The Fast Ride

The decade of the 1970’s was considered to be one of the best in horse racing history. After not having a Triple Crown winner in 25 years, the decade saw three horses accomplish that feat – Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. In 1979, a horse named Spectacular Bid had many qualities to be the fourth in the decade and third in a row to join that exclusive club. This excellent book by Jack Gilden tells a tale of what could have been and the many factors that kept the “Bid” (what he calls the horse throughout the book) from winning that coveted title.

While his jockey was a young newcomer to the sport, teenager Ronnie Franklin had already ridden the Bid to the winner’s circle before the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby. From his humble beginnings in Dundalk, a factory town near Baltimore, Franklin found himself becoming immersed in the business of horse racing under the tutelage of legendary trainer Buddy Delp. While he was becoming an overnight sensation to the fans and public, underneath the surface was an ugly picture of substance abuse, horrific working conditions and treatment at Delp’s stables and unkind treatment by fellow jockeys and the press.

When the Bid won the Derby and the Preakness Stakes, that put even more pressure on the young jockey when the toughest of the three races arrived, the Belmont Stakes. Delp instructed Franklin to run Spectacular Bid hard right from the gate, in complete contrast to the manner in which horse and rider won the previous two races. Following his boss’s order, the Bid failed to win the Crown and even worse, Delp, the press and the public blamed Franklin for the horse’s downfall when there were many reasons behind the poor showing by the Bid.

That is what makes this book so good – Gilden’s writing about those other factors in not only why the Bid lost that race, but the entire picture behind the fall of Franklin. There was a lot of drug abuse in the Delp stables, led by Buddy himself and his son Gerald, who became Franklin’s best friend and led him down a destructive path. The owner of the horse, Harry Meyerhoff, also plays a role in the downfall of the Triple Crown path and even a horse doctor who was not supposed be on Belmont property but on the day of the race performed a procedure on Spectacular Bid to remove a pin from his hoof that would have otherwise been certain to keep him from running that day.

Gilden gleaned his information from interviews as much of the story that he writes was not published. He cited three main contributors for which he gave enormous praise in the acknowledgments – Gerald Delp, Franklin’s nephew Tony Cullum and Cathy Rosenberger, who was a long-time employee of Buddy Delp and helped develop Franklin as a jockey. From these interviews, Gilden gathered enough information that behind the beauty and speed in which Spectacular Bid ran his races - he would go on to win some more races after the Triple Crown – the ugly story of what happened on that Saturday in June 1979 is now being brought to light. Gilden takes the reader inside the stables and development of a jockey and a race horse in a manner that shows both the beauty and the ugliness of this sport. This is a book anyone interested in horse racing, especially during that era, must add to their bookshelf.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Such a good book-the behind the scenes was very detailed and engrossing. I remember when this all happened but had no idea of the "real story" of what went down. The author gives the reader a full picture of how the racing world really works and what happens when all the tv cameras leave after the races are over and it's just stable after stable full of basically money on the hoof. Parts of this book were hard to read because it was just horrific, but I flew through it and highly recommend it to any race fan. I received a copy-the review is my own opinion.

I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with horse racing so I was excited to get my hands on The Fast Ride. This was an in-depth look into one of the greatest racehorses of all time Spectacular Bid and all who was connected with him including his owner, trainer and jockey. This book also dove into the history of horse racing, Baltimore, the Preakness and Pimlico, and also touched on other topics including civil rights and anti-semitism. This book also focuses on the darker side of horse racing, on the corruption and drug use that was very prevalent.

The Fast Ride was very fascinating, and I highly recommend it not only to those with an interest in horse racing but to anyone who wants to know more about this piece of U.S. history.

Utterly fascinating look into a industry and world I knew absolutely nothing about. This book will appeal to many people!

