Customer Reviews

Kelso: The Horse of Gold

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Kelso is one of horseracing's few secrets: many in the racing world consider him to be the greatest racehorse of all time. Kelso: The Horse of Gold is a wonderful account of his racing life that equals his extraordinary story. What makes Kelso's life so compelling and engrossing is the fact that he raced for more than 5 years--an incredibly long time for a racehorse, whose normal "shelf life" is less than 2 years. So here we have a champion who is tested in youth, middle age, and in the twilight of his career. Despite not having run in the 1960 Triple Crown races--he suffered an injury and was held out--Kelso raced so well for the rest of the season that he, and none of the Triple Crown winners, was named Horse of the Year. Kelso followed this surprising upset with an unprecedented string of both victories and four more consecutive Horse of the Year titles. But it is not only his endurance and victories that make Kelso so great, he was challenged by the best horses, raced under all conditions, on dirt and turf, in sprint and distance events, and carried enormous handicap weights year after year. All this adds up to drama at its best: Even when Kelso seems down and out, whether by age or because one rival appears to "have his number," Kelso somehow would summon up the strength, rise, and win. The book ends with a very good summary of Kelso's achievements.

Ms Kennedy does a wonderful job describing the career of one of the greatest thoroughbreds to ever live. Kelso won the Jockey Club Gold Cup for five consecutive years. This race was run in the late fall and served as the climax of the racing season. He also won the Woodward for four consecutive years. More than that, Kelso was crowned Horse of the Year for five consecutive years, beating the best of five straight generations of horses to earn this achievement. Never has a thoroughbred run to such a high level for so long. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good animal story or loves the sport of racing.

It was the sixties, and thoroghbred tracks did not need slot machines to attract a crowd. My father was a vetrinarian who loved, owned and raced horses. Linda Kennedy's book brought back so many memories of my father at the track, trailed by his son who never quite understood what it was all about. Ms. Kennedy makes clear that this was sport on a very high level. Honor, skill and luck combine to bring out the best in horses, owners, jockeys and trainers, without product endorsements. Mrs. Allair DuPont was a class owner who did not shrink from the competition when weight was added. The hall of fame trainer, Carl Hanford never doubted the horses greatness and took the blame when he felt his judgment caused a loss. Kennedy provides the rationale without being tedious and assembles the facts in a very enjoyable read to explain why Kelso deserves this book and his place in the lead for history's greatest thoroughbred.

My Review by Charlotte Farmer of the book, "Kelso, The Horse of Gold."

In reading the book, "Kelso, The Horse of Gold" I found myself being transported back to those days when we all gathered around the television to watch history being made on the tracks. We held our breath and from the moment the gates opened until he crossed the finish line, a winner, we didn't blink. Deep in our hearts we knew he could overcome the high weight and the field of horses that had come to see if they could dethrone, "King Kelly." We would yell, "He did it! He won!" This book focuses on Kelso, and Linda Kennedy has done a wonderful job of bringing HIS story to the public.

Maybe for some readers they are use to a certain style of writing about the thoroughbred immortals that includes the traditional collection of photos, which is fine, but I for one like reading something different, something that hasn't been around the barn for the millionth time.

What, I believe, Linda Kennedy has done is keep it simple as it was back then. During those years, unless you were lucky enough to live in the east, the only thing you could rely on was the broadcast of the race and the write-up the following morning, and if that didn't capture your heart for a horse with extraordinary abilities then nothing would. Linda Kennedy has done that, kept the spotlight directly on the horse. We can't forget the great lady herself, Mrs. Allaire du Pont, Kelso's owner, the enormously talented trainer, Carl Hanford, and the jockey with the golden touch, Milo Valenzuela, but this IS NOT their story it is Kelso's.

It is a simple story told wonderfully about a horse whose likes will never be seen again. His story cannot be told through an Internet website. People need to read the book to understand all that encompassed his greatness. One does not need to have lived during a specific time period to understand or feel those times. If a book is written well then the reader will be transported to those places where events were larger-than-life. Linda's book does just that. It is the 1960's when one horse, and one horse alone, was on the lips of everyone, Kelso.

