Collie Sparling didn’t think his short vignettes on horse racing which he penned for track programs would amount to all that much. Now, just a month away from MacKenzie Publishing’s October release of his 242-page book ‘Back at the Track,’ the 50-year veteran of the Maritimes racing industry has opened up on the endeavour.
Sparling, who was the longtime race secretary at Tartan Downs in Sydney, NS, has told the Cape Breton Post that his book features more than 50 brief racing-related stories that he had initially written over a two-year period for race programs at Northside Downs, where he worked as race secretary for a stint.
"In 2010, the first year I was race secretary at Northside Downs, the draw had been done for the race card on Saturday, and office manager Kelly Turner said: 'Why not write a little story (for the program) to start the year off?'" Sparling told the Cape Breton Post. "I wrote it, but then I wondered what to call it."
Sparling’s vignettes were dubbed ‘Back at the Track,’ and they were a hit with racing fans. He continued to write one story every week for the program, and people ate them up.
"People were enjoying it," he said. "They were looking forward to seeing who the story would be about this week. People told me they liked to read the history and they would be disappointed if they missed a week."
Back at the Track will feature 56 stories and will contain more than 150 full-colour illustrations.
"I don't know how well the book will sell, but I think that when it comes out, people will want it,” Sparling said.
(With files from the Cape Breton Post)