124 SIDELINES DECEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Gifts continued
huge on story and the horse action is absolutely frst-rate. Adult
language and situations, but big on quotations from Shakespeare.
A sequel, Fortune’s Fool will be out next summer.
Patrick Smithwick grew up the only son of Hall of Fame
Steeplechase jockey, A. P. (Paddy) Smithwick and tells that tale
in Racing My Father, now has a brand new off the presses story
that isn’t quite a sequel. Patrick picks up his life in Flying Change
with a detailed why and how he throws discretion to the winds and
leaps back into racing over fences after 25 years of “retirement” as
husband, father, family man, teacher and author. The chronicle of
adventures to scratch this itch to contest the Maryland Hunt Cup,
the most testing and prestigious timber steeplechase for amateur
riders, begins when Patrick is 48. In his inimitable way he prefaces
chapters with what his uncle, D.M. Smithwick says about each
fence on the 22-jump course. Flying Change is a wild ride of a
read about real people and horses.
Champions tells the true story of British jump jockey Bob
Champion and Aldaniti who respectively survived cancer and a
tendon injury to win the 1981 Grand National. The sound track by
Carl Davis is glorious, and John Hurt does a great job portraying
Champion. In many scenes Aldaniti plays himself and you’ll see
Bob galloping the great gelding in his distinctive Newmarket
quarter sheet: bright yellow with red and black stripes. First issued
as VHS, then re-mastered as DVD not easy to fnd, but worth
the effort – a great family movie about the triumph of human and
horse spirit.
Of course, there are many more faves that make great stocking
stuffers – we could go on and on, but time to say “Happy Holiday
– hope it’s a horsey one!”
Sidelines staff writer Lauren R. Giannini is an award-winning writer specializing
in stories and photos about the equestrian world. Crazy about horses her entire life,
she lives in the horse and hunt country of Virginia. Lauren’s motto is “write, ride - not
necessarily in that order!”
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