COME HEAR THE FORGOTTEN NEW JERSEY STORY BEHIND THE PREAKNESS STAKES!
Written by Paul C. Bastante, Author of "Preakness" And "Hills & Valleys A Journey Through Wayne, N.J."
Most people know the Preakness Stakes as the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Very few know that the race takes its name from a horse that lived right here in Wayne, New Jersey.
That's the story I tell in my new book, Preakness: Love, Tragedy, and the Birth of an American Racing Legend, and this fall I'm bringing it on the road. I'd love to see you at one of these upcoming events.
UPCOMING BOOK TALKS AND SIGNINGS
Friday, November 20, 2026 at (2:00p.m.) Wayne Public Library, 461 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ This is the official book launch, author talk and signing.
Friday, November 27, 2026 at (1:15 p.m.) Delaney on the Green 110 Park Ave, Florham Park, NJ Author talk, Q&A and book signing.
Thursday, December 10, 2026 (1:00pm) Wayne PAL 1 Pal Dr, Wayne, NJ Golden Age Circle Author talk, Q&A and book signing.
At each event, I'll share the people and places behind the book, answer your questions and sign copies. Books will be available for purchase on site.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Preakness follows Milton Sanford, a 19th-century textile magnate and Thoroughbred breeder whose horse Preakness lived at Preakness Farms in Wayne. In 1868, a dinner party in Saratoga Springs set off a chain of events that led to the founding of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, and in time, a race named for Sanford's horse, who went on to win that first race as a 70-1 long shot.
But this is more than a racing history. At the heart of the story is Annie Dotterweich, the girl with the curl. Where others saw a horse too wild to handle, Annie saw something else. She tamed him, Preakness loved her, and the two shared a bond unlike any other in the story.
I grew up in the Preakness section of Wayne and never knew why it carried that name. I found the answer while directing my 2018 documentary, "Hills & Valleys A Journey Through Wayne, N.J.", and I knew it was a story that deserved to be told.
Preakness is available in paperback and Kindle/Ebook beginning November 20, 2026, on Amazon and at Preakness.info or live and in-person at an event.
BRING THE PREAKNESS STORY TO YOUR GROUP
I'm currently booking talks for the months ahead, and I'll go anywhere they'll have me. My presentation works beautifully for:
Assisted living and senior communitiesLibraries and book clubsSchools and assembliesSenior centers and community groupsHistorical societies and museumsCivic organizations, clubs and equestrian groups
Each talk is warm, engaging and tailored to your audience, whether that's lifelong Wayne residents, history buffs, horse lovers or students discovering local history for the first time. Book signings can be added to any event.
To book a talk, contact me at paulcbastante@gmail.com or 973-981-3662, or visit Preakness.info.
I hope to see you at one of the events, and I'd be honored to bring this story to your community next.
Paul C. Bastante
#Preakness #PreaknessStakes #WayneNJ #NewJerseyHistory #PassaicCounty #HorseRacingHistory #TripleCrown #Pimlico #AuthorTalk #BookSigning #BookLaunch #NewBook #LocalHistory #HistoricalSociety #SeniorLiving #AssistedLiving #LibraryEvents #SpeakerAvailable #NJAuthor #PaulCBastante
Comments