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by Charles River (Author)
*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of Secretariat's life and races *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "All long lazy mornings in pastures of green The sun on your withers the wind in your mane Could never prepare you for what lied ahead The run for the roses so red From sire to sire it's born in the blood The fire of a mare and the strength of a stud It's breeding and it's training and it's something unknown That drives you and carries you home. And it's run for the roses as fast as you can Your fate is delivered your moment's at hand It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance And it's high time you joined in the dance." - Dan Fogelberg, "Run for the Roses" It is not difficult to drive through Laurel, Maryland and never know that it was once the site of races where thundering thoroughbreds ran at top speeds in search of victory. In fact, thousands of people do each day, on their way from Baltimore to Washington D.C. or vice versa. But there was a time, not that long ago, when champions ran at the now largely disused Laurel Race Course, when four-footed athletes raced for a prize that would go not to themselves but to their two-footed owners. They ran for the shear love of running and, hopefully, with a certain internal satisfaction at winning. One of the horses that once ran in Laurel, and other similar tracks across the country, was the legendary Secretariat. Unlike other previous heroes like Seabiscuit, Secretariat's fame is based not on the way in which he overcame long odds against him but in the way that he and his trainers made the very most of the advantages he had from birth. Won by his owner in a lucky draw, he was cherished even before he was born and spent the first year of his life happily trotting around the green fields of a Virginia farm. As he grew up, he enjoyed the best food, care and training money could buy, and in return he learned to run, first fast and then faster, as it slowly dawned on his growing audience that they were in the presence of greatness. His career was short lived but full of glory, as he won nearly every race he ever ran. Of course, the peak of his career came in 1973, when he capped off a Triple Crown by shattering the track record at the Belmont Stakes on the way to winning by 31 lengths, a margin of victory that was never replicated. As he marveled at the performance, CBS announcer Chic Anderson couldn't help but gush, "Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a tremendous machine!" Everyone the least bit familiar with horseracing has seen clips of Secretariat, and by the time Secretariat retired, he had won 16 of the 21 races he ran and only placed outside of the Top 3 once. Along the way, he ran at many race courses like Laurel, courses that most people don't remember, places where once full parking lots are now overgrown with weeds and where once glorious tracks are now being covered over with new construction. But while these courses may be nearly forgotten, Secretariat never will be. Secretariat: The Life of the Most Famous Triple Crown Winner in American History looks at the life and career of one of the world's fastest horses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Secretariat like never before, in no time at all.
