Great Horse Racing Mysteries

July 31, 2000
Did the IRA steal Shergar, Europe's most famous racehorse? Is he dead, or living a life of quiet obscurity in the Irish countryside? Did jockey Ron Hansen accused but never found guilty of race fixing jump off the San Mateo bridge, or was he pushed to his death? In Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales from the Track, horse racing reporter John McEvoy explores 12 of the sport's weirder tales, including the poisoning death of legendary Australian racehorse Phar Lap. The book features some shady characters, among them William McCandless, who stole the valuable broodmare Fanfreluche, and more than two decades later, in 1998, was accused of "sponging" horses (inserting sponges in their nostrils to stop their breathing). Racing enthusiasts should love this book, but even those who can barely tell the Kentucky Derby from a hat should find this book an engaging look at a bizarre international subculture.