If looking for a review copy of the book, visit www.sunypress.edu.
Six Weeks in Saratoga was recently a semi-finalist for the prestigious Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. Six Weeks was published in July 2011 and proves to be a timeless tale of America’s oldest racetrack.
When Rachel Alexandra thundered to a stylish win against the boys in the 2009 Preakness Stakes, her connections came to the 141st Saratoga Race Course meeting wanting more than just another victory. They wanted Horse of the Year.
Her jockey, Calvin Borel, pointed triumphantly to the three-year-old filly beneath him. Rachel Alexandra was the best horse he had ever ridden and it was his job to ensure that she and her connections didn’t leave Saratoga Springs without a victory.
Hall of Fame trainer and gruff New Yorker Nick Zito felt he could slay the queen. He’d take his shots with two rival horses, Da’ Tara and Cool Coal Man, because, as he well knew, you can’t win if you don’t play.
New York Racing Association president and CEO Charlie Hayward knew that Rachel Alexandra could run elsewhere and didn’t have to come to Saratoga. The pressure was on him to keep this talented and magnetic filly on his property, but how far could he go without compromising his values?
Then there were the other horses at the meet: the Zito-trained Commentator, eight years old and looking for one last try in the Whitney Handicap; Kentucky Derby–winner Mine That Bird, aiming to reclaim his glory if he could only stay healthy; and Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner, who demanded respect.
Everyone was in the twilight of their careers. What would be their legacies? How would they be remembered?
Never before has the famous racing season at Saratoga been illustrated through these threads, in real time. As we follow the jockey, the trainer, and the executive, we come to understand how they, and so many other racing fans and professionals, were drawn to the magnetism of one special horse, Rachel Alexandra.
All of this happens in six weeks, all at Saratoga.
Questions for the author
How did you come up with the story idea?
What is it about this book on horse racing is universal?
Did you always set out to write a book on Rachel Alexandra?
How did you get access to your characters?
What was the process of creating the book like?
Were you with your characters the entire time, or was this after the fact?
Author Bio
Brendan O’Meara is a journalist living, for the time, in Saratoga Springs, New York. His articles have appeared in the Blood-Horse, the Paulick Report, Horse Race Insider, Saratoga TODAY, the Saratogian, Spirit of Saratoga, Equicurean, Mountain Home Magazine, Vegetarian Times, the Good Men Project, Trail Runner’s Inside Dirt, and other literary journals.
Brendan enjoys being outdoors hiking and kayaking. And eating, he loves eating.
His inspirations in the field of narrative nonfiction are John McPhee, Tracy Kidder, Thomas French, Madeleine Blais, Dave Eggers, John Krakauer, among others.
He studied journalism and biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He earned his MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College.
Reviews and Praise
In Six Weeks in Saratoga, O’Meara weaves the life stories and day-to-day activities of Hayward, Zito, and Borel around the important role that Rachel Alexandra played in the success of the 2009 Saratoga meeting. Throw Mind That Bird and Summer Bird, the sons of Birdstone, into the mix and you have got the makings of a fascinating book about what goes on behind the scenes of America’s most important racing meet. —Matt Shifman, Horse Racing Nation
In his first book, Brendan O’Meara takes the reader on a behind the scenes account of that memorable summer. He gives the reader a greater appreciation of the hard work of track management to keep a prestigious race meet running smoothly, and of the trainers and jockeys who participate in the sport for our entertainment. — Cindy Pierson Dulay About.com
“O’Meara narrates the drama-filled story with behind-the-scene details that will grab the interest of racing enthusiasts and non-fans alike.” — Hudson River Valley Review
“…O’Meara will make your pulse pound and breath run short. The story of this amazing filly and controversial year in horse racing is a deeply informative and a fast-paced read with a journalistic, Spartan use of language that brings the smell of turf, dirt, horse sweat, and anticipation directly to the reader.” — Sacramento Book Review
“Going behind the scenes of three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra’s 2009 triumph … O’Meara makes her story gallop and gleam.” — Chronogram
“The [book] is one of enjoyable promise, and as the author recounts little moments and inside conversations, he provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of the figures he covers. The narrative keeps game pace with outside literary standards and features bursts of brilliance, and I found it a refreshing change from the selection of racing-themed volumes available today. As O’Meara brings his subjects to life, you find yourself thinking this is the kind of guy whose work I want to follow.” — Claire Novak, ESPN.com
“O’Meara … provide[s] a tremendous amount of detail from behind the scenes that the reader would not have otherwise enjoyed … Six Weeks is essentially a Rachel book, but it’s told without neglecting the always rich backdrop of a Saratoga meet. That means there’s history, surprises, characters (human and equine), great racing, foggy mornings and sun-splashed afternoons—plenty of material through which O’Meara could exercise his descriptive abilities.” — Mike MacAdam, Schenectady Daily Gazette
“And, in the end, the best part is the image [O’Meara] creates of Rachel Alexandra. On a morning before the Woodward Stakes, he describes her practicing: ‘Air came through her nose as gently as it went out, yet she clipped along as if her hooves were winged like Mercury. She skimmed over the dirt, to the delight of many admirers on the rail, running into the eastern sky strewn with fish-fillet clouds of a most electric pink.’” — John Rowen, Schenectady Daily Gazette
“O’Meara fell for a magical place and magnificent horse, which is a lovely malady that often befalls horse people, and with a great deal of heart he tells us how and why. You’ll never forget his Six Weeks in Saratoga, either.” — Joe Drape, author of Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen
“Brendan O’Meara tells the story of this proud horse with verve and great historical insight. Six Weeks in Saratoga marks the debut of an exciting new talent.” — Wil Haygood, author of Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson
“Brendan O’Meara’s Six Weeks in Saratoga is a victory to be savored by those who treasure good writing in general and tales of the track in particular. Horses may win races, but they also win hearts as this impressive book proves beyond doubt. A memorable, sure-footed debut.” — Madeleine Blais, author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle
Newsworthy Articles
Rachel Alexandra delivers colt at Stonestreet Farms. Story.
