Wealthy speculators have transformed the once genteel hobby of horse breeding into a high-stakes enterprise
The racetrack in spring is a place of optimism, of dreams of zooming stocks, flashy cars and clothes and women, but fall at the track is the season of “gel even” time, when the Irvings and the Arnolds of the betting world are especially wary of the mysterious powers that flex the fickle finger of fate. Sam Toperoff, a toft who writes poems yet, and author of ALL THE ADVANTAGES (Atlantic-Little, Brown) and of a forthcoming book on the lore, the sociology, and the delights of horse racing, takes you to the head of the stretch on a typical brisk autumn day at The Big A. Dress warmly and listen carefully to the conversation around you.
How to create a boom in Lucky Mints and a cult in malted milks is here described by Sam Toperoff of New York, a teacher of English, a poet of considerable originality, and a prose writer whose first short story the ATLANTIC is proud to publish.
The ATLANTIC’S door is always open to promising new writers, and twice a year pages are set aside for poets who have come to deserve a hearing. This spring’s Young Poets section introduces five fresh talents to ATLANTIC readers.