07/17/2025
Some exciting news: THE HISTORY OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY IN 75 OBJECTS by the Kentucky Derby Museum and Jessica Whitehead was selected as a semifinalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award - Castleton Lyons! See all of the great semifinalists in the post below.
We have selected semifinalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, for Thoroughbred racing literature published in the 2024 calendar year. These six titles illustrate the scope of the Book Award, including histories, biographies, a memoir, a mystery/thriller and a children’s illustrated story. They are (alphabetically, by title): “A Beggar’s Ride,” by John Perrotta; “Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption,” by Arthur B. Hancock III; “The History of the Kentucky Derby in 75 Objects,” by Kentucky Derby Museum and Jessica K. Whitehead; “Jockey Queen: Lillian Jenkinson Holder, Horse Racing’s Fearless Lady,” by Roger Peach; “Letters From Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o’ War, and the Founding of Maryland’s Oldest Thoroughbred Farm,” by Josh Pons; and “What Horses Do After Racing: The Story of Good Carma,” by Jay Privman.
Three finalists will be announced later this month and a winner will be crowned in November at a reception at Castleton Lyons farm. With a $10,000 winner’s prize, this competition has for nearly two decades ranked among the most lucrative in publishing, and we thank Shane Ryan for his generous support of this award founded by his late father.
Look for the official press release tomorrow and posts in the coming days to highlight each semifinalist.