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Foinavon David Owen

Foinavon By David Owen

Foinavon by David Owen


$14.49
Condition - Very Good
Only 3 left

Foinavon Summary

Foinavon: The Story of the Grand National's Biggest Upset by David Owen

It was the upset to end all upsets. On 8 April 1967 at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool, a 100-1 outsider in peculiar blinkers sidestepped chaos extraordinary even by the Grand National's standards and won the world's toughest steeplechase. The jumps-racing establishment - and Gregory Peck, the Hollywood actor whose much-fancied horse was reduced to the status of an also-ran - took a dim view. But Foinavon, the dogged victor, and Susie, the white nanny goat who accompanied him everywhere, became instant celebrities. Within days, the traffic was being stopped for them in front of Buckingham Palace en route to an audience with the Duchess of Kent. Fan mail arrived addressed to 'Foinavon, England'. According to John Kempton, Foinavon's trainer, the 1967 race 'reminded everyone that the National was part of our heritage'. Foinavon's Grand National victory has become as much a part of British sporting folklore as the England football team's one and only World Cup win the previous year. The race has even spawned its own mythology, with the winner portrayed as a horse so useless that not even its owner or trainer could be bothered to come to Liverpool to see him run. Yet remarkably the real story of how Foinavon emerged from an obscure yard near the ancient Ridgeway to pull off one of the most talked-about victories in horseracing history has never been told. Based on original interviews with scores of people who were at Aintree on that rainswept day, or whose lives were in some way touched by the shock result, this book uses the story of this extraordinary race to explore why the Grand National holds tens of millions of people spellbound, year after year, for ten minutes on a Saturday afternoon in early spring.

Foinavon Reviews

Uncatchable and now unputdownable * Frank Keating *
Full of fascinating stories and... up there among the best racing books I have read in a long time. * Daily Telegraph *
Original and insightful. A vivid evocation of one of racing's most memorable upsets * Sir Peter O'Sullevan *
This book shines a light on one particular Grand National, yet the rays stray well beyond ... There are fascinating insights into great characters * Racing Post *
Full of fascinating stories ... up there among the best racing books I have read in a long time * Daily Telegraph *
A lovingly crafted tribute to the victorious 1967 Grand National winner, David Owen's book is about much more than the world-famous steeplechase * Yorkshire Post *
Running through the book like a golden thread is the romance of the Grand National ... Delightful book ... A wacky gem, and it's likely to appeal to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. **** * Mail on Sunday *
This book shines a light on one particular Grand National, yet the rays stray well beyond. * Racing Post *

About David Owen

David Owen is a former sports editor of the Financial Times, covering scores of major sports events around the world for the FT and other publications in a career spanning three decades.

Additional information

GOR005643385
9781408853153
1408853159
Foinavon: The Story of the Grand National's Biggest Upset by David Owen
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
20140313
288
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Foinavon