Top o' the morning to you! Where's me second annoying Samantha diary? Thoroughbred #66: Samantha's Irish Luck

Samantha's Irish Luck
Thoroughbred #66
By Mary Newhall
August 2004

Samantha is in love and has finally found the perfect horse. But is her luck about to run out?

Samantha and Tor's month-long honeymoon in Ireland turns into a much longer stay when Samantha meets Finn, a massive sporthorse that is a descendant of Red Rum, steeplechasing's greatest horse. Samantha is enjoying such success with Finn that she and Tor settle into the idea that they'll be in Ireland for the rest of their lives.

Then Tor gets an urgent call to return home to Kentucky. With the Grand National just weeks away, Tor urges Samantha to stay in Ireland, but she still finds herself torn between her husband and her beloved horse. If only she didn't have such a nagging feeling about leaving Finn behind. She's sure something horrible is about to happen.

The Summary:
This is relatively accurate, and 100% reflective of the stupidity of Samantha's attitude in these two books. Who knew that getting married makes you act like a ten-year-old again?

The Cover:
Here we've got another brunette Samantha and another a veiny horse. Oh god, and another beribboned riding helmet! They are apparently racing in a steeplechase with the smallest field (read: nonexistent) in the history of steeplechasing. You can tell they're in Ireland because everything is green. And pink. Apparently it's a rule that you can't have a Thoroughbred cover without pink these days.

The Plot:
Samantha and Tor are standing in the nursery that Ashleigh et. al. cleaned out in the last book, wondering if it'll be big enough. I sure hope so, after you subjected your friends to a day of your tedious reminiscing. The gleesome threesome come back, this time to paint the room. Samantha goes down to the barn and runs into Kaitlin, who makes the mistake of asking why Samantha and Tor moved back from Ireland and how they got Finn McCoul the Wonder Horse (not to be confused with a Wonderpony). Samantha settles down for a long winter's nap, or at least a 136-page story.

So Samantha and Tor go on a month-long honeymoon at an equestrian bed-and-breakfast in Ireland, which is run by Jimmy and Hannah Hollis and their daughter, Ghyllian, whom you may remember from fine literary works such as The Price of Fame and Star's Inspiration. Apparently this is the real Celtic Meadows (which may explain why I was confused every time Ghyllian showed up to run her horses in Kentucky). They meet a beautiful weanling called Finn McCoul, a son of Red Rum, who "won the Grand National Steeplechase three times and placed second twice." Great. At least we got that over with. They go on a bunch of trail rides and buy sweaters and eat a lot and Samantha falls in love with Finn.

Back in Kentucky, Samantha is all mopey about missing Ireland. Going to a diner makes her think about Hannah's beef stew. For Christmas, she buys a "white wool fisherman's sweater for Tor and a coffee cup with a shamrock design on it for Tor's father." Okay, seriously, Sammy? You bought him a mug when you could go to Goodwill and get ten of them for a dollar? Next you're probably going to buy Cindy a pair of stonewashed jeans with shamrocks on them.

Then Jimmy Hollis randomly calls from Ireland to say that he wants to concentrate on flat-racing at Celtic Meadows, and do Samantha and Tor want to come over and handle the eventing side? Shocker! I can't believe it took 58 pages to get to that. So, surprising no one, Samantha and Tor move to Ireland (after dumping Whisperwood on Mr. Nelson and Shining on Mandy). Samantha decides she is the luckiest person in the world. I think she also said that in Samantha's Journey and Bridal Dreams. Let's hope it goes better this time, Sammy.

Samantha trains Finn for eventing and says he's "the easiest horse I've ever trained." Oh god, it's Storm's Ransom reincarnated! Someone better call Mulder and Scully! He must really be a Wonder Horse, because a mere one paragraph later, he is four years old and they are competing in the Badminton Horse Trials in England. Finn does well in dressage, but stumbles and bows a tendon during cross-country. The vet diagnoses him with pedal osteitis and says he doesn't know if he'll ever jump again. This makes perfect sense because it's "the same disease Red Rum had, and he still raced and won." I guess we're not done with the famous horsie references after all. A second vet also suggests that they stop racing him, but Samantha says he "love[s] to race too much to give up now." I can't decide if this is supposed to be one of those "unlikely undersized weakling foal who grew up to take blue ribbons at the National Horse Show" stories or just really, really irresponsible. I mean, because it's Thoroughbred, I know he's not going to die (unless he's Storm, or Wonder, or Black Night, or Midnight Wanderer, or … maybe I should stop). But in real life, I don't think people say, "Oh yeah! You love to race so much that we should just ignore that fractured cannon bone and turn you out on the track!"

Samantha walks Finn on the beach and exercises him in the water. The vet says he's doing great. I guess Ghyllian and Samantha have been talking to Leslie D'Andrea. Jimmy wants to prep him for a steeplechase. The vet says, "I don't care much for steeplechases—I think they're hard on the horses. But if you're going to race him, now's the time." WTF is wrong with these people?

Samantha jockeys Finn in a steeplechase at Punchestown and wins. They point him to the Grand National, until Ian calls to say that Tor's dad is sick and Tor needs to come home. Samantha decides to go with him, thinking it'll just be a short visit. At the hospital they meet his fiancée, Helen, a nurse, who tells them that it's more serious than they thought: he has cancer. Tor's dad tells them that they need to move to Arizona for the "warm, dry climate." Gee, I didn't know he also had the galloping cough. Tor and Samantha decide to stay in Kentucky and take over Whisperwood. (At this point we smack into Racing Parker, in which Christina is twelve, riding Sterling, and wants to switch to taking lessons with Sammy, because she is a "world-class three-day-event rider.")

They watch the Grand National on TV, and Finn breaks down while jumping over the last fence. Jimmy calls from Ireland to say he's torn a tendon and won't race again. This gives Samantha a chance to mope again (she should take lessons from Christina), only instead of missing Ireland, she misses Finn.

Tor asks her to accompany him on a surprise trip to the Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York. Hey, I know where that is. I drive by there every time I go home to visit my parents. Tor tells Samantha they're there to look at a stallion he's thinking of buying for their breeding operation, who turns out to be, of course, Finn. I'm sure this is all very romantic, Tor, but number one, I would be really annoyed if my husband agreed to buy a horse without asking me, and number two, if Finn is just like Red Rum and all that, are you sure you want to pass on those weak pedal bones to another generation? I mean, let's not forget here that in TB-land, every colt is just like his father and every filly is just like her mother. It's a good thing Red Rum didn't have a superdrive. Tor tells Samantha that Finn will be in quarantine for a while and then will be shipped to Kentucky. So basically, you guys took an exciting flight to New York just so you could look at a horse's nose. Also a prudent financial choice, Tor. Samantha waxes eloquent about how lucky she is again.

We come back to the present, where Samantha is shocked to find that several hours have passed. Kaitlin is still patiently listening (I picture her looking like Marius in this hilarious scene from the Les Misérables movie) and thinking, "Oh god, why did I agree to get into this? Next she's going to start telling me how she met my mother." Cindy, Ashleigh, and Christina show off the freshly painted nursery, and Samantha and Tor tell them that—surprise!—they're expecting twins. I bet NO ONE saw that coming after all the hints people dropped in previous books.

Points of Interest:

• Samantha says, "I hope we get at least a few days of sun while we're here." Haha, nice try, Sammy. Maybe if you stay in Ireland for six years, you'll get summer on one or two days.
  
• We find out that Caroline is living out of the country with her husband, Mr. Presumably-Justin. Apparently this is the way to ditch any Griffens we don't like; Rory went overseas, too, after Ashleigh's Diary. (When we don't like Townsends, we just don't mention them, and I guess when we don't like the Grahams/Reeses, we just kill them off without ever explaining exactly how Christina is related to Melanie.)
  
• Cindy is conveniently not home for Christmas because she's in New York. I guess that means this is supposed to be set around the time as Cindy's Bold Start, which I don't think is right—if Sammy is 23, just turning 24, then Cindy should still be 17 and in high school, and don't forget, you have to cram Cindy's Desert Adventure in there somewhere (much as I would like to forget it). Oh well. The less I have to deal with Cindy, the better.
  
• Dress alert! Sammy wears an emerald necklace and a gold taffeta gown with a halter top and a full skirt. It sounds kind of prom-like, but no worse than anything Ashleigh, Christina, and/or Cindy have worn to the prom. Oh, and I should mention she wears this to a party or something. Not to an actual steeplechase, though I wouldn't put it past her.
  
• Samantha also wears an emerald-and-sapphire bracelet, which Ian apparently gave her on her wedding day. If you believe Samantha's Journey, they kept nothing of Suzanne's except her green dress and security blankie riding boots, but previous Joanna-authored books make reference to some of her other possessions, so it makes sense that they would have some keepsakes. I think it's also likely that Suzanne's parents still had some of her family mementos.

Next up: #67: Breaking the Fall and #68: Kaitlin's Wild Ride have already been reviewed by Claire. Next up from me: Melanie's Double Jinx, notable for the amazing cover art! You'll be wowed! Stay tuned!

Oh, if only this were a Saddle Club book, and then we could have the pun-filled title of "Bridle Dreams." Thoroughbred #65: Bridal Dreams.

Bridal Dreams
Thoroughbred #65
By Mary Newhall
June 2004

Will Samantha and Tor's wedding be ruined?

Preparing to welcome a baby to the family, Samantha and Tor are cleaning out the spare bedroom to make a nursery when they find their wedding album. It's been stored away for years and now brings back a lot of memories.

Long ago, when she and Tor got engaged, Samantha began planning the most glorious wedding Kentucky had ever seen. But as the date neared, disaster followed disaster, forcing her to put her plans aside. First a mare went into premature labor; then a steeplechase horse with Man o' War's bloodlines needed their help; finally there was a terrible accident.

Samantha was starting to think maybe she and Tor weren't meant to get married. After everything that had gone wrong, would their wedding day turn into another disaster?

