Decade of Champions: The Greatest Years in the History of Thoroughbred Racing, 1970-1980

by Richard Stone Reeves, Patrick Robinson

Drawings and paintings of winning, as well as less successful, racehorses of the past decade are accompanied by descriptions of their careers and races

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a large, coffee table book with gorgeous illustrations of Richard Stone Reeves's amazing art that I have long coveted and am glad I finally was able to get my hands on. It covers one of the truly amazing decades of horse racing that included 3 Triple Crown winners and other greats of the sport such as Forego, Spectacular Bid, and Ruffian, as well as European champions such as Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Dahlia, and Allez France. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these stories, some of which I was familiar with, others not. I was even a little teary eyed at the story of the game and brave Noble Dancer which concluded the book. My only minor gripes are 1) some horses that deserved far better seem to have gotten short-changed, with only a few short paragraphs about their exploits, mainly Shuvee (two-time Jockey Club Gold Cup winner against the boys) and 2) there were portraits of three steeplechasers who never even got a mention in the book, which just seemed odd.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prose gets a touch flowery. Approach this as a period piece and enjoy the stories.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Robinson, A Decade of Champions: The Greatest Years of Thoroughbred Racing, 1970-1980 (Fine Arts Enterprises, 1980)

There's really not much you can say about a book like this; if it's something you want, you most likely already know about it. Artist Richard Stone Reeves, one of the kings of equine artwork, and turf writer Patrick Robinson team up for a look at a few dozen of the finest thoroughbreds of the seventies. American readers will recognize many of them (probably more than they would have thirty years ago; horses like Mill Reef and Shirley Heights have only gained fame in America once they went to the stallion barn), but by no means all, which makes this worth checking out for budding turf historians. Let's face it, though, the reason you buy a book like this is for the paintings of Richard Stone Reeves, and they do not disappoint.

If the book has a problem, it's the binding, which hasn't aged all that well. Granted, if you buy it now, you're probably not going to get one that was actually printed in 1980, but if you're shopping the used market, it's something to keep in mind. Treat this with kid gloves if you get a first edition so nothing falls out and you'll be fine. *** ½