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New
Book Tells of Dark Side of Racing
A new
book by T.D. Thornton tells the tale of
horse racing and how dark and seedy it
can seem. The book, “Not by a Long
Shot,” is actually the story of
Thoroughbred racing, and in particular,
Suffolk Downs. The year is 2000, and
when you are finished reading it, you
will see the ugly side of racing that
enthusiasts don’t usually get a taste
of.
Thornton shows how pretty a race can be,
such as the Kentucky Derby, and then
juxtaposes it with Suffolk Downs and the
“underbelly” of racing. The horse racing
of old is not what it is today. It was
the sport to see and be seen at. Ladies
in hats, men in suits, celebrity jockeys
– the race track was the place for them
all. It wasn’t until well after World
War II that things started to change.
The problem is that horse racing was the
sport to watch for everyone. Now, not
only is the sport competing with other
sports, it is also competing with other
gambling venues. Between the slot
machine parlors and casinos that
seemingly abound, as well as the racing
tracks that have already embraced slot
machines themselves, racing is being
backed into this tiny little corner from
where it cannot break free.
Suffolk Downs could be hugely successful
in another time, but it is competing
with so many other venues that it is
racing to keep up – to no avail. The
track cannot keep up with purses that
other states can offer because they have
slot machines and Suffolk Downs does
not.
“Not by a Long Shot” might show the
underside of the sport, but it also
shows the beauty of what it was and what
it could possibly be the again. Thornton
says that racing is about the little guy
– the guy who does all the work for
little of the money and none of the
glory. This book is for him.
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