Never Say Die
A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry
James C. Nicholson
- A
- history
- of
- the
- American
- horse
- that
- won
- Britain’s
- greatest
- race
- and
- changed
- the
- Thoroughbred
- racing
- world.A
- quarter
- of
- a
- million
- people
- braved
- miserable
- conditions
- at
- Epsom
- Downs
- on
- June
- 2,
- 1954,
- to
- see
- the
- 175th
- running
- of
- the
- prestigious
- Derby
- Stakes.
- Queen
- Elizabeth
- II
- and
- Sir
- Winston
- Churchill
- were
- in
- attendance,
- along
- with
- thousands
- of
- Britons
- who
- were
- all
- convinced
- of
- the
- unfailing
- superiority
- of
- English
- bloodstock
- and
- eager
- to
- see
- a
- British
- colt
- take
- the
- victory.
- They
- were
- shocked
- when
- a
- Kentucky-born
- chestnut
- named
- Never
- Say
- Die
- galloped
- to
- a
- two-length
- triumph
- at
- odds
- of
- 33–1,
- winning
- Britain’s
- greatest
- race
- and
- beginning
- an
- important
- shift
- in
- the
- world
- of
- Thoroughbred
- racing.Never
- Say
- Die
- traces
- the
- history
- of
- this
- extraordinary
- colt,
- beginning
- with
- his
- foaling
- in
- Lexington,
- Kentucky,
- as
- well
- as
- the
- stories
- of
- the
- influential
- individuals
- brought
- together
- by
- the
- horse
- and
- his
- victory?from
- the
- heir
- to
- the
- Singer
- sewing
- machine
- fortune
- to
- the
- Aga
- Khan.
- Most
- fascinating
- is
- the
- tale
- of
- Mona
- Best
- of
- Liverpool,
- England,
- whose
- well-placed
- bet
- on
- the
- long-shot
- Derby
- contender
- allowed
- her
- to
- open
- the
- Casbah
- Coffee
- Club.
- There,
- her
- son
- met
- musicians
- John
- Lennon,
- Paul
- McCartney,
- and
- George
- Harrison,
- later
- joining
- their
- band.Featuring
- a
- foreword
- by
- the
- original
- drummer
- for
- the
- Beatles,
- Pete
- Best,
- this
- remarkable
- book
- reveals
- how
- an
- underdog’s
- surprise
- victory
- played
- a
- part
- in
- the
- formation
- of
- the
- most
- successful
- and
- influential
- rock
- band
- in
- history
- and
- made
- the
- Bluegrass
- region
- of
- Kentucky
- the
- center
- of
- the
- international
- Thoroughbred
- industry.Praise
- for
- Never
- Say
- Die“Nicholson
- has
- done
- a
- very
- fine
- job
- of
- placing
- the
- unique
- role
- of
- Never
- Say
- Die
- in
- perspective
- within
- the
- specific
- confines
- of
- Thoroughbred
- racing
- history,
- while
- at
- the
- same
- time
- explaining
- how
- this
- horse
- was
- touched
- by
- a
- vivid
- array
- of
- characters
- in
- other
- social
- and
- historical
- contexts.
- Who
- would
- have
- imagined
- that
- a
- racehorse
- would
- link
- such
- diverse
- institutions
- as
- the
- Singer
- sewing
- machine
- company,
- the
- Epsom
- Derby,
- and
- the
- Beatles?”
- —Edward
- L.
- Bowen,
- author
- of
- The
- Lucky
- Thirteen“As
- a
- reader,
- I
- was
- left
- with
- a
- clear
- understanding
- of
- how
- the
- breeding
- industry
- has
- gone
- global,
- and
- importantly,
- how
- it
- will
- always
- follow
- the
- money.
- Racing
- enthusiasts
- will
- enjoy
- how
- the
- author
- sews
- together
- this
- unusual
- patchwork
- of
- characters
- into
- a
- narrative.”
- —John
- Eisenberg,
- author
- of
- The
- Great
- Match
- Race:
- When
- North
- Met
- South
- in
- America’s
- First
- Sports
- Spectacle“[E]nlightening
- and
- entertaining.
- .
- .Nicholson’s
- tale
- of
- close
- connections
- and
- global
- links
- is
- a
- yarn
- worth
- following.”
- —Wall
- Street Journal
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