A comprehensive, fully illustrated biography of Nova Scotia's
Somebeachsomewhere, the greatest standardbred pacer of all time, from
the award-winning author of Year of the Horse.
It's November 2006 and Brent MacGrath, a car salesman from Nova Scotia,
has just had his first glimpse of a gorgeous yearling at the Lexington
Yearling Sale--and his heart skips a beat. He takes another look. Even
this young, the bay stallion has size and "presence." Against all odds,
and with limited funds, MacGrath makes a successful bid for the colt.
Somebeachsomewhere: The Harness Racing Legend from a One-Horse Stable
is a work of narrative non-fiction that follows the life and career of
the Ohio-born, Canadian-sired superstar pacer known as "Beach" who
belonged to a syndicate of six owners from Canada's East Coast. From a
relatively humble lineage, Somebeachsomewhere turned out to be a horse
of a lifetime: a world-champion Hall of Famer, smashing records and
setting a single-season earning record as a three-year-old. Many
consider Beach, who died unexpectedly in 2018, the greatest pacer and
Standardbred sire of all time. Canadian and American racing fans loved
the friendly stallion with "an extra gear," and threw "Beach Parties"
whenever he raced.
This is the first-ever complete, generously illustrated account of "the
Beach," a horse who captivated the world with his speed, courage and
near-flawless gait. It is also a story of improbabilities and magic,
featuring dozens of interviews with top American and Canadian horsemen
and women, the owners of Empire Stallions in Avenel, Australia, and
harness racing industry professionals.
