Product Description
What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? The breeder of the 2001 Derby winner shows us that while a fast horse is necessary, a sense of humor and a boundless capacity for absurdity and humiliation are absolutely essential When Jim Squires set up shop as a horse breeder in the bluegrass country of Kentucky, no one held out much hope for him making a living at it. As the editor of the Chicago Tribune, Squires had overseen a staff that won seven Pulitzer Prizes i... More >>
Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
the most significant part of this forgettable book is when the author recounts what was said in a magazine about him: ‘as long as there is a village without an idiot, this guy will find a home.’ that really says it all, don’t waste your time or money on this pitiful book.
Rating: 1 / 5
As an avid fan of the sport of horse racing and owner of several race horses I purchased “Horse of a Different Color” eager to glean from it’s pages the ‘secret’ of one who had attained the improbable. Winning the Kentucky Derby is something we all dream about.
Unfortunately, this boorish narrative begins with and maintains the overwhelming self-aggrandizement found in too many people involved in the sport of racing. Upon reaching page 175 I put the book back on my book shelf and have no plans to re-open it.
What could have been a wonderful story about an unlikely champion was, in fact, one man’s story about what is clearly his favorite subject: himself. With so many other wonderful books available on the champions of horse racing I would recommend passing on this one to take a chance on any other.
Rating: 1 / 5
I really enjoyed Seabiscuit, so I figured I’d give Horse of a Different
Color a try. This book focuses on the money and the dumb-luck of the
breeder (and author) of Monarchos, Derby winner from a few years back.
The author uses self-depricating humor and name-dropping en masse to
turn an undoubtedly exciting story into a painful, annoying tale. In a
few paragraphs of unwisdom, author Jim Squires mentioned
Seabiscuit, only compounding my fury at what this book is not.
Instead of interesting characters (although I imagine they were there,
Mr. Squires just didn’t let us know them), we got names and
generalities. Instead of heart-pounding tales of horse races, we got
ho-hum descriptions of only two races.
I will admit that there were a few worthwhile pages. I was unaware of
the foreign interest in horse racing nor the internal politics of racing and
breeding, but I would have rather read that in a short magazine article.
Maybe this book is selling to all the hopeful newspaper editors turned
lucky breeder. If that’s not you, I’d stay away.
Rating: 1 / 5
out of the dozens of horse racing books i’ve read, this one is undoubtedly the worst. the entire book is written in a third-person perspective… the author refers to his wife throughout the book as the “dominant female.” not once or twice, but EVERY single time he makes reference to her. this might have been clever if it had been done a couple of times spread throughout the book but [it's not]. this book also confirms the cliche that “every dog has his day” because it is amazing that this [guy] could have been a managing editor of a major newspaper, and could have bred the kentucky derby winner monarchos …
Rating: 1 / 5
Don’t think for one minute that this is in the same class as Seabiscuit or Colt, both thoroughly entertaining and informative books. Too many totally irelevent references to the dominant female and sometimes quite difficult to follow the chronology of the pedigrees. Informative to some extent, but then, what would you expect from a thoroughly immodest genius breeder.
Rating: 2 / 5