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The Race for the Triple Crown
Chronicles twelve months of horse racing fever, from stories of jockeys, owners, and trainers, to the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2001
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107 people want to read
About the author
Joe Drape
11 books79 followersJoe Drape is a reporter for The New York Times and the author of the New York Times Best Seller Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen. He also is the author of The Race for the Triple Crown and Black Maestro. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, he previously worked for The Dallas Morning News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When he doesn’t live in Kansas, he lives in New York City with his wife and son
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 20, 2022
Only briefly mentioned in the GR description is that this book covers a “one year in the life of…” quest for the Triple Crown. The fact that the year was 1999-2000 should also be considered if you’re interested in the subject. Maybe 20 years doesn’t really date the book. I thought it was well written and there was good information. The reader follows owners, trainers, breeders, the big sales, the jockeys, and of course the horses. Joe Drape is a professional sports journalist who has an interest in betting which adds style to the book. His own personal stories are interesting, notably the tale of how he and a friend tried to break into ownership in a small way. Advice, keep your day job.
The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby in the first week in May, the Preakness near Baltimore and finally the Belmont Stakes in New York. Before this particular season only 11 horses had won the Triple Crown (and only 2 since). In 1997 when the foals in this book were born, some 35,000 eligible horses were born. Only 19 were finally eligible for the 2000 Derby. A few of the horses were purchased for bargain basement prices such as $17,000 and the most expensive horse in the bunch had gone for over $4,000,000. Today the top horses go for much more. Reading this book gives you a pretty good idea of what maintenance, salaries, transportation and medical bills cost. It’s a VERY expensive hobby.
Personalities are big. The horses are stars and the trainers are divas. Evidently jockeys often come with huge baggage in the form of alcohol and drugs. I think the scandal in this book is kept to a minimum. I enjoyed stories of the backgrounds of the individuals, the temperamental and often fragile horses but wonder how such basically inbred 1,000 to 1,500 pound luxury animals on spindly legs can be treated the way they are. In human years a 2 year old is the equivalent of a 13 year old human. The Triple Crown racers are mere teenagers too, perhaps 18 years of age.
The Derby winner in 2000 would win more than a million dollars and really reap the big money for owners as a stud. Winners retire in luxury and live 20 to 30 more years. This book does not go on to talk about those who are not so fortunate. A number are injured at the tracks and euthanized (in 2019, more than 30 died at just the Santa Anita track). Worse than racing accidents, more than 7,000 “finished” race horses per year are sent to Mexico for slaughter.
Well written but not the whole story.
The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby in the first week in May, the Preakness near Baltimore and finally the Belmont Stakes in New York. Before this particular season only 11 horses had won the Triple Crown (and only 2 since). In 1997 when the foals in this book were born, some 35,000 eligible horses were born. Only 19 were finally eligible for the 2000 Derby. A few of the horses were purchased for bargain basement prices such as $17,000 and the most expensive horse in the bunch had gone for over $4,000,000. Today the top horses go for much more. Reading this book gives you a pretty good idea of what maintenance, salaries, transportation and medical bills cost. It’s a VERY expensive hobby.
Personalities are big. The horses are stars and the trainers are divas. Evidently jockeys often come with huge baggage in the form of alcohol and drugs. I think the scandal in this book is kept to a minimum. I enjoyed stories of the backgrounds of the individuals, the temperamental and often fragile horses but wonder how such basically inbred 1,000 to 1,500 pound luxury animals on spindly legs can be treated the way they are. In human years a 2 year old is the equivalent of a 13 year old human. The Triple Crown racers are mere teenagers too, perhaps 18 years of age.
The Derby winner in 2000 would win more than a million dollars and really reap the big money for owners as a stud. Winners retire in luxury and live 20 to 30 more years. This book does not go on to talk about those who are not so fortunate. A number are injured at the tracks and euthanized (in 2019, more than 30 died at just the Santa Anita track). Worse than racing accidents, more than 7,000 “finished” race horses per year are sent to Mexico for slaughter.