The Summary:

Props for general accuracy on this one, though it wasn't really all that difficult—throw in some photo album, some wedding, some accidents, and you've got a summary.  Also, is that "long ago" like "a long time ago when the earth was green," or "long ago, in the faraway land of ancient Greece there was a golden age of powerful gods extraordinary heroes"?  It makes it sound like their wedding was about 326 years ago—which, in Thoroughbred time, it might have been.

The Cover:

Gosh, look!  It's Keri Russell marrying Parker Townsend!  Oh, wait … it's not?  Could've fooled me.  So we have a lovely brunette so-called Samantha marrying a lovely brunette so-called Tor.  Samantha is wearing a stunning pink tunic that goes nicely with her brown red hair (and looks nothing like the wedding dress described in the book), and Tor is wearing some kind of denim jacket that is a cross between James Dean and the World War I trenches.  And those flowers.  FLOWERS EVERYWHERE.  Apparently Tor has journeyed over some purple mountains on his horse and has found paradise in the flower utopia.  Confession time:  I once did some watercolors featuring purple mountains.  But I was ten at the time.

The Plot:

Well, guys, it had to happen eventually.  Ashleigh got not only the best diary but an entire spin-off featuring things that didn't happen in TB-verse, Cindy got not one but two hideously titled diaries, and now it's Samantha's turn.  We start with the never-before-used trope of "oh crap we need this room for something let's clean it out and HEY LOOK something wonderful that reminds me of my past which I will tell you a really long and uninteresting story about!"  Ashleigh, Christina, and Cindy come over to help and impress us with Mary Newhall's ability to read and remember the contents of the early books, such as that Sierra existed, Max Smith existed, Cindy was an overly confident little brat, the Pony Commandos existed, and Mandy existed.  They find Samantha's wedding dress, and Ashleigh says that it was "the wedding we thought was never going to happen."  Christina, like a dutiful daughter, asks to hear the story.  That, or she's just really tired of picking through Samantha and Tor's junk.

We are blasted back a number of years (though not quite 326) to Yvonne Ortez and Gregg Doherty's wedding.  For those keeping track, that means Samantha is 23, Tor is 25, Kevin is four, Cindy is 17, Mandy is 13, Christina is four (almost five), and Ashleigh's last name has magically changed to Griffin.  Gregg and Yvonne get married and everything is beautiful.  Tor decides that his "oh Sammy, kiss me!" proposal from Samantha's Journey wasn't good enough, so he proposes again, this time right in the middle of the wedding reception.  Yeah, that's really polite, Tor.  At least he has a ring this time.

Samantha and Tor can't decide on a date for their wedding, but Samantha does propose a honeymoon in the Caribbean, like Ashleigh and Mike.  Beth suggests that they book the country club for a December 7 wedding.  Samantha isn't excited about something so fancy, but she says yes.

Maureen brings over some wedding magazines, and Sammy balks at the idea of wearing a fancy dress.  Beth hires a wedding planner named Erika Alfonso, who also planned Brad and Lavinia's wedding.  I'm sure you can guess how Samantha feels about the fancy wedding planner, but she handles it remarkably well given that I fully support bopping Beth over the head at this point.  Erika is just leaving when Shining goes into early labor even though she's only five months along.  Dr. Smith (hello again, Max's mom) moves her to her vet clinic.  Shining loses the foal and will not be able to have another, but is okay otherwise.  Tor very supportively tells Samantha that this is "a rotten thing to happen."  What is wrong with him in this book?  Has he lost all sense of how to be a decent person?  Are you sure you want to marry this guy, Sammy?

Brad and Lavinia pop over to the clinic to let Samantha know that they've booked the country club for their own party on December 7.  DUN DUN DUN.  Samantha and Tor don't really mind, and plan for a small wedding in February instead.  Mandy, who's been hanging around all throughout this book, loves Shining so much that Samantha decides to move her to Whisperwood to recover, so she can hang out with Mandy and Mandy can draw her picture and bring her flowers and love her and squeeze her and call her Bob.

Tor and Samantha take Sierra to a steeplechase at Bright Meadows in October.  They see a horse called Miss Battleship, who has Man o' War in her bloodlines.  (Helpful hint:  This is your famous horsie reference of the book.)  Sammy wins her 'chase on Sierra, and Miss Battleship's owner asks her to ride Miss Battleship.  They finish sixth.  The owner is disappointed and plans to sell her, so Samantha and Tor take the money they were going to use for their honeymoon and buy Miss Battleship instead.

Sammy and Beth shop for a wedding dress and "a pair of white lace-up boots," which, I don't know, maybe it's just me, sound perfectly hideous.  At dinner, Ian announces that Len has decided to retire to Indiana to be near his daughter and grandchildren.  Wow, Len!  Remember him?  And they mention Charlie too!  Hot damn.  Mike hires George Ballard as the new manager of the stallion barn.

Ashleigh gets thrown from a horse during a work and fractures a vertebra.  The doctor advises that she not race anymore.  Yay, more continuity!  It's mentioned in earlier books that Ashleigh stopped racing because of back problems.  Sammy wants to postpone the wedding again so Ashleigh can be in it.  She and Tor decide to have a small civil ceremony.

So even though they agree on that, in the weirdest case of five-year-old logic ever, Samantha decides that she and Tor aren't "meant" to get married, and "Maybe Maureen and I will be silly old single ladies together, wearing purple and drinking tea together on the porch."  I mean, WTF?  (I've said that twice in this recap now, haven't I?  Remind me again of why I was looking forward to this book?)

Then, just in time, Ashleigh and Cindy et. al. throw Sammy a surprise wedding shower, and make plans for a horseback wedding next week.  I guess they've been taking a page out of The Saddle Club.  Sammy rides sidesaddle on Pride, which, aside from the whole wedding dress and sidesaddle and horseback wedding and that hideous pink thing she's wearing on the cover, is kind of sweet.  Samantha and Tor open presents and discover that they're going to Ireland for a month for a honeymoon.

Then we are blasted back to the present, in which apparently Samantha has been talking to herself the whole time Ashleigh, Christina, and Cindy have been cleaning out the room.  Well, what can I say.  I guess Cindy doesn't have a monopoly on complete and total obliviousness.

Points of Interest:

• We find out that Max Smith went to vet school in California and is presumably a vet out there.  This is a pretty good throwaway line, since a) it explains what happened to him, b) it gives a reasonable explanation for why he and his mom aren't around, and c) he mentioned wanting to be a vet in the first book he appeared in (Glory's Triumph).  Of course, Cindy "wanted" to be a vet then too.  How times have changed.
• Apparently Samantha sometimes slips "into a hint of the Irish brogue she had picked up from her years in Ireland."  Having lived with people from the UK and Australia in high school, I can verify that this is true, but my god, it sounds so ridiculous.
• For Yvonne's wedding, Samantha carries a bouquet of "yellow rosebuds and pink-tinged orchids … tiny blue forget-me-nots and delicate fronds of maidenhair fern." Maybe Mary Newhall was a florist in another life. 
• Apparently Tor's barn has been called Whisperwood the whole time, like say, during those 15 Old Generation books when it didn't have a name.  This makes more sense than Tor and Samantha moving back from Ireland and buying a different barn and naming it Whisperwood, but it doesn't seem like a very Mr. Nelson-ish name to me.  (Claire also mentioned this in her recap of Racing Parker, the first time we encountered this Whispercrap.)
• Wonderpony watch:  Vic Taleski rides a daughter of Glory and Princess.  Her name isn't mentioned; my money's on March to Princess.
• Leap of Faith appears in this book as a broodmare.  What the eff … I don't even try to keep track of her anymore.
• Mandy draws a picture of a chestnut horse, which "looks exactly like Shining."  Except for the part where Shining is a roan.  Perhaps she's turning into a full Wonderpony.
• Ashleigh rides a two-year-old name Jazz Dancer, a son of Blues King and Precocious.  I think they should have insisted on a paternity test.  With that name, he is obviously by Jazzman.

Next up:  Ah, the lost-diary-from-the-past book that rivals Cindy's Desert Adventure for the winner of the Stupidest Title Award:  Samantha's Irish Luck.

Samantha's Journey is a long, boring road full of potholes

Samantha's Journey
Thoroughbred Super Edition
by Karen Bentley
Published: 1997

So I know what you're thinking. First off, it's probably "Where are the posts?" I totally understand and I offer two extremely weak explanations (at least, for me): Breaking Dawn happened and I had to attempt to read it and fail, and I became thoroughly obsessed with Guy/Marian from BBC's Robin Hood, which I find creepy because I've only watched three episodes, and he kinda sorta kills her in one of them. I don't know if this should indicate something to me or not...but I'm going to lean toward not being disturbed by this. Because I am drawn to somewhat-unrequited-but-not-really sexual tension above all else, it appears (and tall, dark and handsome morally ambiguous men, but we already knew that). And yes, this means I've been reading fan fic...which I haven't done for a while so don't judge me.

And now, back to the task at hand.


Yeah, I decided I didn't quite get enough of Karen Bentley. Actually, no, that's not true. I was going to read A Home For Melanie, but then this book came along and then I got all sidetracked with Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome Who Isn't Brad Townsend and wow...that was a long journey. Anyway, so here we are. Another super edition I haven't read. It's not a horrible cover, except for the fact that I'm pretty sure that is a denim shirt. Thankfully there is no denim jacket to complete this outfit of evil. Plus, who rides their horse to a cemetery these days? Whatever. The horse, at least, looks good.

Haunted by the past...

Samantha McLean has a terrible scare when she sees Cindy, her adoptive sister, fall over Whitebrook's track rail during a workout. Cindy's accident is frighteningly similar to the one that caused Samantha's mother's death years earlier.

Cindy's accident brings forth a flood of troubling memories for Samantha. She begins reliving the traumatic years which followed her mother's death - a difficult time when she and her father, Ian McLean, traveled aimlessly across the country in search of a place where they could rebuild their lives. Will Samantha rediscover happiness at Whitebrook Farm? Or will she be tormented forever by the tragedies of her past?

