D. Wayne: The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America's Premier Horse Trainer

Rating:
Summary: About time!
Review: Never been a big fan of Lukas, but as a racing fan, it's about time somebody poked around to get this story. After reading this book, I still can't say I'm a big fan, but I definitely have a better understanding (and some begrudging respect!) for the guy. This book starts out with a fascinating behind the scenes look at Lukas' string of bad luck finding a horse to run in the Derby. He really is an evil genius! Lukas's early years breaking into thoroughbreds was pretty compelling stuff too. Horse fans should definitely get into it. Most of the interviews in here I'd never read before and I can't believe the author got Lukas to talk to him too. On the minus side, Muttering and Marfa are both referred to as fillies. Not so, costing this book my highest rating. However, the stuff on Charismatic and Chris Antley is exceptional and different from the usual racing journalism. A really good read.

Rating:
Summary: About time!
Review: Never been a big fan of Lukas, but as a racing fan, it's about time somebody poked around to get this story. After reading this book, I still can't say I'm a big fan, but I definitely have a better understanding (and some begrudging respect!) for the guy. This book starts out with a fascinating behind the scenes look at Lukas' string of bad luck finding a horse to run in the Derby. He really is an evil genius! Lukas's early years breaking into thoroughbreds was pretty compelling stuff too. Horse fans should definitely get into it. Most of the interviews in here I'd never read before and I can't believe the author got Lukas to talk to him too. On the minus side, Muttering and Marfa are both referred to as fillies. Not so, costing this book my highest rating. However, the stuff on Charismatic and Chris Antley is exceptional and different from the usual racing journalism. A really good read.

Rating:
Summary: As entertaining as a soap opera
Review: Save your money...This book isn't worth the paper in which it is written.

Rating:
Summary: A Lukas Book -- An Ingenious Idea
Review: This is a powerful book about a powerful man and it's about time we read the whole story about Lukas. Every horseracing fan knows and appreciates the influence Lukas has had on the sport and Carlo DeVito takes us into the mind of Lukas so we see how Lukas evolved from a young college coach to a quarter horse trainer to a business genius to the most winningest horse man around. The photos were a cool feature too! I saw that they came from the Lukas family archives, which makes me think Lukas had some input in this book. This was a great idea for a book. If you want to learn about Lukas as a boy and how and why he made certain decisions and you want to read an unsympathic yet factual account about this man, buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Inacuracies Spoil Substance
Review: While a worthy topic, the incredible number of inacuracies (e.g., in the same paragraph, both Jeff Fell and Jacinto Vasquez were listed as the rider of Pleasant Colony in the '81 KY Derby. Nevermind that the rider was actually Jorge Velasquez...) make the book a frustrating and difficult read. The author also repeatedly calls colts "she." Wayne Lukas is a very complex figure, both loved and scorned. His tale deserves to be told, but it should be done much better than this.