Secretariat Audiobook By William Nack cover art

Secretariat

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Secretariat

By: William Nack
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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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. Animal Sports Equestrian Sports Pets & Animal Care Sports History Sports Racing

Editorial reviews

You’ve likely seen footage of Triple Crown champion Secretariat’s remarkable racing career, and Grover Gardner brings us even closer to the track in his narration of William Nack’s enthralling investigation of the life and career of the champion thoroughbred first published in 1975. Gardner’s deep and robust voice heightens the intensity of those scenes when Secretariat bounds full throttle towards the finish line. Although aware of the outcome already, the suspense and excitement of the competition build all the same throughout this performance.

Following a record-shattering win at the Belmont Stakes in 1973, American thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat (fondly nicknamed “Big Red” by his fanbase) became the first Triple Crown winner in over a quarter-century. His performance has since been unmatched by any other competitor today. Secretariat charts the horse’s career from his calculated birth to his achieving the Triple Crown. Nack traces Secretariat’s lineage, studying his breeding and ownership by two families — the Chenerys of Meadow Farm in Caroline County, Virginia, and the Hancocks of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. These individuals involved in Secretariat’s victory make up a fascinating piece of his history and upbringing.

While horse lovers will thoroughly enjoy Secretariat, fans of investigative biographies and suspenseful narratives will devour Gardner’s rendition of this powerful athlete’s success story. The politics of the Triple Crown make for an intriguing sidebar to this story. Gardner plunges into Secretariat’s competitions with enthusiasm, and his smooth southern accent offers a pleasant reprieve from each pulse-pounding race. Secretariat triumphs in its depiction of horse racing and in moments of quiet investigation. —Suzanne Day

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)
Captivating True Story • Detailed Horse History • Beautiful Narration • Engaging Race Descriptions • Vivid Storytelling
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A most wonderful horse whose story is told in a beautiful & emotional way. It takes you from the thrill of victory to the heartbreak of loss at the end Secretariat’s life. It holds you in its grip all the way. You LOVE this horse.

What a Horse!!

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I loved this book. An incredible horse, an incredible era, an incredible accomplishment. The horse, the owner, the groomer, the jockey all come to life in this book.

A book you cannot put down!

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The best. Story about the best race horse there ever was . I loved it. Reread to come.

Secretariat

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This was a complete book, it turned out to be what I wanted in a book about Secretariat.

Secretariats love to race

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The headline refers to the fact that in 1999 ESPN counted down the top 50 athletes of the 20th century and Secretariat was ranked 35th. This book by William Nack was the basis for the movie starring Diane Lane as Penny Chenery the horse's owner.
I can remember watching the Triple Crown races with interest for the time in 1973. I had seen the races previously because my mother watched them every year but in 1973 there was enough buzz that I watched them eagerly. This was especially true of the Belmont Stakes when this magnificent athlete was in line to win the first triple crown in 25 years. If you're a fan of great athletes watching Secretariat stretch out the lead in the third quarter mile and eventually win the race by 31 lengths is as stirring as any two legged athletic accomplishment. In fact, to me the only accomplishments that even compare with it are Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game in 1962 and Bob Beamon's 29 ft. 2 & one half inch long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
This audiobook goes all the way back to Big Red's sire and dam(n)? About the money issues the owner faced and the rivalry between Secretariat and Sham, as well as between the two trainers. There are limits to the audio form; horse racing can only be fully appreciated in video. Still this is the most detailed, most comprehensive book on the horse that was almost human. The writer William Nack came to love Secretariat and the feelings that he had for this marvelous horse are all over the words he wrote about him. When the ESPN rankings came out and Big Red was ranked 35th many athletes were offended to have finished behind him. "A horse; are you kidding me a horse?" Those that knew him though had a rejoinder. "Hey you didn't know that horse."

The story of a great athlete

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This book is well-written and the "calling" of the race is well-done. The first several chapters delineate the sires and dams of Secretariat and I found this section somewhat tedious. Once we get into the story of Secretariat and his owners the story picks up and the "book" is hard to put down.

The narrator or the editing process could have used some work, however. There were several words that were simply incorrect. The one that I remember vividly is when the author is relating an exciting segment about Secretariat in a race. The narrator reads it as "Secretariat was lopping along. . . " That stopped me cold (as you can imagine). "What?!" I exclaimed. Then I realized that the word should be "loping". I rewound back a bit because I had lost the momentum of the story.

An amazing athlete

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I always wondered how different the book would be from the movie, Both were good, but the book was so real for me.

What did you like best about this story?

I wanted to know what happened to Penny and her husband.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Belmont race was the best scene for me.

The book is always better than the movie.

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Loved it! Great story and very informational. I know I will be reading this over and over again!!!! Well worth it!!!

Loved it!!!!!

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I'm old enough to remember seeing this incredible horse blow past all the other horses as he raced to complete the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes. What a magnificent beast he was! The book captures the nuances and complexities of the thoroughbred racing scene, as well as the exceptional history of the horse himself, and the family that reared him. The author and the narrator capture the magic this horse was conceived by and the tragedy of his final days. The writing and the spoken word do a tremendous job sharing the dynasty that created Secretariat, and the real people who guided him to become a legend. BEWARE: I carried like a baby at the end of this book.

The Ultimate Horse Tale

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I loved reading the book too about the mating of two good thoroughbred horses

great

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