Citation: In a Class by Himself

When Citation (1945-1970) retired in mid-1951, he was horseracing's first and, to that point, only millionaire racehorse. Following his 1948 triumphs at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont in 1948, it would be twenty-five years before another horse (Secreteriat) would again wear the coveted Triple Crown. Citation, by legendary announcer and longtime horseracing insider Phil Georgeff, reveals all about the thoroughbred, his remarkable career, and those in his inner circle. Georgeff delves into Citation's unusual bloodline; the death of his original rider, Al Snider, swept out to sea while fishing off the Florida keys; Citation's stunning 1948 Triple Crown victory; and the ultimate effects of the horse's excessive, aggressive schedule (racing on little rest after traveling cross-country in sweltering vans and railroad boxcars). Based on interviews from those who knew the thoroughbred, including famed jockey Eddie Arcaro and renowned son-and-father trainers Ben A. and Jimmy Jones; Citation is more than merely the biography of a gifted horse. It the full story of the greatest sports figure in the history of horseracing, a champion who won or placed in thirty different contests in his career and whose spirit continue to captivate the American public.

Author: Phil Georgeff
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Published: 03/03/2003
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.02lbs
Size: 9.44h x 6.10w x 0.73d
ISBN: 9780878332922

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/01/2003
Library Journal 05/01/2003

About the Author
Phil Georgeff, author of And They're Off! (also published by Taylor Trade Publishing) and two novels on horseracing, he lives in Fairhope, Alabama. Tommy Trotter, longtime racing secretary at Belmont Park, lives in Hallandale, Florida.