AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile
This audiobook proves that everyone loves an underdog—or, in this case, an “underhorse.” The story is more than a one-trick pony; it also highlights the history of horse racing in the 1930s and 1940s. Narrator Kevin Collins’s delivery is an excellent complement to the narrative, particularly his natural-sounding surprise at the success of trainer Hirsch Jacobs. A pigeon racer turned horse trainer, with no racing background, he consistently spotted winning race horses among the sport’s perceived dregs. Jacobs’s greatest success was Stymie, a thoroughbred he claimed for $1,500 and transformed into the most winning horse ever. Collins’s low-key style is particularly effective at presenting the many personalities of the era who helped make the sport of horse racing so popular. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"Out of the Clouds is more than the story of a single horse, a single trainer, and their unlikely rise. The whole mid-century world of grit and cigars, of prize fights and thick New York accents—guys and dolls—is in these pages. The book is as much about the big picture as it is the close-up."—The Wall Street Journal
"The best racetrack books make you fall in love with a horse and become enthralled with the people around him, and that's exactly what Out of the Clouds does. It's a galloping tale of a misunderstood horse and horseman who navigated thoroughbred racing with guts, hunches, and a touch of magic."—Joe Drape, New York Times bestselling author of AmericanPharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise
"I was stunned and pleased by Out of the Clouds... an engaging story of a man's life, his nature, his wisdom, and the prolonged success born of talent, dedication, and compassion."—Edward L. Bowen, former editor-in-chief of TheBlood-Horse and author of author of 20 books onThoroughbred racing
"Two of Thoroughbred racing's greatest rags-to-riches stories—chronicling the rise of trainer Hirsch Jacobs and his champion, Stymie, from the lowest rungs of the sport to its loftiest peak, the Racing Hall of Fame—are here woven together in a tale further inhabited and enriched by some of racing's most legendary gamblers and characters, from high-rolling Arnold Rothstein to journalist Damon Runyon. Out of the Clouds is a colorful, engaging account of their racetrack world."—William Nack, bestselling author of Secretariat
"A sensational book...When it comes to history and colorful characters, Out of the Clouds is right up there with Seabiscuit, and is as riveting a racing/history book from start to finish as I have ever read."—Steve Haskin, The Blood-Horse
AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile
This audiobook proves that everyone loves an underdog—or, in this case, an “underhorse.” The story is more than a one-trick pony; it also highlights the history of horse racing in the 1930s and 1940s. Narrator Kevin Collins’s delivery is an excellent complement to the narrative, particularly his natural-sounding surprise at the success of trainer Hirsch Jacobs. A pigeon racer turned horse trainer, with no racing background, he consistently spotted winning race horses among the sport’s perceived dregs. Jacobs’s greatest success was Stymie, a thoroughbred he claimed for $1,500 and transformed into the most winning horse ever. Collins’s low-key style is particularly effective at presenting the many personalities of the era who helped make the sport of horse racing so popular. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
