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A Day at the Races
A documentary-style, behind-the-scenes look at thoroughbred racing and the extraordinary characters who make their living through hard work, horse sense, and luck.
189 pages, Hardcover
First published November 27, 1989
About the author
Barry Gifford
145 books206 followersBarry Gifford is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and film noir- and Beat Generation-influenced literary madness.
He is described by Patrick Beach as being "like if John Updike had an evil twin that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and wrote funny..."He is best known for his series of novels about Sailor and Lula, two sex-driven, star-crossed protagonists on the road. The first of the series, Wild at Heart, was adapted by director David Lynch for the 1990 film of the same title. Gifford went on to write the screenplay for Lost Highway with Lynch. Much of Gifford's work is nonfiction.
He is described by Patrick Beach as being "like if John Updike had an evil twin that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and wrote funny..."He is best known for his series of novels about Sailor and Lula, two sex-driven, star-crossed protagonists on the road. The first of the series, Wild at Heart, was adapted by director David Lynch for the 1990 film of the same title. Gifford went on to write the screenplay for Lost Highway with Lynch. Much of Gifford's work is nonfiction.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 11, 2008
Barry Gifford, whose markedly jaundiced eye is probably best known from the book Wild at Heart (made into the David Lynch film of the same name starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern), has been a longtime railbird. As all writers with the obsession do, Gifford turned his eye, and his pen, to the sport so many of us love.
When you've read enough books about racing from the fan's point of view, you start recognizing the same patterns over and over again. The backside of any track is full of cagey characters, not necessarily because they're dishonest, but because they're used to harassment from folks outside the industry (INS, DEA, OSHA, various other alphabet-soup organizations). But Gifford, as is usually obvious from his books, is a personable sort, and it seems he was able to get backstretch people talking in ways few other authors have been able to. Of course, I may be partial, as one of the folks he interviewed was Liz Lundberg, than a groomer at Tampa Bay Downs, who was one of the best-respected jocks at my home track, Thistledown, when I first got involved in the game.
If you've read Gifford before, you're aware enough of his style, and no one should need to tell you you're going to adore this book. If you're a racetracker who's used to Bill Murray, Mike Helm, and others of that stripe, you may find Gifford's book more accessible than most.
When you've read enough books about racing from the fan's point of view, you start recognizing the same patterns over and over again. The backside of any track is full of cagey characters, not necessarily because they're dishonest, but because they're used to harassment from folks outside the industry (INS, DEA, OSHA, various other alphabet-soup organizations). But Gifford, as is usually obvious from his books, is a personable sort, and it seems he was able to get backstretch people talking in ways few other authors have been able to. Of course, I may be partial, as one of the folks he interviewed was Liz Lundberg, than a groomer at Tampa Bay Downs, who was one of the best-respected jocks at my home track, Thistledown, when I first got involved in the game.
If you've read Gifford before, you're aware enough of his style, and no one should need to tell you you're going to adore this book. If you're a racetracker who's used to Bill Murray, Mike Helm, and others of that stripe, you may find Gifford's book more accessible than most.
Displaying 1 of 1 review