Eclipse

January 30, 2012
In this colorful history, British journalist Clee (Don’t Sweat the Aubergine) argues that Eclipse “is the most influential stallion in the history of the Thoroughbred,” pointing out that “all but three of the Kentucky Derby winners of the past fifty years” are his descendants. He covers the horse’s undefeated racing career, from 1769 to 1771, and his days as a stud, which extended nearly to his death in 1789. Since no horse ever came close to defeating Eclipse, Clee focuses on the people whose lives were intertwined with Eclipse’s, like Prince William, duke of Cumberland, Eclipse’s original owner, whose death sent the horse to auction, where it was bought under unusual circumstances by a butcher named William Wildman. But the real star is gambler and roughneck Dennis O’Kelly, who along with his companion, Charlotte Hayes, the madam of England’s foremost brothel, owned Eclipse for most of the horse’s life. By combining stories of royals and commoners; sex and breeding lines; art and debauchery; fortunes lost and purses won, Clee creates a portrait of 18th-century England that is, at times, Dickensian. Solidly written, this work will give horse racing fans a glimpse of one of history’s great horses as well as the colorful heritage of their favorite present-day steeds.

Starred review from February 15, 2012

This is a highly entertaining account of one of the most famous racehorses in history. Eclipse (1764-89) was a legend in his time and, astonishingly, became the progenitor of all but three of the 50 most recent Kentucky Derby winners. Clee (columnist, Times, UK) chronicles both the life of the horse, who started racing at age five, and the Irish gambler Dennis O'Kelly, who purchased him soon thereafter. The author weaves in many other colorful characters who played a part in the story, including Sir Charles Bunbury (founder of the Jockey Club), the Earl of Derby (from whom classic races take their name), and King George IV. Eclipse was so famous that he modeled for George Stubbs, the preeminent equine painter; examples of art that Eclipse inspired are included in the book. For racing fans, Clee also includes histories of famous races, wagers, bloodlines, and the stories of some of Eclipse's most celebrated offspring. VERDICT A richly detailed narrative that draws a portrait of the Georgian era of English sport and decadence as it proceeds. Not to be missed by readers who loved Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit or by horse lovers and horseracing fans generally.--Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Lib., Lexington Park, MD

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Irresistible from the get-go, this account of horse racing's first great Thoroughbred, Eclipse, combines a powerful narrative and vivid details of the eighteenth-century London in which the horse and his owner, Irish gambler and former debtors' prisoner Dennis O'Kelly, along with Kelly's business partner, infamous brothel madam Charlotte Hays, thrived. Born into poverty, O'Kelly combined pluck, ambition, hard work, street smarts, and an astute eye for people who could help advance him as he amassed a fortune large enough to invest in a barely tested but obviously gifted racer. The second half of Clee's book tracks Eclipse's career as a stud, explaining the eighteenth-century process of covering the mares and pointing out that some 95 percent of Thoroughbreds today are Eclipse's male-line descendantsSecretariat, for example. It also follows the unfulfilled final years of O'Kelly, who, notwithstanding his success in owning and breeding Eclipse, failed to crack the higher echelons of London society.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)