D. Wayne

A great read, not just for the racing enthusiast, but anyone who loves sports. D.Wayne Lukas wasn't just a horse trainer, he was a motivator as well, and this book highlights his success with horses and people.

This is a powerful book about a powerful man and it's about time we read the whole story about Lukas. Every horseracing fan knows and appreciates the influence Lukas has had on the sport and Carlo DeVito takes us into the mind of Lukas so we see how Lukas evolved from a young college coach to a quarter horse trainer to a business genius to the most winningest horse man around. The photos were a cool feature too! I saw that they came from the Lukas family archives, which makes me think Lukas had some input in this book. This was a great idea for a book. If you want to learn about Lukas as a boy and how and why he made certain decisions and you want to read an unsympathic yet factual account about this man, buy this book.

As a horse-racing fan, I was very impressed with the candid nature of DeVito's book. It has some really juicy parts and gives an up-and-down view of this maverick figure. I can't wait for the Derby this weekend and an opportunity to see Lukas in the winner's circle. I would highly recommend it to racing fans.

Never been a big fan of Lukas, but as a racing fan, it's about time somebody poked around to get this story. After reading this book, I still can't say I'm a big fan, but I definitely have a better understanding (and some begrudging respect!) for the guy. This book starts out with a fascinating behind the scenes look at Lukas' string of bad luck finding a horse to run in the Derby. He really is an evil genius! Lukas's early years breaking into thoroughbreds was pretty compelling stuff too. Horse fans should definitely get into it. Most of the interviews in here I'd never read before and I can't believe the author got Lukas to talk to him too. On the minus side, Muttering and Marfa are both referred to as fillies. Not so, costing this book my highest rating. However, the stuff on Charismatic and Chris Antley is exceptional and different from the usual racing journalism. A really good read.

As a racing fan, I've been waiting for this story to come out for years. I've never been a big fan of Lukas, but the chapters about his early years with thoroughbreds are fascinating. I still don't like the guy much, but I do have a new respect for him after reading this book. Also, the author begins the book with Lukas' string of bad luck finding a horse for the Derby a few years ago. There's some great behind the scenes stuff in this section that horse fans will really be into. A few little things bothered me, though. He refers to Muttering and Marfa as fillies. Not so. But otherwise, some great stuff on Charismatic and Chris Antley. An excellent insiders book with some pretty revealing interviews. I give it 4 stars.