Horse of a Different Colour

What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? While a fast horse is necessary, a boundless sense of absurdity and humiliation is essential too.

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When Jim Squires set up shop as a horse breeder in 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 shake up. 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 jumpers and equine athletes, but now he was heading to thoroughbred country. Horse of a Different Colour 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 centre of all the commotion is a remarkable horse, Monarchos, the grey colt blessed with extraordinary speed and the making of a hero.