Poise and Stride
JOE Osborne, managing director of Godolphin Ireland, has published Poise and Stride, a beautifully illustrated book of 41 short essays based on his observations from business, entertainment and sport during his 40-year career in the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry.
The essays were initially written as contributions to the Godolphin Flying Start quarterly newsletter Time Flies and developed into a book over the past few months.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) in Kildare. The academy, a registered charity, was established as a social project in 1973 by Joe’s father Michael Osborne along with Stan Cosgrove and Derek O’Sullivan.
The foreword is written by RACE graduate, former champion jockey turned trainer, Johnny Murtagh and the book is illustrated throughout by Declan Considine.
Poise and Stride is available to purchase for €20 (plus postage) by emailing RACE at poiseandstride@racingacademy.ie or phoning their office on +353 45 522468.
Social media: Twitter: @PoiseAndStride, Instagram: poiseandstride.
Irish Racing Yearbook
THE Irish Racing Yearbook 2021 is the definitive, established Irish racing annual, a collaboration of the best writers and photographers with the leading protagonists of Irish racing, detailing some incredible stories throughout the entire gamut of the industry, from breeding to sales to point-to-point to the racetrack.
Amongst those featured and profiled are Ger Lyons, Willie Mullins, John Oxx, Barry Geraghty, John Gosden, Hollie Doyle, Donnacha O’Brien, Honeysuckle, Gordon Lord Byron, Princess Zoe with much, much more.
You can get your copy online at www.irishracingyearbook.com/buyacopy/.
Thrills and Spills
FOR four decades the Healy Racing team has photographed the world of Irish racing.
Delving into an archive of thousands of images, photographer Pat Healy and sports journalist Donn McClean selected over 200 golden Irish jump-racing moments from the past 10 years. The result is a beautiful 200-page hardback publication, entitled Thrills And Spills, which would be a fine addition to any collection or coffee table.
The sport’s biggest personalities, and their horses, are celebrated through the lens. For every leap of victory and fist pump, there is a crunching fall or a win that almost was.
Thrills And Spills is published by O’Brien Press. Available in Eason branches, or buy your copy online at www.obrien.ie/thrills-and-spills.
True Colours
BARRY Geraghty was one of the greatest jump jockeys of the modern era. He recently retired after a 24-year career having ridden nearly 2,000 winners, including five Champion Chases, four Champion Hurdles, two Cheltenham Gold Cups, two Stayers’ Hurdles, an Irish Grand National and, of course, the Grand National on Monty’s Pass in 2003.
His new memoir, written with Niall Kelly, tells his extraordinary story. Kelly has good form himself in this sphere, having previously worked with Dublin footballer Philly McMahon and boxer Andy Lee on their biographies.
As well as all the big race wins, True Colours recounts the bad days, such as the time before the 2019 Grand National when Geraghty broke his leg, subsequently spending most of 2019 with it encased in a metal frame.
Geraghty talks about how the deaths of fellow jockeys, close friends of his, impacted him. He opens up about the role his wife Paula played in helping him to slow down and encouraging him to talk to someone about his lifestyle and the effect it would have on him if he did not make positive changes.
He reflects on a life steeped in horse racing, capturing the irreplaceable buzz, the adrenaline, and the toll the highs and lows took on his personal life and family life as he tried to balance living at a steady pace in a world notorious for its high-risk status.
True Colours gives an insight into what it takes to become an elite athlete, the sacrifices and tough decisions that need to be made at every turn, making it a must-read for all sporting fans this year.
True Colours is published by Gill Books, priced at €22.99.