A book celebrating the life of one of the New Zealand's most unsung racing heroines will be launched on the eve of the race that should have made her a household name in
Australasia.
Melbourne author Jacqueline Dinan has penned Racing The Boys, an 'historical fiction' about Granny McDonald, who prepared 1938 Melbourne Cup winner Catalogue but because of racing rules in Australia preventing the licensing of women trainers she had to let her husband Allan take all the glory.
The book will be launched at the Palmerston North Library and Heritage Centre on October 31, the eve of this year's Melbourne Cup.
Dinan said she was intrigued when alerted to McDonald's story when watching Melbourne Cup coverage on TV.
"I thought that's my gal," said Dinan, who thoroughly researched her topic with a guided tour to McDonald's old house with the late Rex Fell and talking to another Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Trevor Knowles, as well as Mary Mountier, the author of Racing Women of New Zealand, and NZ Thoroughbred Racing's Allan Child.
"The joy of writing this historical fiction is that the factual chronology, events, people, places and context provided a foundation - and then as the author, I took the liberty to interpret reactions, decisions and emotions of Granny and other characters."
Australasia.
Melbourne author Jacqueline Dinan has penned Racing The Boys, an 'historical fiction' about Granny McDonald, who prepared 1938 Melbourne Cup winner Catalogue but because of racing rules in Australia preventing the licensing of women trainers she had to let her husband Allan take all the glory.
The book will be launched at the Palmerston North Library and Heritage Centre on October 31, the eve of this year's Melbourne Cup.
Dinan said she was intrigued when alerted to McDonald's story when watching Melbourne Cup coverage on TV.
"I thought that's my gal," said Dinan, who thoroughly researched her topic with a guided tour to McDonald's old house with the late Rex Fell and talking to another Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Trevor Knowles, as well as Mary Mountier, the author of Racing Women of New Zealand, and NZ Thoroughbred Racing's Allan Child.
"The joy of writing this historical fiction is that the factual chronology, events, people, places and context provided a foundation - and then as the author, I took the liberty to interpret reactions, decisions and emotions of Granny and other characters."