From Publishers Weekly
Called by some the "Michael Jordan of racing," Bailey has endured tumultuous times both on and off the track. In this honest but cliché-ridden memoir, the jockey recalls his life's milestones, paying particular attention to his bout with alcoholism. Aided by sportswriter Pedulla (USA Today), Bailey, 47, exposes the risks jockeys face during a race, the corruption rampant at some tracks, the nobility of racehorses, the arrogance and humility of various owners and the thrill of winning. He recalls his boyhood excitement at racing horses against neighborhood friends in his native Texas. Driven by his love of horses and his competitive spirit, he entered the racing world, first as a trainer, and eventually becoming a world-class jockey. Yet early in his career, he drifted into alcoholism; with the help of his wife and an AA counselor, he became sober. Although Bailey was successful as a young jockey, his glory days have come in the last 16 years with his Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes wins and numerous other honors. Bailey weaves interviews with friends and family with his own words to create an often poignant memoir of the triumph of the human spirit, but his prose reads more like a trot around the track than an exhilarating run for the roses. Photos not seen by PW. Agent, Equisponse. (Apr. 21) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Jerry Bailey has been America's premier rider for well over a decade, and he might have reached the pinnacle of Thoroughbred racing much earlier if his excessive alcohol use hadn't dulled his reflexes and soured his relationships. Bailey, with coauthor Pedulla, is brutally frank in describing his years of alcohol abuse, and his candor on that topic lends credibility to everything else in the story of his transformation from a wannabe athlete in El Paso to a Hall of Fame jockey still at the peak of his prowess at the age of 47. Of special interest is Bailey's detailed account of his incredible run aboard Cigar, who won 16 straight races and became the richest Thoroughbred in history in the mid-1990s. He concludes with a thoughtful analysis of several of the thorniest problems facing racing, including riding weights and the drugs used on horses. Bailey's story will be of interest to readers with even a passing interest in horse racing, and his account of overcoming addiction will serve as a cautionary tale for some and an inspiration for others. Dennis Dodge
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Bob Costas, NBC and HBO Sports
a remarkable story of adversity, courage and redemption.... This is one wild ride.
George Steinbrenner III
"You talk about a true champion...and I would put no one in any sport ahead of Jerry Bailey.
Dick Francis
[Bailey's] book is a 'must' for every true lover of the sport of kings.
ESPN.com, April 5, 2005
It is about...a complicated individual who was willing to bear his soul about a battle with alcohol....this book succeeds.
Book Description
A remarkable narrative of failure and redemption, the fiercely candid autobiography of the world's greatest jockey, depicting not only the intense inside story of professional racing but his greatest victory of all-against himself.
I had hit bottom. My descent into alcoholism had been slow, but now I was lying at the bottom of the ocean, searching for a ray of light. I needed to breathe again. I needed to live again. . . . It was up to me.
He is considered the leading rider of his era, one of the greatest jockeys ever to break from the starting gate. He has won every major race there is, and then won it again; set earnings and stakes records; and entered the Racing Hall of Fame. But none of it was possible until he defeated his demons.
Astonishingly frank and vividly detailed, Against the Odds chronicles the making of both a man and a champion: the years of drinking, cruelty, anger, despair; the moment of truth, with the help of his wife, Suzee; the dramatic rise to the top. It takes us into the racing world as only someone who has lived it can-the joys and dangers, the adrenaline highs and controversies, from the stables to the stretch drive. It is a new classic of the literature.
About the Author
Jerry Bailey has won the Eclipse Award as the nation's best jockey seven of the past nine years. He has won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes twice each, has won a record fourteen Breeders' Cup races, and in 1995 was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.
Tom Pedulla is a sportswriter for USA Today.
Against the Odds: Riding for My Life FROM THE PUBLISHER
A remarkable narrative of failure and redemption, the fiercely candidautobiography of the world's greatest jockey, depicting not only the intense inside story of professional racing but his greatest victory of all-against himself.
I had hit bottom. My descent into alcoholism had been slow, but now I was lying at the bottom of the ocean, searching for a ray of light. I needed to breathe again. I needed to live again. . . . It was up to me.
