About this item
His trainer said that managing him was like holding a tiger by the tail. His owner compared him to "chain lightning." His jockeys found their lives transformed by him, in triumphant and distressing ways. All of them became caught in a battle for honesty.Born in 1917, Man o' War grew from a rebellious youngster into perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time. He set such astonishing speed records that The New York Times called him a "Speed Miracle." Often he won with so much energy in reserve that experts wondered how much faster he could have gone. Over the years, this and other mysteries would envelop the great Man o' War.The truth remained problematic. Even as Man o' War---known as "Big Red"---came to power, attracting record crowds and rave publicity, the colorful sport of Thoroughbred racing struggled for integrity.
About the Author
From me to you, about Battleship:Leap was the working title for this book. That one word fits the story as a noun, a verb, and unifying theme. While Battleship does contain the story of the racehorse Battleship -- he is the remarkable force which brings everything together -- this story explores several versions of the passion, planning, and persistence that it takes to make a leap of faith.If you are a horse person who wants to know what Battleship was like, you will find as much here as I could find. I love his journey from temperamental baby to poised professional to crafty middle-aged guy protecting his assets.Yet that is only one strand of how this story speaks about the joys and hurdles of life. Whether or not you love horses, I hope that reading this book may give you at least some of what researching and writing it gave me. It isn't a story stuck to one moment in history, or only relevant to the horse world. These true happenings are a source for timeless reflections: the blend of skill and instinct that let a man fly a small plane across the Atlantic Ocean or a teenage boy guide a small horse around the world's toughest steeplechase course ... how much of success depends on partnership ... how easy it can be to choose surface over substance, or gossip above proof. Add a good laugh here and there, plus more than a few thrills, and -- yes -- inspiration to take a deep breath when a poor jump knocks the stuffing out of us, and keep finding more.We all face what the Grand National race proves, time and again: no matter how rich or talented we may be, we can't control everything life brings. We can only aim our own attitude. Call it making a leap or being a Battleship ... I wish you a good read and a good ride.Cheers!Dorothy