Isn't it weird how a supposedly healed trauma just up and becomes an unforeseen issue resulting in a super edition? Also, what is up with the blue, red and pink color scheme of this book? It is horrible. Red text on a pink background is not acceptable. Even in 1997.

The prologue starts out in Whitebrookland, where the squirrels and the birds sing merry songs and Samantha dances around in her amazing storybook forest that smells like rhododendrons and violets. All she's missing is a poofy pink dress and a speaking unicorn with a rainbow-colored horn. Why is it such a great day? Well, it's not because she's found her true love or anything. No, Samantha is an independent female and is thrilled because she's just been offered the formal job title of assistant trainer at Whitebrook Farm. Call me unenthused if you will, but I kinda sorta already thought that was what she was doing. Nevertheless, Samantha's off hugging herself when Tor comes along to turn her independent womanhood into domestic subservience and asks her to marry him. Wow, things just could not get better!

Completely knocked over that her life is now more thrilling than it was previously, Samantha hauls Tor down to the training oval so they can share the news. Only then Cindy has to go fall off of Honor and Samantha has to have a flashback and run away. Like the suddenly irresponsible and delicate girl she never really was but now kind of is. Cindy may or may not be dead (that Samantha knows about...I mean, she runs off to the broodmare barn...who does that?) and that means that Samantha's life will never be fun and thrilling and full of love ever again. What does she do about this? She cries in the barn. Yeah, shocking. Didn't see that coming at all.

Now we're required to jump back in time to when Samantha was twelve and her life was super freaking fantastic. Her mom, Suzanne, is awesome. Her dad, Ian, is supposedly awesome but Samantha isn't really too sure because she spends every waking moment with her mom. And you know who else is awesome? Gulfstream Waves...the horse with horrible luck in names. Gulfstream Waves is a former claimer turned stakes horse, which means he is now more loved than any other horse in the barn. Except for Miracle Worker, who is a claimer and is loved by Samantha despite this horrible fact. Gulfstream is basically Suzanne's special horse, and is going to run in the Donn and make Ian and Suzanne filthy rich and will somehow finance an entire farm that has been their dream for ages. I continue to not understand how this is possible...it's not like a $400,000 purse goes straight to the trainer and even if it did I'm pretty damn sure a farm in Florida is going to cost way more than what Ian, with his five claimers and one claimer turned possible Grade I winner, can finance realistically. Considering they live in a mobile home and all. Honestly.

Well, whatever, because Gulfstream Waves is the perfect not so perfect horse and he wins the Donn anyway, this means Samantha is so close to owning a Triple Crown winner and getting a baby sister that she can practically taste it. But then Gulfstream Waves has to go remind everyone that he was a claimer (and therefore was abused, because all claimers who are not trained by Ian McLean are abused) and he goes crazy on Suzanne and Samantha thinks she'll help out but just manages to get in the way and accidentally causes her mom to go through the rail and break her neck or something. I find it interesting that this role Samantha has in her mom's death isn't immediately dragged out into the light of day...but it isn't. Gulfstream dies, her mom dies, and Ian immediately has an apoplexy about Samantha being within five yards of a horse that may or may not go crazy at a drop of a hat.

Once Suzanne dies, Ian goes a little off the handle and I suppose that means he's no longer financially sound either because that whole farm dream goes up into smoke and before you know it they're moving to Oklahoma City. Then they move to L.A. Then to Del Mar, Long Island, Finger Lakes, and then to Townsend Acres. I could get into the actual plot, which is they keep moving and Samantha keeps having issues with trying to keep her promises to her father so she won't be shoved off to live with her grandparents, but it was too boring and recapping it would be rather pointless. Anyway, it's essentially the same thing over and over. Samantha moves, finds a horse that needs her magical help, and then she has to move again. Occasionally she has friends, occasionally she doesn't. Occasionally everyone at school thinks she's either a misunderstood brat or a scrubby track kid they can torment for fun. This all lands her at Townsend Acres after about a year of wandering around the country, where she proceeds to act like a very repressed fan girl at the sight of Ashleigh Griffen, Charlie Burke and the handsome Mike Reese. And then we have a repeat of Ashleigh's Dream while Wonder's Pride stares all knowingly at Samantha. Because, as we all know, Wonder's Pride is not only perfect, he can see into the future.

Skipping back into our current time, Tor finds Samantha in the stall and convinces her that all is well and requests a kiss. Samantha complies. Fans of Thoroughbred groan and roll their eyes.

• "I'll train so many different types of horses," Samantha murmured. Oh, really, Sammy? As a thoroughbred racehorse assistant trainer these different "types" would be what, exactly?

• "Finding the next Kentucky Derby winner in an overlooked colt will be my specialty!" Just kill me with a blunt spoon now, so I can savor the pain.

• Do you know, just in general, how lame Tor's proposal is? In short: "I have news!" "Well, so do I!" "Great, you tell me your fantastic news first!" "No, I insist! You tell me your fantastical news!" "Okay! Why don't you marry me!" (This is news?) "Why, gosh, let me debate for a second if this is a dream...wait, I think I am in fact not dreaming! But wait, I need to hesitate for about ten seconds so I can give my future husband a heart attack. (...) Yes, I will marry you because you are blond and like horses, which is of the utmost importance!" "Yay! Let us carry the news to the rest of our equally perfect co-workers and friends and general townsfolk!" Yay! What is THAT?

• Wow, just how fast did that ambulance arrive?

• Even though the four-year-old colt was a claimer -- a horse who ran in the bottom ranks of racing -- Samantha wasn't taking any chances on having him run away with her. This sentence suggests that not only do claimers tend to not "run out" as much as stakes horses, but that people don't really care if and when they do go berserk on anyone.

• Samantha knew that with her red hair and green eyes, she looked like her mother. Oh yeah? That's fascinating, Samantha. Please, tell us when you first "knew" about this ever so important fact?

• Galloping ahead, Samantha saw her mother... This suggests that Samantha is galloping ahead of her mother when it's the other way around. Is it so difficult to expect an editor to be able to write, or is this asking too much?

• Miracle wasn't in Gulfstream's class as a racehorse, but Samantha loved him anyway. This sentence speaks volumes of the Thoroughbred mindset, I think. That, and apparently it's much easier to love stakes horses.

• "Gulfstream's really wired." I think at this point Karen Bentley must have had a race scene outline pinned above her head in her office, and this line was required for all pre-race dialogue.

• I have a feeling even the most dense of traumatized twelve-year-olds would be able to recognize a dead body when they run right up to one and stare at it. Also..."Samantha, your mother is dead." Look, Ian, I love your blunt informative sentences most of the time, but that was poorly done.

• Samantha's never seen a mockingbird at age twelve? What is she? Blind?

• Random fact about Ian: He can drive for twenty hours straight. By himself. He is a man of steel.

• I'm torn between finding Samantha clutching her mother's boot either sweet or remarkably silly. At least, when she starts talking to this single boot...it is remarkably silly. Good job, Bentley. Good job.

• She realized she'd expected the Remington track to be second-rate after Gulfstream. Yeah, unfortunately, you know, it is second-rate after Gulfstream.

• So Samantha is shunned by the kids at her new school because she's wearing rancher clothing, or something to that effect. Just to be clear, she lives in OKLAHOMA CITY which is located in OKLAHOMA where it is FILLED WITH DUST and RANCHES. Where did she live previously? Miami. Are we supposed to believe that Oklahoma City has something on Miami in terms of fashion that we're not aware of? This feels like some sort of fashion Twilight Zone.

• Anyone notice how all of the main horses in this book win? Anyone?

• At the end, after Samantha visits her mom's grave, we get this weird discussion with her dad about how she's always blamed herself for getting in the way and causing Suzanne to go through the rail. And apparently Samantha was also pissed at Gulfstream for this? What? Wow, did none of that ever come up previously. Nicely done, Karen. It wouldn't be a Bentley book if the characters didn't suddenly state that they're over their inner turmoil over something no one was all that aware they were angsting over to begin with.

One thing that strikes me about this book is how it's basically the same chapter over and over and over again. Samantha moves. Samantha whines to herself. Samantha finds a horse she can secretly cherish. Samantha moves again. There was other stuff in there, but mainly I was bored by the amazing rate of repetition and am therefore going to ignore this book and move on to A Home For Melanie. Finally.

(Want more? Claire's review is here.)

Introducing Miss Sweetness and Light: TB #12: Shining's Orphan

Shining's Orphan
Thoroughbred #12
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1995

It had to happen eventually. I know, I know, I could have skipped books 12 through 23 entirely but then what would be the point of this blog? What, indeed. So, I'm in it for the long haul. Twelve books of this:


Yeah, sure, she doesn't look menacing and annoying here. But believe me, this is Cindy's best cover. Here she's captured in her most innocent state: sleep. Here she can't scowl, glower, scream, cry, or look terrified as she does on every other cover. Here, the twins are still (happily) nameless. Here, hay looks comfortable. Here, denim is still a complete outfit. Here, we aren't crying in sheer pain . . . yet. Let's take this moment to reflect. The Thoroughbred Series as we knew it is over.

Can Cindy stay at Whitebrook Farm forever?

One night, when Samantha McLean goes to the barn to check her horse, Shining, she gets a big surprise. There's a girl sleeping on the hay between two orphaned foals!

Cindy Blake has run away from her foster home and found her way to Whitebrook Farm. She loves horses, and there isn't any place she'd rather live. Cindy begs Samantha to let her stay.

Cindy turns out to be a natural with horses, and she develops a bond with Shining. She thinks she's found the perfect home at last. But when the authorities find out where she is, they want to send her to another foster home. Can Samantha and her friends at Whitebrook find a way to keep Cindy on the farm for good?

Well, can she? What I love about the crux of the issue is that it's another one that has no answer. Yeah, Cindy stays at Whitebrook. How that happens is entirely glossed over so we can focus on the bliss of little orphan girl finding a home, despite us all hating her with a deep, seething, black persistence within another two books (as, I'm sure, someone had to like Cindy at the start).

Anyway, the plots are as follows:

1. Cindy. So she shows up, people randomly accept her without question, people love her despite her being as pissy as possible, of course she's a natural horsewoman and wow! Look at that, a mary sue. She shows up, Ian decides to foster her, there's a big to do over her living with "wild horses" despite her living with horses in her last foster home, and due to some miracle of miracles gets to stay at Whitebrook.

2. Angelique. I think Joanna Campbell has some deep seated issue with blonde women. Angelique is Tor's new student, despite apparently knowing her for years. Angelique is sort of like Lavinia if Lavinia was a home wrecker. She acts "cool" all the time, is painfully beautiful, and she wants to own Tor. She gets pretty close to that goal, if only for the fact that Tor is an idiot.

3. Mandy. She, like, falls. I know. Shocking. Then she acts all bratty about it and it takes Cindy of all people to force her to shut up already. Frankly, Mandy was worse than Cindy in this book in terms of being entirely annoying.

Oddities:

• Ian's reaction to Cindy is remarkably relaxed. It's like, "Oh, hey, a kid randomly appearing in my living room. How about that? Now, who wants coffee?"

• I find that the urge to stab Cindy with forks after only twelve pages is overpowering. Joanna keeps trying to give her this gritty attitude and instead of enjoying the change from happy and light to a ten-year-old's version of "get out of my face with your questions" I'm just really angry instead. Shocking, I know.

• I have this feeling no one would be able to talk foster parents out of taking back one of their foster kids. More importantly, I have a feeling Child Protection Services wouldn't let them. Oh, Ian! Your wily ways know no bounds!

• Okay. Cindy meets Tor and the first words out of his mouth are "Nice to meet you. Are you a steeplechasing fan?" Honestly. Tor, she's a foster kid on the lam. Do you really think she has time to watch steeplechasing?

• Who ever uses the word "hooray" seriously?

• Samantha is "amazed" at how at ease Cindy is with grooming and bathing horses. You know, when I was eleven I was pretty damn at ease with these tasks also and no one was in awe of me, thank you.

• For being such a health freak, why is Beth serving fried chicken?

• Suddenly everyone wants Cindy to stay. My biggest question is why? Yeah, not like that's ever answered or anything.

• Cindy gets new clothes and she isn't happy about them. Ungrateful little . . . again, why do they want her so much? Why?

• Thank God. Brad's back. I'll take Samantha, Ashleigh and Lavinia acting like pre-school children while Brad acts composed and bored over Cindy being annoying any day.

• Great. Now Tor is in a white suit. He might be able to pull it off better than Mike, but really I don't think anyone does that whole look any justice like Brad.

• You know how proms in movies are these insane things that never, ever happen in real life? Yeah, don't count the Thoroughbred Series out. Samantha's prom isn't boring, people. They dance the "haunting flamenco" to an acoustic guitar. When does that ever happen?

• Okay, get ready for it: Samantha and Tor declare their love for each other. I figure this would have happened in the last book, given all that, um, happened there. But no, it's got to happen here so we can go from one emotional high to hating Tor in about two chapters. Fun, fun.

• Samantha gets the chance to explain Lavinia's attitude again, much to my amusement. "She makes trouble for us whenever she can because she hates it when our horses do better than hers." Which is all the time. How succinct, Sammy. I almost feel that she could throw in there, "but honestly everyone will wind up hating you more than her anyway, so really she's getting a fair deal."

• I will never get over how Cindy can see that Shining is favoring a leg and Samantha can't. Nope. Never. This whole "she's a natural!" crap is no excuse.

• "Frozen yogurt!" Maureen yelled. Wow, Maureen. We know you like frozen yogurt, but you don't have to be so pushy about it. Here's a brief writing lesson: the word said is good. When you replace it with words like "crowed," "cried," and "yelled" all the time it makes your characters look crazy. End of lesson.

• Yeah, who would have thought that "more papers" and a "load of red tape" would be involved in fostering a child? I mean, it's just a kid, for Christ's sake. *rolls eyes* Stop complaining, Ian! You were the one who randomly, with no input from anyone, decided to foster the child from hell, remember?

• Factual: The Lafayette Stakes is run at Keeneland, not Churchill Downs. It is not a mile, nor was it a mile in 1995 (it was seven furlongs and is now six furlongs). It's also a Grade 3 race, not a "small stakes" race. Of course, to our Thoroughbred Series characters a small stakes race might well be a Grade 3 race...who knows.

• Cindy begins her horseback riding lessons on Shining. Because she's gentle as a "pussycat" in a regular riding ring. Riiight.

• Cindy's second lesson shoots her right past normal beginner lessons and straight into learning to ride the horse without reins or stirrups. Samantha says that "normally" she would wait to do this and you know what? There's no normally about it. She's never taught anyone how to ride before Cindy. What does she know? (And no, the Pony Commandos don't count.)

• *gasp!* Mandy suddenly realizes she's handicapped and can't actually jump large fences! Tor seems to not care! Samantha is stung by Tor's supposed cold reaction to a seven year old crying! God forbid things not be cheerful every. second. of. the. day!

• Yogurt Blues is like the Peach Pit of the Thoroughbred Series.

• Here's the thing. Mandy's being all petulant about falling off Butterball. Everyone is telling her she just didn't have enough experience. They shouldn't be telling her that; that only reinforces the notion that she shouldn't expect to fall even after she has experience. They should tell her to expect to fall, and should expect it a lot. It's not like horses come with training wheels, and I'm sure plenty of people have figured out how to fall with training wheels. Tell her to get the hell over it already instead of trying to gag her with her firmly implanted silver spoon, okay?

• Oh, Tor, you can leave a "sick" horse for ten minutes so you can run after your pissed off girlfriend. Instead he lets her rush off and proceeds to not contact her for a few days. How convenient that the storm brought down the phone lines. Maybe he could have enlisted Angelique's willing help to drive out to Whitebrook about three days before he did. Bastard.
  

• The random mystery of Shining's Orphan: Cindy can stay! How this happened, or why remains unknown. Oh, Ian, your talents are shocking and awesome indeed.

Everything ties up so ridiculously in this book it's just hilarious. Samantha and Tor smooth things over after two pages of "oh, yeah, all of that was just a misunderstanding." Uh-huh. Yeah. Cindy arrives back at Whitebrook for seemingly no reason. Which has me curious about why we needed this kid in the beginning. She's not included in Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle, published in December of 1994. This book was published February 1995. When did Cindy enter the picture here? Why was she included, and why did this completely idiotic orphan plot come along with it?

Anyway. Book one down. Eleven more to go.

Whole lot of TLC goin' on: TB #11: Wonder's Sister

Wonder's Sister
Thoroughbred #11
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1994

I'll say one thing up front. It's pretty difficult to take this book seriously when its whole premise is incorrect. However, despite the whole problem of Shining not being any relation to Wonder in a sense that knowledgeable people would recognize, I still enjoyed this installment much more than others.

The cover!
It's a bit ho-hum, isn't it? Not a lot going on, but it's got the main players involved. I'm left wondering why Shining is wearing a bridle in the middle of a pasture, and I don't know what is going on with Samantha's shirt. Wonder (if that is Wonder) looks a little half thought out. My favorite part of the cover has always been that nondescript chestnut mare and foal in the background.

A horse for keeps?

Samantha McLean has been around horses all her life, but she's never had a horse of her own. So she's overjoyed when Ashleigh Griffen and Mike Reese give her Shining, the half sister of one of the greatest race horses of all time, Ashleigh's Wonder. It's her job to turn the sickly, neglected horse into a winner, and she's got her work cut out for her. Shining is stubborn and difficult, and it looks as though she'll never race.

Then a little girl named Mandy, who cannot walk, falls in love with Shining, and the filly's training suddenly improves. But as Shining prepares for her first race, Mandy's parents make Samantha a stunning offer. Must Samantha give up on the only horse she's ever owned?

Well, let's get the plots out of the way.

1. Shining.
The book opens up with Mike returning to Whitebrook with a few horses from a bankruptcy sale. One of them is Shining, a "half-sister" to Wonder, which Mike bought specifically because she's Wonder's half-sister. There's all this talk about how she could have been slaughter-bound as she's in such horrible shape, and so Mike rescues her and reveals that she's Wonder's half-sister and how they just had to have her despite her condition and how she might never race. Then he reveals her parentage. Shining is by Townsend Pride out of a mare called Brite Morn, who is apparently a granddaughter of Bold Ruler. So everyone oohs and aahs over this, remarking again that she's Wonder's half-sister! Only the thing is she isn't. Being related through the same sire doesn't make horses half-siblings. At all. Moving on.

So Mike and Ashleigh give Shining to Samantha, who then goes through the whole book retraining Shining to race.

2. Mandy
Apparently Samantha doesn't know how to not play favorites with the Pony Commandos, and so all of a sudden Mandy is everywhere. She's at Whitebrook watching the works, meeting Shining, declaring her love for Shining, and riding Shining. I couldn't help thinking that putting a six-year-old handicapped child on a barely three-year-old racehorse would be a bad idea, but naturally all Whitebrook horses are well-behaved with children so the whole thing was executed without a problem. Naturally. Then, because Mandy is also rich, her parents decide to buy Shining from Samantha. Angst ensues over trying to decide who Shining is meant for and there was a bunch of talk about special bonds and etc until Samantha decides to sell Shining. Just when she decides to sell, Mandy's parents call up and inform Samantha that their idea was (obviously) kind of stupid and they've decided to buy a pony instead.

3. Sex
Maybe it was Ian's talk with Samantha about, you know, not having sex with Tor while he's gone at Gulfstream that has me pretty convinced about this, but if Samantha was a virgin before this book she certainly isn't one by the time Wonder's Sister ends. The love-love-love! crap was ratcheted up several notches since Tor was described as "trimly muscular" in Pride's Last Race, and throughout Wonder's Sister there are enough lingering kisses and make-out sessions and terms of endearment to throw this book into the young adult category.

