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A Fine Place to Daydream : Racehorses, Romance, and the Irish
A Fine Place to Daydream Racehorses Romance and the Irish Author:Bill Barich Twenty-five years after Laughing in the Hills, his racetrack classic, Bill Barich gives us another—about how he fell in love and found a new life in Dublin, where he was soon caught up in the Irish obsession with horses and luck. — At venues grand and lowly, Ireland’s steeplechase season hits its stride in October and reaches a... more » crescendo at England’s Cheltenham Festival in March, when the Irish take on the Brits for bragging rights before a crowd of 50,000. To prepare himself for the fierce rivalry, Barich traveled his adopted country and met the leading trainers and jockeys; such champion jumpers as Florida Pearl and the quirky Moscow Flyer; the beleaguered bookies who work rain or shine; and a host of passionate, like-minded fans—from Father Sean Breen, the “Racing Priest,” to T. P. Reilly, whose peculiar betting system turns on a horse’s looks.
Witty and philosophical, vividly written, A Fine Place to Daydream is a paean to the real Ireland, a moving account of a surprise romance, and the thrilling record of a hugely exciting season at the track.« less