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27th out of 390 books
—
277 voters
Secretariat: The Making of a Champion
by
William Nack
In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest thoroughbred in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. The only horse to ever break the two-minute mark in winning the Kentucky Derby until recent winner Monarchos, Secretariat also pulled off one of the most astounding victories in the annals of horse racing by winning the Belmont Stakes by a record-breaking thirty-one lengths. Now...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
April 4th 2002
by Da Capo Press
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Great book. I liked it a lot more than the movie. I think that if you are a person who is not 'into horses' or does not know a lot about horses, you will like the movie better. This book is so well researched and filled with every single fact you could imagine, but could get confusing if you are not into horses and racing. Great writing, captured me within the first 3 chapters. I learned a lot about racing history in that time period and some of the facts stunned me. This book is a great collect...more
A legend is born…
A true story of a remarkable Thoroughbred racehorse that has now also been made into a film for the big screen, Secretariat has to be one of my favorite books on racing ever written. Equivalent to works such as Seabiscuit, Arle and Red Rum this racehorse’s story is one that is heartwarming, magical and truly inspirational proving that the sky is the limit. Fast-paced at a thrilling gallop this story maintains its momentum throughout, where you ultimately loose yourself within th...more
A true story of a remarkable Thoroughbred racehorse that has now also been made into a film for the big screen, Secretariat has to be one of my favorite books on racing ever written. Equivalent to works such as Seabiscuit, Arle and Red Rum this racehorse’s story is one that is heartwarming, magical and truly inspirational proving that the sky is the limit. Fast-paced at a thrilling gallop this story maintains its momentum throughout, where you ultimately loose yourself within th...more
Mr. Nack may not have had the best editor in organizing this book, but he sure got it right in using the language of horsemen and bringing to light the incredible work and strategy in bringing together the greatest equine athlete in the last century.
I loved his adding every bit of notes he took and remembrances of conversations and comments about this great horse.
My husband and I watched the triple crown races knowing we were watching something rare and unlikely to be seen again in our lifetim...more
I loved his adding every bit of notes he took and remembrances of conversations and comments about this great horse.
My husband and I watched the triple crown races knowing we were watching something rare and unlikely to be seen again in our lifetim...more
Red Horse Review
The Disney movie Secretariat has been highly with a star studded cast including Diane Lane and John Malkovich. This movie was inspired by the book with the same name by author William Nack. It is entirely non-fiction taking actual conversations, press articles, and horse races.
A reader can easily tell what this book is about, unless they are unfamiliar with horse racing. Spoiler alert, the horse’s name is Secretariat. It tells of the horses racing career and ends with the bigge...more
The Disney movie Secretariat has been highly with a star studded cast including Diane Lane and John Malkovich. This movie was inspired by the book with the same name by author William Nack. It is entirely non-fiction taking actual conversations, press articles, and horse races.
A reader can easily tell what this book is about, unless they are unfamiliar with horse racing. Spoiler alert, the horse’s name is Secretariat. It tells of the horses racing career and ends with the bigge...more
Nov 03, 2011
Mario
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who like History or Sports. People who wanted more from the movie.
Recommended to Mario by:
Andy Ihnatko
Shelves:
audio-books
I picked up Secretariat for different reasons than most. It had nothing to do with Diane Lane or the Disney movie. I don't really even like horse racing. But a gentlemen I trust recommended it to me on Twitter. Andy Ihnatko (@Ihnatko) included this book as one of his Audible.com Picks of the Week. Having a stack of credits to burn through, I decided to give it a listen.
Secretariat begins slowly. You begin with a thorough foundation of lineage. At first that put me off. Why do I care about horse...more
Secretariat begins slowly. You begin with a thorough foundation of lineage. At first that put me off. Why do I care about horse...more
May 05, 2011
Joy H.
marked it as watched-film-only
Secretariat: The Making of a Champion by William Nack
Published 2002 by Da Capo Press (first published 1975)
Original title: Big Red of Meadow Stable
Added 5/5/11.
I did not read this book, but I saw the movie:
MOVIE: "Secretariat" (2010)
Stars: Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Margo Martindale
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028576/
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Secre...
"Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the...more
Published 2002 by Da Capo Press (first published 1975)
Original title: Big Red of Meadow Stable
Added 5/5/11.
I did not read this book, but I saw the movie:
MOVIE: "Secretariat" (2010)
Stars: Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Margo Martindale
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028576/
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Secre...
"Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the...more
I read the Kindle version and for the most part enjoyed the book. I agree with the other reviewer that the history of horse racing/breeding/clocking and lineage of owners was at times tedious. I tried to understand Nack's pov. His passion for this horse abounded when he described the horses daily training, world record breaking races and the intimate relationships of Lucian, Turcotte, Sweat, Gaffney (although fired late in the game) and Tweedy. I live in Kentucky where horses are housed in front...more
Overall, an informative look into the life of one of the greatest racehorses in the history of the sport.