Oddities:

- I loved Brad in this book. Probably because he acts like the Brad I always wanted him to be from cover to cover. He's realistic, he doesn't say anything remarkably evil, and he's the picture perfect definition of cool confidence. Lavinia, you know, is still a crazy witch, but Brad is definitely what I always wanted to see.

- Suddenly Tor has a sense of humor. I don't know where it came from, but it's refreshing. I warmed up a little bit toward him in this book, unfortunately.

- Soda. Everyone is drinking it.

- Perhaps I can forgive Joanna Campbell this, as she (as far as I know) never lived in the south, but you don't wear suits and tea-length dresses to a Sadie Hawkins dance. Especially not in Kentucky.

- Pride gets a bit lost in this book. He gets a couple of pages in the limelight, but it's really shifted off of him dramatically. Although I do like Shining, and I was pretty tired of Pride, so while I find it interesting that Samantha doesn't attempt to divide her time at all I'm not really caring either.

- Leggings. Leggings, big t-shirts, and flowery shorts. I never want to have to go through this fashion again. Please, please let it stay in the 90s.

- You know, I never really liked Mandy. Plus, I don't know what her point is. If she was six years older she'd be the new main character, but she's only turning seven in this book. Completely out of the age range for our characters. So what on earth is the point to having her be such a huge part of Samantha's life in this book? Other than reaffirming that Samantha is selfless and perfect?

- Samantha should have said no immediately to selling Shining. There's no reason a seven-year-old child should have a race horse. Really. Just. . .really.

- But it's all okay! Shining wins her maiden race and all is right in the world.

So, I liked this book. I liked it more than all the Wonder's Pride books combined. Quite possibly because there was no Lavinia vs. Ashleigh cat fighting and irritating squabbling. No one looks good when that's happening and it was getting so old so fast because it was all insane and made no sense.

Now I've got a quandary. We all know who appears in a box stall in the next book. I can jump into the era of she-who-will-not-be-named, or I can put that off a little bit by going in publication order and reading Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle next. Even though it confuses the time line and jumps forward two years, which I'll then have to backtrack when I get to #12 Shining's Orphan. So what will it be? Cindy or the crazy eventing dream? Hum. Cindy. . .crazy eventing dream. . .Cindy. . . .

Okay, Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle it is.

We only weep tears of joy!: TB #10: Pride's Last Race

Pride's Last Race
Thoroughbred #10
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1994

Wrapping up the Pride era, we've got an aptly named book: Pride's Last Race. Because, hey, he runs his last race in Pride's Last Race. Who would have thunk it?

The cover:

I really do not like this cover. When this book came out I disliked it and the fourteen years since then has not changed my opinion. I have no idea who the blonde is (nevermind that the blonde's hair is awful) or what the hell is jabbing out of her t-shirt pocket. It can't possibly be a body part, could it? Then there's Samantha, who's over there doing something strange to the poor horse's bridle. Sammy is supposed to be turning 17 in this book, and instead she looks like she's a botoxed fifty-something who's desperately trying to smile despite her plastic surgery-frozen face. I'm assuming this is supposed to be before the Jockey Club Gold Cup, because the background sort of looks like Belmont Park, and that, frankly, is the best part of the entire cover.

Race to the finish...

Wonder's Pride has just had the best year of his life! First he ran to a stunning victory in the Breeders' Cup race. Then he was named Horse of the Year. Pride's trainers, Samantha McLean and Ashleigh Griffen, can't wait for the start of another spectacular year.
But on the verge of his five-year-old season, Pride develops a deadly illness. Pride will never race again -- he may even die! Everyone else says there's no hope for Pride, but Samantha refuses to give up on him. Can her determination save the famous horse?

This is...well, it's a silly blurb. It gets the point of the book fairly accurately, but in that sugary sweet "Oh, no! Unexpected tragedy our beloved main characters will have to somehow overcome by sitting on their hands and weeping!" way. Because, again, it's a problem no one really fixes. Sure, Joanna tries really hard to suggest that Samantha's love inexplicably caused Pride's miracle recovery, but come on.

Okay, so the plots:

1. Lord Ainsley vs. Wonder's Pride/Brad vs. Ashleigh:
The book starts out with more of the same from Pride's Challenge. In fact, it starts out directly after #9, with Ashleigh and Mike getting back from their little conference with the stewards concerning Brad and Lavinia's supposed attempt at fixing the Whitney Handicap. Nothing happens there, of course, so we're free to start in with the Lord Ainsley/Pride rivalry again. That continues through the Breeders' Cup.

2. Unexpected(!) Tragedy:
Seriously. Princess breaks her leg, Wonder loses her foal, Pride nearly dies. It's like a very emotional melt down for everyone and allows for plenty of hysterics.

Actually, if we were looking for a cohesive plot there really isn't one. The book is split in two between the petty bickering and Lavinia acting like a loon who's two steps closer to homicide every day, and the tragedies.

Oddities:

• After Blues King wins his race, Yvonne is all about the "malicious glee." I don't know if malicious glee is something protagonists should be sporting in this series, considering how much everyone points out how often Lavinia is a "jealous witch" and what all. Pot, kettle, black, anyone?

• "I can't believe there are people who feel sorry for her. I mean, it's tough being an only child whose mother practically deserted you, but that's no excuse for expecting to have everything your way." This quote concerning Lavinia is just so terribly annoying.

• Ashleigh and Samantha running around with the weanlings is just too cute.
  

• Ashleigh is adjusting the focus on her television? What now?
  

• Lavinia remarks after the Woodward that Lord Ainsley put in a remarkable effort given the track was muddy and that he's so versatile. Ashleigh mutters, "Like she knows what she's talking about. What a phony." Did Ashleigh & Co. not say pretty much the same thing about Lord Ainsley before? What is wrong with these people? And Samantha, for the love of God no one is being overraced, okay? We know Pride can only run once every three and a half months because he's the most delicate superhorse on earth, but lay off already.

• You know, I never liked the Pony Commandos. Probably because they just sucked up valuable plot time, and probably because their whole existence was so impossible. Okay, tiny handicapped children! We're going to put you in the hands of four teenagers who have no background whatsoever in physical therapy and they're going to endanger your lives by sticking you on horses! Are we excited yet? How they ever got insurance to go along with that is anyone's guess. Isn't there a qualified, licensed therapeutic riding center somewhere in the "heart" of America's horse country where these kids could do this and stop wasting our time?
  

• Why would Lavinia want to exercise the horses? Why the hell would a Kentucky socialite want to do that? Just...what?

• I love this. Ashleigh is always bitching and whining about how everyone else doesn't care about a horse's welfare by simply racing it a couple of times in the course of two months. Brad suggests to a paper that it's not wise to race Pride past the Breeders' Cup because he doesn't want to risk injury. And who's the pissed off one? Ashleigh.

• "A lot of stallions aren't retired until they're five or six." Okay, two things. One: I don't know where Samantha's getting her numbers, but most dirt horses retire well before they're five. Two: If they retired Pride after the Breeders' Cup he'd be retiring and going to stud as a five-year-old. Plus, what's the point of racing him another year. He's so delicate he'd probably hit the track twice with everyone freaking out in between races about how delicate he is.

• Contention! Mr. Townsend wants to retire Pride. For purely financial reasons (his starting fee is $30,000 and his book would be 50 mares, and I don't know how that would have worked in reality given this was 1994, but whatever) and with the logical expectation that Pride may not win all his races and could very well be injured and thus may not command a larger fee later. Ashleigh is pissed. Like...furious pissed. Ash, sweetie, even in 1994 horses were retiring at three. Pride isn't experiencing an early retirement. He's experiencing reality's swift kick to his (and your) ass.

• *gasp!* Pride might be moved to Townsend Acres upon retirement! Don't worry, Sammy. You don't visit Pride after he retires to stud anyway, so honestly this shouldn't bother you.

• I'm sort of starting to wonder what Ashleigh does when she's getting into these cat fights with Lavinia outside of the narrative. If Lavinia looks like she's afraid she's going to get hit what the hell is Ashleigh doing?

• You know those rather infrequent moments when people completely lose it in front of family members and the general public? Well, Lavinia just had one of those moments and it was pretty amusing. Probably because it made no sense and yes, Ashleigh's getting her way again for seemingly no reason. Pride won't be retired and Lavinia has a melt down. It's just this sort of drama that turns the lives of our Thoroughbred characters. Ashleigh wins, Lavinia loses and everyone turns and marvels at Lavinia's bitterness like it's a curiosity they can't quite grasp.

• So to offset the wonderful good luck Whitebrook has at the beginning of this book, Joanna throws every tragedy she can at them in the second half. Princess breaks her leg, Wonder miscarries her foal, and Pride suffers intestinal blockage/colic and is rushed to surgery. Strangely, the only thing I really wanted to see was Pride losing to Lord Ainsley once or twice.

• You know, whenever Joanna gets into explanations for her medical miracles I always think of a quote from Days of our Lives when Dr. Rolf says: "I know it sounds crazy, but he has jungle fever." Because really, her attempt at explaining Pride nearly dying from colic and rebounding out of nowhere is pretty close to that.

So that's the end for Pride. After this he goes off to the breeding shed, never to be heard from again (more or less).

Redux! TB #9: Pride's Challenge

Pride's Challenge
Thoroughbred #9
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1994

You know the book Black Stallion Challenged? Well, it was published in 1964, and I think Joanna Campbell probably had it right next to her computer when she wrote Pride's Challenge. Just swap the boys with girls and throw in a bunch of drama and petty arguments and you've got a Thoroughbred story!

The cover:

I love this cover, even if Pride looks a little bulky. He appears like a lumbering steamroller here, which makes me wonder why Lord Ainsley, in all his thin grace, never does get the better of him. The other reason I love it? Brad's on the cover! Yeah, pretty predictable of me. As far as the girl, I operated for the longest time thinking she was Samantha until it was pointed out to me by a friend that it had to be Ashleigh because this is a scene from the book. If it's Ashleigh that's great. Fine by me. It just gives more fuel to the roaring tension. Also, a side note: what are these things Brad and (possibly) Ashleigh are carrying? Could they be crops? Crops in use? I have a feeling Joanna Campbell strongly disapproved of this cover.

