Customer Reviews

Citation: In a Class by Himself

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If you scan my Amazon reviews, you'll see I read a lot of horse racing books. But one thing about that, there haven't been many books about racing. But with the success of Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit", many more horse-racing books are finding their way on the shelves. One of those is former track announcer Phil Georgeff's biography of 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation.

The casual style in which he tells the story of "Big Cy" lets you know in no uncertain terms that Georgeff loves Citation. He does this through periodic digs at other great horses, like Secretariat and Cigar, but it is hard to argue with the man. Citation had a terrific career as a 2 and 3 year old including the easiest trip through the Triple Crown of any horse.

Georgeff chronicles Citation's career, including the story of his greedy owner who wanted to race Citation until he became horse racing's first millionaire, causing him to run until he was six years old, long after a horse of his caliber should have been retired and sent to stud duty. He also describes the story of Citation's jockey who disappeared on a fishing trip not long before the Kentucky Derby and was replaced by the great Eddie Arcaro.

All-in-all, it is a well told story and worthy to be included in horse racing fan's collection. Georgeff also includes a "dream horse race" with 20 of the all time greats. Want to guess who wins?

It appears that this book and those on other great horses was inspired by the interest in the book and movie on Seabiscuit. However, Seabiscuit was not in Citation's class.

As a long-time follower of the "sport of kings," I consider Citation as the greatest thoroughbred ever. Had Citation been retired at the end of his three-year-old season, as were Man o'War and Secretariat, he would have had a record of 27 wins in 29 races, the two second-places losses easily explained. That record is more impressive than those of Man o' War and Secretariat, the two horses usually rated higher than Mighty Cy in polls of racing experts. Unfortunately, Mighty Cy's owner wanted to make him the first million dollar winner and brought him back as a five-year-old, after more than a year's layoff. Clearly, the horse lost something in that long layoff and was the not the competitor he was as a two- and three-year-old, winning only five of his next 16 races before finally going over the million dollar mark. When comparing Cy with Man o' War and Secretariat, it seems only reasonable to consider only his two- and three-year-old seasons. Who knows what those two horses might have done as five- and six-year-olds?

Author Georgeff captures the greatness of Citation, appropriately referring to him as "the greatest thoroughbred in modern history" and "in a class by himself." I couldn't put the book down once I started on it.

Even if you've never visted a racetrack, stood by the rail near the wire and experienced those beautiful Thoroughbreds thunder down the homestretch, feeling the wind in your hair as they flash past you...you'll feel as if you have, once you read Phil Georgeff's "Citation, In A Class by Himself!"

Not only an avid reader & fan of great racers, I exercise race horses and working toward my trainer's license. If you want to feel pure freedom and excitement, hop on a thoroughbred and race with the wind. Or just go for a ride on a riding (pleasure) horse one day! You'll find a joy that can't be compared to anything! Except maybe, to reading this wonderful book! As for reading about horses, this book tops the list. It's great!

While exercising horses with dreams of becoming a jockey, 17 year old Phil Georgeff saw the "Mighty Cy", a great thoroughbred "live & in person" at Washington Park & other various times."...1947 the day I first laid eyes on Citation. He was a fine upright two year old...Instinctively I sensed thoroughbred greatness in the making. Happily I was right."

"From 1941, until 1953 as race track publicity employee...until I called my first race May 18, 1959, until retirement in 1992 with a world record 96,131 "calls" under my belt, I devoted countless hours discussing, recalling, reviewing and reliving Citation's grand career with everybody I met and knew. And I mean everybody...Calument farm's Warren and Lucille Wright, trainers Ben and Jimmy Jones, ....Eddie Arcaro, ...contact with sports writers Arch Ward,...Joe Palmer, Red Smith, Joe Agrella and Elmer Polzin... there was only one Citation!"

I loved this book! It's full of witty, engaging, exciting and nearly poetic word portraits about the great Triple Crown Winner and first millionaire in horse racing (winnings of 1,085,760!) --who raced with his gritty, never-say-die heart into history!

Citation won 16 races in a row, into his sixth year on nearly only three legs and scorning man-made pressures! A champion racer from coast to coast despite constant racing and crippling man-made adversities. He remains a champ even after becoming immortal on August 8, 1970.

This book'll pique your interest and imagination painlessly. It's full of life. Not one page is dry, boring nor filled with meaningless details and/or filler drivel!

