Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing

My father in law has long been a huge fan of horse racing so I bought him a copy for Christmas. I also bought one for myself. I now “get it”!!! Mitchell beautifully writes about the incredibly majesty of the horses, the love everyone involved one racing has for the sport. The portraits of the people and their struggles made me a fan of all those that make horse racing possible.

Wow, this was a haunting story. Technically, it's about the 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic and the people around him, the horse racing business in general and a personal account of the author's dying friend. Really, it's a book about life and death.The book not only is a good place for novice horse racing fans to learn about the sport but offers some very insightful tidbits to long-time race fans.I really got caught up in the story of Charismatic's jockey Chris Antley. I just can't get over Antley's incredible ups-and-downs of his cut short-career. It made me just appreciate all the more the sacrifice and dedication of jockeys, the most amazing athletes, perhaps, in professional sports.To me, Antley's story is the highlight of this book. His story takes up more pages than the rest, and that was a good move by the author Elizabeth Mitchell as her account of the famous jockey is just fascinating. Readers expecting nothing but horse racing throughout the book are going to get put off with several chapters, but skip them if don't want to read those things.I think fellow Amazon reviewer Jim Pettyjohn summed it up best when he wrote; "This is a book of love lived and love lost; of poverty and wealth; of mental illness and addiction; of the highest highs and the lowest lows; of incredible joy and overwhelming pain; of journeys realized and journeys lost."Almost everyone in this story experienced several of the above, but Antley experienced all of them. For that, I appreciated the telling of his story.

I STRONGLY disagree with any negative comments other reviewers wrote about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am in the process of re-reading many of the sentences I underlined throughout. This story should be made into a movie. The chapters about Chris Antley were very compelling and informative. Ms. Mitchell captured a stellar timeframe in 1999 when Charasmatic almost won the Triple Crown. She provided the historical background leading up to each race as she wove her personal involvement in the events of that year. In my opinion, she wrote an excellent book, especially for people who want to know about the back scenes of a jockey's life.

I have read some reviews really knocking the author, so i had to reply. I thoroughly am enjoying this book, i do not want it to end. I have even ordered my own copy after reading a borrowed copy.BUT THEN I LOVE HORSES and I LOVE TO READ GOOD THOROUGHBRED STORIES.

I am in the middle of reading this book I'm really enjoying it . It gives you a little education on horse racing & a true story of a Kentucky derby & Preakness winner charismatic & his jockey .

If you're looking for the next Seabiscuit, look elsewhere. This book isn't even remotely in the same league. As a horse racing, history, and literature buff, I was hoping this would be an informative and entertaining read. Instead I trudged through a schmaltzy, unremarkable memoir/biography. Most of the book is obvious and boring. There are redeeming parts, but I'd really only recommend it to die-hard Charismatic fans. There are much better tales out there for those looking for a good slice of horse history, some humor, and beautiful language (e.g. Seabiscuit, Stud, Horse of a Different Color).The title is also inappropriate. The book should have simply been called "Charismatic."

If you hang out on the backside of the racetrack, you have extra bits of time to just sit on an overturned bucket and read. You would think of all of the stories that happen on the racetrack just in one day, there would be a lot more books on the subject. The connections for the 70+ horses that race each day at any given track are worth at least one novel each.Three Strides Before the Wire. by Elizabeth Mitchell is a compelling read about the backside of racing in this century. It is the book to read after you've read Seabiscuit for the umteenth time. The book tells the story behind the scenes of Charismatic's run for the 1999 Roses. It also tells a bit about trainer D. Wayne Lucas, jockey Chris Antley, and the Ramsey's owners of Charismatic.The book is authentic. It is a compelling read.