Rating: 
Summary: This is a beautifully written book!
Review: Secretariat:The Making of a Champion is an amazing book. Reading this book is almost as good as seeing Secretariat race. In this book, there is exact detail of everything. This book couldn't have been written more beautifully. The description of Secretariat's races was incredible! This is a great book. Anyone who loves horses should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Big Red
Review: The original book by Nack was a hardback version entitled "Big Red of Meadow Stable". I have a first edition - don't EVEN think about buying it! Seriously, this is a wonderful book. Anyone who loves horses should read it. Yes it's about Secretariat, but all facets of horse racing, too. I guess I'm not a very good spokesperson, but really, the book is excellent - I can't count how many times I've read it (or let others read it, with some consternation)- not that I'm a ditz, it's like one of those movies you watch over and over - how many times can one say that about a book? It's just that another fact or piece of history jumps out at you each time you read it. (Oh geez, I missed that before!) Wonderful piece of writing by Mr. Nack - who some call Secretariat's "personal biographer" - it fits. He was there to almost the end.
Rating:
Summary: Big Red
Review: The original book by Nack was a hardback version entitled "Big Red of Meadow Stable". I have a first edition - don't EVEN think about buying it! Seriously, this is a wonderful book. Anyone who loves horses should read it. Yes it's about Secretariat, but all facets of horse racing, too. I guess I'm not a very good spokesperson, but really, the book is excellent - I can't count how many times I've read it (or let others read it, with some consternation)- not that I'm a ditz, it's like one of those movies you watch over and over - how many times can one say that about a book? It's just that another fact or piece of history jumps out at you each time you read it. (Oh geez, I missed that before!) Wonderful piece of writing by Mr. Nack - who some call Secretariat's "personal biographer" - it fits. He was there to almost the end.
Rating:
Summary: fact filled
Review: This book is a must for Secretariat fans. I agree that the author has more material for a follow up book in covering Secretariat's offspring - of which he sired over 40 stakes winners. The main problem in Secreatriat's sire career was that people held the unfair and unrealistic expectation for him to reproduce himself. He remained the main attraction at Claiborne Farms in Paris, KY until his death. I had the fortune to meet him there where one of the employees combed out a lock of his mane and handed it to me in 1984 - which I still have. There are not a lot of books on Secretariat so this one is a must.
Rating:
Summary: A True Wonder Horse
Review: This book is just great. Even though I knew the story of Secretariat and even saw him run and win the Kentucky Derby, there were a lot behind the scene stories I did not know. The book was brilliantly written. The book includes so much more than just the story of Secretariat. It included stories about other great racehorses in relation to Secretariat - the jockeys: Turcotte, Pincay and others - the owners: Penny Chenery and others. I found the love Penny Chenery had for Riva Ridge in spite of Secretariat's accomplishments heartwarming. There was an incredible amount of suspense and beauty in reading this book - not a dull page included. Secretariat has always been my favorite racehorse and this book just compounded my feelings for this awesome animal.
Rating:
Summary: Jackie Cook, age 11, What a GREAT book!
Review: This book tells exact detail and information about Secretariat's breeding, birth, raising, breaking, training, and racing. It also tells of all trainers, excersize boys, and jockeys. A very exciting and informational book.
Rating:
Summary: Secretariat-A Champion for All
Review: This book was awsome. It did not just give Secretariat's history. It also gave a great look at the history of horse racing, for the first 75 yrs of last century.
Rating:
Summary: One of the All-Time Best Racing Books
Review: This book was originally published in 1975 as BIG RED OF MEADOW STABLE. I read the book when it first came out, and I thought it was one of the greatest books ever written on thoroughbred racing. I finally bought a copy of my own in 1989, just a couple of months before my visit to see the great horse in Kentucky. Perhaps because I saw Secretariat just weeks before he was put down, this book still brings the tears to my eyes when I read it. It takes a truly outstanding writer to write about such a magnificent subject, and Nack fills the bill beautifully. He traces Secretariat's lineage and of the history of Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, long the leading breeder of thoroughbred race horses. He writes in depth about Secretariat's races leading up to the legendary Triple Crown triumph of 1973. He writes about observers such as Charles Hatton, who spotted Secretariat's greatness immediately and who called Secretariat the greatest horse he had ever seen. The only flaw in this great book is that it stops at Secretariat's retirement. There is no updated edition of this book. Perhaps someday Nack will write the rest of the Secretariat story. He certainly wrote a magnificent obituary about him in Sports Illustrated called "Pure Heart." All in all a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for the Greatest Belmont Race Winner Ever
Review: This is a great book that captures the spirit and triumphs of Scretariat, who was more than a champion race horse. Just compare FunnyCide, this year's Triple Crown hopeful, in the Belmont to Big Red's stunning 31 length win, and you'll instantly understand how great Scretariat was. I sometime watch that race to get inspired! Bill Nack lived it, wrote it, and his book stands as a great tribute that captures the setbacks and thrills of one of the greatest race horses of all time. You can't beat this book for a good read!
Rating:
Summary: One of the most beautifully written books I've ever read.
Review: This is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Like me, you don't have to be very knowledgeable of the horseracing world--this book will give you a lot of insight in words you'll understand. And it doesn't matter that you already know Secretariat won the Triple Crown--the trip there is an awesome one. You don't just read this book, you become part of it. I laughed, cried, got nervous, got frustrated, felt anticipation, and at times even found myself talking to the people in the book, who you'll get to know as if you've known them all your life. This book is for everyone, whether you're into horseracing or not. It's a story of love, faith, perseverence, patience, and trust. In essence, it is a love story, and I guarantee you'll fall in love also. William Nack has done great justice to Secretariat and the people who were a part of his life.
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