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Mr Darley's Arabian: High Life, Low Life, Sporting Life
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About the Author

Chris McGrath was racing correspondent at the Independent for seven years and has won multiple awards, including racing journalist of the year. This is his first book.

Reviews

An excellent history . . . McGrath is one of the finest sportswriters of this generation . . . Brilliant
*SUNDAY TIMES*

A racing book like no other - a book of remarkable scope
*THE SPECTATOR*

Erudite, wry and astute . . . extraordinary horses and a rich seam of cultural history woven into a fascinating book
*THE TIMES, Book of the Week*

A vivid, sweeping history of impressive scope. McGrath's eye for a story and eloquent turns of phrase will delight
*RACING POST*

The introduction made my arms tingle as McGrath recalls Frankels's win at the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2011... Racing life, social life and equine life are all neatly pulled together and expertly rendered into a compelling story. each chapter is a satisfying vignette of a Darley descendent, the jockeys, trainers, rakes and rank who were involved. Chance and Fortune, deals and dodging -- it's like Derby Day on the page
*THE FIELD*

A racy gallop . . . a teeming, colourful survey [with] a great deal to inform and entertain
*OBSERVER*

A dark horse contender
*EVENING STANDARD*

Did I think I'd end up missing the whole of the Euro 2016 final in order to finish Chris McGrath's Mr Darley's Arabian? By no means, but I guess it's just that kind of book... Packed with the result of thousands of hours of painstaking research (the bibliography, in itself, is worth a read), the book never gets bogged down in any one horse or race and travels along at a pace that almost forces the turn of the next page. It also includes a quite ridiculous amount of sex, disgrace and utter debauchery. And unlike so many of the great betting coups related throughout, many of which quite spectacularly fail to deliver, it's an investment well worth making
*SPORTING LIFE*

Meticulous research and engaging writing... a book to be savoured, Mr Darley's Arabian is a triumph
*RACING POST*

A good story . . . from an award-winning journalist . . . [McGrath is] at his best when he is conveying his love of racing
*LITERARY REVIEW*

Truly gripping...a finely crafted tome that insists on your uninterrupted attention from the start...A fascinating tale of horses and those who owned, trained and traded them. the story is peppered with enough scandal and adventure to fill the trashiest novel. Fortunately, Mr Darley's Arabian is very well written, its narrative racing along effortlessly - as you might expect of a thoroughbred author
*BIRMINGHAM POST, Sports Book of the Month*

A high-quality history of our sport, drawing on a cast that takes in aristocrats and nouveaux riches, playboy industrialists, Smithfield meat salemen and the rulers of Dubai
*GUARDIAN*

A colourful and engaging tale of scandals, adventures and fortunes lost and won
*HORSE MAGAZINE*

A real thoroughbred.. a three century gallop through 25 generations of champions
*IRISH MAIL*

Entertaining and informative... a remarkable journey through three centuries, many countries and most of all 25 horses to trace the history of horse racing... [written with] a wonderful light touch.
*RYEDALE GAZETTE & HERALD*

The thoroughbred among new writers
*OXFORD TIMES*

A sprawling, colourful read, McGrath is an excellent writer and this is an ambitious and well-researched project... [Its readers] are on to a winner
*SPORT*

A brilliant read... excellent...if you have any interest in horse racing at all, this book is a must read
*BOOKBAG*

Brilliant...Mr Darley's Arabian has rightly received rave reviews
*RACING POST*

Extraordinary
*WILTSHIRE VIEW*

To the sound of pounding hooves, royalty and aristocrats, obsessive jockeys and trainers jostle with rogues and rascals. The author's understanding of breeding, racing and human foibles is thorough, his prose elegant.
*SUNDAY TIMES, BOOKS OF THE YEAR*

An enthralling cultural history of humans as much as horses
*THE TIMES, BOOKS OF THE YEAR*

A sporty stunner... great
*COACH*

A picaresque chronicle of horse racing . . . ingenious storytelling... a pleasure
*GUARDIAN, BOOKS OF THE YEAR*

McGrath is an excellent writer and this is an ambitious and well-researched project
*Sport*

The most comprehensive and entertaining history of racing
*DAILY TELEGRAPH*

Brilliantly realised . . . The depth of the research McGrath has undertaken is evident on every page but the difficult balance between being definitive and keeping the reader entertained is cleverly maintained . . . There could be no better way for a newcomer to racing to absorb its rich history or a devotee to discover fresh depths
*Observor, 'The Sports Books that Made Our Writers' Year'*

McGrath's book is erudite, his style wry and his descriptions astute
*The Times*

Excellent history of thorough-bred racing . . . immense attention to detail
*Sunday Times*

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