I have a been a big fan of horse racing since my father first brought me to Belmont when I was quite young; since I was blazing through Joanna Campbell’s Thoroughbred series and first learning how to ride. And of course, I have known Secretariat’s name from the beginning. Framed on my wall is a black-and-white photo of Secretariat winning the Belmont Stakes, which my Dad got signed by Big Red’s jockey, Ron Turcotte.
So I’ve had Secretariat by William Nack on my shelf for a while. I think it went a bit too deep into the nitty gritty of the horse world. Even for me, a fan, it was a bit dry and perhaps too detailed at the breeding and syndication bits. I think that Nack’s use of the invisible narrator had its negatives. The afterword that tells of his methodology, as well as of Secretariat’s death, is much warmer and more telling of the horse’s pull and character than the rest of the book was.
But the book is still excellent. Nack was by Secretariat and his team’s side the entire Triple Crown run, and it shows. He captures the worries and joys of the morning workouts, groom Sweat’s connection to the horse, the build-up, the push and pull between trainer Laurin and main owner Tweedy, and the way that Turcotte’s instincts and knowledge of Secretariat’s moods and talent allowed him to trust the horse and ride him so well. I know the results, and yet the entire Triple Crown and the build-up to it was a heart-pounding work of suspense, and his chapter on the iconic Belmont, where Secretariat showed even his most ardent supporters that even they had underestimated his greatness, made me cry.
