Publisher's Synopsis
The idea of writing a book about the earliest of the three founding fathers of the English Thoroughbred came to the author when she found herself living beside the park that had once been part of Goldsborough Manor, home of Captain Robert Byerley. Captain Byerley had brought this handsome horse of Middle Eastern origin back to England in 1688 as part of the spoils of war following the defeat of the Turks at Buda, in Hungary. 'Byerley's Treasure', as the horse became known, never appeared on a racecourse himself, but as a stallion standing at Goldsborough he produced such good racing stock that his name went into the General Stud Book as one of the progenitors of the world's finest breed of racehorses - one of the three stallions from which all registered Thoroughbreds throughout the world are descended. What began as simple curiosity about this famous horse owner of Goldsborough Manor, led to the writing of a full-length book about the Byerley Turk. In it the author traces the horse's tail male racing lines, beginning with the Herod dynasty. She deals in detail with the direct line in the United States through Diomed and Lexington, the Tourbillon line in the USA, Canada and Argentina and the Highflyer line, whish has produced so many Derby winners. There are sections on the line founded by Woodpecker, whose 1969 Derby-winning descendant Blakeney still stands at the National Stud in Newmarket, and on the Castrel and Selim branches. The Byerley Turk's influence on Thoroughbred breeding in France is dealt with in detail and the book ends with an assessment of the exploits of the Turk's descendants in the last quarter-century. With no previous knowledge of the racing and bloodstock world, the author has sought the help of experts in many countries and brings a fresh eye to her subjects. Laced with numerous anecdotes about the horses and their owners, the book is both entertaining and informative and should be enjoyed by racing and non-racing horse enthusiasts alike. Mrs Haralambos was born in Yorkshire and lives in the Lodge of Goldsborough Hall, which is part of the original Manor.