His name was Spectacular Bid and spectacular he was. The Fast Ride: Spectacular Bid and the Undoing of a Sure Thing by Jack Gilden is a fascinating account of the Bid’s quest to be the third-straight Triple Crown winner as the 1970s came to a close.
Gilden goes in-depth into the Bid’s background as well as sharing the background of and showing readers what and who made the young jockey Ronnie Franklin who he was and, ultimately, whose influence prevailed.
The undoing of Franklin has over the decades since the Bid’s loss at the Belmont Stakes been viewed as the main factor in the loss. It was a big factor, but Gilden presents a view that shows the influence trainer Buddy Delp had not just in Franklin’s rise but also in his fall.
I would have enjoyed a more detailed account of the Bid’s final years racing but that wasn’t what this book was about or intended to be. With that in mind, Gilden did a nice job of keeping the focus on the early development of the Bid and Franklin and that 1979 season.
Readers don’t have to be an avid racing enthusiast to enjoy this book. Not only is the ride a fast one, it’s a thrilling one at the Bid’s and Franklin’s high points and sorrowful at their low points. In short, exactly what a book tackling the Bid and Franklin should be.

I loved Seabiscuit and this, even though I don't pay attention to any of the major races or follow the sport. Human nature in these stories is what interests me here. This probably won't be as popular as Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, but it's a very well told story. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

The Fast Ride is the story of Spectacular Bid and people directly associated with him. Racing is about winning and hopefully winning big. This is a wonderful story about a horse and the jockey who loved him. Unfortunately there is a seedier side to racing that is not at all glorified. Jack Gilden shares the information he researched and was told by those in the know that either witnessed or were aware of the activities. Some lied to protect themselves and their "image." I found the drugs and party life hard to read. The lack of concern for Ronnie Franklin as a young man by the trainer is sad. I was disappointed to read how Franklin was treated while in his "care." All he ever wanted to do was be a jockey and race.

For most of us all we see are the beautiful horses and jockeys in their silks; grooms leading the horses to the gate; the horses entering the gate for the most important race, the one about to start. We hear the announcer giving each horse it's due as it progresses around the track until they arrive in the home stretch, and then it comes down to the finish line. The jockey's that win, we know by name, the ones that lose we generally have forgotten. In this case we have been assured to remember Ronnie Franklin due to Trainer Delp who maligned him and continued to do so for long after the race was lost by Spectacular Bid. Someone always has to take the blame, rarely is it the correct person in these instances.

One of the reason's I requested this book, my husband is a huge racing fan and I have been lucky enough to watch and attend many races well after the time period of Spectacular Bid. I bought him a print of the famed race with Affirmed and Spectacular Bid, not knowing at the time how important this race really was to history. This book has not only increased my knowledge but my enjoyment of the sport. Oftentimes while reading it, I could hear the announcer in my mind as down the stretch they came. Some to glory most to defeat. I will surely keep Spectacular Bid in my heart as I watch all future races. I highly recommend this book to all who love and are interested in horse racing, the sport of Kings.

Obviously, this is the story of Spectacular Bid a horse who was bought for $37,000 and goes on to come up just short of winning the holy grail of horse racing the triple crown along with this horse's story is the story of the cast of characters of human beings that surround him and as you will see what a dysfunctional bunch. There is the main Jockey Ronnie Franklin who at just having two years' experience in the racing world does not know what is coming his way at the age of fifteen all he should have to worry about are his grades in school which he struggles with and taking the trash out you will also see he is one to never backdown from a challenge. He has a horse trainer Buddy Delp who almost lost his whole stable to fire and his comeback would end up with over 3,000 wins and over forty million in purse winnings. Buddy to the outside world looks like a person who will provide a wholesome and protective environment for the young jockey but as you will read it is far from it. Then you have the owners of Spectacular Bid they are not much better and if you believe the story, they tell the did not know. The author describes many facets of the world of horse racing including the many struggles jockeys face with losing or maintaining weight by the use of drugs, the drugs they use to cope with the pain. One example of a jockey after an accident at the track is taken to the hospital and is given an IV for nourishment and in 24 hours gains 12 pounds. Also the many ways these jockeys and the money they earn are taken advantage of. You also learn about some of the many ways unscrupulous people use to give their horse and advantage.

The author did not get permission from some of the people who he writes about but had some of the people that were in the middle of all this that provide the information and it is amazing to be how so many people were unaware or turned a blind eye and or did not ask questions that need to be asked. Over all this was a good read. Thank you to Netgalley and University of Nebraska Press for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

In 1979, Spectacular Bid, a steel-gray racehorse that was “more Ferrari than thoroughbred,” was on track to win the Triple Crown, the prestigious trio of American races for three-year-olds. The horse had already claimed victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Yet in the Belmont Stakes, the last and longest of the three races, the astonishingly fast colt everyone assumed would win only managed to come in third, failing the so-called “Test of the Champion.” Ever since, racing fans have wondered: What went wrong?

