Duel for the Crown: Affirmed, Alydar, and Racing's Greatest Rivalry Hardcover – April 22, 2014

Wonderful, well paced, and exciting -- almost like watching the duel in person (as I did)! I can remember the excitement surrounding 1978's Triple Crown races, after everyone had become blasé after Secretariat in 1973 and Seattle Slew in 1977 -- we all figured that Thoroughbreds had finally been bred up so that winning the Triple Crown would be pretty much regular.Then we got the duel between Affirmed and Alydar! Once again the races were exciting, and that tension was there -- would Affirmed win again, or would Alydar manage to nose him out? Who are you backing? Really? You're kidding, right? Don't you know that... and off we'd be, around the water cooler, at the lunch table, in the schoolyards, in line at the movies, wherever 2 or more horse lovers were, you heard those two names.This book took me back to that time, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still on the edge of my seat with every race; Ms Carroll has a gift for describing the races so that you feel you're there. The back stories on the people and the horses themselves were fascinating, and let me feel I knew them better than I ever had before. I still chuckle over the image of Affirmed sacked out on the ground, his head sticking out in the walkway!!It doesn't matter if you've waited 37 years for the next Triple Crown winner, or if American Pharoah is the only one you've ever seen, or if you have no idea what the Triple Crown is -- this book is well worth your time and will introduce you to the rarefied world of the Truly Great Horses.

Great writing and wonderful true story. Outstanding rivalry between 2 equines and the people behind the scenes of their journey.

A story of two great champions dueling it out to become one of the elite in horse racing, The Triple Crown Champion, there are only a few. The challenge to get there and what it takes. Pure team work and cooperation not just of the horse and rider, trainer, groom, owner and all in a horses entourage to make it happen. The book is so well written that it put me on the horses back going the distance of the 1 1/2 mile spin around the race track. The personality of the horse that say's to his opponent, I'm waiting for you to come up on me, I dare you. Affirmed waits, listens for his contender, he hears him coming about his right hip, cocks his ear back and says to himself no you can't. He musters every ounce of determination to stay in the lead to the finish line and wins by a neck length. A wonderful story for any horse enthusiast.

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I'm lucky to have grown up seeing these rivals on the television screen so reading this enjoyable book was quite nostalgic. I do believe Affirmed is under-appreciated in the current racing world and loved that he raced as a 4-year-old instead of immediately retiring to stud. I also loved the information the author included after the story ended; I was struck by how similar Affirmed & Alydar's physical statistics were. They appeared to look so different on the screen! Highly recommended!

I had to add this book to my collection of one of the most notorious match races in horseracing history. These two athletes met several times and each time one could hardly breathe for the excitement as they rounded the final turn for home, the two of them leaving the rest of the pack behind.I did receive the book on time and in excellent condition. I had no reason to contact Amazon - I was completely satisfied with my buying experience. Thank you. JG

I lived through this incredible rivalry, but I didn't know much more than what we saw on the television. This book fleshes out both teams' (horses, trainers, owners) stories, providing many interesting details. I recommend this book for all horse lovers.

The first time I was old enough to really comprehend and understand the magnitude of the Triple Crown was in 1978. After watching these great horses battle for history, I fell in love with the sport, and one of my fondest childhood memories is sitting on the floor as a a 10 year old with my Dad in the living room watching these magnificent animals giving everything they had down the stretch at Belmont.

Just as described. Than k you.

great book great service nuff said

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was worried that I wouldn't like it, but it was nice in that the author did a good job in covering all the bases, from the grooms and hot walkers, to the trainers and owners. It was a nice in depth look at the most legendary rivalry in the sport; from the colts themselves, to their human connections. Considering the ongoing Triple Crown drought, it was nice to bring back the Affirmed/Alydar angle.