Three Strides Before the Wire

Book excerpt: 'Charismatic, a colt nobody wanted, is ridden by Antley,a jockey everybody doubted.That either could be a mere mile and a half from winning the Triple Crown would be astounding; that the two of them together are so close to racing immortality would be a fantasy... except that it is real. So THE BOSTON GLOBE reported days before jockey Chris Antley and his horse Charismatic attempted to make history by winning the third and final race othe Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.After bouts of depression and drug and alchol abuse, Antley had made a stunning comeback by riding the unknown Charismatic to victory at both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Antley's success was viewed as symbolic of the new path he was forging in his life, but his story, and his horse's would not have a fairy-tale ending. In Three Strides to the Wire, journalist Elizabeth Mitchell takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the world of horse racing by tracing the intertwined lives of jockey Chris Antley, trainer D.Wayne Lukas, the owners Bob and Beverly Lewis, 1999 Derby winner Charismatic, and the author herself, who placed a crucial bet on the race.The adventure takes us behind the scenes of the world's racetrackes, revealing the colourful history of horse racing, while also exposing the underbell