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Robin Oakley brings alive the colourful world of those who ride and train jumping horses. With elegant production and gripping images The History of Jump Racing chronicles the social and economic changes which have brought the sport’s ups and downs-like the development of sponsorships and syndicate ownership, the near loss of the Grand National, the growing domination of the Cheltenham Festival and the growth of all-weather racing to meet the bookies’ demands for betting shop fodder.

Pace and colour is provided by stories of the horses who have been taken to the heart of racing crowds, like the Irish-trained hurdler Istabraq and Best Mate, the three-times winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for England. Famous rivalries and memorable races are re-lived and key victories revisited in portraits of and interviews with the owners, jockeys and trainers who have dominated the sport. The emphasis will be largely on the past fifty years-from Arkle to Tony McCoy-but a significant introduction by Edward Gillespie encapsulates the history of what was previously known as ‘National Hunt Racing’ and sets the stories in context.

Reviews:

A very fine book indeed. a love letter to a sport the two authors adore. Readers of this will be grateful to Oakley and Gillespie. A good job has been done ― Racing Post

A labour of love written with Edward Gillespie. it charts National Hunt racing from the mid-1960s when the incomparable steeplechaser Arkle’s reign ended to the retirement of the 20-times champion jockey Sir AP McCoy in 2015. At its heart is a series of insightful interviews with leading trainers that illustrate the sport’s evolution ― Yorkshire Post

Highly recommended. People bitten by jump racing after watching the National, the Champion Hurdle or the Cheltenham Gold Cup will find this book a useful guide to a sport with deep roots. Whether it will help them pick out winners is another matter… ― The Pink, Southampton

For the true racing fan Sixty Years of Jump Racing will revive a host of memories ― XtraTime

A colourful anecdote-packed history of steeplechasing and hurdling. This is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the sport that maintains the strong gallop right through the 280-odd pages ― Blackpool Gazette

This beautifully produced book encapsulates a majestic history ― Cotswold Life

A great coffee table read ― Three Counties Race Club Magazine

This book lays out the history in a way that has not been achieved before… A must for all horse racing fans ― Firetrench

an exceptional book for any sport lover, let alone National Hunt enthusiast. there is never a dull moment – this is a book I keep on my bedside ― Fitzdare Times

What we have, in some ways, is a love letter to a sport the two authors adore. This is highly readable and is enhanced by glorious photographs. ― Racing Post