well as Fasig-Tipton President Tyson Gilpin. It was Gilpin's Bright Gem who afforded Bishop one of her biggest victories, winning the Iron Horse Mile at Shenandoah in 1962. Eddie Arcaro presented the winning trophy and Carl Gambardella was aboard. She returned to training in the 1980s and saddled her last winner in 2000, visiting the Charles Town winner's circle with Lone Wolf in February of that year.

“Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses” is available as a book and on Kindle at Amazon.com. Autographed hardback books are available at vickymoon.com.

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