Well written but not the whole story.
April 28, 2012
Veterans in the horse racing business understand the role that luck plays. Even with a promising horse, injuries, incomplete training, over-training, late maturing, balky owners, and bad luck at the track can intervene. This book is studded with cautionary folk wisdom: “Breed the best to the best and hope for the best,” “In buying a horse or taking a wife, shut your eyes tight and commend yourself to God.” Yet, these same professionals admit to an irrational optimism, a competitive need to be 'right' about predicting a horse's future, and a craving that borders on addiction to the glory of being back in that Winner's Circle.
Drape begins his story in Saratoga. The childhood memories he shares connects with the modern day setting of historic buildings, and colorful personalities reuniting annually to party, bet, and work. Races such as the Sanford Stakes and the Hopeful Stakes will be the earliest test for this year's crop of 2 year olds. Drape expands from a handful of colts to their trainers, owners and jockeys. One focus is the relationship between owner and trainer. Owner Jim Scatuorchio is a retired stockbroker. He is a Type-A personality, but as owner of More Than Ready, he wisely defers to the expertise of his trainer, Todd Pletcher, who learned to deal with owners when he trained with D.W. Lukas. A second aspect is that larger owners will frequently split their horses among more than one trainer. Likewise, trainers will be working with several high-potential horses. Owner Aaron Jones fires trainer Bob Baffert and removes half a dozen promising horses from Baffert's barn due to Baffert's friendship with owner Mike Pegram who has been experiencing recent success with his Captain Steve. Baffert refuses to enter Jones' horse in the Hollywood Futurity because the horse is not ready; he does believe Captain Steve is ready.
Above all, horse-racing is about human relationships. It's an enclosed world, with trainers and jockeys frequently in uncomfortable situations. Jockeys have winning and losing streaks which govern their access to the best horses. Many are recovering alcoholics, fighting weight gain problems, or coming back from prolonged injuries. Roger Velez was a one-time stroke victim, and a recovering alcoholic. He is given his only chance by 88 year old Harold Rose, a rarity in the racing world. He both owns and trains his modestly priced horses. When Rose brings Hal's Hope to Lexington, Velez comes with them.: “They gave me a chance when nobody else would. They made me remember how to be a rider.”
And what of the horses? Ultimately, the horses are the measure of the man's character. Jim Scatuorchio recalls learning of a mysterious fever that afflicts More Than Ready in the weeks approaching a big race. “[He] brought a lot of joy to so many people...I was afraid the colt might never run again or, God forbid, die.” He recalls the words of trainer Leroy Jolley: “You do right by that horse. He's a special one.” Trainer Neil Drysdale explains that the horse Fusaichi Pegasus is the real boss. The trainer's job is to listen to what the horse is saying. Drysdale practices what he preaches. On the eve of the Kentucky Derby, he had scratched heavily favored A.P. Indy when the colt bruised his foot. That the horse could possibly run, or that his Japanese owner had made a special trip to watch his horse were not important to Drysdale.
This is a well-written book which describes not only the road to the Triple Crown races of 2000, but the inside stories of the major people and horses involved. The wealth of detail may be confusing to readers unfamiliar with at least some of the events or people described. In particular, a chronology of some of the races and their outcomes might have been helpful. However, the insight Drape offers far outweighs these difficulties.
In such a book it is natural to ask what became of these characters? Fusaichi Pegasus is still standing stud, and Drysdale, Baffert, and Pletcher continue to enjoy successful careers as trainers. Jenine Sahadi (trainer of The Deputy) retired from training in 2011. She is still young, and one hopes we will hear more of her in the horse racing world. The horse she trained, The Deputy, is currently standing stud in Michigan where many hope he will contribute to the revival of locally bred race horses. More Than Ready also continues to stand stud. In 2012 his stud fee was $60,000. Captain Steve continued to race beyond 2000 and won the World Cup in Dubai. He stands stud at Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido and was unaware of the 2011 tsunami. Sadly, Hal's Hope died in 2002. He was only 5 years old and underwent intestinal surgery. A touching tribute can be found on the web (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racin...). Jane Smiley, the author of the fictional counterpart to this book, HORSE HEAVEN, perhaps says it best: “Thirty-two thousand foals mean thirty-two thousand stories, because a Thoroughbred never goes unnoticed or undiscussed. And most of the stories are the stuff of drama.”
