A review by pearl35
Eclipse: The Horse That Changed Racing History Forever by Nicholas Clee

4.0

The last time I was in London, I went to the exhibit of George Stubbs' magnificent equestrian portraits at the National Gallery. This is the story of Eclipse, the first of the celebrity superhorses from whom most thoroughbreds descend today--possibly because of his freakishly large heart (passed on to the likes of Seabiscuit and War Admiral). Clee examines the whole phenomena of British horse racing--Royal Patronage, the financial mechanics of 18th century gambling, the Jockey Club (to which Eclipse's disreputable Irish owner could never gain admission with his Madam partner, no matter how good the horse was), Hanoverian understanding of horse breeding, the Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk, ideas about genetics and animal behavior and the enduring British love for the turf today.