Horse Racing's Holy Grail: The Epic Quest for the Kentucky Derby [Hardcover]

Steve Haskin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2002

Interlaced with hunor, this book looks at the pitfalls and pressures owners, trainers, and jockeys face at Derby time and why most fail, while others, notably the big three of D. Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert, and Nick Zito, always seem to win the big prize.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Required reading for all Triple Crown enthusiasts...don't fail to fulfill your needs with a copy." -- Cliff Guillimas, Evansville Courier & Press

"follow Steve Haskin's hoofprints in "Horse Racing's Holy Grail" for maximum enjoyment and insight into the world's greatest horse race." -- John Angelo, American Turf Monthly

About the Author

Steve Haskin is an award-winning Turf writer renowned for his Kentucky Derby commentary. During his nearly three decades at "Daily Racing Form", Haskin made a name with his "Derby Watch" columns. He joined "The Blood-Horse" magazine in 1998, and as senior correspondent provides coverage of the Triple Crown races and the Breeders' Cup. He has won three Red Smith Awards for his Kentucky Derby coverage.

Haskin has written three other books for Eclipse Press, including "Baffert: Dirt Road to the Derby", co-authored with Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, and he has contributed to several other books published in the United States, England, and France.

Haskin, who also is editor of the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup souvenir magazines, lives in Hamilton Square, New Jersey.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Eclipse Press; 1 edition (April 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581500769
• ISBN-13: 978-1581500769
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,294,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a book with an identity crisis, March 29, 2002

By 

Catherine Conk (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Horse Racing's Holy Grail: The Epic Quest for the Kentucky Derby (Hardcover)

As a very enthusiastic horse racing fan, I was eagerly awaiting this book when I found out it was being published. I am a huge fan of Steve Haskin's writing for the Blood Horse. His weekly Derby Watch reports are the only ones I read, and I was deeply moved by his article on Tiznow after the 2001 Breeders' Cup. I also enjoyed Haskin's book "Dr. Fager" from the Thoroughbred Legends series. Which makes me feel just terrible about giving this book one star.

I just put the book down after reading it in about two hours. The print used is large, the spacing between lines is large, and the margins are large. Additionally, there are many full page photos (but none are particularly good, all in black and white). All of those combine to make the book much shorter than its 219 pages would suggest.

The problem I had with the book (as indicated in my title) was that the book had no focus. It varied between: (1) Recent history of the Derby (2) How to pick a Derby winner (3) Derby myths and legends (4) Haskin's ramdom musings. None of the aspects were explored fully which means that the book is at the same time about all of them and about none of them.

I don't know what I was expecting from the book, but the name implied great things that I simply did not find. I feel the book is too frozen in time, talking only about recent trends, recent big name trainers and jockeys, and recent horses. In ten years, it could be meaningless, so the book has no timeless quality. I have been following horse racing for two years and there was nothing in the book that I did not know. However, the book (IMO) would not be good for a newcomer, because it assumes a certain level of knowledge.

I only feel justified in giving the book one star because I intend to return it. I feel that it was a waste of money and the book was neither enjoyable or informative. There are very few books that I dislike, and since I like Haskin's other work so much, it makes me all the more disappointed I did not find this book even satisfactory.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to pick a Kentucky Derby winner, March 28, 2002

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Horse Racing's Holy Grail: The Epic Quest for the Kentucky Derby (Hardcover)

Steve Haskin is one of my favorite senior correspondents for the weekly 'Blood-Horse' magazine. His Derby Watch is a feature of the 'Blood Horse' web site, although it hasn't done me much good, so far on the 2002 Derby trail (I'm currently ranked 12,123 out of a field of 17,187 players in the Kentucky Derby Fantasy Challenge).

At any rate, Haskin writes descriptions of the current Derby prospects, like:

'Hey, nothing surprises us anymore this year. So, we've got a Derby contender who changes leads four times, is pulled to the inside rail twice as if it were magnetized, and runs with his tongue flapping out of his mouth. So what? We threw the book away this year a long time ago.'

No, don't throw away the book---at least not if it's Haskin's 'Horse Racing's Holy Grail.' By nature, the book is more generic than his online column---he has to talk about previous Derby contenders, and their jockeys and trainers, not the current lot. However, 'Grail' is quite informative on what bloodlines to look for (the infamous Dosage index), which jockeys are best fitted to ride say, a horse that likes to come from behind, and which trainers are gearing up to win the Derby as soon as the yearling sales are history.

His favorite trainers are multiple Derby winners, and he calls them the 'Derby Dynamos.' They are D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, and Bob Baffert. You could do well if you picked one of these trainers, and bet on his horse (or horses)---although 2002 seems to be an exception to the rule---none of the 'Derby Dynamos' has what currently looks like a Derby horse unless you planning to pick a longshot like Baffert's Danthebluegrassman.

'Grail' is a fun book to read if you have any interest at all on watching or betting on the Kentucky Derby. Haskin writes very knowledgeably the ten rules on how NOT to pick a horse, which jockeys are the most likely to win (hold off betting until Jerry Bailey, Chris McCarron, and Corey Nakatani have finally settled on their Derby mounts), and how (if all else fails) to appease the fickle Derby gods (in part, it involves feeding senior press correspondents).

5.0 out of 5 stars Derby Eve, April 22, 2009

By 

G. Steven Mckonly "gsmck-law" (Hanover PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Horse Racing's Holy Grail: The Epic Quest for the Kentucky Derby (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Steve Haskin when he was a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, and I continue to read his articles in the Blood-Horse as well as his frequent internet postings. I enjoyed the Holy Grail. I have read it twice, most recently as a reference guide in preparing remarks to my local Rotary club on the Kentucky Derby. The stories set forth therein will interest not only the dedicated fan of thoroughbred horse racing but anyone with an appreciation of the human condition.