Valley of the Racehorse

Lambourn is the home of racing, rivalled only by Newmarket, with over 1500 racehorses based there. In Robin Oakley's evocative account of a year in the life of this village, he reveals the way the racing world works. Talking to trainers, jockeys, stable lads, and even the local pub landlord, he presents the great characters that make racing what it is—people like Jenny Pitman, Charlie Brooks, and Jamie Osborne, as well as those almost unknown beyond the village—such as Eddie Fisher, who prepares the training grounds. Oakley shows how close to reality the novels of Jilly Cooper and Dick Francis really are.