Irwin Book is Tale of Racing and Animal Kingdom

Owner/breeder and former Turf writer Barry Irwin aims to inspire and entertain with a new book named "Derby Innovator: The Making of Animal Kingdom," which was released in late March.

The book chronicles Irwin's personal journey with Thoroughbred racing and his adventures with Animal Kingdom  , winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (gr. I).

"There are many different roads you can take to learn about the business and find success," said Irwin, who has been professionally involved in racing since 1969. "I grew up in a family that despised racing and gambling. I had no background whatsoever, but I found something about it that I gravitate to and it has been the most exciting thing in my life."

The book is part autobiography and part behind-the-scenes history of the Derby winner, beginning with Irwin's role in acquiring Animal Kingdom's sire Leroidesanimaux and importing his dam German-bred Dalicia.

"It's all the ins and outs that people have gotten snippets of but no one has actually laid the whole story out," said Irwin, noting a quarter of the book is devoted to Animal Kingdom, whose first crop turns 2 next year.

Irwin had no easy path into the racing world. His parents had soured on the sport after a relative, who had enjoyed great success as a businessman, lost everything to a gambling addiction. Despite the strong negativity associated with racing, Irwin discovered a strong attraction equal to his diehard admiration of track and field. 

"I started following the sport when I was 7 or 8 years old and thought the racetrack was incredibly exciting," he said. "Me and some buddies would go out to the track every chance we got. I had to sneak around to be a fan; I wasn't getting a whole lot of encouragement."

Through persistence, he found a way to be involved. A native of Los Angeles, Irwin worked as a Turf writer from 1969 to 1978, for California Thoroughbred and The Blood-Horse magazines and the Daily Racing Form. In 1978 he bought a couple horses and found enough success to justify trying his hand as a bloodstock agent. After 10 years, he moved into ownership syndications as Clover Racing with partner Jeff Siegel. Later Clover Racing morphed into Team Valor, which bred and raced Animal Kingdom.

Along the road that took him to the Derby winner's circle, Irwin has met many characters and collected a lot of good stories. Three years before Animal Kingdom took the Derby, Irwin had compiled three chapters of his craziest stories.

"I sent them to four or five people that I've known for years. They said: Loved it, very entertaining, but too wild. You can't print that," he said. Irwin put the stories aside until he started working diligently on "Derby Innovator," which took about two years. "When I started writing the book, I went back then and re-wrote them, kept most of what I had and they're in there."

Irwin stressed he has not written a tell-all book, but he said the stories he's included are gems.

"I will guarantee to the people who read this book they will read stuff in here that they have never read or heard of anyplace else," he said.