In an era of spectacular thoroughbreds, Spectacular Bid was perhaps the most exalted. In 1979 he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, but his quest for the Triple Crown was lost with a 3rd place finish in the Belmont Stakes due to a series of bizarre events that have never before been accurately reported.
In The Fast Ride, Jack Gilden tells the untold tale of what happened that day the Bid lost the biggest race of his life. It’s a story about the celebrities of the gilded age of late 20th century horse racing, from the renowned Meyerhoff family, to the most successful of trainers in Grover “Buddy” Delp, to one teenage jockey named Ronnie Franklin, whose meteoric rise to fame came at the cost of his innocence, leading him down a path of ruin that was largely wrought by the adults around him.
The magnificent horse, who was one-to-nine to win in the Belmont, was shepherded to eminence by what was, on the surface, one of the finest organizations in horse racing. But its unseen flaws were so destructive to not only the horse but everyone in between as to be beyond reproach. In this fine example of old-school investigative journalism, Gilden give us a glimpse into the loose culture of racing in the 1970s, its drug abuse, class divisions, racial reckoning with its Hispanic stars, and on-the-track cheating. The story unfolds with suspense through brand new interviews with eyewitnesses, close friends, and racing industry insiders. April 2022, University of Nebraska Press
Praise for The Fast Ride:
“Jack Gilden has written a fascinating, never-before-told, and occasionally lurid tale on the great racehorse Spectacular Bid. Meticulously reported and beautifully written, it’s as behind-the-scenes, the-barns-and-the-jockeys’-room as any racing fan could ever hope for, definitely a must-read for anyone who’s ever been off to the races, or not.” —Leonard Shapiro, retired longtime reporter, columnist, and sports editor at the Washington Post
“Both haunting and harrowing—Jack’s detailed account of Spectacular Bid’s unique history also serves as a fascinating snapshot of American society and its complicated obsession with the sport of kings.”—Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio host
“Jack Gilden’s superb reporting turns the story of a great American racehorse into a riveting lesson about the difference between perception and reality. Spectacular Bid and his wild cast of human connections positively pulsate with energy.”—John Eisenberg, author of The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire