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Irish Horse-racing: An Illustrated History
Irish Horseracing An Illustrated History Author:John Welcome The Irish love of horses and of equestrian sports is very deeply rooted and the fame of the Irish both in bloodstock breeding and in horsemanship is universal. In no area are these features more pronounced than in the glories and expectations of the turf command the affections of the Irish in a very special way. "Irish An Illustrated Histor... more »y" tells the story of the Irish contribution to the turf for the first time. While devoting much space to an account of the development of the sport in Ireland, it also deals extensively with Ireland's contribution to racing world-wide.
Beginning with an account of horse-racing in ancient Ireland, John Welcome quickly proceeds to pick up the story in the eighteenth century, with the foundation of the Turf Club. He devotes considerable attention to the outstanding administrators of the Irish turf in the nineteenth century and the rewards reaped by their work in the 'golden age' towards the end of that century. The new century opened brilliantly with 'Boss' Croker's Orby winning the Epsom Derby in 1907, the first Irish-trained horse ever to do so. Thereafter, the twentieth century was something of an anticlimax until after the Second World War when a new golden age, dominated by Paddy Prendergast, Tom Dreaper and the peerless Vincent O'Brien, brought a new lustre to Irish horse-racing, both flat and National Hunt.« less