The highest stakes of all . . .

Wonder's Pride is ready to race again. Samantha McLean, the colt's groom, and Ashleigh Griffen, his jockey, are thrilled that he has recovered so well from an injury. But not everyone wants Pride back at the racetrack. Brad Townsend, Pride's owner's son, and his wife, Lavinia, want Pride out of the way so their own horse can reach the winner's circle. When the horses are pitted against each other in a big stakes race, Samantha knows Lavinia will stop at nothing to make Pride lose. With Ashleigh busy planning her wedding, it's up to Samantha alone to save Wonder's Pride from the scheming Townsends.

The plots in this book are many. Let me try to sort them all out:

#1: Brad and Lavinia. Yes, they get top billing this time out as their horse, Lord Ainsley, is set to ruin Pride's comeback. This is sort of unfortunate for Lord Ainsley, because I always liked his name and dark bays with flashy white markings are just so pretty, but he's doomed to play Pride's rival. Brad and Lavinia, intent on having their horse win and apparently not understanding that they benefit from having Pride run and do well also, attempt to throw as many road blocks as they can in front of Ashleigh & Co. along the way. It's very childish most of the time, on everyone's parts. Reading their adventures is like walking into a room of preschool students who all hate each other.

#2: Beth. Ian McLean is tired of being a single dad, so he runs out and gets himself a girlfriend. Samantha is mortified by this development, acts like a raging brat who isn't getting her way for three quarters of the book, and her relationship with Tor suffers as a result (although that's mostly because Tor is an asshole).

#3: Samantha and Tor. They have their first fight! And it's not cute at all. In fact, I sort of hate Tor now.

#4: Charlie's health. We all saw the foreshadowing for what happens in this book long ago, and it comes to a head in Pride's Challenge.

Oddities:

• pg.3: Lavinia is bitching about why the Townsends are bothering to race Pride again. Because they have Lord Ainsley now. Who needs another runner, right?

• pg.4: Ashleigh and Lavinia are about two seconds away from pulling each other's hair. Brad just stands there and watches, which has to be the best part because obviously he would be the type of guy to enjoy this sort of thing.

• pg.7: We get a clear cut explanation for why Lavinia is a bitch: she never had a mommy's love. Let this be a lesson to all the young mommys out there: love your children or they'll grow up to be obnoxious brats you'll wind up hating.

• Example of talking race strategy, Thoroughbred style: "If Lord Ainsley runs the same kind of race, I can expect him to start moving on the far turn and start pressuring us hard coming down the stretch." No kidding! It's, like, what all horses start doing at the end of a race. Also, it seems to me that race strategy should involve more than hoping you catch an overconfident jockey off guard.

• I honestly don't think it's possible for Lavinia to be so immature. It's like watching a five-year-old try to rule a small country.

• I'm a little stunned that Brad didn't want to run Lord Ainsley against Pride. It's like he has, you know, sense.

• The Nassau County Handicap is such a blast from the past. If you follow that link you'll notice that there is no first turn and therefore no way for the horses to "enter" the backstretch.

• Again, weirdness from Brad. Contradicting Lavinia when she wants Lord Ainsley's jockey to call foul when there wasn't one? Who is this Brad? Holy crap. It's arrogantly handsome, white suit-wearing Brad from Wonder's First Race! I didn't think I'd see this Brad again!

• Is it wrong to giggle when Ashleigh admits to losing it when Lavinia is around?

• Ashleigh is taking the old tradition of not letting the groom see the wedding dress a little far by not letting anyone see it before the wedding day. Given how neurotic Ashleigh is I figure she probably needed plenty of outside opinion before buying any dress.

• pg. 86: Ah, my unsettled feelings about Tor are finally justified. While I like that a main couple finally has a disagreement (if you want to call it that) there's no reason that relationship should have survived after this page in this book.

• pg.88: Tor has to state that Sierra's upcoming race is going to be more competitive, which I really can't help but take as a dig toward Samantha's novice race. Yes, Tor, we get that you're like Mr. Super Jumping Expert/Steeplechase Jockey Despite Never Having Competed in a Steeplechase, but get your head out of your ass already.

• pg. 91: No, Sammy, your "hot headed temper" didn't get you in trouble. Your boyfriend is a jerk. That's pretty much the problem in a nutshell.

• pg. 96: Congratulations, Joanna Campbell! Winner of the most awkward moment in Thoroughbred history: Sierra rears in the saddling paddock of his race, Tor falls off the horse's butt, and Samantha apologizes for getting so mad (which she shouldn't because he screamed at her because he's an asshole) and Tor is relieved? What the hell is that about?

• Ah, there's nothing like a good victorious horse race to soothe everyone's personal troubles. Sierra wins and then Samantha tells Tor the whole back story, apologizes, he apologizes for not listening to her, but never takes back the whole yelling episode because he's an asshole and Samantha should have dumped him on page 86. Wow, will I have a field day with #12, Shining's Orphan.

• About the mini-match race between Lord Ainsley/Brad and Wonder's Pride/Ashleigh before the Suburban Handicap . . . wouldn't it be amusing if Brad was telling the truth about Lord Ainsley dropping off the bit?

• "Mr. Wonderful is so pedestrian. We've decided to call him Lavinius . . ." You know, Lavinius wouldn't have been such a bad name. I suppose it would mean "man of Rome", but really at this point I wish Brad would grow a back bone, throw up his hands and say: "That's it, I want a divorce on grounds of your being insane."

• The moment has arrived! Ashleigh's wedding dress is unveiled! You decide if this is a fashion don't: "a simple ivory satin with tight chiffon sleeves and a full sweep of ankle-length shirt. The scooped neck of the gown and base of the skirt were delicately embroidered with pale pink roses. Ashleigh had pulled her long, dark hair on top of her head and crowned it with a garland of roses that matched those embroidered on her gown. From the garland a long, lacy veil frothed out like a misty halo and fell all the way to the ground." Sounds like a dress for an indoor ceremony. Chiffon sleeves? Well, it was 1994.

• Looks like Lord Ainsley is headed to the Haskell Invitational, which is only for three-year-olds. So how they'll manage to get a four-year-old in that will be interesting to see.

• Well, guys, Charlie's passed on. While I think he was sort of a rip off of Walter Farley's Henry Daily, he was still probably the most level-headed character Joanna was capable of writing.

• Um, the memorial service for Charlie is going great with Ashleigh declaring she's going to take Pride to Saratoga and win the Whitney Handicap, but then she has to throw in this vengeance thing about Brad and Lavinia and that seems pretty tacky to me. Vengeance should wait until after the memorial service, Ashleigh.

• Now Lavinia is driving a Cherokee. Someone has to got to explain to me what someone like Lavinia Townsend sees in an early 90s Jeep Cherokee.

• Wow, if only my parents ever let me get off easy by telling me I had "every right" to act like a brat. Even when Samantha's being a bitch, it's deserved. If only I had these powers.

• Okay, what, exactly, was spreading a rumor about scratching Pride supposed to accomplish for Brad and Lavinia? If you want to fix a race, you fix a race properly, damn it.

• The explanation of how Jilly couldn't ride and Brad put up an inexperienced jockey is the most convoluted, impossible story I've ever heard and would have easily been prevented by owning a cell phone. Simply put.

• Question: Lord Ainsley is owned by Brad and Lavinia Townsend (although they refer to him as being owned by Townsend Acres). Wonder's Pride is co-owned by Clay Townsend and Ashleigh. Would they really be running as the same entry?

• Another simple way to avoid Alvero (the replacement jockey) taking the wrong instructions: have Yvonne tell him the instructions in Spanish beforehand. She's there, they've got a jockey who knows mostly Spanish . . . seems like the natural situation to think of. Does anyone think of this? Oh, no, only as an afterthought. If you can easily think of a way out of the situation you're trying to set up as an obstacle, it isn't really an obstacle.

• And Pride seems to magically understand how much everyone hates Lavinia by flattening his ears and threatening her in the end. Excellent.

You know what would have made this story better? Had Lord Ainsley won one of those races in which he was up against Pride. Here's what should have happened: Lord Ainsley stayed in the Suburban, won the Suburban, creating lots of founded drama, then he gets his bruise between the Suburban and the Whitney, heals, enters the Whitney, and Brad and Lavinia mess with Pride's jockey just for fun. Then they'd be evil and Ashleigh & Co. would have reason to act like they are, and we'd all be happy.

Next up . . . I don't know. Pride colics or something? Eh, we'll see.

Self-Confidence 101: TB #8 Sierra's Steeplechase

Sierra's Steeplechase
Thoroughbred #8
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1993

Here's a book with a quick and obvious title. It tells you everything you need to know about the book in two words. Sierra. Steeplechase. Viola!

So, the cover:


This is an improvement from the last cover. We've got some action, and despite the male rider appearing to have no eyes and the strange blissful/incoherent look on Samantha's face there isn't much to complain about. Of course, the only steeplechasing I've seen were a few races broadcast from England on TVG, so I'm not about to start nitpicking on what anyone is doing on the cover. It's pleasing. I will leave it there.

There's no hope for Sierra . . .

Every trainer at Whitebrook Farm has given up on Sierra. The spirited colt just doesn't seem to have the patience for racing. Then Sierra jumps effortlessly over an enormous fallen tree, and Samantha McLean, the head trainer's daughter, knows the horse could be a champion steeplechaser.

With her friend Tor's help, Samantha begins to train Sierra for the dangerous demands of steeplechasing. But when Sierra's finally ready for his first race, Tor, the Thoroughbred's jockey, falls and breaks his arm. Now Samantha must ride Sierra in the most perilous race of her life--and make Sierra a winner!