It's a captivating account of a magnficent race horse. Phil Georgeff has written the definitive book on Citation! Above all, it gives the stalwart, dark bay stallion long overdue credit for his incredible career and will to win. The author's human touch reaches out and captivates you with Citation's own exhilerating and sensational dynamic will "to beat any horse he could see!"

I'm a sucker for horse stories that enthrall me and Phil Georgeff's "Citation" has accomplished this! It's full of life, is an enduring classic and heartwarming horse story that's worthy of an Eclipse Award! This book has Citation come alive and has an inspiring and bona fide Hollywood finish!

Written with love and honesty, verve and passion from a man who not only experienced but lived those golden days of racing then and now... and who is still thriving and writing more today!

Walk beside Mighty Cy as he competes, conquers and becomes a Sovereign in the Sport of Kings! Then, now and always!
"Citation...27 wins, two seconds in 29 starts...a great achievement for a six year old cripple who never knew the meaning of the word 'quit'!"

Like Cy, this book's a true stayer! A rousing, amicable heartening book! Enjoy reading this uplifiting,exciting book now -- before it becomes a widescreen, classic blockbuster film!

Because it's a natural for a horse racing epic movie waiting to be made! Hop on! Take a thrilling ride, you'll never forget!

When reading this book, the reader becomes surround by the life of Citation. Georgeff writes with a passion unmatched and fills the book with describtive details. Everyone that was important to mighty Cy's career was in this book and their opinions. The debate Georgeff makes, that Citation is the greatest horse to every race, throughout the book is proved with expert opinions, Georgeff personal experiences, and history. The character list is extremely long that includes barn owners, trainers, and jockeys that all argee that Cy was the best. Sometimes the characters can get confusing and the timeline can get a little mixed up, but all in all the story is wonderful. If you want a good, detail-packed story, this is the book for you. OSU

Phil's composed an exemplary, exciting, compelling witty book. An affectionate dedication about Citation-(nicknamed,"Cy".)

Phil put all his unique, colorful, conversational ability into a factual bio about his favorite horse of all time. Cy deftly won the Triple Crown and even raced as a 5-year-old, when so many man-made odds were against him! After the last satisfying page you'll concur, Citation WAS in a class by himself.

Phil immediately puts you into Citation's world; from the moment little Cy was born 4/11/45, and every magical enthralling moment thereafter. Gaze out over smoky blue-kelly green hued KY blue grass. Its range beyond any horizon. Eternal & enduring as Cy's spirit & story. Phil's "Citation" must become a movie! Flows like a screenplay. Plus! It's true w/an undeniable Hollywood ending!

Let Phil's quotes from his book "Citation" give info for this review. (All quotes used with Phil Georgeff's personal permission.)

"This Story Is True...As I Lived It." "I was a 16 yr old jockey wannabe in 1947 the day I first laid eyes on Citation... Instinctively, I sensed Thoroughbred greatness in the making. Happily, I was right."

"Rather, with humble but implicit conviction, we dedicate this opus to WHY & HOW Citation achieved, and genuinely deserves the lofty accolade as "The Greatest Thoroughbred Who Ever Lived!"

"Not until you saw him on race day, dressed for equine warfare--neck proudly arched and head regally bowed in that personal trademark canter of his own creation, then exploding full tilt from the gate with a magisterial will-to-win dynamism, borne of innate nobility--only then did Citation begin to suggest what he truly was: The Greatest Thoroughbred Who Ever Lived!"

"Actually, his face was downright handsome. If he were a matinee idol, he'd be Harrison Ford as opposed to Clark Gable. Bruce Lee not Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Phil quotes Cy's trainer, 'Plain' Ben Jones, "If it wasn't that he was so downright intelligent, you'd probably never give him a second look"; said during the summer of 1948 when Citation ruled the world." Son, Jimmy Jones praised Cy, "He had the smarts. No doubt about it, and you couldn't help but see it in his face--it was intelligence that helped make him one in a million!"

Phil quoted the late jockey Eddie Arcaro, "But Citation was a flesh and blood animal, a Thoroughbred horse, who when I knew and rode him as a 3 yr old, could beat any horse I've ever seen or ridden--and beat 'em silly--but never with maximum or all out effort. None of us knew how truly great he was...I was one slow learner..still would take me another race or two to appreciate what a standout he was." Phil quotes Ben Jones, "Eddie, you can sleep well tonight because, and you can take this as gospel: any horse Citation can see--he can catch! And he's got perfect eyesight!"
Phil writes, "Eddie Arcaro discovered Citation could sprint like Equipoise, close like Whirlaway, dominate like Man O'War, shift gears like Count Fleet-'wait' like Seabiscuit and could explode like Phar Lap-& do it all over again. And again!"

