Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of the 20th Century's Greatest Thoroughbreds
This fantastic collection of pictures and essays detailing the performances of the 20th-century horse racing's truly great runners is meant for the genuine racing enthusiast, people in the industry, breeders, horsemen, and jockeys. A horse named Dr. Fager, a.k.a. "The Doc," got this reviewer hooked on the sport over 30 years ago. All of Doc's 22 lifetime starts and statistics were in the book: an impressive string of wins, a loss to Damascus, and four more consecutive wins culminating in a then record-breaking seven-furlong time. The list of champions is incredible; Domino, Sir Barton, Man O' War, Whirlaway, Sea Biscuit, Secretariat, Native Dancer, Gear, Sweep, and Affirmed are all at the reader's fingertips. Most impressive are the actual recorded data for turn-of-the-century winners that were campaigners. For instance, Roseben raced 111 from 1903 to 1909, having 52 wins and a total 89 times in the money. The public loved Roseben, who only earned $74,000 in prize money but set a record that took over 40 years to beat. With essays by the Daily Racing Form's editors and an impressive statistical appendix, this illustrated reference is for all large sports collections.DMarty Soven, Woodside, NYCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.