Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat [Hardcover]

Jim Squires (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002

What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? The breeder of the 2001 Derby winner shows us that while a fast horse is necessary, a sense of humor and a boundless capacity for absurdity and humiliation are absolutely essential . When Jim Squires set up shop as a horse breeder in the bluegrass country of Kentucky, no one held out much hope for him making a living at it. As the editor of the Chicago Tribune, Squires had overseen a staff that won seven Pulitzer Prizes in eight years, but that wasn't enough to save his job in a management shakeup. Consoled by a hefty severance payment, he decided to take up professionally what had been a passion of his for twenty years: raising horses. Squires had successfully raised championship reiners, cutters, jumpers, and other equine athletes, but now he was heading to thoroughbred country.Horse of a Different Color is Squires' rollicking tale of how a novice in the world of Kentucky horse culture did more than merely stay in business; he brought together the stallion and mare who would produce the winner of the most famous race of all, the Kentucky Derby. And at the center of all the commotion is that remarkable horse, Monarchos, the gray colt blessed with extraordinary speed and the making of a hero.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The breeder of the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner, Squires was previously the editor of the Chicago Tribune, whose staff won seven Pulitzers in eight years. But when he was terminated in a management shake-up, he decided to take his horse hobby to the next level. For 20 years his avocation had been raising reining horses, cutting horses, and jumpers. When he made breeding thoroughbred racehorses his second career, no one, himself included, believed that he could make a living at such a risk-filled business. However, using some of the same skills he had used as an editor a willingness to take risks, an ability to analyze a situation by separating fact from emotion, and maintaining a sense of humor Squires was able not only to make a living at breeding racehorses but to breed a horse whose speed in the Kentucky Derby was second only to Secretariat's. His story of this success is fast paced and fun to read. It will appeal not only to horseracing fans but also to people making midlife career changes. Readers who liked Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Joe Drape's Race for the Triple Crown will appreciate this book. Recommended for public libraries and libraries with racing collections. Patsy E. Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

After a career in journalism that ended with his dismissal as the editor of the Chicago Tribune, Squires and his wife, known here as "the dominant female," decided to indulge their passion. They sunk their savings into a thoroughbred farm in Kentucky's bluegrass country and set out to breed good horses, thereby becoming among the biggest risk takers in a gambling game. For Squires, the risk was rewarded when he mated a modest mare with an unproven stallion and came up with Monarchos, the hero of last year's Kentucky Derby. Mixing the pride of a parent with a self-deprecating humor, Squires makes Monarchos' dramatic ascent to the pinnacle of his sport a ride we can share, just as he did. It's a ride most racing fans won't want to miss. Dennis Dodge
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586481177
• ISBN-13: 978-1586481179
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughbred breeding, Monarchos and racing, June 29, 2003

By 

gfweb "gfweb" (pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horse Of A Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat (Paperback)

The breeder of Derby winner Monarchos writes of his second career as a Kentucky horseman and his improbable luck in quickly breeding a super horse. In the course of the book we learn a little about the author, lots about the business of horse breeding and meet some of the big players in the industry.

Comparisons to the recent book about Seabiscuit (which is better) are unavoidable and probably unfair. "Horse of a Different Color" covers a different territory and is as much about a business as a single horse.

The book has a few faults. At times, Squires gets stuck in arcane detail that interrupts the flow of the narrative. Also, his device of referring to himself in the third person(e.g. "the breeder" or "the genius") and his wife as "the dominant female" are at first wierd and then become tedious. They are odd mis-steps for an ex-newspaper editor to make.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Please end!, March 30, 2003

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"quickdraw" (Reno Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat (Hardcover)

While reading the book I really struggled to stay interested in the story line. I was finding nuggets of information in the thoroughbred industry that sparked my interest, and when I ponder back on what I learned I would give the book rave reviews because it did capture a lot of detail that could easily be skipped over. But there was a lot of the story line that had me wishing the book would end early.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great horses, great writing, great wit!, August 12, 2002

By 

Denise Every "Act as if what you do makes a d... (Upstate NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat (Hardcover)

As a lifelong devotee of the horse, and particularly the Thoroughbred, I've read more than a few horse books. Few have delighted me as much as has this treasure by Jim Squires. My only complaint is that it wasn't at least 1000 pages long (and even then I'd probably wish it was longer). What makes this book so delicious is the writer's horse-savvy coupled with his sharp wit and good writing, and obvious love for his horses. More than just telling the tale of how one particular colt brought home the roses, it's about the whole, encompassing experience through the eyes, heart and pen of a knowledgable and articulate person. "Seabiscuit" was excellent and I enjoyed every word. "My Racing Heart" was expressive and also a pleasure to read. "Horse of a Different Color" stands above these, on a par with the unforgettable Joe Palmer and "This Was Racing." It's got a permanent home in my library, as will any future book Squires might write about equines (and I certainly hope he does).