Ruffian: Burning from the Start by Jane Schwartz
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Book Reviews of Ruffian: Burning from the Start
Book Review: An intimate story of one of racing's dark stars
Summary: 5 Stars
"The filly with the perfect record; the coal-black daughter of Reviewer and Shenanigans; the speedball, the beauty, the female, the freak."
An excellent epitaph for one of the 20th Century's greatest horses.
"Ruffian: Burning From The Start," by Jane Schwartz, is the sort of book that cries out to be made into a movie, for it is written so clearly, so cleanly, and with such genuine emotion, that it is impossible not to visualize each scene as you read. Nor is it a book that goes for cheap sentiment. Ruffian's story contains all it needs of triumph, joy, and heartbreak.
Ruffian came out of a stellar bloodline, with Native Dancer and Bold Ruler for grandsires; her sire Reviewer was considered Bold Ruler's second-fastest son, right behind Secretariat. Ruffian herself was extraordinary, a freakishly large, near-black filly with an unearthly stride and speed and the drive to run. Trained by Frank Whiteley, Ruffian was named Filly of the Year in 1974 and swept the Filly Triple Crown in 1975, becoming only the fourth filly in history to do so. She was a legend in her own time, a horse who met or broke speed records, broke the hearts of competitors, and won the hearts of all who saw her through her beauty, her amazing swiftness, her competitor's spirit, and her composure.
And then in 1975, in a match race with Kentucky Derby champion Foolish Pleasure, Ruffian broke the hearts of many when she broke her leg and had to be destroyed.
Schwartz blends the details of the match race with the events in Ruffian's life--her startling debut, her uncanny speed at the track, and her rise to becoming the consummate racehorse. She portrays the devotion both Whiteley and Jacinto Vasquez, Ruffian's regular jockey, felt for her, the prideful affection that stablehands like "Squeaky" Truesdale and Dan Williams felt for her. And she foreshadows the outcome of the match race with details, such as Ruffian's tiny feet and delicate bones, that send chills up the reader's spine.
The description of Ruffian's breakdown is emotionally harrowing, and the chapter remains taut to the moment when Ruffian is mercifully put down. While Schwartz does resort to a device to depict Ruffian's end, it works because it depicts her death as the humane act that it was.
If Hollywood could option the excellent "Seabiscuit" for a movie, it could certainly do the same for "Ruffian." Her story was tragic, but her life was a blazing round of glory, and it deserves to be told once more.
Book Review: Ruffian's Story Defines Tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
No matter how great Ruffian was as a racehorse, her tragic ending overshadows all her record-breaking accomplishments. Her accident in the 1975 televised match race against Foolish Pleasure must have been truly heartbreaking to witness, and merely reading a description about it with the preparatory knowledge of hindsight goes a long way toward moving me to tears every time.
This book tells the sadly-brief life story of the greatest filly in thoroughbred history: maybe the greatest racehorse of all time. Ruffian broke record after record in her two-year career and whatsmore, she carried herself with the pride of a being who knows of her greatness. Ruffian's grace and glory came not just from winning her races, but from the almost arrogant confidence with which she ran down any horse whose misfortune it was to be on the same track with her. She was the once-per-century embodiment of utter perfection in her species, and many believe she, with her massive size and "flawless" stride, could have outrun even the legendary Man O' War.
And yet, in one of life's greatest ironies and certainly thoroughbred racing's most horrid tragedies, this magnificent filly suffered a terrible accident mid-way through her most celebrated race, breaking one of her front legs and necessitating her destruction. She alone of the hundreds of thousands of horses who have run at the track in the past century, is buried in the infield of Belmont Park, scene of her final start. A last race, it should be noted, in which she was leading Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure, and continuing to draw away at the moment of her fatal injury.
Jane Schwartz has written a labor of love and tells a story with such force she all-but returns Ruffian to us across thirty years. Her book is sad, as the story of Ruffian, once a tale filled with so much glory and promise, must of necessity be, but it is also a tribute to the spirit and memory of a true athletic champion.