That head-scratcher lies at the center of Jack Gilden’s impressive new sports history “The Fast Ride: Spectacular Bid and the Undoing of a Sure Thing.” The popular perception, one that has endured, lays the blame squarely on Spectacular Bid’s 19-year-old jockey. Ronnie Franklin’s lack of riding experience, people believed, caused him to make critical errors during the race, which cost the best horse the win. But the true story was so much more complex.

Franklin was a high school dropout from the blue-collar town of Dundalk, Maryland. He had few prospects. A family friend, noting the teenager’s small stature and fiery resolve, saw within him “the raw, unfired ore of a winning jockey.” With some good timing and even better good fortune, the young man caught the attention of legendary horse trainer Grover “Buddy” Delp and learned how to be a jockey under the tutelage of a friend of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. During his jockey training, Franklin formed a bond with Spectacular Bid, and it was quickly apparent to Delp’s inner circle that both of these two youngsters had a tremendous amount of talent.

The riding world’s initial expectations of Franklin and Spectacular Bid were low, but the pair’s innate aptitude and special chemistry immediately yielded some exhilarating results; they exploded onto the scene, winning their first race and a number after, drawing attention to the horse’s raw strength:

“Right there in his first race, Spectacular Bid revealed something about himself, about his character, that he would demonstrate again and again throughout the rest of his career. At the quarter pole, he became a different horse. When the race was on the line, he became a killer. He hit his stride, quickened his pace, and blew away the field,” writes Gilden.

Franklin’s rapid rise to preeminent jockey while still in his teenage years was also impressive, but his peers were skeptical, even angry about his good fortune, especially the far more experienced Latino riders. To them, Franklin’s success was the result of nothing more than being a white man and essentially a member of Delp’s family – Franklin had moved in with the Delps after growing close to Delp’s youngest son and needing a place to stay that was closer to work.

Looking in from the outside, this arrangement appeared to be a picture-perfect surrogate father-son relationship, when in reality, Delp’s outsized influence over Franklin did more harm than good, according to Gilden. Delp could be ruthless about winning and was frequently highly critical of the young jockey. Dependent as Franklin was on Delp on both personal and professional levels, there was no escape. Gilden also claims that Delp, like so many others in the horse racing world, used illicit substances and introduced them to Franklin, causing a habit that would haunt the young jockey for the rest of his days.

The author argues that the pressures placed upon the teenage Franklin by Delp and the media, his worsening drug use, and an unfortunate set of circumstances on race day were actually to blame for the historic loss. Throughout the book, Gilden is far more sympathetic toward the troubled jockey than journalists at the time, whom Gilden makes a point of skewering for buying into preconceived notions about Franklin and failing to see the real story right under their noses: A very young rider was in over his head.

Spectacular Bid would have been the fourth Triple Crown winner in the 1970s, the decade of Secretariat and Seattle Slew, but after his defeat, there wouldn’t be another winner of all three races for over 30 years, until American Pharoah broke the drought in 2015, adding to the mystique of the 1979 Belmont Stakes. Although many have voiced their opinions on Spectacular Bid’s loss, few have looked as closely at the explosive story, with its underlying threads of class and race, as Gilden, who turned to sources close to the subjects in order to get a clear picture. Using cinematic language rich with imagery and wit, he sets the story straight. His description of the media frenzy at the time sums up the book: “It was all extreme and bizarre and yet, in its total, delicious theater.”

This book is a beautifully written book about a horse and a boy. And the incredible pressure put upon them that ultimately led to them loosing out on winning the trifecta of horse races. A great and interesting historical read.


I received this book as a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sure that this book is for some, but for me it was one I couldn’t finish. I will say, I enjoyed the writing style but I couldn’t get into it.

That being said, someone who is into horse racing and betting, and the world surrounding those two things, I’m sure this book would be a wonderful read for them. However, it wasn’t my cup of tea and unfortunately that meant I didn’t finish.