There is no more powerful force in racing than the promise of greatness, and no racehorse in history promised more than Landaluce, the filly who won her first five starts by a breathtaking 46 lengths and evoked comparisons to the best runners in history. Here, author Mary Perdue takes readers on a riveting journey not just through Landaluce's two years on earth, but across decades of horse racing history, from the Great Depression to the 1980s, from Kentucky to California, from breeding shed to euthanasia. The great Landaluce was sui generis, but her story is all too familiar: brilliance teased, ending in tragedy. Perdue's work centers on one horse, but taps racing's every vein—it is essential reading for fans of the sport.
~Tim Layden, writer-at-large at NBC Sports
One of the more difficult things to achieve as an author is to take a life and career cut way short and stretch it into a full-length book. Although the brilliant Landaluce raced only five times before her tragic death, Mary Perdue has been able to tell her story in great detail and keep the reader enthralled throughout. Although it does not have a feel-good ending, it is a feel-good story about a filly who was destined to become one of the greats of all time and the people who guided her up to and through her meteoric rise. Perdue does them all proud.
~Steve Haskin
As the West Coast version of Ruffian, Landaluce deserves a full-throated telling of her story. Mary Perdue is up to the challenge, providing us with the tale of the transcendent filly's feats and the inner feelings of her human connections. A sensitive and well-researched presentation of the heights and tragedy that accompany great Thoroughbreds.
~Lenny Shulman, author of Head to Head
Landaluce gave life to William Cullen Bryant's reverence for a 'rose that lives its little hour.' Now author Mary Perdue has delved into the life of this flying, but tragic, filly, with diligent research. Thanks to her artful prose, an unbeaten and compelling race horse in 1982 is again a figure to cheer, to admire, to savor.
~Edward L. Bowen
In an all too brief but brilliant career, Landaluce wowed crowds every second she spent on a racetrack. Felled suddenly by illness, this filly left a lasting impression on all those who saw her race and Mary Perdue's chronicle of her short life will do the same. Readers will relish every page as racegoers relished every time they got to see this great filly run.
~Jennifer S. Kelly, author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown
Fame can be fleeting, even for an Eclipse Award winner like Landaluce. The first Eclipse Award winner sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and the first conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Landaluce drew comparisons with the indomitable Ruffian before her racing career was cut short by a fatal illness at the end of her two-year-old season. Mary Perdue, a skilled writer and one of Landaluce's most loyal fans, weaves the filly's perfect juvenile season into a rich narrative that brings her breeder, owners, and trainer to life. Landaluce: The Story of Seattle Slew's First Champion is a great read and a worthy tribute to the best filly of her generation.
~Milt Toby
I always thought I knew the Landaluce story but after reading Mary Perdue's captivating account of how Landaluce came to be—and then became a Champion—I realized that I knew almost nothing about her and the people who surrounded her. Perdue's character development of people I already knew was both spot on and insightful. I found myself learning new and interesting details about people I had either known for years or heard of forever. If you're like me, you'll read the story because you like horse racing or know one or more of the people who are portrayed but you'll walk away feeling enriched and enlightened by a great story, well told.
~Donna Brothers
