Reviews
Avalyn Hunter's historical pieces have long been a welcome staple of Bloodhorse magazine, and in Dream Derby , she has found the perfect vehicle to expand into full-length storytelling. Hunter supplies readers with both the legend and the facts behind Black Gold, the 50th Kentucky Derby winner, packing his story with emotion as he fulfills the vision of his connections. On this Centennial of his victory, Hunter's crisp writing and meticulous research show what has changed, and what has remained stunningly similar, over the past century of Derby dreams., Marguerite Henry's iconic children's book Black Gold made generations fall in love with a little black colt running for big dreams. Avalyn Hunter's Dream Derby recounts how the real Black Gold brought both joy and heartbreak to those closest to him. She digs deep into the sport's history to uncover the unlikely journey from the dusty bush tracks that dotted the country in the early 20th century to the iconic Twin Spires and the golden anniversary of America's greatest race. Hunter's exploration of the story of the Hoots family, Hanley Webb, J.D. Mooney, and Black Gold will leave readers dreaming about roses and that little black colt each time they open this book., Dream Derby is a splendid prism in which to view key American events leading up to and after World War I, as the nation spun into the turn of the Roaring '20s. We learn that horse racing's roads in North America were traveled regularly by dreamers seeking the winner's circle prizes from Mexico to Canada and everywhere in between.... With the path to the 150th Derby upon us, reflection on what this sport meant then and what it means to us today can be grounding. The case of Black Gold and his rise to fame is just as alive today as it was then. In times like these, nothing like a reason to breed, race and dream., Black Gold is a legend--and also barely known. A century after his lifetime, romanticized fragments form our entire image of the Derby winner named for Oklahoma oil. Delving into his world, Avalyn Hunter finds moments and connections that make him real again., Noted pedigree analyst and historian Avalyn Hunter's newest gift to racing is this thoughtful and detailed presentation of 1924 Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold. The scrappy colt with odds stacked against him inspired a legend that is revitalized in Hunter's skillful hands. From bush tracks in Juarez to the twin spires of Churchill Downs, Hunter elucidates not only Black Gold's rise to fame and the struggles of his connections, but also offers valuable insight into how the Kentucky Derby became the race it is today., A masterpiece of meticulous research and seminal scholarship, Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold will be of immense interest to fans of American horse racing & equestrian sports.
Synopsis
On the morning of May 18, 1924, households across America opened their newspapers to the headline: "Derby Winner Property of Indian Woman." The woman in question was Rosa Magnet Hoots, a member of the Oklahoma Osage Nation. The horse, draped in the iconic red roses signifying his victory in the fiftieth running of the Kentucky Derby, was Black Gold. In a sport defined by its exclusivity, the pair's unlikely appearance in the winner's circle set off a firestorm of speculation that would uncover an origin story stranger than fiction. Named for the oil that had been discovered in large quantities in Oklahoma at the time of his birth, Black Gold was born in 1921 to a mare named Useeit. At the start of her hard-knocking racing career, Useeit had been purchased by Al Hoots, for whom she won thirty-two of a staggering 122 races. What the mare lacked in regality, she made up for in gumption, a trait Hoots believed could propel her progeny to the hallowed ground of Churchill Downs. Hoots himself would never see Black Gold, dying unexpectedly in 1917. But the legend that came to define the horse would begin with him. Languishing in his deathbed, Hoots claimed to have a prophetic dream that a colt born to Useeit would win the Kentucky Derby. He extracted a promise from his wife, Rosa, to breed the mare to the stallion Black Toney. The decision, which came to fruition three years after Hoots's death, would set in motion a story that would forever change Thoroughbred racing. In Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold , author Avalyn Hunter explores the personalities and histories that surrounded Black Gold. Told against the backdrop of a make-or-break moment for American horse racing and politics at large and framed by the racial violence that rocked Tulsa in the 1920s, Black Gold's victory at the Golden Jubilee stands at the intersection of sport and history. Hunter's work looks behind every stall and tack room door and celebrates the hard work that goes into a great horse and its rivals., On May 18, 1924, households across America opened their morning newspapers to learn that the Kentucky Derby winner was owned by a member of the Oklahoma Osage Nation named Rosa M. Hoots. The horse, draped in the iconic red roses signifying his victory in the fiftieth running of the Kentucky Derby, was Black Gold, whose dam had once competed in unsanctioned bush races. In a sport defined by its exclusivity, the pair's unlikely appearance in the winner's circle set off a firestorm of speculation. Black Gold's dam, Useeit, had been purchased by Al Hoots, for whom she won 32 of a staggering 122 races. What Useeit lacked in prestige, she made up for in gumption-a trait Hoots believed could propel her progeny to the hallowed ground of Churchill Downs. Hoots died unexpectedly in 1917 before Black Gold was born, but the legend that came to define the horse began with him. It was said that on his deathbed, Hoots had a prophetic dream in which a colt born to Useeit won the Kentucky Derby. He extracted a promise from his wife, Rosa, to breed the mare to the stallion Black Toney. The pairing came to fruition three years after Hoots's death, and it would forever change Thoroughbred racing. In Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold, Avalyn Hunter explores the champion Thoroughbred's life, career, and legacy. Against the backdrop of a make-or-break moment for American horse racing and politics and framed by the racial violence that rocked Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1920s, Black Gold's remarkable Golden Jubilee victory stands at the intersection of sport and history.
