Three Strides Before the Wire: The
Dark and Beautiful World of Horse
Racing by Elizabeth Mitchell
An Amazing Biography Of Some Of Racing's Greatest
The day of the 20th centurys 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 Mitchells engrossing Three
Strides Before the Wire lies in those moments, when the couples 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
Charismatics 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 Antleys jagged path
of fantastic success, drug abuse, and depression. Mitchells astute
observations of the industrys 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
Personal Review: Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and
Beautiful World of Horse Racing by Elizabeth Mitchell
Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse
Racing, by Elizabeth Mitchell
This wonderful effort of non-fiction is more than a great book about horse
racing; it is a great book period!! The author's passion for the subject burns
like the sun - and for good reason -- her husband is dying of cancer. The
story begins with one of their last trips together; culminating with a vision
and an improbable bet on a former claiming horse to win the Kentucky
Derby. Their winning ticket helps finance and long and extended vacation
together and eventually brings the couple face-to-face with the horse and
his connections.
After her husband's death the author finds healing through tracing the lives
of their Derby horse and people who so deeply entered their lives that
fateful First Saturday In May. What a story she weaves!!!!!! (And who cares
about some relatively meaningless errors)
As her own story unfolds, she mixes in the many segments of the lives of
the horse and his people. Most notable is gifted jockey Chris Antley, an
intuitive who can calm and sometimes cure horses through his gentle
communication; a jockey who is as much as a genius trading in the stock
market as he is on the track; a jockey whose gentle hands and kind nature
built treatment facilities for addicts; a jockey that was so open to the
vagrancies of the universe that they threaten to swallow him up in the
shadow of every turn; and a jockey who saved the life of the greatest horse
he every rode just strides before the wire in the last leg of their quest for
the Triple Crown.
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.
In the end, the story unfolds in shrouds of mystery and murder that will
never be solved. God's precious gift created and destroyed; the knife cut

both ways. Yet, in the end, the book must be seen as a story of love and
commitment.
(I do agree with one reviewer, however: the Jan Mooney Story, My Racing
Heart is excellent!!!!!!!!!!)
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