About the author
Richard Pitman is another in the group of ex-jockeys who have turned to literature, though Pitman has also had a successful career as a racing presenter on BBC Sport. As a jockey, Richard Pitman rode over 400 winners. A threat was made to shoot one of his mounts, Pendil, if the horse ran in the 1974 Gold Cup. Pitman insisted on riding the horse, but fell when the horse was brought down by the faller High Ken. What it must have been like to be the horse’s trainer, convinced Pitman had been shot, beggars imagining.
Another of Pitman’s memorable rides (certainly for me) was his ride on Crisp in the Grand National of 1973, when the horse, who looked to be a certain winner, was overhauled by Red Rum on his way to his first National victory.
Pitman has written (mostly with Joe McNally) seven racing thrillers, as well as five non fiction books on racing. Richard Pitman was formerly married to Jenny Pitman, a trainer turned author.
Finding the books
All are reasonably easy to find, particularly the paperback editions. First editions can be on the pricey side.
Links and sources
Richard Pitman and Pendil – the Daily Mail, 6 March, 2007
More on Richard Pitman
Bibliography (horse books only)
Warned Off
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1992, 247 pp. (with Joe McNally)
Ulvercroft Large Print, 2004
Eddie Malloy has been accused of involvement in a doping scandal: he didn’t do it, but he is still banned and jailed. When he stumbles across a murder victim in Newmarket, he tries to redeem himself by solving the crime.
Hunted
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993 , 249 pp. (with Joe McNally)
Coronet Books, London, 1994, pb, 327 pp.
Timmy Gilmore, champion jockey, doesn’t turn up for the big race, which leaves Eddie Malloy to do it. When Timmy is found dead, Eddie is the prime suspect.
Running Scared
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1994, 266 pp. (with Joe McNally)
Coronet Books, London, 1996, pb
Chivers Large Print, 1996
Eddie Malloy is back racing, and winning. Then fellow jockey Bill Keating is found dead before he can tell Eddie what was troubling him. Bill’s wife is not convinced he killed himself, and persuades Eddie to investigate Bill’s death.
Blood Ties
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1996 , 246 pp.
Coronet Books, London, 1996, pb
Eddie Malloy receives a phone call from a stranger threatening to reveal the cover up at his stud unless he agrees to fix races. Malloy has to track down his missing partner and find out what he has been up to before the blackmailer contacts him again.
The Third Degree
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1997, 277 pp.
Coronet Books, London, 1998, pb
Eddie Malloy has a reputation for helping those who come up against the criminals who plague racing. Trainer Mallie Stuart needs Eddie to give him a certain winner to preserve him from the vengeance of a Chinese Triad gang.
Joseph’s Mansions
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 2001 (with Joe McNally)
Coronet Books, London, 2001, pb
Magna, Long Preston, 2002. Large Print
Hodder Paperbacks, 2008
Frankie Houlihan has given up the priesthood for love, but it didn’t work out, so he accepts a job with a security team investigating racing. Grand National favourite Angel Gabriel is kidnapped, and as Frankie tries to help, he finds himself journeying back into tragedies at the heart of his own life.
Bet Your Life
Hodder & Stoughton, London, 2004 (with Joe McNally)
Magna, Long Preston, 2005. Large Print
HarperCollins, 2008, pb
Eddie Malloy, after an accident on Everest in which he lost his arm, is employed to mastermind a takeover of British racing. Perhaps not surprisingly, he begins to attract death threats. Frankie Houlihan is working as a racing security advisor, and is appointed to ensure Eddie Malloy’s safety.Both have to join forces to find the person intent on stopping Malloy.