Well, this is one of those rare blurbs that makes sense. Of course, there's not a lot of plot to pick through here, so writing the blurb must have been fairly easy. The book starts with Sierra being a pain in the butt; Samantha's in particular. She and Tor take him out on the trails and naturally there's an episode of wild bolting off into the woods. As it happens, Sierra gallivants down the trail with Samantha, completely out of control, and manages to jump a six-foot downed tree that's covering the path. This gets Tor all excited about his jumping ability again.

In the meantime, Pride is getting ready to run in the Breeders' Cup (which, strangely, is consistently punctuated correctly, as opposed to all the other books). They fly him out to California to run, only to have him stumble, catch himself with his hoof, and pull up. So Pride is out for the winter and the majority of early spring, giving Samantha time to devote herself to Sierra.

So back to Sierra. Tor and Samantha decide to train the colt to be a steeplechaser. Tor wants to jockey him, and Samantha spends almost every five pages being so happy about Tor jockeying Sierra because she knows she could never do it (her self-confidence, you see, is low for some reason). Oh, what foreshadowing! Then, just as they get Mike to approve putting Sierra in a novice competition in Lexington Tor has to go break his arm. I know, how unprecedented. With Tor out of the picture, that places the burden of having to ride the horse on Samantha. Why they couldn't get another jockey who knows what they're doing is beyond me, but it never crosses anyone's mind. At first Samantha's dad won't hear of it, but he gives in because he doesn't want to ruin Sierra's chances with Whitebrook. Because if Sierra doesn't do well in his novice race, he's going to be . . . sold! I know! The audacity of Mike to sell Samantha's favorite horse (besides Pride, and Fleet Goddess, and Wonder)!

Oddities (I didn't pick through this book, so there will be fewer this time around):

• Samantha has been taking jumping lessons once a week (if possible) since mid-spring. About a year later she's riding a horse in a steeplechase of sixteen, four-foot brush fences. I don't even have a sarcastic remark for this.
  

• Tor is really the heroic type, isn't he? I'm torn between being irked that he tells Samantha he wants to ride Sierra when she gets tossed after that six-foot miracle jump or thinking it's chivalrous and caring or whatever.

• Brad is not in this book at all, but he's doing plenty of things that our wonderfully wholesome characters can't stop talking about. What I'm trying to wrap my brain around is why Ashleigh went to his wedding in the first place. I had to stop reading for a moment as I kept thinking about Ashleigh shopping for a wedding gift, and really the whole image was too much.
  

• Why on earth does Clay Townsend drive a Jeep Cherokee?
  

• There are a lot of exclamation marks in this book. Usually followed by the word "cried" so everyone comes off as exceptionally whiny and loud. Not a good combination.

• At the end of the book, when Sierra comes in second to the jockey who made disparaging comments about Samantha and Sierra's ability, the jockey sort of offers an apology and a comment on how it's Sierra's "lucky day" (which it is, quite frankly). Samantha comes back with: "Sierra did it with heart and courage" and I almost wanted to slap her for the poor guy.

The most refreshing thing about this book: Sierra doesn't win. It was nice to see coming in second and being okay with it was within the capability of these people, because you don't see it often.

Next up: Brad vs. Ashleigh, redux! Are you ready for it? Oh, I know you are.

The Next Secretariat: TB #7: Samantha's Pride

Samantha's Pride
Thoroughbred #7
by Joanna Campbell
Original Publication: 1993

Welcome to another one of those books sporting a main character's insert random-word-involving-sentiment-or-higher-accomplishment-here. In this case, the main character is Samantha and the random word is either referring to the horse or to Samantha's . . . any synonym of pride, because honestly she reflects most of them.

To the cover!


I was never a huge fan of this cover, for reasons I can't exactly pinpoint. Who knows where they are, what they're doing, and why is Pride this strange muddy bay color? I keep thinking they're at some state fair.

The summary:

Will Pride's winning streak ruin him?

Wonder's Pride, the three-year-old colt of champion mare Wonder, is the newest star in Thoroughbred racing and the favorite for the biggest race of them all -- the Kentucky Derby. But when Pride wins the Derby, it looks like victory could be the worst thing that ever happened to him!
Pride's owner, Clay Townsend, wants to race Pride in the strenuous Triple Crown. But Pride's jockey, Ashleigh Griffen, and Ashleigh's friend Samantha McLean, who have watched Pride grow up, both believe Pride will suffer permanent injuries if he races too much. Can Samantha and Ashleigh stop Mr. Townsend before he races one of the greatest horses of all time -- to death?

The fantastic thing about this summary is how marginalized Ashleigh is in it. Clay Townsend is the owner and she is the lowly jockey, who is easily kicked off the horse (and, as fate would have it, she somehow manages this) at the whim of someone like, say, Brad. I would normally chalk this up to the blurb writer simply not getting it, before it became pretty clear that even the author wasn't 100% clear on things either. People in the book seem honestly confused as to who holds more power, like a 50-50 co-ownership situation is too complicated to grasp. Call me simplistic, but being told you own half a horse indicates that you're entitled to act like a co-owner with the right to demand equal say, but maybe that's presuming too much.

So, the plot:

Pride is three and he's like the best thing to hit the racing world since Secretariat. I know this because it's stated several times. He's practically the second coming. So he's pointed to the Triple Crown by the Townsends, which annoys Ashleigh & Co. for some reason because apparently just wanting to point a horse to the Triple Crown indicates that no one cares about the horse's well-being. So, despite not being grossly overraced leading up to the Triple Crown everyone whines about how exhausted he is, and then there's more whining about how he's being raced too soon after the Triple Crown, which leads to poor races and petty in-fighting and more racing that leads to even more dismal performances because Pride "isn't happy" and is under too much "pressure" because he doesn't like to be around raised voices. Then Samantha figures out that the colt is the most neurotic horse to ever touch a race track, somehow convinces the Townsends that their presence screws up the colt's delicate mental confidence, and so they give up trying to have a say in things and all is well. The conclusion: Pride was never really overraced. He was just under too much "pressure" and tore a page out of his dam's book and got pretty passive-aggressive. Physically the old boy was fine.

That's really it. There's some development between Samantha and Tor, with the first touches of show jumping added to the story. The constant droning about how difficult show jumping is compared to riding a horse around at high speeds manages to annoy me enough to resent Tor's addition to the roster of characters.

Oh, and there's Sierra. Sierra is a hot headed horse that won't settle on the track because he's bored (we know this because Samantha tells us so, and we all know her first assumption is always right). So he jumps a fence one day, and Tor gets it into his head that he's naturally inclined to jump. This is not important until book eight, when we get our second one book stand with a horse just significant enough to have 185 pages dedicated to it.

Oddities:

• Info dumps in dialogue! Yvonne: "Things sure are different -- but so much better now that you, your father, Charlie, and Pride are all at Whitebrook. And you don't have to be around Brad Townsend anymore." Here she could have said you guys or ya'll if her accent leans in that direction. But no. Not when there's back story afoot!
  
• Mentioning past events to people who already know about them! Samantha: "I could hardly stand being around Brad, especially when he tried to fire my father. And he was the one who really wanted to sell Pride." Yes, Sammy. Yvonne already knows about these things. The authors in this series are fantastically prone to stating the obvious at every turn. Who does like Brad? Honestly.
  
• I don't think I've ever dried a horse with a towel. Wiped a horse's face with a rag...yes. But I have never given a horse a bath and then dried it with a towel.
  
• All of Townsend Acres's hopes rest on Wonder's unborn foal and Wonder's Pride. Joanna casually completely forgets about all the horses that had been racing for the farm no more than two years previous, Townsend Pride, Townsend Prince's supposed foals, Townsend Panther, Three Foot -- everything. Because Wonder's Pride and an unborn foal must be the only beacons of hope, of course.
  
• For some reason chapter 2 is devoted to Samantha taking a jumping lesson from Tor. I have a feeling there's something off about Samantha being that remarkably advanced in her first lesson when she's never jumped before, but the chapter was really too boring to go into it fully.
  
• The sparks are flying. Samantha and Tor brush hands and she gets all flustered and wonders what that's all about. Samantha, you're fifteen, not dense.
  
• Tor: "Secretariat, the Triple Crown winner?" No, Tor, the other Secretariat.
  
• Samantha wonders to herself why the Townsends have to think of everything in terms of money. Oh, I don't know, perhaps it's because they were going bankrupt about three months ago? Perhaps that's it!
• So all that Secretariat talk at the beginning of the book wasn't for nothing. Pride wins the Derby in a record time of 1:59, beating you-know-who's record by 2/5's of a second. The description of the race was probably the best Joanna's put out, but the record time? Who could dare nay-say Wonder and her progeny now? Poor Secretariat gets pummeled at every turn in these books.
• Apparently no one is standing up during these races.
• Yeah, who is that spoiled rich girl to think she can voice an opinion? Just who the hell does she think she is?
  
• Of course, Pride isn't the next Secretariat because he loses the Belmont Stakes by a sliver of a nose. Brad rushes in to scream at Ashleigh about how the loss is all her fault, and in any real world he'd be right. Ashleigh would be slapped with a steward's inquiry for not using her crop. But this isn't the real world, so we'll move on.
• *gasp!* Ashleigh uses her crop! But Pride naturally does not respond and comes in second or some other inexcusable, unthinkable finish. So, for those of us keeping count, that is one (1) use of a crop by a main character on any horse in the past, well, every book. All seven of 'em. Then Ashleigh somehow gets pulled as Pride's jockey and a new jock uses his crop several times, to the appalled astonishment of everyone and Pride comes in sixth. Thus crops are bad and never amount to any good ever, even if the horse in question has no issue with crops. Color me shocked.
  
• This brings me to the question of how Ashleigh gets kicked off as Pride's jockey. She's co-owner. It's like everyone conveniently forgets this fact.
• Get ready for the moral of the story: liking money makes you a greedy jerk inclined to abuse horses for fun and profit. Although if you're handed money don't be stupid and take it already! This has been a message from the Thoroughbred Series, brought to you by the girls at the Whitebrook Farm blog.
• Everyone suddenly realizes that Ashleigh owns 50% of Pride. It took a lawyer to point this out to them.
  
