Horse Of A Different Color
A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Everybody in the thoroughbred horse business wants to win the Kentucky Derby, but the odds on making it to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs are about 35,000-to-1. How did a former Chicago newspaper editor bring together the stallion and mare and breed the winner of the world's most famous and important horserace?
Jim Squires's Horse of a Different Color tells the story of his wild ride from absurdity to glory at the pinnacle of horseracing success alongside Monarchos, the charismatic gray colt blessed with the extraordinary speed, poise, and stamina necessary to carry his motley band of human handlers to the highest level of their profession.
Squires takes you on an exciting journey through the close-knit and secretive world of horse breeders, buyers, sellers, owners, and trainers. And his hilarious tour of racehorse culture ends with a blazing sprint down the homestretch of the second fastest Derby in history in the company of a crowd of Kentuckians driven mad with "Derby Fever."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This is the true tale of how Squires, former editor of the Chicago Tribune, moved to Kentucky and tried his hand at breeding racehorses. Though of modest parentage, the exceptionally fast Monarchos (or More Nachos, as his fans call him) went on to win the 2001 Kentucky Derby. Squires's use of self-deprecating humor (he refers to himself as the Breeding Genius and calls his wife, Mary Anne, the Dominant Female) and his slow, southern drawl are endearing to a point. But his delivery is somewhat rote and, since much of the book involves lists of breeding lineages, this can grow trying. And the lack of editing is obvious (e.g., Squires incorrectly reads "bought" as "brought" and corrects himself, something easily forgiven in a live reading, but as easily edited out of audiobook presentation). Overall, however, Squires's portrayal of himself as a wily character for whom luck plays as important a role as any other quality meshes with his awkward delivery just enough to make the audiobook enjoyable.
