Great American Horse Stories

Sharon B. Smith was a reporter, interviewer, and anchor of televised horse sports on ESPN, NBC, and Sportschannel Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s. Her broadcasts included harness racing’s most prestigious event, the Hambletonian, as well as Kentucky Derby Day, Preakness Day, the Breeders’ Cup, harness racing’s Breeders’ Crown, the Arlington Million, the Santa Anita Derby, and dozens more. She wrote, produced, and anchored ESPN’s “Down the Stretch,” a weekly half hour racing news program, which won an Eclipse Award, the top honor in the racing industry. She is the author of seven books including, The Best There Ever Was: Dan Patch and the Dawn of the American Century (Skyhorse 2012), Connecticut’s Civil War (Featherfield 2009), the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Betting on Horses (Alpha/Simon and Schuster 1998), the Pocket Guide to Betting on Horses (Alpha/Simon and Schuster 1999), The Performance Mare (Howell Book House/Macmillan 1993), The Affordable Horse (Howell Book House/Macmillan 1994), and Retraining (Howell Book House/Macmillan 1998). She has had dozens of articles published in magazines, including Hoofbeats, the official publication of the harness racing industry. She was also published in the Quarter Horse Journal, Morgan Horse, Equus, Quarter Racing Journal, and more. She was a contributing editor of Horse Illustrated for a number of years. Her websites are www.sharonbsmith.com, www.danpatchbook.com, and www.ctcivilwar.com.