William Nack - Böcker

The remarkable true story of ‘Big Red,’ one of America’s finest racehorses.When her beloved Meadow Stables is faced with closure following her father’s illness, housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over. Despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge she calls in assistance from trainer Lucien Laurin and a host of successful jockeys.Pitted against the Phipps’ racing dynasty, Penny takes the decision to breed her mare Somethingroyal to the Phipps’ Bold Ruler, the nation’s favourite stallion. With the toss of a coin it is agreed that one family will take Somethingroyal’s first foal with the losing stable taking the colt out of Hasty Matelda and Somethingroyal’s second foal. Penny loses the toss, but the wait for the unborn foal proves fortuitous when a bright red chestnut colt is born, Secretariat. Nicknamed “Big Red,” with Laurin’s guidance, Penny manages to navigate the male-dominated business of horse racing, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.Now, more than 30 years after its initial publication, the story of "Big Red" continues to be a classic. Secretariat is the tale of a great racehorse but also a testimony to the dedication of Penny Chenery. Following her triumph with Secretariat she was elected as the first female member of The Jockey Club, changing the face of American horse racing forever.

William Nack has won the prestigious Eclipse Award-given annually for the best magazine piece on horseracing-an unprecedented six times. His only previous book, Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, has been eloquently described by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, as the "gold standard" of horse books.Now, Nack's finest turf writing, coupled with an ample assortment of dead-on profiles and investigative stories across the world of sports, is brought together in My Turf. Nack serves up unforgettable portraits: from his celebrated account of the death of Secretariat to his homage to both Yankee Stadium and Saratoga, including one-of-a-kind profiles of boxers Sonny Liston and Rocky Marciano, jockeys Willie Shoemaker and Robbie Davis, baseball players Keith Hernandez and the schizophrenic Martin Bergen, basketball coach Rick Pitino, and the chess master Bobby Fischer.