Proud Silk A New Zealand Racing History Written by Miriam Macgregor Redwood

Racing is part of our way of life. In the early days, wherever there happened to be two or more horses, a handful of Maoris and Pakehas and a bit of a beach or flattish land, racing would make a start, of sorts. Today it supports a great export industry and draws huge crowds.

Miriam Macgregor Redwood takes us to every main racing centre in turn, relating how clubs and courses and cups came into being, telling the stories of local famous horses and owners and trainers and jockeys and stables and studs, and spinning many a lively yarn on the way.

In other chapters she gives the history of the starting-gate and the photo-finish, the tote, and the TAB, the ring-in, the rise and decline of the bookies; and she has been in time to make mention of that new phenomenon, the girl-jockey.

The great horses have their own chapters; Carbine, Desert Gold, Gloaming, Moifaa, Musket, Phar Lap, Rising fast and many more.

One of her last chapters reviews in detail the astonishing run of successes enjoyed by New Zealand-bred and New Zealand-owned horses in that classic race of the southern hemisphere, the Melbourne Cup.

With its liberal quota of illustrations this book will appeal to all who enjoy the “Sport of Kings’. It makes, as one would expect, very racy reading.

Hardcover with d/j, 286 pages Published in 1979 In good used condition

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