The track: A day in the life of Belmont Park

Bill Surface has fashioned more than a dramatic chronicle or an evocative and telling portrait. 'The Track' is a rich repository of anecdote, history, and backstretch information that makes insiders of all its readers. Her is the story of jockey Ron Turcotte and the champion mare he taught to win--against her will; of trainer Allen Jerkens and what he does to turn a crippled horse into a winner; of the nation's winningest owner of Thoroughbreds, Sigmund Sommer, and how he beats the races. And here are the losers, as well as the the trainer who hasn't had a winner in eight years; the high-bred colt that won't run; the would-be tout who follows wealthy owners to the betting windows in the hope of getting a hot tip. All are real, and Bill Surface writes of them with an insight, humor, and compassion.