Racing History Reference Library
On the Derby list a couple of years ago, Ron Hale posted a list of suggested books for building your own reference library. Most of them are out of print, but they really are the best ones available and worth the hunt. I have taken that list and expanded it to include some newer books still in print and online history references as well as places both on and off line where you can hunt them down. 
indicates a book still in print.
Reference
Racing in America -- 1665-1979Various Authors
Published by the Jockey Club in six volumes
These add up to the bible of American racing, written by some of the greats of the American turf. The next volume, covering 1980-1999, is scheduled to be published right after the turn of the century. Early volumes are rare and expensive.
The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America
William H. P. Robertson
Bonanza Books (1964) 621 pages
If you can only get one reference book, this is the one. Written by the former
editor of The Thoroughbred Record, this is a wonderful one-volume history of
racing in America from colonial times through Kelso in 1963. Out of print but still fairly easy to find.
Hoofprints of the Century
Record Publishing Co. (1975) 580 pages
This is a compilation of excerpts from the best stories in The Thoroughbred
Record and its predecessor magazine (Live Stock Review) from 1875-1974. Great
reading.
Great Horses of Our Time
M. A. Stoneridge
Doubleday and Company (1972) 543 pages
The American Racing Manual
Published annually by Daily Racing Form (and its former sister, the Morning Telegraph)
Contains history of all major stakes and handicaps and
charts of all major races for the preceeding year, track information, jockey,
trainer, owner data, etc. Publication stopped for awhile and resumed recently.
Get one from the 80s or earlier and stay away from the current version on CDROM as they left out all the good history info!
For Color, Passion and Feeling
The Track: A Day in the Life of Belmont ParkWilliam Surface
Macmillian Publishing Co. (1976) 228 pages
Gives you a real feeling for what goes on daily at a track.
Those Wonderful Days: Tales of Racing's Golden Era
Bob Moore
Amerpub Co. (1976) 202 pages
Giants of the Turf
Dan M. Bowmar III
The Blood-Horse (1960) 224 pages
All the great families and horses of the American turf in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Much of the material was published in earlier edition of
The Blood-Horse.
A Sound of Horses
David Alexander
Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc. (1966) 317 pages
Great reading by a former New York Herald-Tribune sports writer. He later wrote
for The Blood-Horse and The Thoroughbred Record.
This Was Racing
Joe H. Palmer
A. S. Barnes & Co. (1953) 269 pages
This is my favorite. Columns written by the former sports writer for the New
York Herald-Tribune. Racing was Palmer's religion.
Hialeah Park: A Racing Legend
John Crittenden
The Pickering Press (Florida) (1989) 210 pages
Fairly new but already hard to find.
Biographies of Famous Horses
Big RedC. W. Anderson
Macmillan and Company (1943) 64 pages
Man o' War, of course. Written for young adults that have great first-hand info.
Cigar: America's Horse
Jay Hovdey
Blood Horse Magazine (1996)
Chronicles Cigar's record tying 16-race winning streak.
Here Comes Whirlaway
Fred Broadhead
Sunflower Univ Press (reprint 1995)
Man O' War
Walter Farley
Random House (reprint 1983)
Somewhat fictionalized biography of America's most famous race horse.
Northern Dancer: The Legend and His Legacy
Muriel Lennox
Associated Publishers Group (1998)
Old Bones, the Wonder Horse
Mildred Pace
McGraw-Hill (1955) 118 pages
The story of Exterminator. Written for young adults that have great first-hand info.
Ruffian: Burning from the Start
Jane Schwartz
Ballantine Books (1994)
A real tear jerker!
Secretariat: The Making of a Champion
William. Nack
Da Capo Press (reprint 1988)
Originally titled "Big Red of Meadow Stable" and published in 1975, nothing about his stud career.
Where to Find Them
Most libraries don't carry many or any books on racing history. Always check to see if your local library is one of those few which do as you may be pleasantly surprised.If you're in Kentucky, the Keeneland Library (606) 254-3412 located at the track is one of the finest. In Los Angeles, the Carleton F. Burke Memorial Library of The California Thoroughbred Breeder's Assn. (818) 445-7800 is located on Huntington Drive, just across the road from Santa Anita in Arcadia. In Northern California, the William P. Kyne Memorial Thoroughbred Library is located at Bay Meadows (415) 574-RACE in San Mateo.
Online Resources
Not a huge amount of racing history online and much of it just happens to be here on my site. Here are some links to what is available:
Famous Race Horses
Pages for famous race horses with an emphasis on the history of their
career, most with photos.
History
All sorts of historical information about racing.
Museums and Halls of Fame
All breeds and countries. Some have profiles of the inductees.
Racing History from Ron Hale
Lots of nice racing history articles on a variety of subjects.
Stats and Data
All kinds of statistics about racing, breeding, Eclipse awards, etc.
Book Stores
Although many of these books are out of print, they can still be found if you try hard enough and not all are extremely expensive. There are some very good used book stores online with excellent search engines and Ebay's Auction Web is also a very good source of horse racing books and memorabilia. After those links is a list of book stores recommended by Ron Hale. This list is a couple of years old now so some of the contact info may not be correct, especially area codes.
Ebay's Auction Web
Clever use of their search tool can yield some real gems.
Online Book Stores
Several excellent sources for out of print books as well as new ones currently available.
Bookends
P. O. Box 445
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 686-9778
Book Look
51 Maple Avenue
Warwick, NY 10990
(914) 986-1981
Glover's Bookery
862 S. Broadway
Lexington, KY 40504
(606) 253-0614
Lyrical Ballad Bookstore
7 Phila Street
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Merrylegs Farm
P. O. Box 80087
Dartmouth, MA 02748
(508) 992-7424
October Farm Old Horse Books
2609 Branch Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 772-0482
Sunrise Publishing Co.
481 Route 45 South
Austinburg, OH 44010
(216) 275-1310
Good luck building your library!
