There is no one more knowledgeable about the Kentucky Derby than Jim Bolus. He is Kentucky Derby Curator of the Kentucky Derby Museum, which is located on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

In this, his fifth book on the Derby with Pelican, Bolus examines the mystique, the majesty, the magic of the most popular horse race in the world.

"The Bull and the Sunshine Boys" recalls the 1986 Derby, which was won by Ferdinand. On that magical day, Charlie Whittingham, seventy-three, and Bill Shoemaker, fifty-four, became the oldest trainer and jockey, respectively, to win the Kentucky Derby.

Readers will learn the exciting story of the first Derby winner in the essay "Assault: The Little Horse with the Heart of a Giant." The essays, including "Horses Have Their Own Personalities" and "Diary of a Champion: Skip Away," all convey the magic of the Derby, somehow captured by author Jim Bolus.

Bolus, who attended his 37th Kentucky Derby in 1996, hasn’t missed the race in more than 20 years. Dubbed a "Doctor of Derbyology" by one newspaper reporter, Bolus is also the author of Derby Fever ($18.95), Remembering the Derby ($18.95), Kentucky Derby Stories ($18.95), and Derby Dreams ($18.95), all published by Pelican.

DERBY MAGIC
By Jim Bolus
256 pp. 5½ x 8½
39 B/W Photos
ISBN: 1-56554-466-8
EAN: 978-1-56554-466-6 pb