It was a quick read, and Nack's descriptions of the races almost feels like he puts you at the racetrack. Nack's writing style, however, put me off right from the prologue. I found myself rereading sentences that were arranged in strange ways or getting disrupted by new paragraphs that seemed out of context. I was also often frustrated by the lack of explanation for racing and breeding jargon...more
It was a quick read, and Nack's descriptions of the races almost feels like he puts you at the racetrack. Nack's writing style, however, put me off right from the prologue. I found myself rereading sentences that were arranged in strange ways or getting disrupted by new paragraphs that seemed out of context. I was also often frustrated by the lack of explanation for racing and breeding jargon...more
Did you see the movie? I did, and can definitely say that the 'feel good' movie barely touched the surface of Secretariat and all that was going on before and around him....and was written by William Nack, who was a new Turf Reporter when Secretariat made his 2-year old appearance. So impressed, he decided to keep a journal and a side-focus on Secretariat for the long term.
Therefore, this book starts with the history of the major players in Secretariat's life. The Chenery family, and how The Mea...more
Therefore, this book starts with the history of the major players in Secretariat's life. The Chenery family, and how The Mea...more
Overall, a well-written, though questionably edited look into a world I knew nothing about beforehand. I didn't quite understand the choice to take Secretariat through his first race, then back up and introduce the reader to Penny Tweedy. Maybe because she is such a significant figure in the Disney movie, I kept wondering where she was at the beginning. As I got to know her in the book, I realized the movie didn't really do her justice. She is portrayed somewhat as a naive housewife who becomes...more
Parts of this book really took me back to being a horse-crazy 12-year-old who read every Marguerite Henry book I could get my hands on!
The first 3rd of this book was all about the background of the breeding operations - the horses themselves and the farms & families who bred them - that culminated in the big red colt. It kind of boils down to his sire, Bold Ruler who brought the speed, and his dam, Somethingroyal who brought the stamina, but it takes 100 pages to get there.
Then we go into Se...more
The first 3rd of this book was all about the background of the breeding operations - the horses themselves and the farms & families who bred them - that culminated in the big red colt. It kind of boils down to his sire, Bold Ruler who brought the speed, and his dam, Somethingroyal who brought the stamina, but it takes 100 pages to get there.
Then we go into Se...more
I'll start this by admitting I love, love horses and really loved this movie. People who don't feel that way probably wouldn't love this book. I was surprised by how much detail the author went into about the history of Thoroughbred breeding in this country. While it got confusing and somewhat repetitive, I found it so interesting. I was also struck by how different the author's perspective about the owners, trainer, and jockey was compared to the one presented in the movie. As you might expect,...more
Though there is a story tucked in this book, it is mostly a description of the skill of horse racing. It is a great primer on how you start a breeding program (it takes hay bales of money and backers), how you pick the breeding mares, stallions and foals at auction, anatomy of a race horse, horse temperament, trainers, walkers, riders, and how they live out their lives after their racing days are over. Though I have been to horse races, I didn't know what I was really looking at, now I have a be...more
This edition is a reprint of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion (De Capo Press, 2002). His book inspired the recent motion picture starring Diane Lane as Penny Chenery Tweedy, and was republished with a new Foreward and additional content by the author to coincide with the film's release. I love non-fiction and I love animal stories, so I should blaze through this as fast as "Big Red" coming down the stretch in the '73 Derby. Sui generis Secretariat. Update: A good book about a great horse. I...more
Great book a little slow reading in the beginning
2 likes · like · see review
I loved Seabiscuit (the movie, not so much the book), and so I thought I'd give this book a chance, although I have not yet seen the movie. About halfway through I thought I would give it up and just watch the movie and hope to have better luck with that, but then we were snowed in today so I powered through. And once I got past all the stuff I don't understand (mostly the bits about gambling, or about racing history, or the names of all the people) the story of the horse himself is really quite...more
The first time I saw Secretariat's 1973 race in the Belmont it gave me chills. This book articulates the feeling of greatness I had the first time I saw Secretariat race - it explains how extraordinary a horse Secretariat was, and why his run for the Triple Crown, starting with a Kentucky Derby raced in record time and culminating in a Belmont Stakes that he ran, practically by himself, in shatteringly world-record time, is legendary in horse racing.
This is a book written in straight-forward, jo...more
This is a book written in straight-forward, jo...more
I'm not sure that I'd recommend this book to a non-horseracing fan. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I thought that such a long book would surely drag on but it didn't, at least not for me. It is exquisitely detailed, going back generations into Secretariat's bloodline. I was fascinated to learn so much about Secretariat and his impact on the bloodlines of his progeny, especially his daughters. In the newer editions, including the audiobook, there is additional info at the end of the...more
I read this after watching the movie hoping to discover the real story of Secretariat because movies always alter the story. I was very disappointed by this book. Maybe one of the reasons I disliked it was because the story turned out to be quite negative and there definitely wasn't a feel good ending as the movie portrays it. I also thought the author dragged out the story and made it tedious to read. I wouldn't recommend this rendition of the Secretariat story unless you really want to know th...more
Almost done. Not a book I would recommend unless you like sports history...which I don't. Mostly about the lines of various horses.
