From his youth as a chubby would be dressage rider to running a stakes-winning filly against a maiden winner who she should have beaten easily but didn't, many of the stories from his personal experiences. By the way, that maiden winner's name was Ruffian.

However, not all the stories are about himself. He spends some time telling us about touts and betting coups, which were entertaining to read as long as you weren't the victim! The disaster that was Birmingham Turf Club was well documented here, marred by management with good intentions but no clue about running a track. Other tales include Calumet Farm's Ben and Jimmy Jones' brush with Al Capone when they were in Chicago, dealing with Japanese investors who understand little English, and poking fun at the Arab owners when they were first starting to buy horses in the United States. In the final chapter, he tells us about some of the more entertaining characters he has met, starting with actor Mickey Rooney and ending with "Airborne Wellborne", his (one-time) skydiving instructor.

Rascals and Racehorses is a very entertaining read for any racing fan. Campbell's writing style is perfectly suited to this kind of work, making the already humorous incidents sound even funnier. Fans looking for a history lesson need look elsewhere, but those who have grown weary of the many history books released recently will find Rascals and Racehorses a refreshing break. New and long time fans of racing alike will find this book's steady stream of anecdotes to be very difficult to put down.