Bold Ruler


Book Description

A champion racehorse, Bold Ruler thrilled fans with his speed and courage. But as a sire of runners, Bold Ruler truly reigned. He was America's leading sire a record eight years, with his best offspring being the immortal Secretariat.




Legacies of the Turf


Book Description

With Volume 2 of Legacies of the Turf II Edward Bowen focuses on the men whose horses have dominated racing in the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st. He has woven together a rich tapestry of horse racing lore.




The Kentucky Thoroughbred


Book Description

Kent Hollingsworth captures the flavor and atmosphere of the Sport of Kings in the dramatic account of the development of the Thoroughbred in Kentucky. Ranging from frontier days, when racing was conducted in open fields as horse-to-horse challenges between proud owners, to the present, when a potential Triple Crown champion may sell for millions of dollars, The Kentucky Thoroughbred considers ten outstanding stallions that dominated the shape of racing in their time as representing the many eras of Kentucky Thoroughbred breeding. No less colorful are his accounts of the owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys associated with these Thoroughbreds, a group devoted to a sport filled with high adventure and great hazards. First published in 1976, this popular Kentucky classic has been expanded and brought up to date in this new edition.




Bill Hartack


Book Description

Bill Hartack won the Kentucky Derby five times, and seemed to hate every moment. "If only Bill could have gotten along with people the way he got along with horses," a trainer said. His impoverished upbringing didn't help: his mother was killed in an automobile accident; the family home burned down; his father was murdered by a girlfriend; and he was estranged from his sisters for most of his life. Larry King, his friend, said it was just as well Hartack never married, because it wouldn't have lasted. Hartack was one of racing's most accomplished jockeys. But he was an inveterate grouch and gave the press a hard time. At 26, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Whenever the media tried to bury him, he would win another Derby. At the end of his life, he was found alone in a cabin in the Texas hinterlands. Drawn from dozens of interviews and conversations with family members, friends and enemies, this book provides a full account of Hartack's turbulent life.




Belmont Park


Book Description

World-renowned equine artist Richard Stone Reeves celebrates the 100th anniversary of Belmont Park iwth portraits and essays of seventy champion racehorses.




And They're Off!


Book Description

Beloved for his thunderous, commanding voice and affable personality, Phil Georgeff, known as "The Voice of Chicago Racing," holds the world record for calling the most horse races—an astounding 96,131. During his fifty years in the sport, Georgeff brushed shoulders with every great jockey and saw just about every great horse, from 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation to 1973's Secretariat. Part memoir, part historical analysis, and part nostalgic remembrance, this book is the quintessential guide to the history of thoroughbred racing in the twentieth century.




American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002)


Book Description

In a monumental and important work for the Thoroughbred industry, author and pedigree researcher Avalyn Hunter provides extensive pedigree analysis of every American classic race winner from 1914 through 2002.




Secretariat


Book Description

A true horse legend, Secretariat still inspires new generations of fans 30 years after his incredible Triple Crown victory. This book honors the great racehorse who ran with such breathtaking speed, beauty, and power. 40 photos.




Great Breeders and Their Methods


Book Description

The great Thoroughbred stallions of the 20th Century have one thing in common - the Hancock family. As independent breeders, as salesmen and promoters, as innovators and as conservators of racing and breeding, four generations of the Hancock family have played a vital role in the development of the Thoroughbred. From the original Ellerslie Farm in Virginia to Claiborne Farm and Stone Farm in Kentucky, the Hancocks have been a dominant force in the American and, indeed, the international racing scene. It has been said that the secret to the success of the Hancocks was the philosophy that success lies not in breeding the occasional champion, but rather in controlling the bloodlines of the champions of the future. Here are the business strategies, the breeding theories, the champion horses of the generations of diligent, insightful men who have given so much to the industry




Dynasties


Book Description

Examines how the modern American Thoroughbred has evolved primarily through the influence of 26 noteworthy stallions. Also covers the people who bred or owned these horses, intertwining their stories with those of their horses. These stallions helped America become the source of the world's best racehorses.