• The big problems are solved moment of the book comes when Samantha is finally heard. She convinces Mr. Townsend that Pride is the equine equivalent of a mood ring and that he's feeling "pressure" from their constant arguing. Mr. Townsend believes this, despite Pride not being subject to arguing leading up to his sixth place finish. So...whatever. The Townsends vacate Whitebrook and Pride frolicks in peace and bounces back to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

One thing that I find odd about these books is how the morals of the story don't mean very much when the main characters aren't the ones experiencing the flaws the audience is supposed to learn from. Instead these flaws are shunted off to the Townsends, who suffer all the imperfections and bad decisions and the subsequent loathing. Yeah, Samantha, Ashleigh and their group of do-gooders have their unspoken issues (the petty cattiness toward Lavinia simply because she's rich and happens to say one sentence in the book that is construed as snobby because she's rich and so on), but they're supposed to be things we're sympathetic to. Right now I'm just finding it annoying and their actions just as snobby as the supposed self-importance of the Townsends. But then maybe I've just been reading too many of these and I'm not, you know, ten.

Enough reflectiveness! We've got Sierra's super (the word "super" is Joanna's favorite word, and I aim to include it into my vocabulary more, hopefully followed by an exclamation mark if at all possible) important problems to untangle next. Onward to book eight!

What does "financial deal" mean to you?, TB# 6: Wonder's Yearling

Wonder's Yearling
by Joanna Campbell
Thoroughbred #6
Original Publication: 1993

Thoroughbred #6 is another one of those unfortunately titled books. Wonder's Yearling. Yeah. Wonder gave birth, and that foal spent some time being a year old. What the hell does this have to do with Thoroughbred #6? Absolutely nothing. I will elaborate in a moment. But first, the cover:

I love this cover. It's my favorite Sammy cover, despite her irrational preference for denim and the whole riding school aspect of the background. However! It's got all the pretty beams of light and Pride looks precisely how I picture him in my head (despite him supposedly looking like Wonder and since Wonder never had a blaze the covers are technically all errors, but whatever). Still love it.

On to the summary:

Is this good-bye?

When Samantha McLean hears that her beloved horse, Wonder's Pride, is about to be sold by the owner of the farm where Samantha lives, she thinks her heart will break. But Samantha knows she has to be strong if she's going to save Wonder's Pride from the auction block.

The more Samantha finds out, the more hopeless the situation seems. It's not just Wonder's Pride, but all of the Townsend Acres breeding farm that's in danger of destruction.

Time is growing desperately short when Samantha turns to her friend Ashleigh Griffen, a legend in the Townsend Acres stables. Ashleigh is eager to help, but what can two young girls do to save an entire farm?

Okay, the great thing about this whole book is that the summary hints that Ashleigh and Samantha do something to save Townsend Acres. The thing is: they don't do anything. Well, if you want to count whining and/or freaking out as doing something, they do something. Otherwise the only person who actively saves Townsend Acres is Mr. Townsend, and what he does is never made clear. He just does something and presto! Saved farm! How easily it all falls into place when none of the main characters have to do much of anything at all.

In terms of plot, this one is pretty packed full of action:

#1. Townsend Acres is going to ruin. As it turns out, no one knows exactly why. It's left mainly to speculation, but one thing is for sure: Brad isn't helping. So, because the farm is going to ruin Mr. Townsend is forced to consider selling his interest in Pride and Wonder, which leads us to...

#2. Pride. Pride is like God in the form of a horse. Seriously, he's this seventeen hand giant with a "copper" coat and a "noble nose" and he does everything perfectly because he is the sublime horse and shows his amazing fantastical properties even before he's put to saddle! Oh, to be such a horse! So, anyway, everyone gushes on and on about Pride. Pride is going to be an amazing race horse, stud, and plans to author his own autobiography by the time he's three. If you're not gushing over Pride, you're plotting to buy him or sell him. Which leads us to...

#3. Brad! Oh, it's been too long. So, everything bad in this book either happens because Brad caused it or because Brad is somehow vaguely involved. He spends a lot of time pushing grooms around (this is like what he does as a favorite past time), driving around in his Ferrari, making poor hiring decisions, buying crappy racehorses because he "can't see talent" or something, glaring at Pride at every opportunity, and arguing with Ashleigh in private. Which could very well mean they're shagging like crazy in some dark corner. We don't know. It's Brad we're talking about here, so anything is possible.

Oddities:

• Samantha has an unusually large role in Pride's training. As in she appears to be the only person involved in his early yearling training. This is a 14-year-old girl and a multi-million dollar racehorse here. Then it's justified by reminding us that Ashleigh "helped" train Wonder. Obviously the fact that she was only allowed to "help" after Wonder was cast aside as auction-bound was forgotten.
  
• Since when does Hank have any opinion that counts? He's a groom. No one cares.
  
• Townsend Prince dies, giving everyone the chance to feel sympathetic to Brad for about five seconds and reassure each other that they always thought Prince was "a nice horse" but unfortunately not as good as his half-sister. Never mind that Wonder isn't actually his half-sister. And wow, everyone is so full of crap in the first four chapters of this book.
• Townsend Prince was turning into "one of their best" stallions. He's six years old when he dies, and if he went into stud at four that would mean his first foals are yearlings. You will notice that not one yearling or weanling on the farm is mentioned as one of Townsend Prince's. The horse should have over two hundred foals on the ground by now and not a one of 'em mentioned. How flipping great could he have been?
  
• Pride is so great that even his nose is "noble."
  
• *gasp!* Mr. Townsend wants to sell his interest in Wonder and Wonder's Pride. But, doesn't he understand she's a champion and the best mare on the farm? (Never mind she's only had one foal who is currently only two...does not a "best mare" make, in my opinion.) Why, yes! Yes, I think he does get that, Sammy. Hence why he's selling his share.
  
• He'd "never sell" the stallions because they make so much on stud fees. Yeah. Because selling stallions is not a financial goldmine at all and is never done. Nope. Never.
  
• Suddenly all of Wonder's earnings are in a trust fund. When the hell did this happen and how did Ashleigh buy Fleet Goddess if she didn't have access to that money?
• Great. Now Wonder is the most valuable mare on the "East Coast" at around $2 million. Again, she's only had one foal, which has not raced. The facts astonish and delight me.
• Okay, so let's tally the awful things that Brad has done in this book: bought two worthless colts for too much money and thus singlehandedly screwing his own farm, hired a mean/abusive breeding manager, gave said breeding manager a heads up when his work was to be inspected, which could be construed as simply making an appointment but is viewed as suspicious behavior by everyone, naturally. Wow, Brad's on a roll! Way to be needlessly, stupidly evil!
  
• Ashleigh always assumes her opinions and plans don't count compared to Mr. Townsend/Brad's plans or the proposed new half-owner's plans. She owns half-interest, giving both owners equal control and she always acts second class. Perhaps that's why she has the problems she does. Step up to the plate, Ashleigh. Stop whining and put your damned foot down for once.
• No one seems to really grasp the nature of foreclosure. Stuff happens, people. Stop whining about how it's not fair.
  
• "Well, there's still a chance Townsend will come to his senses." How, Charlie? By magically making money appear out of nowhere?
  
• Ah, Samantha's going on a date with Tor and insisting it isn't a date. Where have we seen this before?
• Maureen asks: "Are you two talking horses again?" Yvonne says: "You have something against horses?" Maureen backpedals: "You know I like horses." I can just see Yvonne curling her fingers into fists and adding "bitch!"
  
• Joanna seems to forget that Brad, as heir to the farm, owns half of Pride. Why would people say he wanted to sell the Townsend share in Wonder & Pride if it bothers him the "best" two-year-old is in "Ashleigh's and Charlie's hands"? He owns the freaking horse also. Get a clue, people.
• Samantha tells Tor about how the Townsend Acres operation works, and he remarks that she knows a lot about it. She only lives at the farm. It's like being surprised when you ask someone where the bathroom in their house is and they actually know. This is first proof that Tor is a giant asshole.
  
• *gasp!* Brad is showing Pride to a prospective buyer! The new guy is wearing a tailored "topcoat" and is wearing a gold ring. Wow, expensive things! This man is obviously wealthy, Samantha figures. I am knocked over by Samantha's superior skills of deduction!
• Apparently no one ever, ever visits the broodmare barn at Townsend Acres.
  
• Ashleigh can "feel the tension" between her and Brad. No kidding, Ash. I've been feeling it for six books now.
  
• "Brad was obnoxious and arrogant, and liked to tell all the stable hands how to do their jobs." I feel like I just stumbled onto Joanna Campbell's character profile of one Bradley H. Townsend. Thank you for reiterating Brad's flaws on page 127 of book number 6, Joanna. Kinda knew that stuff already, thanks!
• Ian: "It's no secret that Brad and I don't get along..." Really? Because I haven't actually seen them go at it recently...or at ALL.
  
• So, I feel compelled to point out, Mike's got a foal out of a Secretariat mare. Yay. And because of these bloodlines he will be godlike and...oh, wait. Is this foal Sierra? Never mind.
  
• Charlie, Maddock, and Ian team up and insult Brad all at once. Go team! Brad fires Ian! Drama ensues!
  
• Pride is like the equine equivalent of a mood ring. Honestly, how freaked out can a horse get over a groom change?
  

It all turns out well in the end, of course. Wonder's Pride runs in his first race, as per the usual Thoroughbred ending, wins and gets a blown kiss from Samantha. Everyone wins (including Brad, if you tilt the plot a little and squint) and all is well.

In the end, Wonder's Yearling is the first book where the stage begins to shift over to Whitebrook Farm, moving the Ashleigh vs. Brad rivalry to a Townsend Acres vs. Whitebrook Farm rivalry. Only, it's still all about Ashleigh and Brad, because really Mike is only lucky to acquire the horses he gets through Ashleigh and Brad has unlimited resources. So I guess you could say the rest of the series is really about Ashleigh and Brad's unresolved "tension" and how hilarious is that?