Jane Schwartz

Schwartz’s meticulously detailed story of the life and death of the Thoroughbred racehorse Ruffian is troubled by a disjointed style that ultimately damages the book beyond redemption.

The timeline bounces all over the place, from the night before the match race in which she sustained fatal injuries, back to her birth, wandering around the realities of breeding, rearing, and early schooling, back to the early morning of the race, off into histories of the men who worked with her, dropping show more in on early track victories, off to outline the backstory of her track opponents, and on and on and on for nearly 300 pages. The result is a nearly incoherent mess, which pulls together only in the last few heartbreaking pages as Ruffian’s on-track breakdown and the valiant but failed battle to save her life play out.

Racing fans who remember the filly’s career still have a bad case of the what-ifs regarding this superstar whose career was cut short so disastrously, but readers seeking to understand just what made her so special will be disappointed. show less

This book broke my heart. I knew what was coming. I knew it was real. And with every page, a small tiny part of me still hoped it wouldn't. Ruffian was a miracle horse...everything she did was magic. And then it just ended, abruptly, for reasons I still think are ridiculous in retrospect but it's an 'if only'. Ruffian was not a horse who had anything to prove. She was and undoubtedly always will be, one of the most amazing fillies to grace horse racing. And I think the book more than did show more tribute to her and those who cared for her. show less

The story of one of the most beloved racing filly of all times, also the most tragic. Don't read this on a bus or train unless you are not embarassed by crying in public. I love this book! Ruffian's story is one of humor, elation and dispair. Born a bit of an ugly duckling who developed into a wonderful swan. She was born to run and that she did. Her racing career boasted undefeated in all starts. Tragically she died doing the thing she loved the most, running. Unable to control her show more thrashing after an effort to repair her leg injury, she was put down. It is believed that she thought she was still on the race track when she came out of anesthesia. Not unlike some more modern tragedies on American race tracks. This book is not for the faint at heart! Read it if you have any intrest in American racing. This book is very hard to find in a first edition. I read it in paperback and recently found a hardback first edition for my personal collection. show less

I remember watching Ruffian's final race and how I gasped. This is a well-written tale of one of the best fillies ever to race.