Transcendent account of a racing life that was turned upside down

Centaur manages something that only the best sports books can: it transcends the sport it describes

Declan Murphy rides Jibereen to victory at Chepstow in 1995, just 18 months after his near-fatal accident Pic: phil cole/allsport

SPORT/MEMOIR: Centaur, By Declan Murphy and Ami Rao, Doubleday, €14.95

It took just three seconds for Declan Murphy’s life to change forever. On Monday, May 2, 1994, the gifted jockey was riding in the Crowther Homes Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park, when his horse Arcot hyper-extended while jumping the second-last hurdle, snapping the poor beast’s pelvis immediately, his now lame rear end careering into the timber frame.

Catapulted forward, the jockey’s head ...