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Authors Smithwick and Hambleton Book Signings
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
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| Authors Patrick Smithwick and Anne Hambleton will sign copies of their books, “Flying Change” and “Raja,” respectively, at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Museum’s lobby.
Smithwick’s book is a memoir, a tale of a man who decides in mid-life to call off all restraints, silence all naysayers, put his mind and body and courage to the test, and do what in his case — he has been away from the world of racing for 25 years — is the impossible: within a nine-month period get a horse to ride in the most difficult steeplechase race in the world, and then ride that horse as if his life depends on it, which, literally, it does.
“Flying Change” is an inspiration for anyone who thought he or she could never compete again. If you’d like to know what it’s like to be a member of the elite racing set, if you’d like to experience firsthand a fox hunt at its most exciting moments, if you’d like to vicariously ride in the Maryland Hunt Cup, then this is your book.
“Raja” is a fictional account that follows the journey of a thoroughbred from racing on the Kentucky Derby trail to show jumping on the “A” circuit; from life as a member of New York City’s mounted police to the horrors of a livestock auction; and finally to the stable of a retired steeplechase jockey named Paddy Murphy and his 16-year-old niece, Dee, where Raja finally has a chance to fulfill his destiny.
“Raja’s story could be true,” said Hambleton. “There are endless stories of retired racehorses that have gone on to excel in other disciplines after racing, or that have slipped through the cracks. I wanted to make Raja realistic and full of authentic details, yet fun for young readers.”
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