The Horse God Built

The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse

By: Lawrence Scanlan

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

In The Horse God Built, best-selling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else. A wildly generous man who could read a horse with his eyes, he shared in little of the financial success or glamour of Secretariat's wins on the track, but won the heart of Big Red with his soft words and relentless devotion. In Scanlan's rich narrative, we get a groom's-eye view of the racing world and the vantage of a man who spent every possible moment with the horse he loved, yet who often basked in the horse's glory from the sidelines. More than anything else, The Horse God Built is a moving portrait of the powerful bond between human and horse.

©2007 Lawrence Scanlan (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This volume bulges with insight into and sensitivity toward the world of Thoroughbred horse racing." ( Publishers Weekly)

A great story about a great groom and his horse

It was a great story. It showed the story that many don't see. I loved it.

Big Red

At 13 years I stood transfixed to the TV while watching Secretariat win the Triple Crown by an unheard of 31 lengths. I wanted so much to love this Audible book. I could not finish the book. Its one long run on sentence. No voice inflection to let the listener to know when important points are being made. Please give this book to a top rated narrator and remove this copy. Its a travesty.

Secretariat fans will love it

I was 13 in 1973 and Secretariat was my hero. I thought I’d read everything available about him and his connections. But I learned many new things in this book. Quite an enjoyable read.

Wonderful book

I love this book because of the History and the reference of all the groom's that loved all the famous horses

Genuine description of relationships

Detailed discussions about relationships between horses and grooms and jockey's. The detailed description of Secretariat's personality and athleticism.