The Scots & the Turf: Racing and Breeding - The Scottish Influence by Alan Yuill Walker
"The Scots & The Turf" reveals the unexpected contribution that people of Scottish ancestry, past and present, have made to the world of the Thoroughbred racehorse. Currently, Scotland has a great ambassador with Mark Johnston, who has resurrected Middleham in North Yorkshire as one of the country's foremost training centres, while his jumping counterpart Alan King, the son of a Lanarkshire farmer, is now based outside Marlborough. The greatest lady owner of jumpers in recent years was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, while Stirling-born Willie Carson was five-times champion jockey on the Flat. While these are familiar names to any racing enthusiast, they represent just the tip of the iceberg in the general scheme of things as the Scottish connection has influenced the Sport of Kings right across the board. Recognition of the part played by those from north of the Border is long overdue and "The Scots and The Turf" is an attempt to set the record straight.