You’ve likely seen footage of Triple Crown champion Secretariat’s remarkable racing career, and Grover Gardner brings us even closer to the track in his narration of William Nack’s enthralling investigation of the life and career of the champion thoroughbred first published in 1975. Gardner’s deep and robust voice heightens the intensity of those scenes when Secretariat bounds full throttle towards the finish line. Although aware of the outcome already, the suspense and excitement of the competition build all the same throughout this performance.

Following a record-shattering win at the Belmont Stakes in 1973, American thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat (fondly nicknamed “Big Red” by his fanbase) became the first Triple Crown winner in over a quarter-century. His performance has since been unmatched by any other competitor today. Secretariat charts the horse’s career from his calculated birth to his achieving the Triple Crown. Nack traces Secretariat’s lineage, studying his breeding and ownership by two families — the Chenerys of Meadow Farm in Caroline County, Virginia, and the Hancocks of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. These individuals involved in Secretariat’s victory make up a fascinating piece of his history and upbringing.

While horse lovers will thoroughly enjoy Secretariat, fans of investigative biographies and suspenseful narratives will devour Gardner’s rendition of this powerful athlete’s success story. The politics of the Triple Crown make for an intriguing sidebar to this story. Gardner plunges into Secretariat’s competitions with enthusiasm, and his smooth southern accent offers a pleasant reprieve from each pulse-pounding race. Secretariat triumphs in its depiction of horse racing and in moments of quiet investigation. —Suzanne Day