Canonero II: The Rags to Riches Story of the Kentucky Derby’s Most Improbable Winner

In the months leading up to the 1971 Kentucky Derby, CaA+/-onero II was an unknownhorse with a Venezuelan trainer who spoke only Spanish. The Derby a expertsa laughed when an exercise boy rode the horse out on the track with no saddle orstirrups. But the laughter promptly ended when CaA+/-onero II charged to the front from twentylengths back to win the Derby, followed by a victory at the Preakness Stakes intrack record time. In recounting CaA+/-onero IIa s quest to become the first TripleCrown winner since Citation, award-winning turf historian Milt Toby tells thecompelling story of how one mana s wildly improbable dream became the dream of anation and how a bargain-basement yearling born with a crooked front leg becamethe a peoplea s horse.a