Secretariat was a champion racehorse! His journey to the Triple Crown is one of the most famous stories in racing history. In this graphic nonfiction title, young readers explore the horse’s life on the track, from his first race to his Triple Crown win. Detailed illustrations, engaging captions, and historic dialogue bring the story to life. A timeline and a map add further context to this story of Secretariat and his race to the finish line!
*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of Secretariat's life and races *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "All long lazy mornings in pastures of green The sun on your withers the wind in your mane Could never prepare you for what lied ahead The run for the roses so red From sire to sire it's born in the blood The fire of a mare and the strength of a stud It's breeding and it's training and it's something unknown That drives you and carries you home. And it's run for the roses as fast as you can Your fate is delivered your moment's at hand It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance And it's high time you joined in the dance." - Dan Fogelberg, "Run for the Roses" It is not difficult to drive through Laurel, Maryland and never know that it was once the site of races where thundering thoroughbreds ran at top speeds in search of victory. In fact, thousands of people do each day, on their way from Baltimore to Washington D.C. or vice versa. But there was a time, not that long ago, when champions ran at the now largely disused Laurel Race Course, when four-footed athletes raced for a prize that would go not to themselves but to their two-footed owners. They ran for the shear love of running and, hopefully, with a certain internal satisfaction at winning. One of the horses that once ran in Laurel, and other similar tracks across the country, was the legendary Secretariat. Unlike other previous heroes like Seabiscuit, Secretariat's fame is based not on the way in which he overcame long odds against him but in the way that he and his trainers made the very most of the advantages he had from birth. Won by his owner in a lucky draw, he was cherished even before he was born and spent the first year of his life happily trotting around the green fields of a Virginia farm. As he grew up, he enjoyed the best food, care and training money could buy, and in return he learned to run, first fast and then faster, as it slowly dawned on his growing audience that they were in the presence of greatness. His career was short lived but full of glory, as he won nearly every race he ever ran. Of course, the peak of his career came in 1973, when he capped off a Triple Crown by shattering the track record at the Belmont Stakes on the way to winning by 31 lengths, a margin of victory that was never replicated. As he marveled at the performance, CBS announcer Chic Anderson couldn't help but gush, "Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine!" Everyone the least bit familiar with horseracing has seen clips of Secretariat, and by the time Secretariat retired, he had won 16 of the 21 races he ran and only placed outside of the Top 3 once. Along the way, he ran at many race courses like Laurel, courses that most people don't remember, places where once full parking lots are now overgrown with weeds and where once glorious tracks are now being covered over with new construction. But while these courses may be nearly forgotten, Secretariat never will be. Secretariat: The Life of the Most Famous Triple Crown Winner in American History looks at the life and career of one of the world's fastest horses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Secretariat like never before, in no time at all.
“If you read one historical novel this year, make it To Win Her Favor. It will linger with you long after the last page.” —Colleen Coble, USA TODAY bestselling author of The House at Saltwater Point A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever. An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He’s come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse. Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance, and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder, Maggie's father—aging, yet wily as ever—makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail: that Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself. Set against the post-Civil War history of Nashville’s historic Belle Meade Plantation, the most influential thoroughbred stud farm in America’s history, To Win Her Favor is a passionate, stirring, and highly acclaimed novel readers won’t soon forget. “To Win Her Favor is a beautiful love story, not to mention a story of faith that shines through in the darkest circumstances. From the very beginning, I lost my heart to Cullen and Maggie and yearned for the moment when they would lose their hearts to each other.” —Robin Lee Hatcher, bestselling author of Who I Am with You “Tamera Alexander is one of my favorite authors, so I expect a lot from her novels. To Win Her Favor is captivating beyond expectation! This novel has everything readers are looking for—rich characterization, page-turning intrigue, a heartwarming romance charged with tension, and more!” —Cindy Woodsmall, New York Times and CBA bestselling author “Tamera Alexander has done it again. Her imagination and skillful pen intertwined with history takes the reader on a beautiful journey. To Win Her Favor is sure to stir the heart and open the mind.” —Jenny Lamb, Director of Interpretation & Education, Belle Meade Mansion
""Secretariat" is an elegantly crafted, exhilarating tale of speed and power, grace and greatness, told with such immediacy that the reader is lost in the rush of horses and the clatter and ring of the grandstand." --Laura Hillenbrand, bestselling author of "Seabiscuit" Updated with a new preface by the author In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest champion in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. The only horse to ever grace the covers of "Time," "Newsweek," and "Sports Illustrated" in the same week, he also still holds the record for the fastest times in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He was also the only non-human chosen as one of ESPN's "50 Greatest Athletes of the Century." The tale of "Big Red" is an enduring and inspiring classic, more than thirty years after its initial publication.
