Synopses & Reviews
During two short seasons at the track, Ruffian was hailed as the greatest thoroughbred filly of all time. Unbeaten in her first ten starts, she shattered one record after another, dazzling crowds with both her beauty and her brilliant speed. Then tragedy struck on the afternoon of July 6, 1975. Ruffian broke down-on the lead-in the middle of a match race at Belmont Park. Later that night she had to be destroyed.
Ruffian: Burning from the Start is the story of this exceptional filly, a horse so dominating, so powerful, that writer Walter Farley once suggested she was more like the fictional legend, the Black Stallion, than any colt he had ever seen. Beginning with her earliest days in Kentucky, the book follows Ruffian at every stage of her career and through the agony of her final hours- venturing behind the scenes of the racing world and exploring the politics and personalities that came together to shape this extraordinary fillys fate.
Synopsis
For fans of Seabiscuit, here is the extraordinary true story of an amazing horse who defied the odds and captivated a nation.
During two short seasons in 1974 and 1975, the world of horse racing was set on fire by a filly who was unbeaten after ten starts. Ruffian was being hailed as one of the greatest thoroughbred fillies of all time when tragedy struck on the afternoon of July 6, 1975. That day, during a race at the Kentucky Derby, Ruffian shattered her ankle and later had to be put down. Jane Schwartz tells Ruffian's story from the beginning through every stage of her career, capturing the racing world and the politics and personalities that came together to shape this magnificent filly's fate. "Ruffian" is a story of heart and courage.