Ruffian: The Greatest Thoroughbred Filly

by Precious McKenzie, Tara Raymo (Designed by), Luana K Mitten (Editor)

Overview

Known as the Greatest Thoroughbred Filly, Ruffian was born at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, on April 17, 1972, and died at Belmont Park, New York, on July 7, 1975. Ruffian captured the hearts of the racing world and all those who worked with her. One of those hearts was fictional teenager Meg Murphy. Forced to leave her horse and friends behind in Bison Gap, Montana, and move to Lexington, Kentucky, for her dad's new job, Meg struggles to fit in and be the society girl her parents dream of. All she wants is to be back in Bison Gap wearing her Wranglers and riding her horse that is until Doc, her uncle and a veterinarian, asks Meg to help him at the barn with the racehorses. Little did she know that one of the first things she helps Doc with-the birth of the beautiful filly Ruffian-would bring Meg her greatest love and heartbreak.   

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781735364179
Publisher:	BeaLu Books
Publication date:	01/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	222
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Precious McKenzie is an American author who writes books for children as well as poetry and short stories for adults. Ruffian is her debut historical fiction book for middle grades. Precious has a PhD in British Literature and loves those big, fat Victorian novels. She has published over thirty books for children. Her poems have appeared in Gemini Magazine, ellipsis, Sandstone, and as part of Tupelo Press's 30/30 Project. Visit Precious at www.preciousmckenzie.com or on Twitter @PreciousMcKenzi.
Tara Raymo is a graphic designer and artist in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She loves working on books for children and making them fun and interesting for a kid to pick up. Tara also enjoys all she gets to learn while designing the books. Some of her favorite things to do are reading children's books, such as Harry Potter (She is a BIG Harry Potter Geek) and watching Disney movies. While Tara likes all the fun stuff, she can switch it up to a more professional level, with marketing materials and social media marketing. Tara has been working in children's book publishing for 13 years. Completing tasks such as Book Design and Layout, Photo Research, Art Direction, Board Book Design, Catalogs, Marketing Materials, and Social Media Marketing. Prior to the publishing world, Tara spent 12 years experience in the print industry, with the job function of prepress and design. This has helped Tara with her designs as she has the knowledge of what printers expect in the final files and pdfs being delivered. Tara can be reached at [e-mail].
Luana K. Mitten is the founding editor and CEO of BeaLu Books, which she established in July 2015 as a way to bring the joy of quality children's book publishing to young authors and readers. Having personally written 58 books and edited hundreds more, Luana brings a wealth of experience to her role. Prior to founding BeaLu Books, she served in a host of editorial roles and worked as an educator, teaching creative writing and reading to elementary school students. As the founding editor of a small but mighty independent book press, she works with authors to take their writing from manuscript to book and coordinates with her talented team of in-house illustrators and designs to produce titles that support development and challenge young readers. She lives with her very supportive husband, son, and canine companions, Mr. Beans and Lucy, in Tampa, Florida. Find her online at: Twitter: @Luana_Mitten @BooksBea Facebook: @BeaLuBooks Instagram: @BeaLuBooks Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luanakmitten/

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A New Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 2: Out of Sorts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Chapter 3: Meet the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Chapter 4: A Proposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Chapter 5: Hello, World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Chapter 6: Finding A Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Chapter 7: Goodbye, Mama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Chapter 8: Promotion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Chapter 9: Yearling Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Chapter 10: The Training Track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Chapter 11: South Carolina Bound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Chapter 12: Attitude Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Chapter 13: Out of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Chapter 14: Job Interview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Chapter 15: Horse People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Chapter 16: The Jockey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Chapter 17: Chica in Trouble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Chapter 18: On the Road. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Chapter 19: The Maiden Race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Chapter 20: The Fashion Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Chapter 21: The Summer of 1974. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Chapter 22: Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

Chapter 23: Rest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Chapter 24: Back in Camden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Chapter 25: To The Races. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Chapter 26: Match Race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

Chapter 27: Emergency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

Chapter 28: And So It Goes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Chapter 29: Friends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Note on the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Editorial Reviews

"It is a captivating read, brimming with the sounds, smells, and true emotions of a life touched by horses. I found myself rooting for Meg and Ruffian, and feeling the drama of the race." Susan Adrian, author of Forever Neverland and Nutcracked

"The thoroughly research historically accurate story of the filly Ruffian meshes nicely with the fictional story of Meg, a girl who finds her place in the world by caring for Ruffian. Strong writing and realistic details of horsemanship will appeal to any teen girl who loves horses." Janet Fox, author of historical fiction, including Faithful and Forgiven

From the Publisher