Customer Reviews

Secretariat

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I was wounded on 12/24/72 on the Bassac River,Vietnam.I came home and was at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital in April of 73
when I first heard of Secretariat.My Mom was a an avid horse racing fan,so I watched his Derby and Preakness on T.V..I felt that I had to see this horse in person so when I went to New York to see my parents I went to the Belmont on the day he ran.
I was feeling really bad about myself from the war,but when I saw him in the circle before he went out to the track,I felt cleansed.I don't want to sound all flowery and all,but I'm sorry if no one understands.They weren't there with me.He looked me right in the eye and I felt good for the first time in a long time.I didn't feel that I would ever feel good again,but a horse changed all that in me with just one look.Imagine that.For making me feel better,I owe him that,and will alwys love him for it.I bet $100.00 dollars on him that day.I still have the ticket.

SECRETARIAT was first published in 1974 by Raymond Woolfe and immediately sold out. For years the book was out of print, except for a limited edition book published in around 1991. Thank goodness it is now back in print and is available to all fans of the great horse.

Woolfe seemed to have had unlimited access to Secretariat's connections. He traces the horse's life from the time he was foaled in 1970 until his death in 1989. Furthermore, the book is jam-packed with photographs by the author, the most famous being the "takeoff" shot of Secretariat about to make his first turn sweep of the field in the 1973 Preakness. The book truly gives the reader a feel of what this horse was like, especially those readers who were not lucky enough to have seen him in person.

SECRETARIAT is for all lovers of horse racing, and it is the perfect companion to Bill Nack's classic biography, SECRETARIAT: THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION.

I've always been a Secretariat fan, since I was a 12 year old horse crazy girl and saw him run for the first time. I own two Secretariat books and while they are both good, this one is by far more detailed and interesting. Not to mention the GREAT photos. Very well done.

I own a granddaughter of Secretariat and since I wasn't alive when the big red horse was racing, I wanted to read about my horse's famous grandfather. This book told the details of all his races, especially his Triple Crown races. It was also very detailed about other times in his life, like his training, when he was young, and when he retired to stud. There was a whole chapter devoted to the offspring he sired during his time at stud. It was a great book that told all about one of the greatest racehorses that ever lived. There are also many pictures, color and black and white. They show the master at work on the track and they show what a beautiful horse he was. A great book for any Secretariat fans and for horse lovers.

How does one even begin to describe the greatest horse of all time? I suppose it probably helped to have spent a lot of time with the horse, which Ron Turcotte certainly did. And no doubt, it helped that said horse broke all records in the Derby, Preakness and the Belmont, and did it with such style! How well I remember the Derby! Our senior prom was the night before and everyone in our group wanted to make sure we were back from the beach in plenty of time to watch Secretariat as he made history with his 1:59 and 2/5's to win. Then on to the Preakness, with his famous lunge going into the turn past two horses, and then 'clean-up time' as he moved past all of them, on the turn. One of the more interesting quotes-and this book has many of them- is George Cusimano, riding Ecole Etage describing what it was like when Secretariat flew by his horse: '" When he came by, it felt like a freight train passing-blew the number right off my sleeve."' And what is there to say about the Belmont? Quite simply, a quiet reverence to the unreality of what this horse was doing. 31 lengths-one sixteenth of a mile ahead of the other horses. Sensational! This book is also chock full of photos, from the one on page 27 when he was a ' " big, well made foal," to the photos of his dam, Somethingroyal and his sire, Bold Ruler, to the touchingly, poignant photo of Penny Chenery saying goodbye to Secretariat, with Lucien Laurin and sculpter Jim Reno looking on.
I felt when he died, that our nation's national pet had died. He represented everything that was wonderful and great about our country because he made us feel good about ourselves. Thank Heaven we still have him on film. He'll be with us forever and always, forever in our hearts. Miss you, Big Red.

This big beautiful book brings back the magnificence of Big Red like no other. Crammed with photos of everything form his Jockey Club ID photo as a foal (adorable) to workouts and races, grooming and bathing, and of the people around him - Penny (Tweedy) Chenery, Lucian Lauren, Eddie Sweat, Ron Turcotte and others - these alone are worth the price of admission. The photo of him and Turcotte taking off in the Preakness is as close to a flying horse as you'll ever see. The text is an engaging biography of Secretariat's earliest days at Meadow Farm, to his record shattering, history making races, ending with his retirement and success in the breeding barn - including photos and deeds of a few of his most accomplished get. It concludes with his untimely death at only 19 years. This book is also full of the history of, and interviews with, those who surrounded this awesome horse, and well known racing people who witnessed him run. As a horse loving 12 year old I watched history being made in 1973 - though it was only on TV - as Secretariat galloped seemingly effortlessly into history with those three races. I knew even in my youth and naivete that I would never see a feat that magnificent again. It's been 30 years now, and I haven't been wrong yet. This book is a must for those who love, and still love, this horse and racing. And for those who doubt - read the book. You will doubt no more.

I am a huge fan (like most people who know anything about horse racing) of the great Secretariat. As most people know, he was the most OUTSTANDING horse that ever graced the earth, and this book is a great tribute to him. I found it in an old book store and had to buy it. Then Woolfe came out with a 25th anniversary edition which is much better because it talks not only about his race career, but his life as a stallion and as a retired legend. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something about Secretariat. It not only contains a wonderful life story of him, but it also contains many pictures to go along with the history. You will see pictures of him as a yearling at Meadow Stables in Virginia, him winning the races that made him famous, hanging out with Eddie Sweat, and even him retiring at Claiborne Farms. This book has it all and I still get teary-eyed when I read the end.

I remember checking this book out of the library several times in the late 70's as I was a big fan of Secretariat, the greatest race horse in history. It gives a great summary of his life from birth, including the story of how his ownership was determined by the LOSS of a coin flip. It gives a great summary of all his races, especially the 1973 Triple Crown, where Secretariat battled his West Coast nemesis Sham and wiped him out with his 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. But what I like about the 1998 version of the book is that Mr. Woolfe updated it to discuss Secretariat's life after racing, including a review of his successful proginy. The pictures are great. If you combine this book with William Nack's book on Secretariat, you will have a very good understanding of the horse of a lifetime. A must for horse racing enthusiasts!

On Oct. 4, 1989 the evening news shows carried the story that Secretariat had been euthanized. I cried my heart out. Called in sick to work the next day. My personal hero had left us. The current generation of Barbaro-worshippers can't understand what it was like to watch The Red run. You knew you were watching history unfold, as much as when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. Secretariat lifted up an entire nation, kissed it and put it back down. We were sick of Vietnam, sick of Watergate, sick of being the trashcan the world kicks down the street. Secretariat, the most magnificent assemblage of bone, muscle, brain and heart walked out in front of us and said, "watch me." Simple and to the point. Bred in America. Homegrown and hardworking. And setting the gold standard for perfection. This book simply reminds everyone how he was and how he made us feel. Nearly 20 years later I still cry my heart out on October 4th. But I look at his photos and read the stories about him and I am grateful to have been a witness to something that defies description.

This book is great and chock full of beautiful, rich, and colorful photos; Secretariat almost looks real in some of them. It has just as much accurate information as Bill Nack's "The Making of a Champion," but doesn't go into the tedious detail of related bloodlines and the syndicate deal made for Secretariat. I found this book to be better than Nack's because of that, the pacing, and the gorgeous photos.