Presents the story of how the Chenerey family came to breed and race Secretariat along with the history of the family and the land in which they bred racehorses.
There has never been a horse like Secretariat. Winner of the Triple Crown in 1973 and record setter in all three races—an unprecedented feat—he still owns the track records at Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and Aqueduct. William Nack, formerly the racing writer for Newsday and currently contributing editor to Sports Illustrated , fell in love with the horse the first time he saw him run. He has written one of the most complete, thrilling, and memorable accounts ever written of the horse-racing world, and its greatest champion.
In Tales from the Triple Crown, award-winning racing writer Steve Haskin takes readers behind the scenes to introduce them to the trainers, jockeys, and horses seeking the world’s most elusive sports prize. Feel the keen disappointment of trainer Bud Delp after Spectacular Bid loses his Triple Crown bid because of a stray safety pin. Witness Angel Cordero’s frustration after winning the Kentucky Derby aboard Spend a Buck, only to encounter a series of misadventures on his way home. Mourn the untimely loss of Barbaro in a Preakness that shook the racing world. Their stories are among the twenty-four—including three that are new to this paperback edition—that bring a new dimension to the repertoire of Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes reporting. Horse racing is no stranger to triumph and tragedy, and in Tales from the Triple Crown Haskin shares both the adrenaline charge of victory and the disappointment of close losses. Haskin’s personal involvement, keen eye for a good story, and engaging writing style make readers feel like they are living the moments with him.
A gripping look at the great duel between Affirmed, the last horse to win the Triple Crown—comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—and his archrival, Alydar. From the moment they first galloped head-to-head in Saratoga Springs, the two chestnut colts showed they were the stuff of racing legend. Alydar, all muscle with a fearsome closing kick, was already the popular favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Affirmed, deceptively laid-back streamlined elegance, was powered forward by his steely determination not to settle for second place. In the Sport of Kings, the Triple Crown is the most valued prize, requiring a horse to win not just one race, but three: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. And 1978 would not be just for the record books, but also one of the greatest dramas ever played out in the racing world. There were names to conjure with, worthy of the Sport of Kings. The bloodline of Native Dancer. The teen wonderboy jockey Steve Cauthen. The once unbeatable Calumet Farm—the Damn Yankees of the racing world—now in eclipse and hoping for a comeback. The newcomer Harbor View Farm—owned by brash financier Louis Wolfson, who wouldn’t let even a conviction and a prison sentence for securities violations stand in the way of his dreams of glory. And the racetracks themselves: Belmont, Saratoga, Pimlico. And, of course, Churchill Downs. It has been thirty-five years since Affirmed and Alydar fought for the Triple Crown, thirty-five years when no other horse has won it. Duel for the Crown brings this epic battle to life. Not just two magnificent Thoroughbreds but the colorful human personalities surrounding them, caught up in an ever-intensifying battle of will and wits that lasted until the photo finish of the final Triple Crown race . . . and Alydar and Affirmed leaped into the history books.
The descendent of Man o' War and War Admiral, Affirmed won all three stages of the Triple Crown in 1978. Sahadi draws on interviews with jockey Steve Cauthen, the family of owner Louis Wolfson, and many more to tell the story of this courageous horse.
