Frequently Asked Questions

Timely Writer was born a colt (male thoroughbred) on April 21,1979 on a small breeding farm owned by Dorothy Davis in Ocala, Florida. His dam (mother) was Timely Roman and his father (sire) was Staff Writer. He was unnamed until purchased by Francis (“Frannie”) and Peter Martin of Nitram Stables in Boston, Massachusetts, through their buyer’s agent Tony Everard in September, 1980.

Rather than using their last name as the stable name, which is commonly done, they thought itwould be funny to spell their last name backwards – resulting in Nitram Stables.

Mary Martin, Frannie’s wife, took the first name of the unnamed colt’s dam Timely Roman and the last name of the colt’s sire Staff Writer.

Frannie and Peter were two of four brothers who were born, raised, and schooled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, which is a section of Boston. Upon graduating from St. Mark’s high school in1944, Frannie enlisted in the Navy as part of World War II, joining his older brother Peter.

With the end of WWII in September 1945, and the brothers’ eventual discharge from the

military, they began purchasing cheap horses in 1949 in order to pursue their love of horses and horse racing, first developed as young boys in Dorchester. As the brothers were not able to purchase high quality thoroughbreds, they began on the fair horse racing circuit in Massachusetts.

The horse racing careers of Frannie and Peter first began in 1949 at what was known as the fair racing circuit in Massachusetts. Horse racing licenses in Massachusetts included weekly meets at various town fairgrounds from one end of the state to the other. At its zenith, the fair horse racing circuit consisted of 8 towns which were allotted two-weeks each for thoroughbred racing. In addition to the Brockton Fair Grounds located in the middle of the state, other horse racing fairground venues included Berkshire Downs, Great Barrington Fair, Marshfield Fair, Middleborough Fair, Northampton Fair, Topsfield Fair, and the Weymouth Fair. During its heyday, the circuit would run from spring to autumn as horse owners and trainers made their way to each of the eight towns. The midways of the fair traveled along with the horse racing circuit. Various food vendor trucks selling everything from fried-dough, to French fries, popcorn and cotton candy, satisfied the patrons’ appetites as they gambled during the horse races. Despite suffering from a lack of quality horses and jockeys, the fair circuit drew significant crowds. The racing purses were small, the horses were slow, but with Ferris wheels, tractor pulls, racing pigs, and lady mud wrestling, the gamblers and fair patrons were entertained. Massachusetts’ fair horse racing circuit, unlike the prestigious tracks founded in Kentucky and New York a century prior, were not supported by men of significant wealth. It was a blue-collar crowd of owners and trainers who had other full-time jobs and who brought a ragtag approach to the “Sport of Kings.”

Absolutely not. Although the story of Timely Writer and his owners is centered around horse racing and horse tracks, their journey together covers the many different adventures and challenges which present themselves throughout the ride of their lives. Any horse racing terms such as mare, sire, or foal, are explained within the context of the overall story and are easy to understand.

Up until November 2023, Timely Writer was one of only two horses ever buried in the grass

infield of Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Timely Writer and Ruffian, the greatest filly ever to race in the United States, had been buried before the finish line and identified by decorative grave markings until the redevelopment of Belmont Park began in 2023.

The two horses were reinterred through the direction of Belmont Park. Ruffian’s remains were returned to her farm of birth – Clairborne Farms, which had been in existence since 1910. The owners of Timely Writer, though, had passed away, their horse racing stable no longer existed, and the Martins never owned a horse farm. Michael Blowen, who had worked and lived in the Boston area during Timely Writer’s career, reached out to Belmont Park as the founder and director of Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, which is an aftercare retirement home for thoroughbreds. Through the combined efforts of Old Friends and Belmont Park, Timely Writer was reinterred with his original grave marking identifying his final resting place at Old Friends Farm.

Yes, in the spirit of philanthropy of Frannie, Mary, and Peter Martin, the authors are donating a portion of the proceeds from the book sales of The Ride of Their Lives to Old Friends and the Dorchester Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, Massachusetts.