The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle

The Great Match Race is a captivating account of America's first sports spectacle, a horse race that pitted North against South in three grueling heats. On a bright afternoon in May 1823, an unprecedented sixty thousand people showed up to watch two horses run the equivalent of nine Kentucky Derbys in a few hours' time. Eclipse was the majestic champion representing the North, and Henry, an equine arriviste, was the pride of the South. Their match race would come to represent a watershed moment in American history, crystallizing the differences that so fundamentally divided the country. The renowned sportswriter John Eisenberg captures all the pulse-pounding drama and behind-the-scenes tensions in a page-turning mix of history, horse racing, and pure entertainment.

JOHN EISENBERG is a sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun and the author of four acclaimed books, including, most recently, Native Dancer: Hero of a Golden Age. In 2003 his commentary helped anchor a broadcast that earned an Eclipse Award, the highest honor that can be given for horse-racing coverage.