The Racetracks of America: From the Pre-Civil War Days to the 21st Century edited by Brien Bouyea (The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in partnership with Keeneland Library) has won the $10,000 2025 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which honors "excellence in thoroughbred racing literature."
Organizers described the book as a "beautifully illustrated coffee table book [that] includes more than 70 essays from 35 journalists and authors covering historical and ongoing tracks, some grouped by racing circuit, from coast to coast, south Florida to Seattle, bullrings to Belmont. The book is extensively illustrated, with upwards of 600 photos, paintings, programs, officials' badges and memorabilia. Author and historian Brien Bouyea, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's communications director, had the formidable job of editing the 440-page tome, creative director Chris Mangini pored through more than 2,000 images and artifacts, and multiple Eclipse Award winner Jay Hovdey wrote the foreword. Keeneland Library director Roda Ferraro and her team of curators and researchers scoured their archives and those of sister historical societies and collectors across the country to find the best images and artifacts to illustrate the book and provide support to essay authors."
Dr. Maryjean Wall, one of the judges, said, "The broad scope of The Racetracks of America makes it a winner on that merit alone. But when readers open this book they will discover an unexpected bonus in the refined writing, the keepsake photos, and the thoughtful presentation of what collectively amounts to one of the greatest stories ever told. Horse racing has been waiting a long time for such a book."