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The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies

What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table? 

KBF visitors will find The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies and Dream Derby: TheMyth and Legend of Black Gold at my table. They will also find an enthusiastic Thoroughbred historianwho loves sharing her knowledge about Thoroughbred racing and breeding in America. 

Whom do you invite to stop by? 

Everyone who loves Thoroughbred horses and stories of drama, romance, and unusual achievementswithin the sport of horse racing should stop by! 

Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book? 

The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies is the first-ever history of the Kentucky Derby’ssister race for three-year-old fillies and chronicles its rise from a modest regional event to one of thetop five most-watched horse races in the United States as well as as a major charity fundraising eventfor women’s health issues. Its history is told through the stories of some of the most interesting andunusual of the fillies, owners, breeders, and trainers who have helped make this great sporting andcharity event what it is today. 

Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?

This will be my second time at KBF, and what I enjoyed most last year was the people—both fellowauthors and the interesting folks who stopped by my table and wanted to chat!

About the Author

Avalyn Hunter is a nationally recognized authority on Thoroughbred pedigrees and racing history whose work has appeared in Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, MarketWatch, New York Breeder, and Louisiana Horse. In The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies, Hunter traces the evolution of the Kentucky Oaks through the stories of the men, women, and fillies that have made the race a symbol for women’s growing participation in the sport at all levels.

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