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Book Review for
Native Dancer -- The Grey Ghost (Hero of a Golden Age)
by John Eisenberg
Of his 22 races, Native Dancer came in 1st place 21 times.
In 1953, he won the 1953 Preakness and the Belmont Stakes,
but he lost the Kentucky Derby "by a nose", thus depriving
him
of the Triple Crown. Native Dancer had a "come-from-behind" racing
style. In the 1954 Metropolitan, he was losing by 10 lengths. The
description of how he came from behind to win will have you on the
edge of your seat rooting for "The Grey Ghost". In the early 1950's, the
growing popularity of television made horse-racing the most-watched
sport in America and Dancer's grey coat made it easy to spot him in a
race on a black-and-white TV set. The author does exhaustive research
into Native Dancer's owner Alfred Vanderbilt, trainer Bill Winfrey,
and jockey Eric Guerin, and he does an exceptional job in capturing
the spirit of horse that held the nation's imagination captive
during the early 1950's. An inspiring story to read.