1 like · like · see review
2.5?
Maybe it's not fair to compare Secretariat to Seabiscuit, but here I go. While I can't judge who would have won in a race between the two horses, one's story is far superior, and that is Seabiscuit's.
Secretariat came from basically a royal bloodline, he was big and beautiful and upon his death was discovered to have an enlarged heart which may have been what helped him run so fast. I can appreciate that he was quite an amazing animal and probably pretty wonderful to watch (I haven't actuall...more
Maybe it's not fair to compare Secretariat to Seabiscuit, but here I go. While I can't judge who would have won in a race between the two horses, one's story is far superior, and that is Seabiscuit's.
Secretariat came from basically a royal bloodline, he was big and beautiful and upon his death was discovered to have an enlarged heart which may have been what helped him run so fast. I can appreciate that he was quite an amazing animal and probably pretty wonderful to watch (I haven't actuall...more
Horse race lovers or just horse lovers will enjoy this book immensely. The rest of us will enjoy the movie more.
Jan 14, 2011
Marianne
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
horse racing fans
I preface this with the statement that I'm not a horse-racing fan so, as such, perhaps this was a book that I shouldn't have taken on but sometimes it's good to branch out.
I think if you find horse racing fascinating or enjoyable that you would enjoy this book, but for someone without even a passing interest it didn't hold my attention or make me eager to try and find out more. The lack of real development in a human sense didn't really captivate me and, as weird as it sounds, the lack of an 'un...more
I think if you find horse racing fascinating or enjoyable that you would enjoy this book, but for someone without even a passing interest it didn't hold my attention or make me eager to try and find out more. The lack of real development in a human sense didn't really captivate me and, as weird as it sounds, the lack of an 'un...more
Secretariat is not what I expected. I figured it was going to be more like a novel. Don't ask me where I got that idea. I don't mind biographies, but I do find them dry and bland for the most part and this one was no exception. For that reason, I could not finish this, which really disappoints me. This is going to be one of those very rare moments where I think watching the film will be better than reading it.
Not only did I find myself being bored with the long and dry history of how Secretaria...more
Not only did I find myself being bored with the long and dry history of how Secretaria...more
This novel is wonderful for the individual who wants to know all the facts and history of one of the more exciting racehorses - Secretariat.
However, this is not a "read" the Disney movie. Having seen the movie first, I was a little surprised at the lack of really getting to know the human characters as we did in the movie.
But then this is a book about a horse, and that's what you get.
I got a little lost with all the bloodline data but found the information on the selling of the shares, the tra...more
However, this is not a "read" the Disney movie. Having seen the movie first, I was a little surprised at the lack of really getting to know the human characters as we did in the movie.
But then this is a book about a horse, and that's what you get.
I got a little lost with all the bloodline data but found the information on the selling of the shares, the tra...more
I give the horse a five star and give the book itself a two star. There were so many ways that this book could have been better. Bloodline charts for the horses and family trees for the people involved. The story got mired down in minor details. This should have been more of a celebration of a great horse instead of the minor details such as the color of moccasins worn by the trainer. For me, it became a battle just to finish reading this book. The three most important races were at the end of t...more
Lots of detail. Enjoyed the movie better
The first fifty-plus pages contain a detailed explanation of the lineage that led to Secretariat; the pedigree of the horse that in 1973 won all three races of the Triple Crown - - a feat not completed in twenty-five previous years or the thirty-eight-plus years that have followed. This book was the inspiration of the recent film of the same name. Bill Nack's biography does justice to the horse's amazing accomplishments. At this point, Secretariat is arguably the greatest racehorse of all time....more
I am a horse lover, so this is biased. Secretariat was Pegasus come to earth for a few years.
This is a very well written story with far more history in it than one would expect. The breeding lines and heritage that led to Secretariat summoned up the great ones from the history of the American Bloodhorse.
If you have ever seen that run for the roses (i.e. the Kentucky Derby) where this horse did something never done before or since, or that legendary day at Belmont where the rest of the horses ap...more
This is a very well written story with far more history in it than one would expect. The breeding lines and heritage that led to Secretariat summoned up the great ones from the history of the American Bloodhorse.
If you have ever seen that run for the roses (i.e. the Kentucky Derby) where this horse did something never done before or since, or that legendary day at Belmont where the rest of the horses ap...more
I am torn on my rating for this book. The first third is a one star for me. It was very dry, a rattling off of horse bloodlines and breeding. If you are really into horse racing, this will probably be of great interest to you. I learned of Secretariat through the recent film, and was interested to learn more of his story, but not to this level. The middle section starts to pick up with Secretariat's early years, but I was hoping for more on the people who worked with him as well. This was a huge...more
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William Nack is an American journalist and author. He wrote about sports, politics and the environment at Newsday for 11 years before joining the staff of Sports Illustrated in 1978 as an investigative reporter and general feature writer.[1] Since leaving S.I. in 2001, Nack has freelanced for numerous publications, including GQ and ESPN.com. He also served as an adviser on the made-for-TV-movie Ru...more
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Jul 31, 2012 02:06pm