I was hacked over the recent crappola about his wife. Talk about much ado about nothing. Every fan knew as he had often said, that his wife did most of the research on the subjects outside of horses. That's one of the things I enjoy most about a lot of his tales: you always get an education in some field or another--banking, breeding, photography. But his best stuff is almost always the ones that are more strongly "horse" centered. I also like the fact that his "heroes" are generally somehow flawed---just average guys; sometimes, like Sid Halley, with a physical problem too. Got a favorite that you always read first? I go with "Dead Cert" when I start a re-read everytime. "Bolt" is generally next (he kills off the horse you've fallen in love with!!!).

I can see I'm about to go get my copy of "Dead Cert."

Spaw