Drape begins his story in Saratoga. The childhood memories he shares connects with the modern day setting of historic buildings, and colorful personalities reuniting annually to party, bet, and work. Races such as the Sanford Stakes and the Hopeful Stakes will be the earliest test for this year's crop of 2 year olds. Drape expands from a handful of colts to their trainers, owners and jockeys. One focus is the relationship between owner and trainer. Owner Jim Scatuorchio is a retired stockbroker. He is a Type-A personality, but as owner of More Than Ready, he wisely defers to the expertise of his trainer, Todd Pletcher, who learned to deal with owners when he trained with D.W. Lukas. A second aspect is that larger owners will frequently split their horses among more than one trainer. Likewise, trainers will be working with several high-potential horses. Owner Aaron Jones fires trainer Bob Baffert and removes half a dozen promising horses from Baffert's barn due to Baffert's friendship with owner Mike Pegram who has been experiencing recent success with his Captain Steve. Baffert refuses to enter Jones' horse in the Hollywood Futurity because the horse is not ready; he does believe Captain Steve is ready.
Above all, horse-racing is about human relationships. It's an enclosed world, with trainers and jockeys frequently in uncomfortable situations. Jockeys have winning and losing streaks which govern their access to the best horses. Many are recovering alcoholics, fighting weight gain problems, or coming back from prolonged injuries. Roger Velez was a one-time stroke victim, and a recovering alcoholic. He is given his only chance by 88 year old Harold Rose, a rarity in the racing world. He both owns and trains his modestly priced horses. When Rose brings Hal's Hope to Lexington, Velez comes with them.: “They gave me a chance when nobody else would. They made me remember how to be a rider.”
And what of the horses? Ultimately, the horses are the measure of the man's character. Jim Scatuorchio recalls learning of a mysterious fever that afflicts More Than Ready in the weeks approaching a big race. “[He] brought a lot of joy to so many people...I was afraid the colt might never run again or, God forbid, die.” He recalls the words of trainer Leroy Jolley: “You do right by that horse. He's a special one.” Trainer Neil Drysdale explains that the horse Fusaichi Pegasus is the real boss. The trainer's job is to listen to what the horse is saying. Drysdale practices what he preaches. On the eve of the Kentucky Derby, he had scratched heavily favored A.P. Indy when the colt bruised his foot. That the horse could possibly run, or that his Japanese owner had made a special trip to watch his horse were not important to Drysdale.
This is a well-written book which describes not only the road to the Triple Crown races of 2000, but the inside stories of the major people and horses involved. The wealth of detail may be confusing to readers unfamiliar with at least some of the events or people described. In particular, a chronology of some of the races and their outcomes might have been helpful. However, the insight Drape offers far outweighs these difficulties.
In such a book it is natural to ask what became of these characters? Fusaichi Pegasus is still standing stud, and Drysdale, Baffert, and Pletcher continue to enjoy successful careers as trainers. Jenine Sahadi (trainer of The Deputy) retired from training in 2011. She is still young, and one hopes we will hear more of her in the horse racing world. The horse she trained, The Deputy, is currently standing stud in Michigan where many hope he will contribute to the revival of locally bred race horses. More Than Ready also continues to stand stud. In 2012 his stud fee was $60,000. Captain Steve continued to race beyond 2000 and won the World Cup in Dubai. He stands stud at Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido and was unaware of the 2011 tsunami. Sadly, Hal's Hope died in 2002. He was only 5 years old and underwent intestinal surgery. A touching tribute can be found on the web (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racin...). Jane Smiley, the author of the fictional counterpart to this book, HORSE HEAVEN, perhaps says it best: “Thirty-two thousand foals mean thirty-two thousand stories, because a Thoroughbred never goes unnoticed or undiscussed. And most of the stories are the stuff of drama.”
