Black Horse – Red Dog follows the tradition of Michael Church’s two previous short story books, Ripping Gambling Yarns and Born To Bet, this time with 21 new autobiographical tales of his betting exploits and of those of his extended family. The first part of the title refers to the black horse Grand Parade, the 33-1 winner of the 1919 ‘Peace Derby’, which was attended by his grandmother Alicia and her sister Kate with mysterious consequences.
The second part of the title is featured twice in the book: first in the chapter A Red Dog of a Different Colour, where Uncle Charlie and his pal Roy attend the 1932 Greyhound Derby Final; and secondly, some 60 years later, as the name of a dubious card game played on a luxury Pullman train in Red Dog on a Cheltenham Special.
