Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty

Lots of details about the farm’s history, the mismanagement of its finances, greed and ignorance of the heirs in taking care of their great inheritance. And lots of info on the business of horse breeding in the time period of the 70’s thru the 90’s. Very interesting read for true racing fans. I’ve learned a lot about the business of the horse racing industry. Half way thru the book, and what happened to Alydar is still a mystery. I recommend it.

From the gut-wrenching introduction to the dramatic ending, Wild Ride is a riveting account of the cataclysmic downfall of Calumet Farm. With impeccable research and meticulous attention to detail, the author leaves no stone unturned. Every aspect of the equine empire's demise is systematically examined and woven into a fast-paced tale of greed, corruption, and deceit. Vivid portrayals of the Wright family along with a host of famous and infamous characters bring to life intricate relationships throughout the four generations it took to build the mythical racing dynasty, and the one to ruin it.Though not familiar with the thoroughbred racing industry, I found this investigative story fascinating. I highly recommend Wild Ride, a beautifully written book that would make for an incredible mini-series or movie.

After having moved to Lexington last year, a colleague at work recommended the book after I had told her I became intrigued and immersed in thoroughbred breeding, racing, etc. It was difficult to put down. The author could written one hundred pages less without taking anything away from the story. One needs a ledger and blank sheet of paper to track the transactions and people mentioned. The facts and figures relating to the wheeling and dealing bogged things down a bit. Understandably, she wanted to prove she had done extensive research and likely wanted it to be a lesson to those with no financial training that things can go wrong very quickly when driven by greed. As a child, I would watch the triple crown races in the seventies with my dad, a fellow horse lover, and had been fascinated by Henryk de Kwiatkowski never realizing he had a tie to the farm. His background and road to success is as admirable as the Warren Wright, Sr, and needs more recognition. Perhaps she should have considered a part two to continue to story from the point he purchased the farm and led it out of bankruptcy. I live two miles from the backside of the farm and drive by the broken, white-chipped fence rails and beneath New Circle Road that was cut right through the farm nearly every day. When driving through town down streets she mentions and beneath the Markey Cancer Center walk over Broadway at UK, I realize Lexington likely would not be the town it is today without their presence though I am sure residents would prefer to forget some of it. I will never be able to look at it with the curiosity I had when I first moved here. Instead, I feel a pang of sadness and wish that I could have seen it during the Whirlaway, Citation, and Tim Tam years. I do recommend the read. I enjoyed it so much I sent it to my brother in New England hoping he could appreciate it and make him want to visit.

Ummm I was in the Race Horse Business for too many years to count...knew some of these people or their kids personally. They contributed to giving the business a bad name. I have already read this book cover to cover....very well researched, written and a darn great read. Some of the greatest racehorse athletes were affected by these people...What a shame and what a waste to beautiful horse flesh.I knew the woman who foaled Affirmed. There is an old saying that says..." There is something about the outside of a horse that makes the inside of a man feel good." So very true. They pretty much threw that saying under the rug. If you know anything about horses or care about horses...this is the book to read!

As someone new to the sport who had recently visited the Bluegrass area, I found this an extremely informative and interesting book. If you spend just a day or two in the area soaking up the "horsescape" you'll hear Calumet discussed in reverential tones. The book is very well researched and there's no hint the author had any agenda in writing it. It's informative about the business side of thoroughbred racing, and will give readers and understanding about how that business has changed over the last half-century or so. And you don't really don't need to be interested in thoroughbred racing as long as you're fascinated by the intrigues and lives of rich and powerful people. If you're a human being, it will pull you all over the place emotionally. Far from being tedious, the detailed financial information made me wonder what it would've been like to be in the principle characters' shoes. A real cautionary tale about the destructive power of greed and simply knowing when to stop. My only complaint is that since the book was published relatively shortly after Calumet's collapse, you don't learn what ultimately happened to the principals as a result of the years of litigation that followed. I would love an updated edition that addressed this.

I picked this book because I am fascinated by horse racing. I had hoped that I'd get some intriguing and new information about the horses and their human connections at Calumet. Not so much. The early info about Warren Wright, his father, then Lucille and Gene Markey did grab my attention. Again, though, nothing new or interesting about the race horses, especially ones you don't hear so much about like Tim Tam. The majority of the book focuses on the shananigans of J.T. Lundy, the grandson-in-law who took over and ran the great racing farm into the ground with his elaborate scams and frauds. That part was an eye-opener. A truly reprehensible person. Unfortunately, the details of his frauds and scams went on and on in mind-blearing detail. I ended up doing a lot of skimming. To her credit, Hagedorn does take a reasoned approach to explaining the injury and subsequent death of Alydar. Unfortunately, later, she cast doubt on her own findings. Go figure.

A must read for anyone interested in the thoughbred breeding industry and a strong warning to anyone getting involved with financial markets.

A complex book that I cannot fully understand due to the practices carried out by Lundy, his circle of rogues and the banking industry. A lot of snouts in a trough. The big losers are the horses not the people. The innocent suffer for the greed of men once again. Money talks loudest, very sad.

A really good insight of the bloodstock world and how it was affected by a chain of events....