Big Red of Meadow Stable: Secretariat, the Making of a Champion

This is an excellent book and one of my favorite non-fiction books.

I was eight years old when Secretariat won the Triple Crown. The impression he made on me has lasted a lifetime and motivated me to start a career in horse racing. I have visited Claiborne Farms in Paris, Kentucky, I've seen the stall where he lived, the paddock where he romped and paid my respects at his grave. For me he is and always will be the ultimate racehorse. I regret that I did not visit him when he was still alive. Appropriately, the day I learned of his death I was working at the track and I heard the news from the trainer I worked for.

I read this book years before the movie came out; but of course I had to see the movie as well. One thing that was very show more disappointing about the movie.........no mention of Riva Ridge?! Why? I don't think it would have taken anything away from Secretariat's story to mention that another Meadows owned/Lauren trained horse won two of the three triple crown races in 1972. Then again, when does Hollywood ever get anything right? Well, since I haven't gone to the theater to see a movie since "Secretariat" was released I can only say that my interest in Hollywood film is ......zero......zilch......nada......ignore it and hope it goes away.........Milos Forman, where are you?

This book isn't really meant for civilians, it is written for people who have lived the life. The information in this book is fascinating to us. The complaints I read in the bad reviews reflect more on the reader than on this book. People who have no interest in the details of horse racing, people who wanted a book about humans instead of horses........why did they even pick it up in the first place? I don't read books about the NFL and bitch about how boring they were.........I already know that football bores me, so I avoid it. This is another reason why I prefer equines to humans......horses don't suck!

I rated this book with 5 stars, but as far as I'm concerned, it goes all the way to 11. show less

Subtitle: The Making of a Champion

I think everyone knows about this horse and his extraordinary Triple Crown victory. Nack followed the horse from early on and was present at the track and at the farms to observe his workouts and races. He did extensive interviews with the people involved: owner Penny Tweedy, trainer Lucien Laurin, jockey Ron Turcotte, and groom Ed Sweat, as well as the many others surrounding the horse.

I have always loved horse racing and have read many books about famous thoroughbreds, but for some reason had never gotten around to reading this one. I saw the movie adaptation and it was fantastic, but the book is much more detailed, and paints a slightly less favorable picture of Penny Tweedy.

This starts slowly, show more going back generations to expound on the history of the people and the horses that ultimately led to this one spectacular animal and his human team. But once he begins racing, the book really takes off. I remember watching those races. My husband was at Belmont for the final leg of the Triple Crown and saw that extraordinary performance in person. Nack makes the telling of the races almost as nail-bitingly exciting as they were to watch.

The book was originally published in 1988. The 2010 edition I read included a new forward that spoke about the movie, as well as additional notes and updates on the horse’s death in 1989 and his legacy as a sire of broodmares. show less

I decide to read this (for the first time) prior to watching again the movie in which I enjoy the performances of
Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and Margo Martindale. Of course there are differences and I find such differences interesting. The tale of pre-Triple Crown abscess is much more detailed and interesting in the book. For instance, it comes across in the book it could have been handled earlier and had more ramifications. Also the book is much more detailed on the horse's heritage and birth. Finally, the story of the $190K per share "syndication" sales is much more detailed in the book and makes for interested reading, too.

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. Some reviewers have lamented the recitation of the bloodlines that yielded such a horse, but I suspect that this information is needed by serious horsemen and it provides needed background to others such as I who are less informed. This is not a show more novel, not just the story of a racehorse. Rather it is an accurate and exciting tale of a horse whose accomplishments may never be equaled. Bill Nack takes the reader through the lives of the horses and people that played prominent roles in the life of Secretariat. lj show less

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 'under-dog' edge didn't really give me something to cheer on. Maybe it's my Scottish nature, but I have more affection for the plucky under-dog or gallant loser than the firm favourite.

If you enjoy that sort of sport then I'm sure it would be show more interesting, for me though? Just not my sort of thing. show less

This book is a great read. It is an inspirational story of the love for a horse, the determination of a woman, and the importance of the "underdog".

Very thorough book about Big Red and what an amazing journey he had and the people connected with him.