Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc. is a compelling saga of intrigue and corruption about a sports dynasty that was to the world of thoroughbred racing what the New York Yankees are to baseball.

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Wild Ride is a classic story of the American century that reveals how two generations built an empire and the next generation lost it. Brimming with the greed of 1980s America, it is a morality tale told through the demise of one of the nation’s greatest sports legends and played out in a magnificent and fragile universe, once a Shangri-La in America: the billion-dollar game of thoroughbred horseracing and breeding.

In the narrative, high finance, high stakes and high intrigue merge with ever-tightening suspense as the dynasty begins to collapse. The book instigated federal investigations that resulted in trials and convictions of two of the main characters on charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

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“Enthrallingly told . . . it’s one part Dick Francis mystery novel, one part Den of Thieves.” – Fortune

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“With relentless skill, Hagedorn traces the tragic story of the fall of a racing giant and the dispersal of a dynastic fortune. It is a tale almost beyond belief.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer

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“Straight out of the worlds of Dallas and Jackie Collins. Intrigue. Suspense. Greed.” – The Boston Globe

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“A dramatic story .. [told] exceptionally well. Race fans will love the book, but so will anyone interested in recent cultural history, for Wild Ride is as much about 1980s greed as it is about horses.”  – Los Angeles Times

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“A fascinating tale with a cast of characters worthy of Dickens–or Runyon.” – Business Week