Synopsis
Part socioeconomic study, part historical excavation, this look at Kentucky horse breeding details the earliest accounts of horse trading, an oddball horse auction (in which a reserved group of Irish buyers is pitted against a consortium of sheikhs known as the Doobie Brothers), and the fate of the manure from prized horses (Campbell Soup fertilizes their mushroom crops with it).
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2003-04-01 | | Edition Description: | Reprint |
| Size | | Length: | 288 pages | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 8.8 oz |
Publisher's Note
Sex. Money. Horses.
Every year, on Valentine's Day, the great Thoroughbred farms open their breeding sheds and begin their primary business. For the next one hundred and fifty days, the cries of stallions and the vigorous encouragement of their handlers echo through breeding country, from the gentle hills of Kentucky to the rich valleys of California. Stud takes us into this strange and seductive world of horse breeding. We meet the world's leading sire, Storm Cat, the Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, and a nearly unmanageable colt, Devil Begone, who has found peace and prosperity on the banks of the Rio Grande servicing desert mares like Patty O'Furniture. Cheap stud, top stud, old stud, wild stud, from the Hall of Fame horse to the harem stallion with his feral herd, Stud looks at intimate acts in idyllic settings and the billion-dollar business behind them.
Industry Reviews
"New Yorker staff writer Conley provides...color commentary with cool brio and a heart-gladdening display of language....His prose displays an easy grace, lightly worn intelligence, and unbeveled enthusiasm....Simply wonderful."
Kirkus Reviews (01/15/2002)
"[Conley] approaches his subject with the jaw-dropping astonishment of a newcomer and a seasoned reporter's eye for detail....He provides a condensed but authoritative and witty account of the horse through history."
Chicago Tribune Books (03/17/2002)
"[A] Charles Kuralt-style road trip through the barns, stables and paddocks of Kentucky, California and Pennsylvania. [Conley] bounces from farm to farm with bemusement and no clear goal or focus, which occasionally makes STUD feel like a scattershot collage without a narrative core. But Conley's mix of wit and awe ensures that the journey is pleasurable and informative."
Salon - Damien Cave (04/04/2002)
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