The Big Horse

Joe McGinniss's passion for horse racing and unsurpassed talent for observation combine in this riveting behind-the-scenes account of the 2003 racing season, told as only he could tell it. Volponi, winner of the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic, was trainer P. G. Johnson's "big horse"--that singular animal that every trainer searches for, the horse that will bring its stable prestige, power, and riches. McGinniss follows Volponi and the iron-tough Johnson through a tumultuous summer of thrills and heartaches at Saratoga, capturing the extraordinary world of racing in all its complexity--the horses, jockeys, and trainers all competing desperately for the grand prize and the glitter of the owners' big parties and superheated social lives. It's a world peopled with captivating characters--from the teenage girl jockey aiming for her first big win to 300-pound Ogden Phipps, Jr., wealthy blueblood embattled head of the NYRA, to the ordinary fans who fill the grandstands and are the lifeblood of the industry. Filled with heart, humor, and horseracing lore, The Big Horse is, at its center, a book about the pursuit of the American Dream--a subject no author writes about with more skill than McGinniss.