Phil describes Cy's Belmont win, "He led every step of the way, cruising along by two or three lengths at every call, repulsing bid after bid, demoralizing Escadru in upper stretch, crushing Better Self in midstretch striding clear past the sixteenth pole winning 'eased up' by eight lengths, equaling Count Fleet's track record of 2:28 1-5."
Eddie Arcaro spoke, "Eight lengths? Why it could have been 80 if I had asked." Ben Jones said, "Some horses like Citation have a real savvy, understanding, know-how, more than others..doesn't mean intelligent ones automatically run faster. Good old common horse sense is important, especially if the bugger can also run a bit."
Phil quotes Arcaro, "When asked to compare Arcaro's TWO Triple Crown winners, Citation & Whirlaway, Eddie replied with gusto & customary frankness: 'Hell, Citation can carry the both of us and still beat Whirlaway!'" "A lowly groom uttered perhaps the finest compliment of all. The oldster sighed, 'Boss that hoss--he ain't human!'"
Citation retired as racing's FIRST millionaire w/ earnings of $1,085,760. "The undaunted, dark bay stallion's hard achieved Million status lost luster as inflation ballooned and purses swelled..Winning streaks and career race longevity-Citation scoring 16 straight wins..."

"Proved Citation in a class by himself...all the others were valiant." "From now on, he'd be making giant hoofprints so grand, so unprecedented, no Thoroughbred race horse--past, present or future--would ever truly duplicate."

"By Belmont time, Eddie Arcaro was so sure of Citation's power, he jokingly predicted the only way the colt could lose is 'if I fell off at the start.'" " Citation hated, actually refused to lose." "Elmer Polzin to this day marvels at 3 yr old Citation's "two weeks in another town"..New York...'In a period of ... 18 days, Citation scaled down from the 1 1/4 miles of Chicago's American Derby to the mile of the Sysonby, then ...the demanding two miles in the Jockey Club before coming back to 1 5-8 miles of the Empire City..Against older horses and he did it like Superman!"
Phil writes, "He was no longer being compared w/ Man O'War. Cy by now was uncomparable. He'd become the absolute against whom future stars would be judged. His greatness was incontestable."

Phil quotes Clem, "Citation's invincible!" announcer Clem McCarthy shared with his radio listeners. "No longer can he be compared with any other horse. He's in a class by himself!"

Phil says, "That said it all."

Phil quotes "Ed Schuyler Jr of Associated Press, in a TV appearance on an ESPN-TV Special saluting Citation's legendary greatness as the New Millennium dawned, put it in proper perspective: 'When someone says Citation might have been the greatest horse that ever lived, they have a legitimate argument--he (just) might have been the 'greatest horse who ever lived!'"

Phil says, "Amen to that".

With this review I, too, say, "Amen" Buy & read Phil's "Citation". You'll agree!

Having only lived in the '90's and the early part of this century myself, you can't help but think when you look at fascinating black and white photographs of Citation and think, "What would they have looked like in color?" Georgeff puts the color into those photos and then takes it a step further, letting you into Citation and his private circle of the Wrights, Freeman McMillan, Ben and Jimmy Jones, Margaret Glass, and the likes of all the jockeys close to him. Most times in the book, I felt like I was standing right next to Citation in his stall, watching the conversations around me. His races come back to life through Georgeff's words, showing the man has a deep devotion to the famous racehorse. I highly respect him of that. Eddie Aracaro, who is considered the greatest jockey of all time, was born in Cincinati, Ohio, just an hour and a half from where I am. Being the big racing enthusist I am, I was clearly humbled at the thought that 'The Master' came from little old Ohio. The famous father and son trainers Ben and Jimmy Jones were able to read horses so well, and that is portrayed through how they thought of Citation. This book was compelling and had been so thoroughly researched that it is just like taking you back to the golden days of the 1940's and 50's. I was clearly convinced that, taking the words of Ben Jones saying, "Anything Citation can see, he can catch!" I bet if Citation can see Secretariat and Man o' War, then he could whip 'em both. Best of all, this memorair portrays Citation exactly as he should be remembered: Citation was the Secretariat without television.

