Spectacular Bid

"Despite missing out on the elusive Triple Crown, Spectacular Bid, along with Secretariat, was one of the two greatest racehorses I've ever seen. We now have the definitive story on this great horse and his colorful connections. In Spectacular Bid: The Last Superhorse of the Twentieth Century, Peter Lee does a masterful job of telling the entire and real story of a racing star who overcame numerous obstacles. From beginning to end, it's a book that you cannot put down!"—Brian Zipse, managing partner of Derby Day Racing

"No chronicle of racing's Golden Age of the 1970s, with one superstar after another, would be complete without the story of the $37,000 yearling purchase Spectacular Bid, who rose from the barn of Maryland hardboot Buddy Delp to become one the greatest superstars of all time. Peter Lee does a masterful job telling the back story of how 'The Bid,' despite controversy and an ill-timed injury that cost him the Triple Crown, developed into what many still call 'The perfect racehorse.'"—Steve Haskin, BloodHorse Senior Correspondent

"When I started Peter Lee's book, I knew of Spectacular Bid: the safety pin, the world record, and the failed Triple Crown run were the oft-repeated narrative about this dynamite gray champion. This book showed me that the story of 'The Bid' was much more: a horse with an average pedigree and superior talent; a blue-collar trainer who proved he could compete with the sport's elite; owners that genuinely loved and enjoyed their remarkable horse; and a jockey whose burning passion for horses and the sport of horse racing could not outrun the demons of success. I highly recommend this book to any reader who loves horse racing and wants to learn the full story of this champion."—Jennifer S. Kelly, author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown

"Winning a Triple Crown is an automatic stamp of immortality—think Secretariat, Citation, and the others—but what about those horses that didn't quite make it? Where do they fit in the hierarchy of Thoroughbred racing's history? Author Peter Lee makes a strong argument that Spectacular Bid deserves a place among the sport's elite despite coming up short in his bid for the Triple Crown. A once-in-a-lifetime horse for his owners, for a veteran trainer best known for his success with claimers, and for an inexperienced jockey beset with problems, Spectacular Bid was the best of his generation. He swept the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and almost certainly would have won the Triple Crown except for a bizarre accident that likely cost him the Belmont Stakes. Was Spectacular Bid really the last superhorse of the twentieth century? It's difficult to say, but Lee's well written and thoroughly researched book is excellent fodder for the argument."—Milton C. Toby, author of Taking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing's Most Famous Cold Case