They're off!
Subtitle: horse racing at Saratoga
By: Edward Hotaling.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: [Syracuse, N.Y.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 368
Subjects: Saratoga Racecourse (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) -- History.; Horse racing -- New York (State) -- Saratoga Springs -- History.; Horse racing -- United States -- History.; African Americans in horse racing -- History.; Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) -- History.
Other titles: They are off
Description: Here, for the first time, is the story of how America's first national resort gave birth to, then nurtured, its first national sport, introducing the country to a parade of champions and their spectacular supporting characters. To experience this adventure is to see why the Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest major sports facility remains one of its most beloved and most successful.

They're Off! is as much a social history as it is sports history. Edward Hotaling opens with a little-known visit by the first famous tourist, George Washington, who tried to buy the place he called "the Saratoga Springs." Soon the pursuit of happiness at our original vacationland helped redefine America. Even at the height of the Civil War, the country's first organized sport was launched on a national scale.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-335) and index.