Secretariat

By: William Nack

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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 30 years after its initial publication.

©1975 William Nack. New Preface copyright 2010 by William Nack (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

" 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, best-selling author of Seabiscuit)

The Best horse story ever written.

An easy book to listen to. The best part was the description of the Belmont.

Deservedly very popular horse reacing book!

Any fan of thoroughbred horse racing will love this book. This is a very popular book on horse racing, and deservedly so. Few books describe a horse race so vividly, no others so beautifully.

This book will tell you everything about Secretariat, something about the history of thoroughbred racing in American, and much about his owner/breeder, his trainer and his jockey.

If you are even a casual fan of horse racing you will enjoy this book. Don't shy away because you think it will be dry, or that it might contain too much history that you won't like. It is beautifully written, and very well narrated.

This edition contains an epilog read by William Nack himself.

Great book!

Over way too soon!! What a grand book. I laughed and I cried. What a wonderful true story.

Brought back Memories

I was married on the day Secretariat won the Triple Crown. I was sitting in the living room, in my wedding dress at 5:30pm June 9, 1973, waiting for the race to begin. I was to be married at 6:30 and had a good 45 minute ride to the church..........but I wasn't gong anywhere until the big red horse ran. When he crossed the finish line and then into history, I felt this was a good sign for my upcoming marriage. And so it has been....... some 38.5 years later.
It starts out SLOWLY, going through all the bloodline history. If you're not a race fan, it's boring. But once you get to the part where Secretariat was born and his journey into greatness and history........you cant stop listening. What a one of a kind champion, who's record times in the Derby, Preakness and certainly the Belmont will probably never be broken. Cant wait to see the movie.

Great story ... and true, too!

This is a wonderful story and that it is true and happened makes it even more amazing. I remember Secretariat ... I remember watching his astonishing 39 length win at the Kentucky Derby ... and knowing that I'd probably never see anything like that again. And I haven't.

You don't have to be a racing fan to like it. It feels much more like a novel than history and the excellent quality of the writing and smooth narration make it a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. Grover Gardner is always good, but I think in this book, he's even better than usual.

If you saw the movie, you will find it interesting how much the book differs from the Hollywood version. The basic facts are the same, but there are many difference both large and subtle. It makes an interesting comparison.

Secretariat was a winner and so is the book. A great read. Not a dull moment!

Read another Secretariat book, not this one

2.5 stars

This is by far the most uninspiring horse book I’ve ever read. And yet it’s not that I disliked it. It was more Moneyball than The Natural. Lots of numbers, lots of detail, lots of research . . . but not a lot of heart.

My overall reaction?

Meh.

My advice is this: If you skip to the actual running of the Triple Crown races—heck, if you even start at the Belmont (near the end of the book), and also make sure to read the 22-page article* “Pure Heart” included after the epilogue (but before the two appendices—this book takes awhile to ebb to a close--about 2 hours), you’ll have covered the best parts of the book.

*Funny-but-true: All the way through the included article, I kept thinking, “Too bad this guy didn’t write the book. He’s got passion and I finally feel some emotional investment! He could teach the author a thing or two.” Imagine my surprise to find, when checking on details while typing up my thoughts, that THE SAME GUY WROTE BOTH! Perhaps the article was more accessible because the writer injected himself into the piece. Ah, well. I now like him (and his book) more.

P.S. Grover Gardner, as always, was fantastic. If only he had been given more than facts to read . . .

Love it!

William is a great story teller. Very informative about the life of Secretariat and those in his life.

Great Book

I loved this book a lot. It made me cry in more than one spot.

Fascinating book

This was a wonderful story about the magnificent Secretariat, and his excellent team of humans. I knew parts of his story, but gained a lot of knowledge about the details of his birth, training, and handling, the business ends of the sport, and more information about the humans who participated in his rise to greatness. This is not a book for those who are only marginally interested in horse racing, but as I find the sport fascinating, I found the book to provide very interesting insights into a sport in which the relationship between animal and human is paramount. It is also one of the most dangerous sports, and it amazes me anytime I see a small jockey weighing 110 pounds mount a 1100 pound animal, and race 40 miles an hour with only minimal protection. The book could be a bit tedious at times, when the author focused on reciting pedigrees and naming the participants and the negotiations in Secretariat’s syndication, but I understood why he focused on this information. I particularly liked the author’s epilogue, stating his long- time love of the sport, how the team allowed him access to the champion, and his gain of anecdotal information. I cried at the end when Secretariat was put down; it was so obvious that the people who surrounded him were devastated, as we all are when we lose a beloved animal friend. For those folks who have ever loved and connected with an animal, and who love to see beautiful horses doing what they were born to do, this book will provide an interesting and poignant read.

About a lot more than Secretariat

I was seeking greater focus on Secretariat and his story. There was a lot in here about the periphery, so much so that I’d get bored by the time there was talk of Secretariat and I’d have to rewind to start paying attention in time.

If you’re seeking a more thorough history, then this book may be for you.