They're Off!: Horse Racing at SaratogaHere, for the first time, is the story of how America's first national resort gave birth to, then nurtured, its first national sport, introducing the country to a parade of champions and their spectacular supporting characters. To experience this adventure is to see why the Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest major sports facility remains one of its most beloved and most successful. They're Off! is as much a social history as it is sports history. Edward Hotaling opens with a little-known visit by the first famous tourist, George Washington, who tried to buy the place he called "the Saratoga Springs". Soon the pursuit of happiness at our original vacationland helped redefine America. Even at the height of the Civil War, the country's first organized sport was launched on a national scale. |
Contents
The First Tourist | 1 |
ILLUSTRATIONS | 3 |
Americas First National Resort | 6 |
A Preview of Modern Sports | 14 |
Congress Spring | 19 |
The Old Gray Mare | 25 |
Americas First TwoLegged Sports Hero | 30 |
John Morrissey | 32 |
Isaac Murphy and the Californians | 124 |
Racing Through the Gay Nineties | 139 |
Willie Simms and Matthew Earley | 144 |
The Womens Betting Ring | 151 |
Nellie Blys target | 153 |
James Tod Sloan | 163 |
Saratoga Revived | 165 |
Whitneys track | 170 |
Moons Lake House | 38 |
The Birth of American Sports | 41 |
William R Travers | 48 |
You Are Here | 51 |
Hurdle race | 54 |
The Yankees Celebrate | 63 |
finish | 67 |
Siring the Belmont and Pimlico | 76 |
The diagonal chute | 77 |
Thomas Nasts Morrissey | 85 |
Longfellow vs Harry Bassett | 88 |
The Grand Union Hotel | 91 |
The Derby and College Sports | 101 |
Sysonby and Colin | 182 |
Sysonby | 185 |
From Regret to the Triple Crown | 198 |
Regret Rowe and H P Whitney | 200 |
Man o War | 205 |
Rothstein and the Roaring Twenties | 216 |
Gallant Fox | 228 |
War Admiral Seabiscuit Whirlaway | 242 |
Citation Native Dancer Tom Fool | 258 |
Kummer | 282 |
The Brook 217 | 288 |
337 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
African Americans Alydar American sports August Avenue Ballston beat Belmont biggest bookies bookmakers Broadway brought called Canfield casino clubhouse colt Commodore Congress Hall course crowd Derby famous filly five Gallant Fox gambler gambling George Gilpatrick Go for Wand Grand Union grandstand Handicap Harry Bassett Hildreth historian horse racing James Jerome Park Jockey Club John Morrissey July Keene Keeneland Kentucky Kentucky Derby ladies Lake later lengths Leonard Jerome Lexington Longfellow Manhattan Mare mile million Morrissey's Museum of Racing opened owners pari-mutuel piazza pool Preakness president racetrack railroad record reporter rider Rothstein Rowe running Sam Hildreth Saratoga Cup Saratoga Springs Saratogian Seabiscuit season sire stable Stakes Street Sysonby Thoroughbred Thoroughbred Racing thousand took town track trainer Travers Triple Crown trotting turf turn United States Hotel Vanderbilt Walbaum Whirlaway Whitney Whitney's winner yearlings York