This book is a panegyric to Citation by one of his biggest fans. I used to idolize Secretariat, but on closer inspection, great as he was, he just did not achieve Citation's level of greatness. As his trainers, Ben and Jimmy Jones, said, they rated a horse's class by "who he beat, how he beat them, how many times he beat them, and finally time." It is an interesting parlor game to guess what Citation would have achieved if he were healthy at 4 years old and raced. Unfortunately, he sat out his entire 4th year, when a thoroughbred is at his prime, with injuries. When he tried to make a comback at five, he was not the same Citation as at 2 and 3. Georgeff describes Citation's heartbreaking return at ages 5 and 6, when he did something he was not used to ... lose races (a few to the great Noor, by just a nose, in record time, though). Just to fulfill owner Wright's dream of owning the first million dollar horse. Arcaro, who no longer rode him, bemoaned the nickel-and-diming that the owners put Citation through. Others called it criminal and said that if it were today, Wright would be put in jail for what he did to Citation.

Sure, Georgeff is biased ... if he did not love Citation, he would not have written this book. Yes, the book is redundant in places in its praise of Citation. But the book provides pretty convincing proof, that, Citation, not Secretariat or Man of War, should be considered the greatest racehorse of the 20th century (if such a thing can be determined). And Charles Hatton is in the definite minority in his deprecation of Citation. Every week, Hatton had a new "greatest racehorse." Most sport writers place Citation at or near the top.

The book is very discursive, jumps around in places and strays from the subject sometimes. The descriptions of the horse races are wonderful.

My one complaint is that there is no chart at the back listing Citation's races, the ones he won, the ones he lost, times, jockeys, lifetime stats, etc. I had to plod through the book and make my own chart. Looking at the chart reminded me of Jim Fitzsimmons'remark: "So far, Citation's done more than any horse I ever saw ...and I saw Man of War." Truly a horse for the ages.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves horses and horse racing.

It's a great read!!

When I was but a mere child, Nashua was MY horse; when I grew up, it was Seattle Slew. Never thought anyone could persuade me that a horse greater than Slew ever looked through a bridle - and to my mind, that group included the Secretariat supporters. Then, along came Phil Georgeff with Citation: In A Class By Himself, to throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the works.

Beginning with a crisp Foreword by Tommy Trotter and a touching Introduction by former ace Chicago Tribune handicapper, Elmer Polzin, Phil's second major book pulls the reader inexorably toward a conclusion he, himself, reached long ago . . . and that is that NO horse, NO way, NO how, was ever better than Citation.

I am, however, from Missouri, at least when people start claiming that someone or something was the greatest or best ever. So, Phil had to drag (rather than inexorably pull) me through a couple of arguments in Citation's favor, at which point I stopped balking and let myself be led down the path of common sense. It was a seduction, actually, a seduction into a time and place which no longer exists, where men and horses were tough and when a cocktail was something a human drank and not a substance tested for in a state racing lab.

"Citation" draws the reader in, not just because it's well researched and well written, but because it was written with love from the perspective of someone who was there - someone who saw the horse and was transformed into an unabashed fan by him.

The contrast between the heart and soul of a champion thoroughbred and the foibles of his human handlers is part of the story, but so is the rich history of the turf - mighty Calumet, the "Master," Eddie Arcaro, the Jones boys. Phil Georgeff has woven a masterful tapestry and invited the reader into it - to touch it, feel it and live it with him.]

And through the whole story looms a bay horse who fired the imagination of a nation; a horse with the "look of eagles" who, despite the screwups of his connections, won a Triple Crown and more, who stamped himself a champion with no equal - a true champion who never quit, always tried and usually won. Citation should have retired undefeated and probably would have done so had God seen fit to grant his owner the brains he gave geese. But then, one shouldn't speak ill of the departed.

In every sense of the word, Citation was THE champion - the best. The best ever? Yep. I think so. Why? Not just because Phil Georgeff said so, but because he persuaded me that it was so. Some place on the book jacket Tommy Trotter is quoted as saying, "If you liked Seabiscuit, you'll love Citation." And that's someone else who's right.

It ain't bad, but it do go on and on and on about the same old things. Good picture of the racing world of the time and of Calumet in its heyday.
BUT where's the horse? We know how he looks-what he does on the track-the fact that he's intelligent,etc. Where are the anecdotes that endear or amaze that a reader finds in Native Dancer, The Making of Secretariat, and other books of the same type? Maybe the info is no longer available. A pity. Sidenote: My grandfather worked for Southern Saddlery, and I saw Citation and Coaltown when they were colts at Calumet.