The articles in this must-read collection cover contributions to The Australian
newspaper in 2016 and early 2017. As well as Smith’s commentary pieces,
particularly on horse racing, there are collections on the Australian Golf Open
and the Australian Tennis Open, the drugs in sport issue that engulfed Essendon
in the AFL and Cronulla Sharks in the NRL, and the lead-up to the AFL and
NRL grand fi nals and the aftermath.
And then there are his lead-up articles into the Melbourne Cup, culminating with
his stunning article on Michelle Payne’s historic, winning ride. Smith has the
reader in the saddle as Payne guides Prince of Penzance over the gruelling 3200m
journey. He reads her mind – and the Prince’s – from barrier to post in a heartracing
account. It makes you want to pat the page, just as Payne patted the Prince
on returning to scale.
It’s also what makes you want to read this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Patrick Smith is regarded as one of Australia’s leading sports
journalists and commentators, and with good reason. He has won three Walkley awards,
including two for commentary and analysis; was runner-up as Australian Journalist of the
Year; has been AFL football writer of the year and columnist of the year three times; and
won major awards for coverage of cricket, golf, basketball, racing, football. He has covered
Olympic Games, Melbourne Cups, US Golf Masters, NBL grand fi nals, AFL grand fi nals
and world heavyweight boxing title fi ghts among a host of other memorable sporting
moments since starting his career as a copy boy with the Sun News Pictorial in 1970.
