Mr. Prospector entered life with high expectations. The son of a champion out of a fine race mare, he was the most expensive yearling sold at the 1971 Keeneland July sale. He had speed, too, setting a track record that stood unequaled for 30 years in just his third start.

After that performance, his owner dreamed of winning the Kentucky Derby with him, but injuries derailed those hopes. By the time Mr. Prospector retired at 4, he was just another sprinter with questionable soundness. It was in the breeding shed that he proved his greatness, passing the talent that had been hidden by his injuries to his sons and daughters.

Gold Rush: How Mr. Prospector Became Racing's Billion-Dollar Sire recounts Mr. Prospector's journey through the highs and lows of his racing career and through a stud career that saw him become the most valuable American stallion of his time and a great sire of sires. Students of racing and breeding history will also appreciate the book's appendices, which include tables of Mr. Prospector's stakes winners; stakes winners produced by his daughters through the book's publication in 2007; his yearlings that sold for $1 million or more; and stakes winners sired by his major sons through 2007.

Gold Rush is currently out of print but can be found through retail outlets selling used books.