Lenny Shulman – författare

In 2019, the NFL issued a list of football's one hundred greatest game-changers, and among the legendary athletes and coaches was one broadcaster: Phyllis George. The first female anchor of a major network sports show, George broke the glass ceiling in sports journalism and embodied the complexities of the women's movement of the 1970s.  As a young woman, George first hit the media radar in 1971 when she won the crown of Miss America and toured the world. While many in the budding feminist movement looked down on the pageant queen, George parlayed her success into a television career and excelled in sports journalism. While she was not immune to criticism, George was never deterred by the complainants and constantly showed her inner strength and perseverance. Through the decades she cultivated a reputation as one of the most respected and strong-willed players in the rough and tumble businesses of sports and network news, breaking through the glass ceiling in one of the most male-driven industries in the world. She was a pioneer who helped pave the way for a new generation of female broadcasters. A published author in her own right and champion of the arts, George remained a stalwart advocate for female empowerment until her death in 2020.  In Phyllis George: Shattering the Ceiling authors Lenny Shulman and Paul Volponi trace George's evolution from Miss America to professional broadcaster, to arts advocate, author, philanthropist, and also as First Lady of Kentucky who was instrumental in getting her husband, John Y. Brown Jr., elected Governor of that state. George's life was defined by her professionalism, her strength of character, and her uncanny ability to leave an indelible impression on all she met.

With a trademark powerful stride amid a blaze of red and yellow silks, Justify emphatically crossed the finish line at the 2018 Belmont Stakes and became just the 13th winner of horse racing's elusive Triple Crown. One of the most charismatic and talented runners in the history of the sport, Justify was also one of its most unlikely champions; the late-blooming chestnut colt made his competitive debut only 111 days prior to that legendary victory. In Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory, veteran scribe Lenny Shulman (BloodHorse magazine) provides an insider account of this Thoroughbred's rise to greatness. Through extensive interviews and first-hand accounts, readers will discover the fascinatingly disparate cast of characters who were crucial to Justify's success, including trainer Bob Baffert, whose innate ability to identify equine talent also produced American Pharoah; Mike Smith, the 52-year-old jockey asserting himself in the miraculous third act of his career; and breeders John and Tanya Gunther, who believed in Justify's ability despite the developmental imperfections that drove buyers away. Packed with riveting action, keen insight, and behind-the-scenes perspectives on quieter figures like silent investors, international stakeholders, and unheralded training staff, Justify is an illuminating look at the modern Thoroughbred industry and an essential story for the ages.

With a trademark powerful stride amid a blaze of red and yellow silks, Justify emphatically crossed the finish line at the 2018 Belmont Stakes and became just the 13th winner of horse racing's elusive Triple Crown. One of the most charismatic and talented runners in the history of the sport, Justify was also one of its most unlikely champions; the late-blooming chestnut colt made his competitive debut only 111 days prior to that legendary victory. In Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory, veteran scribe Lenny Shulman (BloodHorse magazine) provides an insider account of this Thoroughbred's rise to greatness. Through extensive interviews and first-hand accounts, readers will discover the fascinatingly disparate cast of characters who were crucial to Justify's success, including trainer Bob Baffert, whose innate ability to identify equine talent also produced American Pharoah; Mike Smith, the 52-year-old jockey asserting himself in the miraculous third act of his career; and breeders John and Tanya Gunther, who believed in Justify's ability despite the developmental imperfections that drove buyers away. Packed with riveting action, keen insight, and behind-the-scenes perspectives on quieter figures like silent investors, international stakeholders, and unheralded training staff, Justify is an illuminating look at the modern Thoroughbred industry and an essential story for the ages.

As a son of Seattle Slew and a grandson of Secretariat, both Triple Crown winners, A.P. Indy was destined for racing glory. But he still had to go out and earn it. Overcoming physical ailments that would have stopped lesser athletes, A.P. Indy won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic to become 1992's Horse of the Year. His influence continued to be unmatched after retiring from the track. Standing stud at his birthplace, Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, A.P. Indy sired progeny that became and produced some of the best racehorses on the planet.A.P. Indy details this extraordinary Thoroughbred's life and how he impacted an entire industry along the way. Author Lenny Shulman captures his personal connection to A.P. Indy as well as the stories of those who shaped A.P. Indy's incredible ride—including his trainer, owners, breeders, groom, and jockey—inviting readers into never-before-seen dynamics of the stall, track, and paddock.A.P. Indy is a generation-leading yearling, champion racehorse, and breed-shaping stallion whose heroic journey reveals how greatness is made.

The riveting autobiography of iconic American sportscaster Tom DurkinSports have become indelibly linked to the voices that describe the action, from Al Michaels at the Olympics to baseball’s Vin Scully and basketball’s Marv Albert. In horseracing, perhaps no single voice did as much to reshape, modernize, and improve the soundtrack of the sport as Tom Durkin. In A Life’s Calling: The Voice Behind the World’s Greatest Horse Races, Tom Durkin, alongside longtime turf writers Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, shares his fascinating story. Readers will revel in his tales of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning horse racing among rickety grandstands and local hustlers, and of the day when he called the first Breeders’ Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant. Durkin also candidly recounts how the pressure to describe each race with flawless accuracy became too much, leading him to step away from the spotlight while still at his prime.Durkin’s life is as colorful as his description of a come-from-behinder weaving his way through horses toward a photo finish. A Life’s Calling is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the voice behind many of horse racing’s greatest calls.