Diary of a Dream: My Journey in Thoroughbred Racing
George Rowand

Pub Date: October 2005. This real-life story of a lawyer who abandons a boring career to pursue his dream is a testament to the power of optimism over adversity.

George Rowand’s inspired but sometimes misguided quest to own winning racehorses results in many lean years and innumerable setbacks. “I had been in the business six and one-half years, and that time was marked by defeats, failure, disappointment, bad decisions, bad judgment, and bad horses. I couldn’t point to a single thing I had done right, and because of that, the window of opportunity was almost sealed shut,” Rowand writes.

Yet almost miraculously, a tough gelding and a feisty filly emerge to save Rowand and his Bonner Farm from ruin and brings Rowand the success in horse racing that had always been his dream. In this refreshingly candid memoir about his experiences as a Thoroughbred owner and breeder, Rowand shows that dreams really can come true.

About the Author:
George Rowand was born and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. After attending Virginia Tech, where he received a degree in history, and the University of Memphis Law School, he began practicing law in Manassas, Virginia. His life took a radical turn when he saw Secretariat win the 1973 Preakness Stakes, and on that day, he decided that he had to find a way to breed and own Thoroughbreds. In 1980 he started syndicating racehorses under the name of Bonner Farm, and after six dreadful years, the horses had won one race. However, when the yearling fillies he bought were bred, the entire enterprise took off. He campaigned graded stakes winners for six consecutive years and left the business in 1998. He now is the business editor of the Fauquier Times-Democrat in Warrenton, Virginia, and lives in the village of Orlean with Rita, his wife of 21 years, and their son Michael, 15.

Read a Q&A with George Rowand.

Praise for George Rowand and Diary of a Dream:

“Never in the endeavor of racing Thoroughbred horses has a participant embraced the essence of the sport more lovingly than George Rowand. He had an unusual, glorious run at it when he campaigned Miss Josh, Royal Mountain Inn, Highland Springs, et al., and he loved every nuance. George is a splendid writer. He demonstrates it with great gusto in Diary of a Dream.”
-- Cot Campbell, Thoroughbred owner and author of Lightning in a Jar

Hardcover
6 x 9
240 pages
8-page b/w photo well
Product #B11-1103
List Price: $24.95
ISBN-10: 1-58150-127-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-58150-127-8