Kelso

Rating:
Summary: Well Researched Book About This 5 Time Horse of the Year
Review: I have been clamoring for the publishers of the Thoroughbred Legends series to do a book on Kelso, the only horse to ever win Horse of the Year in five consecutive years (in fact, no other horse has won it more than three times). It took a while, but author Steve Haskin has done a nice job of chronicling the life of Kelso, who raced until he was 9 years old and was a nation's hero.

Haskin goes through Kelso's early life, where he was not mature enough to compete in the Triple Crown series when he was 3 years old in 1960, but came around later that same year to dominate racing and win his first horse of the year honor. He dominated as a 4 year old to win his second and had something of an off year as a 5 year old, but still was ruled the best. Haskin documents his rivalries with 1961 Kentucky Derby winner Carry Back and with Gun Bow, who was his biggest threat to end his horse of the year streak. The racing world got so used to seeing Kelso run that he was sorely missed when he retired.

Since Kelso was a gelding, there is no discussion of offspring, so the book is a little short for a horse with such a long career. But Haskin does chronicle Kelso's last days very well, as he was shipped to Belmont Park at age 26 to lead (along with other great geldings Forego and John Henry) the post parade for the 1983 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a race Kelso won 5 straight times. But the trip ended up being too much for the old guy and he succumbed to a colic attack the next day. But he got to hear the cheers from the crowd one last time.

Kelso is one of the best books in the Legends series. I hope that they will do future books on Count Fleet, Tom Fool, Whirlaway, Cigar and Seabiscuit, all deserving to be chronicled in this series.