Ruffian: A Race Track Romance [Hardcover]

William Nack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2007

On July 6, 1975, a 3-year-old filly named Ruffian was loaded into the starting gate at Belmont Park for a televised match race against Kentucky Derby winner colt Foolish Pleasure. Since winning her first race a little more than a year earlier, the unbeaten, unflappable Ruffian had literally raced her way into the hearts of a nation. One of those hearts belonged to Newsday turf reporter William Nack.

As a boy in Illinois, Nack had carried in his pocket a trading card of his hero, Swaps, the winner of the 1955 Kentucky Derby. As a young soldier in Vietnam, Nack tuned out the midnight bomb blasts by listening to racetrack broadcasts from Santa Anita. Now, fresh off the publication of his astonishing biography of Secretariat -- described by Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand as "the gold standard of horse books" -- he found himself smitten once again.

But tragedy struck that summer's day at Belmont Park. After charging from the gate, Ruffian stumbled and shattered her right foreleg. She had to be put down. Nack's heartbreaking run with thoroughbred racing's most famous filly will soon be immortalized in a made-for-TV movie to be broadcast on ESPN and ABC. In this moving, lyrical memoir, he relives the afternoon that forever changed his love affair with the track.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Whether writing about boxers, bodybuilders, horses . . . Nack is brilliant." -- Boston Globe

About the Author

William Nack is the author of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion and My Turf: Horses, Boxers, Blood Money, and the Sporting Life. As a writer at Sports Illustrated, he won seven Eclipse AWards for his coverage of throughbred racing. Nack has also contributed to GQ. He lives in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: ESPN; First Edition edition (May 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933060301
• ISBN-13: 978-1933060309
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Horses > Racing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A racing must-read, June 3, 2007

By 

Damascus (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruffian: A Race Track Romance (Hardcover)

Nack's new book is as much a personal memoir as a recounting of Ruffian's story. It weaves together Ruffian's story with his own thoughts on racing and his experiences as a journalist covering the sport. Nack's writing is, as always, beautiful and only occasionally over-the-top. I would not consider this to be the definitive book on Ruffian (that honor belongs to Jane Schwartz' book), but it is still a must-read for racing fans. Nack has managed to create a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of racing, and the brilliance of that lovely, amazing filly that was Ruffian.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a gold standard..., May 22, 2007

By 

Jermann Barbara (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruffian: A Race Track Romance (Hardcover)

I was eagerly waiting for this book. Hadn't I read Nack's "Secretariat - The making of a Champion" barely being able to put it down ?! Well, his book on Ruffian is really only a romance... short and not much to it (the book has 107 pages). It reads like if Nack had put some puzzle pieces together, here a papersnip, there a few words from trainer or jockey so and so, but forgot to make a story with them. There are six pictures, only one of them shows Ruffian :( I don't really understand what that double wide picture of Secretariat's Belmont win (the one that we all know) has to do there. He writes he was jealous of Ruffian because she took the room that Secretariat had left . Also, Secretariat's Trainer Lucien Laurin said she was better as a two year old than Secretariat had been. Nack seems to have a dualistic relationshop with Ruffian. At one point he states his jealousy only went away when she was dead. Elsewhere in the book one can feel he admired her a lot.
I can't really recommend the book. It's really NOT what I had expected from William Nack, certainly not after "Secretariat" !

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nack has the knack for writing about horses!, May 28, 2007

By 

Elizabeth Starr (Maple Shade, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruffian: A Race Track Romance (Hardcover)

I have read both Nack's Secretariat and Jane Schwartz's Ruffian book. I am always a fan of Nack and always look forward to reading anything he writes on horse racing in Sports Illustrated. I was thrilled to learn he was writing a book on my favorite racehorse . I was a little disappointed that Nack's version of Ruffian's life was so short, but since Schwartz's book already covered Ruffian's life beautifully, it was interesting to read Nack's take on this magnificent filly. He actually brought something new to the table in his tale, and that is saying a lot since I have read every article and book on Ruffian that I could get my hands on. I like how the book, was also about his life and what he was doing during the best decade for thoroughbred racing. He clearly shows his passion for the sport, and it is nice to see his isn't just from the gambling aspect of it. He sees the thoroughbred's majesty and gets what lures all types of people to the sport, not just the hard core gambler. Even the casual racing fan will enjoy this book. I look forward to the movie (as it is long overdue), and I would also suggest that Nack write a story about his life as it follows all decades of thoroughbred racing he was alive for. Thank you Mr. Nack for all bringing this star filly back to life again. There will never be another one like her!