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

by Elizabeth Mitchell (Author) "The meteorologists of Louisville, Kentucky, could not quite believe how perfectly calibrated the barometric pressure was that first Saturday in May 1999..." (more)
Key Phrases: cot campbell, assistant starter, eighth pole, New York, Triple Crown, Bob Lewis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The day of the 20th century's final Kentucky Derby was perfectly brilliant, with a clear blue sky and pleasant, intoxicating heat. More magical than the weather, though, were the moments the Derby synthesized: the surprise victory of underdogs Charismatic and Chris Antley, and an unexpected love of racing for author Elizabeth Mitchell and her cancer-stricken companion, Chuck. The inspiration for Mitchell's engrossing Three Strides Before the Wire lies in those moments, when the couple's world was suddenly buoyed by the spectacular comeback of the talented but tormented jockey and the "tubby" chestnut saddled with the third-worst odds of any winner in Derby history.

Newly awakened to the mysterious forces at play in the sport of thoroughbred racing, journalist Mitchell retraces Charismatic's ascension from a well-bred underachiever draining his owners' bank account to a legitimate contender for the 1999 Triple Crown, a trajectory that ended with injury at the Belmont Stakes. Such a tale in horseracing is not without its personalities, and Mitchell deftly portrays the tough-as-nails trainer D. Wayne Lukas, the impassioned owners Bob and Beverly Lewis, and the gifted but drug-addled Antley, who felt an affinity for the stout colt because the first six letters of his name spelled "Chris A." Three Strides Before the Wire skillfully grafts history and anecdote in a rich narrative revealing both the pure glory and tough-luck hardships of thoroughbred racing, casting compassionate light on Antley's jagged path of fantastic success, drug abuse, and depression. Mitchell's astute observations of the industry's miraculous but destructive elements and the irresistible trickery of chance--which delighted her and Chuck that poignant day at the Derby--coalesce in an engaging, heart-wrenching read. --Rebecca Robinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
A contributing editor at Newsweek and author of W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty, Mitchell was drawn into the sport of horse racing by chance. In 1999, Mitchell and her boyfriend, Chuck, then undergoing treatment for leukemia, made a spontaneous trip to the Kentucky Derby. Basing her wager on a portentous dream, Mitchell picked the winning horse, Charismatic, a 20-1 long shot, and thus began her research into Charismatic's story. Almost given up on by his owners and trainers, Charismatic wasn't the only surprise victor that year; his jockey and trainer were also amazing comeback stories. A shy and quiet kid who set several racing records while still a teenager, jockey Chris Antley didn't handle success well. Drugs and depression seemed to have taken their final toll when Antley, who had grown over an inch in a bizarre, late growth spurt, was saddled with an extra 15 pounds (jockeys must maintain strict, low weight to ride). Charismatic's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, was a champion trainer whose reputation was losing ground to younger trainers. Mitchell weaves these struggles (as well as that of her stricken boyfriend) into a story that raises the question of the importance of luck, fate, work and genetics in the lives of man and beast. Mitchell's easy tone is backed by meticulous research, including original author interviews. Though the stories are often exceedingly poignant, Mitchell is never cloying; this beautiful book makes a distinct contribution to a singularly American sport and culture.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786886226
• ISBN-13: 978-0786886227
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #816,817 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story told without much creativity, May 18, 2002

By	Steve Reidy (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing (Hardcover)

I have a deep attraction to horse racing which is what brought me to this book. In Mitchell's story we are given the tale of Charismatic, the horse who came this close (thumb and index finger about a centimeter apart) to sweeping the Triple Crown in '99 before getting hurt in the Belmont Stakes; Chris Antley, the jockey who rode Charismatic through his victories and defeats; and other incidental characters in this world including Mitchell's lover, a man who is dying of cancer.

This is a very solid reporting job and the prose is clear, well-written and often inspiring. My reservations are that it is sometimes long-winded and goes off on ineffective tangents, and the language and insights are not as poignant as they could be given that the material is ripe for it. The book seems to miss the subtleties that make man and beast such deeply mysterious creatures, and as such it is rendered more a straight journalistic piece than a work of true creative non-fiction. Mitchell seems to choose tidy, somewhat cliched depictions of good and bad, winning and losing, addiction and sobriety, rather than broaching the ambivalent and paradoxical nature of the human spirit head-on. The prose can be a bit staid and there are some long passages that beg to be skipped.

Still, the story is an inherently compelling one that is told chronologically and clearly; it is a story that is worth the telling and yes, worth the reading.

33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, June 16, 2002

By	Stuart Owen (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing (Hardcover)

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."

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very good!, July 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing (Hardcover)

This book is a disappointment to say the least. The author's account of Chris Antley and the 1999 Triple Crown lacks focus and is poorly researched. This book has many factual mistakes that even the most causal horse racing fan will catch. This book does not even come close to Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit. The author's own story of a dying boyfriend is not as effective as it should be. There are several horse racing books out right now that are much better: Jockey Gary Stevens manages to give readers a more compelling and touching portrait of Chris Antley in just one chapter of his
autobiography The Perfect Ride, then Mitchell does in her whole book!