December 20, 2010
A nicely reported history of a year in horseracing leading to the Triple Crown races. The book contained a large number of stories of trainers, jockeys, and owners, reflecting a lot of research. The race descriptions were also well written, containing nice narrative detail and providing some suspense, at least for the races I didn't personally remember. For those wanting a well written overview of a year in racing, this works well.
June 17, 2024
4.49 stars. Very nice—good concept well done and very accessible to those readers who might not be experienced horse-racing followers.
As noted in many Goodreads reviews, the book follows the 2000 Triple-Crown campaign of a variety of owners and trainers and horses, including trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lucas, both of whom are still active and very much in the news 24 years later. Perhaps because of that the book feels as fresh today as when it was written. It was a delightful read for this horse-racing fan and I think would be for many "civilians" who only tune in for the Kentucky Derby and the like.
Did note two of those irritating editing or proof-reading errors that are all too common these days:
--On page 194 the horse Captain Steve is said to have worked seven furlongs in 1:12 2/5 (that's one minute, 12 and 2/5 seconds). Wrong! That's either a six-furlong time or, if seven furlongs, is a typo and should have been 1:21 2/5.
--Even more egregious and obvious, the title page for Chapter 13 (The Belmont chapter) gives the date, in great big type, as "June 1999." Where were the editors/proofreaders? The chapter (and the whole book) is about the year 2000. Yuk!
But it was a wonderful book nonetheless.
As noted in many Goodreads reviews, the book follows the 2000 Triple-Crown campaign of a variety of owners and trainers and horses, including trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lucas, both of whom are still active and very much in the news 24 years later. Perhaps because of that the book feels as fresh today as when it was written. It was a delightful read for this horse-racing fan and I think would be for many "civilians" who only tune in for the Kentucky Derby and the like.
Did note two of those irritating editing or proof-reading errors that are all too common these days:
--On page 194 the horse Captain Steve is said to have worked seven furlongs in 1:12 2/5 (that's one minute, 12 and 2/5 seconds). Wrong! That's either a six-furlong time or, if seven furlongs, is a typo and should have been 1:21 2/5.
--Even more egregious and obvious, the title page for Chapter 13 (The Belmont chapter) gives the date, in great big type, as "June 1999." Where were the editors/proofreaders? The chapter (and the whole book) is about the year 2000. Yuk!
But it was a wonderful book nonetheless.
March 26, 2017
Written largely in bright, engaging prose this is a fascinating and detail looked into thoroughbred horse racing desirous of the rare triple crown. This story largely winds it was from recent history to the 2000 Kentucky Derby and the victory there of winning horse Fusaichi Pegasus, the first betting favorite to win the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979. Pegasus represented the buying one's way into winning and short of the triple crown - as is also Godolphin Racing covered here - and was indeed out of trying the time of the 2000 Belmont Stakes where Commendable won the day thanks to the training of D. Wayne Lukas, representing the traditional and more purist side of the sport. Lukas is practically treated as a career biography subject here.
November 29, 2020
Almost twenty years old but NOT DATED. Some of the four legged athletes still live and breed; some of the profiled trainers still ply their trade. The passion for a winner is timeless and excellently rendered in this look at an unusual triple crown season-so years ago.
October 24, 2023
I skipped through quite a bit talking about the horse players, the rich owners, etc. After reading Geraldine Brooks' excellent book "Horse," I didn't find this book very interesting.
August 29, 2008
The author takes the reader into the world of horse racing at its finest...preparing for the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. A fun read.
July 23, 2009
This is the best book I've ever read about the horse-breeding business. It is of interest to all breeders of horses other than Thoroughbreds. I couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews