Racing My Father: Growing Up With a Racing Legend by Patrick Smithwick PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED, DATED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON THE HALF-TITLE PAGE THUS: "3/15/14 To Stuart - Happy Birthday - Hope these pages inspire your passion for racing! Say hi to my cousins - the Moores & Carberrys! Patrick Smithwick"; Eclipse Press, Lexington, Kentucky 2006 1st ed, 376pp., text generally in decent order, slight staining to the page extremities at the very top & side, boards very slightly warped, bumping to bottom left hand corner of rear board, bumping & rubbing to the top & bottom of the spine, one small mark to the bottom left hand side of the rear board, the dust jacket has some edge wear with scuffing to the rear bottom left hand corner, rubbing & creasing to the top of the spine/front top left hand corner, both front & rear have many marks & scratches. Becoming a steeplechase jockey takes great courage, especially when following in the footsteps of a legendary father. Growing up, Patrick Smithwick idolized his father, A.P. Smithwick, considered the greatest steeplechase jockey in America at the time. In this compelling memoir, Patrick Smithwick recalls how his father's success shaped his own ambitions and dreams. Despite witnessing the pinnacle of the sport, the younger Smithwick started his own journey without a leg up. He mucked out stables and lived in tack rooms, learning the sport from the bottom up. After his father was severely injured in a racing accident, young Patrick did not sway from pursuing his dream. Though he may not have reached the career heights of his father, Patrick Smithwick succeeded in carving out his own niche as a top steeplechase rider. Will ship by Royal Mail 1st Class Signed for, well packaged. (£5.39/ancelotti)