Laura Hillenbrand became the first female winner of the William Hill sports book of the year award on Monday.

The American won the �12,000 prize for Seabiscuit.

The book traces the rags-to-riches story of a written-off racehorse, his almost mute trainer and his one-eyed jockey.

The trio captured the imagination of depression-era America as they came from nowhere to win the biggest races around.

The other books shortlisted were A Voyage for Madmen, by Peter Nichols; Fulll Time by Paul Kimmage; Looking for a Fight by David Mathews and War, Baby: The Glamour of Violence by Kevin Mitchell.

Previous winners in the award's 13-year history include Nick Hornby for Fever Pitch in 1992.

William Hill Sports Book of the Year winners 1989-2001:

1989: True Blue - Dan Topolski and Patrick Robinson
1990: A Rough Ride - Paul Kimmage
1991: Muhammad Ali - His Life and Times Thomas Hauser
1992: Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby
1993: Endless Winter - Stephen Jones
1994: Football Against the Enemy - Simon Kuper
1995: A Good Walk Spoiled - John Feinstein
1996: Dark Trade - Donald McRae
1997: A Lot of Hard Yakka - Simon Hughes
1998: Angry White Pyjamas - Robert Twigger
1999: A Social History of English Cricket - Derek Birley
2000: It's Not About The Bike (My Journey Back To Life) - Lance Armstrong (with Sally Jenkins)
2001: Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand