The Big Horse [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Joe McGinniss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2005

Joe McGinniss - journalist, investigative reporter, and horse racing obsessive - recounts the heartwarming story of veteran trainer P. G. Johnson who, in sixty years as a leading trainer at all three New York tracks, had never had a "big horse." Then, in his seventies, he bought a mare, bred her, and produced Volponi, who won the Breeder's Cup Classic in 2002.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McGinniss's new book finds him trying to recapture his lost love of horse racing by following P.G. Johnson, an aging trainer, and his "big horse," Volponi, through the 2003 racing season. Johnson, a Hall of Fame trainer, is a tough-as-nails, tell-it-like-it-is horseman, and McGinniss uses him and his 2002 Breeder's Cup Classic–winning horse as the linchpins holding together this varied collection of factoids, trivia and personal observations of the past, present and future of horse racing. Interspersing his own memories of Triple Crown Winners Citation, Seattle Slew and Affirmed with observations about the present state of horse racing and a retelling of Johnson's life story, McGinniss paints a compelling and bittersweet picture of the dying sport of horse racing and the dying breed of old school horse trainers like Johnson. McGinniss is a master storyteller, but the story he has chosen to tell is not as strong as those he has told in past works, like The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. Volponi is not a superstar, and Johnson's story, while touching, holds few of the twists and turns that make for momentous tale. Still, there's no questioning McGinniss's writing ability. This book is a lot like the racing career of Volponi: impressive yet, despite its flashes of excellence, not transcendent enough to qualify it as great.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Horse-racing enthusiasts might well envy McGinniss for his assignment, which was to hang about three of the country's most beautiful tracks--Saratoga, Belmont Park, and Santa Anita--in the company of Hall of Fame trainer P. G. Johnson from mid-July through late October of last year. It's hard to be jealous for long, though, because McGinniss is generous about sharing his insider's view of racing, which he gets almost exclusively from Johnson, a straight-talking veteran of 60 years in the game. Johnson is campaigning Volponi, the best horse he has ever laid hands on--his "big horse," in the parlance of the track. Volponi won the country's richest race, the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic, in 2002, and McGinniss chronicles his bid for a repeat victory in that race. There is more melancholy than glory in the tale the author finally has to tell, however, as Volponi loses race after race while his 75-year-old trainer's health deteriorates along with his spirits. The story becomes an unintended but clearly recognized metaphor for the decline in popularity of horse racing, which has been surpassed by pastimes whose charms are more accessible. But racing's charms are still present, rich and abundant, and McGinniss makes that clear as well. It's a tough game, full of frustration and disappointment, but, when seen through Johnson's eyes, it's a game that is eminently worth playing. Those who read McGinniss' perceptive, funny, and entertaining account of it are likely to agree. Dennis Dodge
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (January 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786271663
• ISBN-13: 978-0786271665
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,774,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Place!, August 9, 2004

By 

G. Ware Cornell Jr. "anotherlawyer" (Weston FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Horse (Hardcover)

THE BIG HORSE is to what every trainer aspires. It is a horse that captures the imagination and wins the biggest stakes. P.G. Johnson's first big horse Volponi came in the twilight of Hall of Fame racing career. Volponi captured the 2002 Breeder's Cup Classic and prepares for the 2003 race in this account of horse and trainer.

As a book Seabiscuit did it better, but that is almost like saying as a horse Secretariat did it better. Joe McGinniss takes you into the world of 21st Century horse racing in the same way Laura Hillenbrand returned us to the glamour of horse racing in the late 1930s.

With a point of view switching between author and trainer the cadences are those of the denizens of the stables and betting windows. This particular authenticity surpasses even Hillenbrand.

McGinniss has returned, and how we have missed him.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Horse, October 5, 2004

By 

Amdream (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Horse (Hardcover)

At last a McGinnis book where he doesn't betray the trust of the protagonist!

McGinniss' writing remains fluid and engaging. His subject -- P.G. Johnson, a legendary, if unsung, horse trainer -- is a fascinating curmudgeon. And what the story lacks in plot, it makes up for in rich character development.

And, best of all, after finishing the book, I continued to like and admire the subject.

A great horseracing book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Entertaining, March 11, 2005

By 

F. W. Young (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Big Horse (Hardcover)

One of the best books I have ever read about horse racing. McGinnis is unsentimental, clear eyed and far too old to be sucked in by the romanticism that surrounds the track...

Yet he succumbs, as any of us who love the horses does. But this book is mainly a biography of P.J. Johnston just about the last of a dying breed.

Listen, if you like horse racing, you've got to get this book.

If you like McGinnis, ditto.