The Bottom Line
Capps evokes the emotions experienced by those fortunate to have witnessed Secetariat in person. Recommended to all fans of racing, given that he was a one-of-a-kind horse whose equal may never come.
Pros
- Well-written account of Secretariat's life
- Emotional ride for any reader
- Useful comparison of Secretariat vs Man o'War
Cons
- Seemed short due to space limitations
Description
- Racing's "golden age" occurred in the 1970s, with some of the best racehorses of all time competing.
- Secretariat was the horse who embodied greatness for the era, leading to comparisons with Man o'War.
- Timothy T. Capps, in a convenient compact form, gives a very detailed account of his life.
- He starts off by describing his pedigree, then how Meadow Stable ended up with him in a coin toss.
- His sire Bold Ruler was not expected to be successful at siring classic winners.
- An entire chapter details Secretariat's two-year-old season, demonstrating his steady improvement.
- His 9-for-12 record, highlighted by the Triple Crown, earned him a second Horse of the Year title.
- "Secretariat was neither a bad sire nor an outstanding one" but "was not supposed to be average."
- Comparing him with Man o'War is a dead heat, a fantasy match race that can be argued forever.
Guide Review - Book Review: "Secretariat"
His three-year-old season is covered in great detail, over three whole chapters. The reader feels the disappointment of his connections and the syndicate over his inexplicable loss in the Wood Memorial. This is erased by his scintillating performances in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and of course the Belmont, with the events surrounding the timer malfunction at Pimlico explained thoroughly. An entire chapter, appropriately titled "A Tremendous Machine", gives a detailed account of the Belmont Stakes, showing just how powerful a performance it was with track and world records being broken in internal fractions as well as at the finish. As Capps wrote, "Secretariat was no longer a rarity among Thoroughbreds. He was singular."