I might as well put my 2 cents in...I am a big fan of Kelso...greatest gelding of all time...his achievements have no equal, and he could be considered the greatest horse in American history...

But I am also a fan of Citation, and this book reeks of a hatchet job towards Citation...the ridiculous comments of Eddie Arcaro, which are taken as Gospel here, when anyone familiar with him know how he could exaggerate and change his mind with a change in the wind...Ms. Kennedy, it seems, is a writer, but not an expert on thoroughbred...

Lots of quotes from William Nack, Charles Hatton, and Joe Hirsch, none of them showing Citation in a good light, always twisting the information and leaving out crucial information (called "half-truths").

Most obvious is Ms. Kennedy's description of handicap racing, and the effect of those weighty lead bars...she quotes Eddie Arcaro as saying 130 lbs is the "breaking point"...and how Eddie rode Citation 3 times in 1950 (Citation was 5, having been laid out a whole year, 1949, with injuries) without winning...

1) Eddie only rode him twice, not 3 times as Ms. Kennedy reports...coming in second to Ponder and beating Noor in the San Antonio, and coming in second to Noor in the Santa Anita...both times Citation carried 130 and 132 lbs...but that by itself is NOT the reason he lost...Noor, new to this country, was extremely underweighted by the judges...110 and 114...

2) Also, Noor had to set world and american records to BARELY beat CY...the San Juan Capistrano at 1-5/8 miles was a photo finish, with both Noor and Cy head to head in the final furlong, one of great races...

3) Cy's record of 2 wins out of 9 starts at 5 years in CA may not seem very impressive...until you look into the details of these races...

Such half-truths about Cy that seem to be meant to disparage him, cause this book to stink of a hatchet job...I don't know why...

In the amazing race recaps in this book, I was at times literally tense, sometimes cheering under my breath and shaking my fist as if with the beat of the horses' hooves. Even if I knew the result of the race! The book is overall well researched, well written, and exciting! The horse seems so real. Photographs are included as well as a race recap. I wish there were more details about the jockeys who did not ride Kelso for such a long time as Arcaro and Venenzuala (sp? :[ ) as well as a little more personality detail about the horse competitors, but...I guess you have to be selective when you write. So it does not go into so much detail about the people as 'Seabiscuit' did but is a little more exciting than 'Seabiscuit' if you need a comparison.

Kelso was a champion of a magnitude where not even the most famous superstars found room on the rail to pursue in a full stride.

From 1959-1966, the gelding raced on 14 tracks in six states, winning an unprecedented five consecutive Eclipse Horse-of-the-Year honors, while dominating some of the greatest races over a number of years; Jockey Club Gold Cup (five consecutive wins), Woodward Stakes (three consecutive), Whitney Stakes (three times) and Suburban Handicap (twice).

Author Linda Kennedy keeps the action centered on the track in this chronicle of a remarkable career. There are plenty of race recaps, but Kelso, 1957-1983, entered the starting gate 63 times, winning 39 races and finishing off the board only 10 times.

After injury forced him into retirement, Kelso went on to a second career as a hunter and show jumper. Kelso had a heart of gold and the will of steel; Kennedy allows the champ to tell the story through performances that should never be forgotten.

Kelso was an amazing horse. In Linda Kennedy's book, his exploits are detailed on a year by year basis. In my first year going to the track, I was fortunate to see Kelso run twice. Therefore, this book brought me back to my youth and those exciting days. However, after finishing the book, I felt something was missing. This book did not go into any depth concerning the trials and tribulations Kelso faced. His trainer is mentioned often but cannot be considered a character in the book because we do not get to know him. The same is true for his jockey, Milo Valenzuela and owner. Character development is not there. I recommend this book to all horse racing fans to learn about Kelso's greatness. I am not sure if non-horse racing fans would get the same enjoyment as when they read the book, Seabiscuit.

this book was purchased as a birthday present for my daughter, so i cannot personally review it. however my daughter was delighted in reading this book so i would take that as a positive review.