THE LEGEND OF MICK THE MILLER: SPORTING ICON OF THE DEPRESSION. By Michael Tanner.

(2003) 2004 paperback edition. 8vo paperback (130 x 198mm). Pp240. B/w photograph plates.

Mick the Miller's story amounts to nothing less than a fairy tale. Bred by a gambling-mad priest, Mick emerged from the backwoods of Ireland to sweep all before him. As a youngster he survived a killer disease to win Derbies and break records; as a veteran he fought back from injury to bow out before 40,000 adoring fans with victory in the 1931 St. Leger over a distance considered inappropriate for an ageing greyhound. Mick was a freak of nature. He won by cunning and brainpower more than raw speed. In retirement he capitalised on this intelligence and became a role model for Red Rum and Desert Orchid by earning a living on the celebrity circuit, even meeting the King and Queen. But he went one better, starring in his own feature film, Wild Boy (1934) - which he steals from the real actors."