Book Review: Gone too Soon
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I was already familiar with Ruffian's story and knew it was going to end in tragedy, the whole time I was reading it, I was afraid to get to the end of the book. I raced through the first three-quarters of the book and then started reading really slowly because I knew I was going to be bawling my eyes out. Needless to say, that is exactly what I did. I read the last chapter through tears and sobs but I would not have had it any other way. Rather than a cold, sterile narration of how the events unfolded (like many articles do), the author managed to convey it in such a heartfelt manner which elicits a whole range of emotions - profound sadness, horror, grief and yes, anger that Ruffian had to go down like that, her last moments filled with pain, panic and fear. I can only imagine how broken hearted her inner circle must have been. Legions of fans aside, my heart ached for those people who took care of her and knew her. To have her so cruelly snatched from them in a split second which changed everything. Ruffian, after all, was just a baby. She was supposed to have years ahead of her. She was supposed to be able to enjoy her retirement. She was supposed to have it all.This book is beautifully written filled with very personal details of Ruffian's family and is a fitting tribute to the great filly. If you are a fan of horse racing, this is a must-have book. And even if you are not, it provides great insight into the arduous journey these magnificent horses make, culminating in their appearance at the race track. Understandably, since they are bred to run, every effort is directed towards that goal. Make no mistake, the triumphs and glory of horseracing has a dark side and the author does offer us a fleeting glimpse into that world. It is truly a testament of the beauty, heartbreak and fragility of horseracing.
Book Review: A Tribute To A Champion
Summary: 5 Stars
Though ESPN has a movie scheduled for 2007 on the life of Ruffian, I urge any person with even a casual interest in the sport to read this book.
Ruffian was arguably the greatest Thoroughbred filly ever and was undefeated in her 10 lifetime races. She won five races at age two and captured the filly "Triple Crown" at the age of three. She set or equaled a new stakes record in every one of the eight stakes races she won. She raced at distances from sprinting - 5.5 furlongs - to 1.5 miles. Ruffian had an average winning margin of more than eight lengths.
On July 6, 1975, in a "battle of the sexes" match-race with Kentucky Derby champion Foolish Pleasure - and viewed by a television audience of 18 million, with more than 31,000 fans at Belmont Park - Ruffian broke down. Though attempts were made to save her life through radical surgerical procedures, she had to be euthanized.
It is said that the decline of the Thoroughbred industry as a major sport began when Ruffian suffered the brutal injury.
The book covers every angle of the raising, training and racing of this special filly. It is written for those who aren't familiar with the nuances of the industry. And the section on the match race and attempts to save her life are absolutely moving, no matter how many times it is read.
It is a tragic story, there is no doubt. But it is also a story about an athlete who had the heart of a champion. And it must be said yet again - even more than 30 years later - the match-race should have never taken place.
Book Review: She Was Big, She Was Black, She Was A Freak
Summary: 5 Stars
Ruffian and her tragic life moves this story to another level of sadness, it's in its own class. But how life goes on, and how brilliantly Schwartz described how the filly felt as she was put to death, "running easy into the light, free" was something that I have found so touching. The 1975 match, and anyone who remembers it must remember sobbing hours afterward, against Foolish Pleasure proved nothing, yet she ran, even when she could run no more. She died trying to do what she had always wanted to do, and it forever immortalized her as a heroine. At the end of the book, after the silent but meaningful funeral, and how White remembers the best horse he ever trained at the end, I was moved to tears. No book has ever made me cry. Except this one. But don't let it push aside the accomplishments this filly made. With her ever so powerful stride, she never got tired, and won by a dozen lengths every time out, she must have been a gift from god. Though she lasted only a short time here, her legacy, a powerful one, lives on through everyone who remembers her. And the ones who never saw her, but found her to be the true freak she really was.