BookStation

 The in-depth guide to owning, training, racing and following

Horse racing is the second-most attended sport in the United Kingdom behind football, with over 6 million visitors each year. While it has a core support of those who go many times through the calendar, a far higher percentage will probably attend only once or twice and can often find the experience overwhelming.

The Horse Racing Manual guides the reader through a first day at the races, explaining all the elements and considerations, from what to wear to placing a bet.

Unlike other books on the market, it takes the reader further and goes ?behind the scenes?, providing explanations into the physiology of the horse and where it comes from, the processes and people involved in leading it to become a racehorse, the breeders, farriers, owners, trainers and jockeys.It would also cover placing a bet and the best ways of finding a winner, the rules of racing, the different types of races and racecourses around the world.

The manual would centre upon the UK but, subtle differences aside, would broadly translate for racing in other countries worldwide - including the USA, Australia, France, India, Ireland

Author: Tom Peacock, is a freelance journalist who has spent 14 years working in the horse racing media. This included four years as Chief Racing Correspondent at the Press Association. Most recently he was a racing reporter for the Daily Telegraph providing news, tipping and features and covering meetings around the world. He has twice been nominated as Reporter Of The Year at the Horserace Writers & Photographers Association (HWPA) awards and has appeared as an expert on the likes of CNN and talkSPORT.