Racing journalist and horseman Josh Pons has been named the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, for excellence in thoroughbred racing literature published in 2024. He received the winner's $10,000 check during a Nov. 6 reception at the Lexington, Ky., farm.
Pons won for 'Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o' War, and the Founding of Maryland's Oldest Thoroughbred Farm', a retrospective of the Golden Age of racing as viewed through a remarkable trove of correspondence to his grandfather, Adolphe Pons. Early in the 20th century, the senior Pons had served as private secretary to Racing Hall of Fame breeder August Belmont, a role in which he played an integral part in the breeding and eventual sale of Man o' War.
“Josh Pons already had established his writing talent, but Letters from Country Life is another level of literary achievement,” said lead judge Kay Coyte. “In it, you discover historic gems just as Josh does, and worry along with him about the future of Maryland racing and his beloved farm.”
Two other finalists were honored at the Castleton Lyons ceremony, Arthur B. Hancock III for his autobiography, 'Dark Horses: A Memoir of Redemption', and John Perrotta, for his international mystery thriller, 'A Beggar's Ride'.
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