from Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ —Standardbred Old Friends, 43 portraits in words and photos, of Standardbreds of distinction, now in the last years of their lives, received second place in a field of 16 at the American Horse Publications awards in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday (June 20).

The 218 page book, third in the Old Friends series about high profile racehorses, features the photographs of three time Eclipse-award winning photographer Barbara Livingston, with stories written by Ellen Harvey. It was second to a book about Sgt. Reckless, a horse who assisted US troops during the Korean War. The book is a top seller on Amazon and from a publishing house whose books have landed on the New York Times bestseller list more than 50 times.

Standardbred Old Friends features now 31-year-old Mack Lobell, depicted at age 29 at his home at Menhammar Stud in Sweden, on the cover. Some others depicted include Cam’s Card Shark, Hattie, CR Kay Suzie and her dam Country Kay Sue, Giant Victory, Jate Lobell, Staying Together and Tap In. Moni Maker, Matt’s Scooter and Winky’s Gill were photographed prior to their deaths. Blue collar heroes like NL Loren, Stacey’s Echo, Dust Devil and now 38-year-old Waco Hanover also made the cut.

The judge assessing book entries noted that Standardbred Old Friends, “Offers breathtaking photographs of magnificent senior Standardbreds — some drop-dead gorgeous, others not so much; some agreeable in temperament, others nowhere close — accompanied by impressively well-written vignettes, loaded with anecdotes, humor and compassion, about each horse’s life. It’s a perfect, high-quality keepsake for lovers of this very special breed and reveals aspects of their characters and careers that aren’t well known.”

The $30 book is available for sale at The Harness Racing Museum Gift Shop, 845.294.6330, Amazon and Ebay, with shipping throughout the world available. A video about the making of the book can be seen here.