Ouija Board: The Official Story [Hardcover]

Beautifully bred, wonderfully named, Ouija Board was the best of the best, a classy, glamorous jet setting aristocrat with a lethal turn of foot. This was one dame who was not afraid of getting her hooves dirty. A royal Femme Fatale.

The time in which she raced was a golden era for fillies and mares. Fans of the fairer sex had been thrilled by Russian Rhythm, Soviet Song, Attraction and Islington. You thought it could not get better than the sunlit day Ouija Board put the historical black and white colours of owner Lord Derby back in the hallowed Winner's Enclosure at Epsom in the Oaks, the Classic first won by his forebear 225 years earlier. But Ouija Board took the game ever higher.

Her connections dubbed her `Mother' and their joy in her was plain for all to see. Like all great racehorses she became public property and the more Lord Derby shared her with us the more we loved her. It is not often a jockey gets booed on a racecourse in England but following Christophe Soumillon's appallingly misjudged ride on her in the Eclipse boos rang out when they returned. Connections knew it was not for her and paraded her after the race so that fans could see her again.

Tears were shed at her victories, and at her farewell open day at the stable when she was retired to the paddock.

Lord Derby tells her story from the beginning enhanced by plenty of photos and mementoes. He writes from the heart in a friendly style, with great affection for the mare we loved and all of those who played a part in her creation. This is as close to a family scrapbook as you can get.

Henry Birtles poet and friend of Lord Derby has written a beautiful poem about her called, `Epsom Reclaimed' which is told in full in the book. It would be worth buying for this alone, but the book is full of wonderful memories. Like her, it is a joy. Get it, share it, give it!

"And if one day in future years, as darkness claims the sun,
You stand alone on Epsom Downs and dream of victories won,
You might just hear her challenging for one last great success,
Battling bravely for the line with Meld and Sun Princess."
- Henry Birtles -

Typically of connections who were so generous to the public with their prized possession all profits from the sale of this book are being donated to Racing Welfare, an extremely worthy cause.

[...]

The first decade of the twentieth century featured two legendary mares, but while the first decade of the twenty-first century couldn't produce any mares to match Sceptre and Pretty Polly, it nevertheless produced some high-quality mares, none more popular than the globe-trotting Ouija Board. She raced a total of 22 times, winning 10 of them (including the Epsom Oaks and Goodwood's Nassau Stakes, races that Sceptre and Pretty Polly both won in their time) and coming close in many of the others, some of which she might have won with better luck in running. Ouija Board only finished out of the first three four times - one race where she lost a shoe early in the race, two races in which jockeys were blamed for her defeat and one race in which she finished a close-up fifth in a blanket finish. Ouija Board's extensive travels took in three different continents and impressed horse lovers everywhere she went. In a world where racing is far more competitive than it once was, Ouija Board's achievements are just as remarkable as those of Sceptre and Pretty Polly a century earlier. So much for the mare, but what of the book?

Written by Ouija Board's owner, this lavishly illustrated book understandably begins with a history of his family's involvement in horse racing. Several of his ancestors made major contributions to the sport, so much so that the race that later became the most famous flat race in the world was named after one of them. The author also tells us a bit about Ouija Board's own ancestry. One of her ancestors was a mare who was blinded before she was even of racing age, but was saved for stud duties. Though consideration was given to putting her down, her owners were rewarded for persevering despite the obvious problems, as she bred plenty of winners including Ouija Board's grand-dam. We are then treated to a brief description of Ouija Board's early life and development.

All that stuff is interesting, but then we get to Ouija Board's racing career, which is covered in much detail, including all the setbacks. Deciding which race to go for was sometimes difficult, with factors including different distances and whether to take on the colts or not. I like the story that the owner only allowed Ouija Board to race in Texas in 2004 after his wife took away the crutches he used while recovering from an injury. Upon agreeing, his crutches were returned. The family seem to be superstitious, apparently being obsessed with wearing the same supposedly lucky clothes wherever Ouija Board raced. Towards the end of the book you'll find a complete record of the results of every race in which she ran, a map showing Ouija Board's long-distance journeys, a page showing her four-generation pedigree and an index for easy reference. Yes, this book is a fitting tribute to a magnificent mare.

I always enjoy reading about the stories of great racehorses and their connections but this one, like the subject, is on another level. Beautifully written by the most historic name in horseracing, it gives an excellent insight into today's world of international horseracing and the sportsmanship he encountered that sadly probably doesn't exist in other sports today.

I liked the way Lord Derby stuck to his experience of owning this exceptional race mare and his love and pride shines through. He gets across the number of people involved in fulfilling a Thoroughbred's potential and shows you the impact that a worldwide star has on the sport. There are choice articles from the racing press and fabulous photos (the photo of Ouija Board after the Epsom Oaks with HH Sheikh Mohammad looking on is symbolic of the sport), and he shares with the reader, some of his personal letters and emails.

This book is uplifting and will, I hope, go along way to help enlighten non-racing enthusiasts why horseracing is such an enduring sport.