From the preface: "In 1774, naturalist William Bartram described the area just north of Ocala as covered with 'squadrons of beautiful, fleet Seminole horses on the great Alachua Savannah.' But over a hundred years later, early Florida breeders would be scoffed at for their attempts to raise horses in Florida." Early thoroughbred breeders (mainly the bluegrass hardboots of Kentucky) warned that thoroughbred horses couldn't survive the Florida heat and swampland. "Stick to raising alligators," they mocked. Today the ...
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From the preface: "In 1774, naturalist William Bartram described the area just north of Ocala as covered with 'squadrons of beautiful, fleet Seminole horses on the great Alachua Savannah.' But over a hundred years later, early Florida breeders would be scoffed at for their attempts to raise horses in Florida." Early thoroughbred breeders (mainly the bluegrass hardboots of Kentucky) warned that thoroughbred horses couldn't survive the Florida heat and swampland. "Stick to raising alligators," they mocked. Today the thoroughbred industry is a major business in the state (ranking third in terms of revenue), and racehorses that are born, raised, and trained in Florida gallop to worldwide acclaim. Long-awaited by people in the industry, this book by award-winning turf writer Charlene R. Johnson is the only complete history of racing and breeding in the state. Long known as a winter racing mecca, the Hialeah Race Track opened the "palm tree circuit" in 1925 with a dusty track, an infield of burned weeds, and no unloading facilities for the tired horses who arrived by train from New York. The first string to race at Hialeah unloaded in downtown Miami and walked ten miles to the track while grooms wielded baseball bats to protect the horses from snakes. The success--and quirky personality--of Needles, the first Florida thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1956 (coming from second-to-last position on the backstretch), accelerated the state's breeding program. Johnson documents the business from the early era in Tallahassee in the 1800s to its unprecedented growth in Marion County, where limestone deposits in the rolling green countryside provide the perfect nutrients for healthy bones and cartilage in livestock. Interviews with first- and second-generation horse people contribute to this record--including Fred Hooper, winner of more breeder's awards and racing honors than anyone in the United States, and Frank David ("Buddy") Yates, Needles' gallop boy in the fifties and the son of Needles' trainer, Roy Yates. Among more than a hundred photographs in the book are shots of the famous captive flamingoes at Hialeah, Rough 'n Tumble's swimming pool at Ocala Stud, Needles exhibiting his characteristic displeasure during morning exercise, Carryback, the second Florida thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby, and Affirmed, the first to win the Triple Crown. Appendixes provide information on tracks, earnings, winners, breeder awards, and more. Charlene R. Johnson is a freelance turf writer and has been involved in all facets of the thoroughbred industry for the past twenty years, from breeding to racing, galloping on the track, to walking hots. She belongs to the Florida and National Turf Writers' Associations and has published articles in The Thoroughbred Times, The Blood Horse, Spur Magazine, and Chronicle of the Horse, winning three national awards for her writing. She served as editor of The Florida Horse and as staff writer for the The Horsemen's Journal, wrote a weekly column for the Daily Racing Form, and was the main correspondent for the Florida Thoroughbred Times. She currently is working on a historical novel based in Florida.
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Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by The Avocado Pit rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Staunton, VA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $12.31, good condition, Sold by New & Olde Pages rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Englewood, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by UNIV. OF FLORIDA [ 1/1993].
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $12.50, like new condition, Sold by Powell's Books Chicago rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $18.00, like new condition, Sold by Grendel Books, ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Springfield, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida,.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred. (Still in the Original Shrinkwrap to cart. $25.00, like new condition, Sold by Black Swan Books, Inc. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lexington, KY, UNITED STATES, published by University Press of Florida.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine dust jacket. As New. Still in the original shrinkwrap. Foreword by John C. Weber. This book contains twelve pages of full-color glossy photographs as well as black-and-white photographs. Not an ex-library copy. No remainder marks. No names or marks in the text. Most books shipped within 24 hours. All books mailed with Delivery Confirmation. Fine condition in fine dust jacket. Selling Used and Rare books on-line since 1998 and from our bookstore in the heart of the Bluegrass since 1984.; Color and black-and-white photographs; 8vo.; 367 pages.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $32.79, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $33.15, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $62.50, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.
Add this copy of Florida Thoroughbred to cart. $97.88, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by University Press of Florida.