Horse Trader: Robert Sangster and the Rise and Fall of the Sport of Kings

by Patrick Robinson, Nick Robinson

During the boom years of the 1980s, the massed oil wealth of the princes of Dubai and Saudi Arabia were pitted against British millionaire Robert Sangster in a battle for control of one of the world’s rarest, most precious and most unpredictable commodities: top-pedigree thoroughbread racehorses.

From the Jockey Club to Kentucky, from Royal Ascot to Belmont Park, high society and new money celebrated a horsebreeders’ bonanza as hundreds of millions of dollars were waged in the ultimate racing gamble. Horsetrader is the thrilling, compulsive story of the rise and spectacular crash of the Sport of Kings.

Robert Sangster was the man responsible for the boom. together with Irishmen Vincent O’Brien, the world’s finest trainer, and stallion master John Magnier, Sangster undertook the revolutionary policy of buying ‘baby’ stallions – the world’s most expensive yearlings. And the man who could win at this game, they decided, was the man who bought them all. they sent prices through the roof in bidding wars fought with breathtaking daring. Top stallions became worth three times their weight in gold – the breeding rights to them became a licence to print money.

This book traces the gripping story of how Sangster and his little band of Irish horsemen ransacked the world’s most prestigious bloodstock auction, the Keeneland Sales in Kentucky. It witnesses too the terrible crash – the bankruptcies and the ruined thoroughbred farms. Written with the full co-operation of Sangster himself, Horsetrader is the inside track on an awesome bid to corner the thoroughbred market.

Genres: Horse Racing

491 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 20, 1993

About the author

Patrick Robinson was a journalist for many years before becoming a full-time writer of books. His non-fiction books were bestsellers around the world and he was the co-author of Sandy Woodward's Falklands War memoir, One Hundred Days.

Reviews

[Ian Skeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 40, I’ve read my fair share of racing books — most are fine. A few are good. Horse Trader is in a league of its own.

What grabbed me wasn’t just the horses (though that part's great). It was the business brain of Robert Sangster. The way he saw opportunity where others saw risk. The way he turned a punt on Northern Dancer yearlings into a global takeover of the sport.

I loved how it pulled back the curtain on the sales ring — the egos, the deals, the nights out that led to multi-million-dollar moves. It reminded me more of reading about business tycoons than sportsmen. And I liked that. It felt grown-up. Smart. Sharp.

If you’re into racing, read it. If you’re into deals, read it. If you’re a fella who likes a good story about risk and reward, this one delivers.

[Tolkien InMySleep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating tale of the halcyon days for racehorse breeders, which led to the inevitable collapse of the bloodstock market in the late 80's. The bidding wars between the Irish and Arab consortiums are fascinating and sometimes tragi-comic, Snaafi Dancer being a spectacular example of the folly - over $10M for a yearling that never raced and was a flop at stud. As a keen gambler and horse-lover at the time, so many of these horses have personal attachments for me. The legends of Lester Piggott and Vincent O'Brien are only enhanced by tributes to their genius as jockey and trainer respectively. The sad demise of many great Kentucky stud farms is the terrible coda to the tale.

[barry daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written

This. Book covers a lot of ground, a lot of horses. It could have provided more information about personal life of Robert Sangster. Lovely read.

[Sam Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and informative book. Nearly 30yrs on since it was written and I still remember most of the horses mentioned which is testimony to what Mr Sangster and The Brethren did.

[James Treacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friends are in to horse racing and recommended this. I have only a fleeting interest in horseracing, but I thought this book was great

[Carol Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Takes you behind the scenes of the big sales and high stakes involved
The best book I have read in a long time

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

on

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, at times gripping, but very much of its time. Women barely feature, except as wives who are traded in as regularly as the racehorses. But as a historical record, it has value.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely interesting book about horse racing and the commercial market in the 1970s and 80s. While it centers around Sangster and the Coolmore group, it isn't just about them with a lot of information about other farms and a bit of the strategy that went behind the development of some of the top bloodlines we see today.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great account of the bloodstock boom and bust in the early 80's with a lot of info about all of the principals involved, not just Sangster.