He is considered the leading rider of his era, one of the greatest jockeys ever to break from the starting gate. He has won every major race there is, and then won it again; set earnings and stakes records; and entered the Racing Hall of Fame. But none of it was possible until he defeated his demons.
Astonishingly frank and vividly detailed, Against the Odds chronicles the making of both a man and a champion: the years of drinking, cruelty, anger, despair; the moment of truth, with the help of his wife, Suzee; the dramatic rise to the top. It takes us into the racing world as only someone who has lived it can-the joys and dangers, the adrenaline highs and controversies,from the stables to the stretch drive. It is a new classic of the literature.
Author Biography: Jerry Bailey has won the Eclipse Award as the nation's best jockey seven of the past nine years. He has won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes twice each, has won a record fourteen Breeders' Cup races, and in 1995 was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.
Tom Pedulla is a sportswriter for USA Today.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Called by some the "Michael Jordan of racing," Bailey has endured tumultuous times both on and off the track. In this honest but clich -ridden memoir, the jockey recalls his life's milestones, paying particular attention to his bout with alcoholism. Aided by sportswriter Pedulla (USA Today), Bailey, 47, exposes the risks jockeys face during a race, the corruption rampant at some tracks, the nobility of racehorses, the arrogance and humility of various owners and the thrill of winning. He recalls his boyhood excitement at racing horses against neighborhood friends in his native Texas. Driven by his love of horses and his competitive spirit, he entered the racing world, first as a trainer, and eventually becoming a world-class jockey. Yet early in his career, he drifted into alcoholism; with the help of his wife and an AA counselor, he became sober. Although Bailey was successful as a young jockey, his glory days have come in the last 16 years with his Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes wins and numerous other honors. Bailey weaves interviews with friends and family with his own words to create an often poignant memoir of the triumph of the human spirit, but his prose reads more like a trot around the track than an exhilarating run for the roses. Photos not seen by PW. Agent, Equisponse. (Apr. 21) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Bailey was recently ranked the finest jockey of his time by Sports Illustrated, having won the Eclipse Award as the nation's best jockey seven out of the past ten years and having won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes twice each, not to mention 14 Breeders' Cups. He is perhaps best known for his 16 straight wins on his favorite ride: Cigar. But this book, written with USA Today sportswriter Pedulla, is as much a story of Bailey's battle with alcohol as it is of his easy success winning horse races. As a kid, Bailey was too small for football and basketball but loved sports and was very competitive. He began riding races when he was 17 years old, and his drinking began about the same time. Bailey candidly describes how alcohol affected his marriage and how stopping drinking improved every aspect of his life. The result is an inspiring book that would appeal not only to racing fans but also to families coping with substance abuse. Recommended for all public libraries.-Patsy Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
An ace jockey gives a sincere, straightforward account of his alcoholism and his sensational career. Bailey always loved horses, from his youth in Texas, through his years working as an apprentice, and on to today, as one of the most celebrated jockeys in sport history. Bailey also always loved alcohol-vodka was his spirit of choice-and he embraced the bottle hard for 15 years. Unfortunately, he wasn't a life-of-the-party type, but, as he himself says, he "was never a good drunk," adding that he "could be belligerent and condescending." In denial, he took out his demons on his wife, friends and family, his wife getting the worst of the abuse while the others suffered his neglect. He was riding well, too-not at the top of his game, but good enough to ignore the truth that alcohol might be holding him back from greatness. He worried mainly that if owners discovered he was a drunk, they wouldn't trust him with their best horses, which was certainly true and drove him deeper into secrecy, though he's aware now that almost losing his wife should have been an even greater concern. He was lying to her as well, claiming to be off the sauce and into AA, but she found him out, and in 1989 he agreed to seek counseling. He has stuck with the program ever since, and the extent that drink had thwarted his career has been made clear through his remarkable string of major achievements. As forceful as Bailey's story is, it gains even greater scope and interest through the detailed accounts of his wins: his way of making the moves, anticipating the action, and sensing what his horse wants as he wins doubles in all the Triple Crown events, takes the Breeder's Cup, wins Dubai and achieves a boggling10-for-10 season on Cigar. It's tempting to raise a glass in salute to Bailey's manifold achievements. But make it a 7-Up.
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