Award Established for Best Annual Book on Thoroughbreds

Edited release
Kentucky breeding farm Castleton Lyons and the Thoroughbred Times have joined forces to establish an annual award of $10,000 for the year's best book on Thoroughbreds. The inaugural Castleton Lyons/Thoroughbred Times Book Award will be presented to the author of the best book on Thoroughbreds published in 2006.

The Castleton Lyons/Thoroughbred Times Book Award is the first of its kind. Traditionally the Eclipse Awards and other horse industry accolades are presented annually to honor editorial coverage of Thoroughbred racing and breeding that is published in newspapers and magazines. But with dozens of Thoroughbred-related books written every year, Dr. Tony Ryan, owner of Castleton Lyons, felt something needed to be done to recognize literature related to Thoroughbreds.

"Kentucky is the horse capital of the world," said Ryan. "It is only right to promote the horse through literature. Castleton Lyons, in cooperation with the Thoroughbred Times, creates an award for the book of the year on the horse, i.e., racing or just a great horse story."

"We are delighted to be able to honor writers in such a generous way," said Mark Simon, president of Thoroughbred Times. "Books have long been overlooked by the racing industry when it comes to acknowledging excellence, and this award will give worthy authors the recognition they deserve."

The inaugural winner of the Castleton Lyons/Thoroughbred Times Book Award will be announced in the spring of 2007, with the award being presented at a reception at Castleton Lyons.

Nominees for the Castleton Lyons/Thoroughbred Times Book Award can fall into any category: fiction, non-fiction, handicapping, training, children's, health care, photography, etc., as long as it pertains to an aspect dealing with Thoroughbreds. Judges selected by Thoroughbred Times will critique books on content, plus design, layout, and artwork, if relevant.

To submit nominees to the Castleton Lyons/Thoroughbred Times Book Award, authors or publishing companies should send four copies of the book to: Book Award, Thoroughbred Times, 2008 Mercer Rd, Lexington, KY 40511. Nominees must be submitted by December 31, 2006.