Pitch Letter
I will make for an interesting guest on your program or as a subject for a feature piece because I’m a grinder. I am not a writer of privilege with an Ivy League-pedigree. I’m a hungry, every-man writer. I was fired from my second newspaper gig for sticking up for myself. I parlayed that freedom into the reporting of Six Weeks in Saratoga.
I’m courteous, well spoken, and comfortable behind a mike or before a camera.
Fact Sheet
—Rachel Alexandra became the first three-year-old to win the Woodward Stakes against older males.
—Rachel Alexandra beat the boys three times in 2009.
—Rachel Alexandra was a perfect 8-for-8 in 2009.
—Calvin Borel won the Kentucky Derby aboard Mine That Bird, but instead opted to ride Rachel Alexandra two weeks later in the Preakness. This had never been done before.
—Trainer Nick Zito used a “rabbit” to try and tire Rachel Alexandra out in the Woodward so his second horse could have a chance to lap up a tired Rachel. Both finished way back.
—Nick Zito was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 2005
—Zito has won the career Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Derby (1991, 1994), Preakness Stakes (1996), and Belmont Stakes (2004, 2008)
—The first draft took me just five months to write, covering some 3,000 words a day.
—I came to know that SUNY Press was looking for a Saratoga book when I was fitting a woman at the running shoe store I worked at.
Video
I was a guest on Great Day Live in Louisville, Kentucky in October 2011. Video.
Radio
I was interviewed by the great Joe Donahue of WAMC in July 2011. Interview.
Reader Feedback
Brendan O’Meara takes horse racing neophytes and serious fans of “the sport of kings” on a memorable journey through the six special weeks of summer that were the 2009 thoroughbred racing season in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Weaving the threads of four main players – a senior race track executive, a Hall of Fame trainer, a top jockey and one very exceptional horse – he captures the inherent tensions and glories in the fabric of one extraordinary season, when a uniquely talented and fast filly – Rachel Alexandra – took center stage in her quest for greatness. O’Meara deftly guides the reader through the backstretch barns, training track, jockeys’ room, executive offices, clubhouse, saddling paddock and down the homestretch as the events of one very special summer played out on American racing’s most beautiful and historic stage.
A very enjoyable debut effort from a talented young author, O’Meara’s keen observations of the fascinating people, the marvelous animals, the routine and rare moments that defined one magical summer racing season at America’s finest sporting venue reaffirm that six weeks in Saratoga is always too short a visit.
— Leslie
O’Meara is sensational in bringing the characters (from Rachel, Borel, Jackson, Hayward, Zito, Old Smoke, and others)to life and gave this novice horse racing fan something to grab hold of while following Rachel’s amazing season. The book builds nicely and had me eagerly awaiting Rachel’s race against the boys in the Woodward. Crazy as it may be I found myself cheering for Rachel as if I was following the story as it unfolded in 2009.
—bgtroy
Hi Brendan …. I took your book to Italy with me and finished it in record time … I really enjoyed the book. The story about the horses and Rachael were wonderful and the look that I got of the inner workings of a major track was a real eye opener. Not that I wasn’t aware of some of it. Had no idea that a scratch at post was so costly or the maneuvering to get the top horses and owners on the same page was that difficult. Anyway, wanted to touch base and tell you how much enjoyment and information that I got from your well written book. …. Thanks … Ralph
Cites for Tour
Saratoga Springs, NY
Elmont, NY
Lexington, KY
Louisville, KY
Oceanport, NY
Old Forge, NY
More to follow