Co-authors of Centaur have been moved on to William Hill’s Book of the Year shortlist for the biography of ’90’s ‘favourite’ jockey Declan Murphy.
The prize, now in its 29th year, was established by long standing bookseller William Hill to celebrate great writers and figures in the world of sports, from Thomas Hauser on Muhammad Ali to last year’s winner, surfing champion William Finnegan.
Declan Murphy was not expected to emerge from the coma-inducing fall that broke his skull in twelve places. When he woke up in hospital under a week later, his obituary had been published and he had no memory of the career that had led him there. Self-preservation for Declan – who hails from the tradition of stoical Irish – meant two decades of denial and silence until agreeing to the Doubleday Penguin book deal with Rao that would bring his past to bear.