Champion Horses

This book focuses on an assortment of champion race horses from Europe and America--Thoroughbreds (flat racers and steeplechasers), harness racers and even a Quarter Horse makes an appearence. The author is Italian and therefore the book is heavy on European horses. A gorgeous full color painting of each horse accompanies the horse's history, racing stats and 5 generation pedigeee, which really helps you to see how champion lines evolved. Also, there is a good introduction to the evolution of the Throughbred, Quarter Horse, French Trotter and American Standardbred with an extensive family tree, as well as maps of the world's most famous tracks and charts of the worlds most famous racing silks! It's a great resource tool for those interested in horse racing all around the world. BUT the writing is dry--this is translated from the Italian and it always seems to be translations lack a certain flavor that keeps one interested in reading and not just looking at the pretty pictures. And, what hurts this book the most, is the author's choice of the Champions. He has included horses that have won recent (for then) major races, but had NO stud record or a very unspectacular one. Exceller--the horse who beat Seattle Slew is included but NOT Seattle Slew--and guess who was a major force in the Thoroughbred breeding industry and who wound up as a Trivial Pursuit question? The American sections are weak, with horses picked at the author's whim instead of their breeding shed record, which is what the book claims to be about--the most important contributors to the breeds therein and to their nation's racehorses