Dark Horses

ARTHUR HANCOCK NEEDED A MIRACLE

He had long ago strayed from the golden path that once seemed to beckon him, as the eldest son of a Thoroughbred racing legend. His life had been a wild, booze-fueled ride: car wrecks, fights, nights in jail. But whatever else he was, Hancock was a born horseman-and knew that he had it in him, one day, to take Claiborne forward as the most storied farm in the Bluegrass.

Only that day never came. Obstructed by powerful enemies, and driven by a fiery pride, Hancock shook the dust of Claiborne from his boots-and vowed not only to build up a greater farm yet, from scratch, but to end the quest that had tormented generations of Hancocks. He would win the Kentucky Derby.

Just as everyone had derisively predicted, the whole thing had seemed like a reckless folly. The market had crashed, he owed the bank millions-and he was struggling with alcoholism. There seemed to be no way out.

But, so long as there are horses in your life, you can never rule out a miracle. Now, half a century after leaving Claiborne, Hancock tells the incredible story of his journey to the brink and back again. On one level, it is an intimate portrait of the American Turf, introducing some of the most colorful characters and vignettes in its history. But the underlying narrative deals in epic human themes: rebellion and redemption, addiction and recovery, desire and spirituality, discord and song. Above all, its unflinching record of every twist in the road - shameful or inspiring, tragic or comic-shows how the same dreams that can unravel a life will sometimes end up saving it.

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