Kim Wickens has been named the winner of the 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for excellence in Thoroughbred racing literature for her biography of the great 19th century stallion, Lexington.
The book, Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse, creates a vivid time capsule back to the pre- and -post Civil War era. This was the second straight year a book about the peerless sire was honored, following Geraldine Brooks's 2022 win for her novel, Horse. Lexington is the first book authored by Wickens, a former criminal defense lawyer, who currently resides in Kentucky.
“One of the biggest challenges of nonfiction writing about early Thoroughbred racing is making the facts found in 1800s racing publications, newspapers and other records come alive on the modern page,” lead judge Kay Coyte said. “Wickens tells the factual story of Lexington and the characters surrounding him with warmth, intelligence, sometimes humor, and always elegance. She clearly loved her subject and she breathed her enthusiasm into every chapter.”
Other finalists included Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey, by Katherine C. Mooney; and The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty, by Curtis Stock.
The finalists were recognized at a cocktail reception Nov. 20, held in the loft above the historic stallion barn at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, near Lexington, Kentucky. A $10,000 first prize was awarded, with $1,000 going to each of the runners-up. All three received Tipperary crystal trophies in the form of Castleton Lyons' iconic stone tower.
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