Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat

What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? The breeder of the 2001 Derby winner shows us that while a fast horse is necessary, a sense of humor and a boundless capacity for absurdity and humiliation are absolutely essential When Jim Squires set up shop as a horse breeder in the bluegrass country of Kentucky, no one held out much hope for him making a living at it. As the editor of the Chicago Tribune, Squires had overseen a staff that won seven Pulitzer Prizes in eight years, but that wasn't enough to save his job in a management shakeup. Consoled by a hefty severance payment, he decided to take up professionally what had been a passion of his for twenty years: raising horses. Squires had successfully raised championship reiners, cutters, jumpers, and other equine athletes, but now he was heading to thoroughbred country. Horse of a Different Color is Squires' rollicking tale of how a novice in the world of Kentucky horse culture did more than merely stay in business; he brought together the stallion and mare who would produce the winner of the most famous race of all, the Kentucky Derby. And at the center of all the commotion is that remarkable horse, Monarchos, the gray colt blessed with extraordinary speed and the making of a hero.

James D. Squires has been breeding and raising horses in Kentucky since 1990. From 1981 to 1989 he was the editor of the Chicago Tribune, having previously been the paper's Washington bureau chief and the editor of the Orlando Sentinel. He is the author of two previous nonfiction books. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Squires lives with his wife Mary Anne at Two Bucks Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.