My name is Marie D. Jones. I’m a full-time writer of non-fiction, fiction, screenplays, gift books, short stories, and articles. I’ve been writing since early childhood, when it became apparent it was my destined mode of self-expression. I have a lot of writing credits to show for it, but my first love has always been horse racing and racehorses.
I wanted to be a jockey and would pretend-ride the squeaky plastic rocking horse in our cellar, or use my mom’s exercise band as “reins,” frantically riding my horse to the finish line. Around the age of thirteen, I realized I was getting too tall and wasn’t really the athletic type. So jockey dreams became just that. Dreams.
But my love of horse racing and great racehorses never died. It was something I got to share with my father up until his death a few years ago. He was a geophysicist, but loved the great racehorses and taught me all about them.
There was one in particular that became my childhood hero, Man O’ War. I idolized Man O’ War the same way kids today idolize Taylor Swift or a movie star or Kobe Bryant (rest his spirit). To me, Man O’ War epitomized athleticism, glory, majesty, speed, and courage, and he became a national hero at a time when our nation most needed a hero.
My love of the sport has morphed into participating as a share-owner through syndicated horse racing groups. I will share my experiences with that, and my views on the sport in all aspects, from profiling key players (horse and human) to covering the rich history of the sport to examining issues racing faces today.
If you are a racing fan, you know the glorious sound of thundering hooves coming around the far turn. The unparalleled rush of joy seeing your horse cross the finish line first.
Welcome to the Sport of Kings…and Queens. Riders UP!
[…] he was had been affected by the distance between his time and our own. I saw how his proximity to Man o’ War resulted in the unintentional diminishment of his accomplishments and abilities. Giving Sir Barton […]