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 20 years; raising horses. Squires had successfully raised jumpers and equine athletes, but now he was heading to thoroughbred country. This 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. 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.