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Xlibris US - Amber D. Sims , John S. Sutton Jr.

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114 pages

English

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An 83-year journey through the vibrant history of horse racing, narrated by a fervent fan who lived, breathed, and loved the Kentucky Derby.
In "A Real Life Exacta: Bourbon & 83 Kentucky Derbies," the author pulls back the curtain on the history of horse racing, chronicling a lifelong passion that began more than eight decades ago. This illuminating Kentucky Derby book is steeped in rich tradition, offering readers a vibrant narrative that intimately showcases Kentucky Derby history. It's an exceptional dive into American horse racing, narrated by a man who has been a part of the Derby's fabric for an astounding 83 consecutive years.
The book's narrative stretches back to the author's childhood when his familial love for horse racing was ignited. With the turn of each page, the reader is closer to the very heart of the Derby experience, revealing tales that only true Kentucky Derby fans would appreciate. Anecdotes, triumphs, challenges, and a host of horse racing stories are colorfully narrated, along with a plethora of candid photos and family legacies that lend added depth and texture.
This autobiography is as much a chronicle of the author's life as it is a reflection of his enduring love for the Derby. It weaves in and out of significant life events and gives the reader a vivid picture of a unique lifestyle shaped around the most exhilarating two minutes in sports. Readers are granted a ringside seat to a journey that transformed a young boy into a fervent supporter who, since his first Derby, has been captivated by the sport's allure.
Considered among the most inspirational autobiographies, the book underscores the author's determination to master every nuance of horse racing and leave a tangible legacy for his family. His resilience in the face of life's good and bad moments is narrated with honesty and steadfast resolve.
"A Real Life Exacta: Bourbon & 83 Kentucky Derbies" is a must-read for those who relish true stories and are drawn to biographies that offer more than just a glimpse into a fascinating life. Similar to "Beating the Odds," it is a testament to a man's unwavering dedication to his passion and an extraordinary chronicle of a quintessential American pastime.

Sujets

Personal Memoirs

Biography

Autobiography

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Publié par	Xlibris US
Date de parution	05 mars 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781669869085
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

A Real Life Exacta
Bourbon & 83 Kentucky Derbies
John S. Sutton Jr. and Amber D. Sims

Copyright © 2023 by John S. Sutton Jr. and Amber D. Sims.

Library of Congress Control Number:
2023903767
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-6910-8

Softcover
978-1-6698-6909-2

eBook
978-1-6698-6908-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/21/2023

Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
847605
Contents
Preface

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18

In Memory of My Father
I WOULD LIKE TO dedicate this book to my father, the late John S. Sutton Sr., who instilled in me my passion for thoroughbred race horses. Also, his father, my grandfather, handled horses as a blacksmith circa the turn of the twentieth century.
Without their knowledge that somehow rubbed off on the writer, I would have known very little, if any, about the Kentucky Derby and the mannerisms of these magnificent animals.
I thank them both dearly for bringing me along for the ride of a lifetime.
PREFACE
T HIS IS A story about a man who has survived various situations—good, bad, and unique. It is about the family that brought about the circumstances that allowed him to be able to attend one of the most iconic sporting events in the world—the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky, held now every year since 1875. He has attended the Kentucky Derby for eighty-three consecutive years and counting starting in 1940.
The condition for this race is for three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies that were nominated and qualified. The qualifications have changed over the years, but was meant only for the top-notch horses (generic) in the USA and later globally.
He is the only person on the planet to have achieved this record. Not only the number of years, but continuously, and also to be present in the paddock to view every horse that has run in that race for eighty-three years.
This came about when he attended the Kentucky Derby with his father when he was eight years old. His father was a thoroughbred racehorse aficionado who studied the lineage, breeding, and genetics of thoroughbred racehorses most of his life. His father—my grandfather—was a blacksmith who owned a horse and carriage shop in Loretta and Elizabethtown, Kentucky. This was the beginning and primary incentive for my interest in and knowledge of horses.
At the turn of the twentieth century, most people traveled by horse/horse and buggy, and the maintenance of this means of transportation was essential to civilization all over the world. To my grandfather (Francis Eugene Sutton), this was a means of supporting a family with nine children. This in itself is not significant except this is where the interest in horses was spawned. He shod rogue draft horses weighing up to one thousand eight hundred pounds. His methods were sometimes harsh when the situation demanded, but he had a way of calming these rogues that were second to none. My father spoke of helping his father by holding the horses nose in a twist in order to keep them from tearing up the shop and injuring anyone around. That’s where the “Don’t get your nose in a twist” originated. He spoke of times when he viewed his father standing in the doorway with sweat pouring down his body and trembling from the exhausting effort of shoeing these powerful animals.
His outlet, as with others of that era, was bourbon, bourbon, and bourbon, especially in that area of Kentucky, where it was primarily made up of distilleries and Catholics with monasteries and nunneries spread throughout the region when they settled after the revolutionary and civil wars.
As a child, I learned the disposition of horses and their cause for various behaviors from his father. Certain traits carry over to those of the same species. He developed a so-called sixth sense as to their well-being. John Sr. was also valedictorian of his class in high school due to his educated mother (Susan E. Donahue), who tutored him at an early age, being he was the first child. He was chosen by Sister Josephine to represent his county to take a job at the L&N Railroad in Louisville at the age of seventeen in 1919—a worthy prize in those days. To make a long story short, he married my mother (Ruth E. Roby), and I was the second child of three.
My father developed an avid interest in genetics due to his intellect and predisposition in analyzing the behavior of both horses and humans. His desire to be an MD was shattered due to the lack of funds and connections, which was mandatory in those days (the 1920s). This frustration stayed with him along with the hum-drum accounting work he did at the L&N Railroad.
CHAPTER 1
I N ORDER TO combat these tribulations, my father resorted to increasing his consumption of alcoholic beverages, which was a way of life for his ancestors and siblings (not all). Other factors such as an abundance of testosterone (inherited) and his Catholic background forbidding divorce and the use of contraceptives, and my mother’s reluctance to have more children all contributed to the weekend abuse of alcohol and resentful belligerence. This is only my opinion, but I believe this fight against the male natural desire to breed as nature has dictated is a big factor in self-abuse (or non-self). This incentive drive, coupled with society’s demands has been a huge factor in many difficulties associated with society then and now, especially Catholics of the pre-1940s, who followed their faith and teachings and were torn between teaching and inherent instincts. Who wins the battle of the ages: the big head or the little head?
The above observations and facts (family) are necessary here to lay down the basis for the remainder of this book, which gives the reader an insight into some of the unique occurrences and experiences of the author. This endeavor is primarily an attempt to leave a legacy for those who follow. Since I am the last of our clan to know the history associated with this unusual tribe who defied logic because of their self-confidence, this directly led to a bulletproof mentality that resulted in abusive self-behavior. Included in this treatise are legacy verses depicting the favorable analysis of the major players written over a period of fifty years. Some of the shortcomings of human behavior are revealed in the pages that follow.
I suppressed my considerable ego and competitiveness for the rest of my life until now at age ninety. I’m joining the me-me world (generation) of the internet such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc., in which I don’t participate, in order to satisfy my desire to tell it like it was, then and now. I apologize in advance for tooting my own horn in many occurrences. The reader will notice throughout that I am either bragging or complaining , but I have determined that this reality is essential if the truth be told. What will be, will be.

Francis Eugene Sutton–Age 50–Grandfather
In order to acquaint the reader(s) with the circumstances, we will start with my earliest memories of my personal life. We—my older sister, younger brother, parents, and me—were renting a house in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1937. As you may well know, the great flood occurred in January/February of that year. We fled our house when the water lapped at our door as did others. We, five of us, and other relatives moved out to the suburbs for shelter at my aunt’s house. They could not accommodate all of us, so we moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, some fifty miles away to reside temporarily with my grandfather (Gene) and his family. My father commuted back and forth by train for his job at the L&N RR.
By this time, my grandparents’ source of money had all but disappeared. Times were hard as the nationwide depression was in full swing, and they were hard-pressed to survive. When the flood waters receded in about a month, I went with my father to see where we had lived and to survey the damage. The waterline ring was six inches from the ceiling, and we lost everything including their Model A in the garage. We rented a house together with my uncle and aunt and stayed there until we could find other residences. Eventually, we ended up near St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Louisville.
The belligerence began when my father drank heavily on the weekends due to many adverse factors between my mother and father. A vicious cycle had begun between them unbeknownst to us at the time. It was years before I figured out the cause of this trouble. Thus, began the mental abuse directed at my mother by making the children suffer to retaliate against her. Both devout Catholics and forbidden to divorce or use contraceptives or commit adultery, I think, was the primary factor in this unstable situation. I will stop here to partially explain some of the reasons that led to my uniq