The world of American racetracks is the setting for this
detailed novel, which brings a fading racehorse trainer
together with the son he's barely seen since he was ten.
Christian Roberts' parents divorced and he went to live in
Florida with his mother, and now runs a boat for hire firm.
But his dying father is determined that Christian should
take on a promising colt and race him - although Christian
knows nothing about Thoroughbreds. It's a steep learning
curve for the young man, who finds himself wishing he had
more time with his father. Instead he's obliged to drive
with the colt to Miami, stable him on a racetrack and
engage a trainer.
SECRETARIAT REBORN might be an overly optimistic title for
Glade Hunter, but Christian's father has a secret. The
young man has to register as an owner and quickly amasses
paperwork, including the requirement to give fingerprints,
as
felons may not own racehorses. The party girl he's dating
frowns at the amount of time taken up with horses, as
opposed to being a stylish horse owner, and Christian, who
lives on his yacht, starts rethinking his life.
Hardworking Hispanic men seem to be the backbone of the
industry, and as a one-horse owner, Christian doesn't get
as much time from his trainer as wealthy Middle Eastern
clients. But he's made friends with Glade Hunter, and he
believes that his father's lifetime of experience can't be
leading him wrong. Then the colt's first race comes up -
and it may be Christian's last.
This is a marvellous tale for those who want to see behind
the scenes. Susan Klaus packs in
so many scams and callous acts that we feel thoroughly
disgusted, but her upright characters such as a lady
trainer called Allie, are equally revolted at the
mistreatment of horses, owners and paying public. The
author has worked out how a deception could be carried off
so that the great Secretariat could indeed be reborn. I
thought that there was enough going on without adding the
layer of a psycho ex-girlfriend, who added tension but
distracted from the ongoing racing story. There's plenty of
background about Florida's wildlife and landscape, with
boats and fishing a way of life for Christopher. This
rounds off the book well and fills in the time that it
takes for a racehorse to grow and be trained. SECRETARIAT
REBORN is a galloping read and sure to be a winner.
Christian Roberts, lanky, blond, and twenty-five-years-old,
rents out small sailboats on Sarasota Bay. His peaceful life
is shattered when he accepts a thoroughbred colt from his
estranged, dying father, an Ocala horse trainer. When
Christian promises his father that he'll race the colt,
he's plunged into the underworld of horse racing. To
navigate his way he naively hires Ed Price, a heartless
Miami trainer. And when his colt shows potential -- a
surprising resemblance to Secretariat -- a dubious wealthy
sheik wants to buy him, but Christian vows to keep his
promise to his father. With a sizable debt still owed on the
horse, Christian is forced to take out a loan, his only
recourse, Vince, a New York mobster. If the money is not
repaid on time, Christian's life and that of Allie, his
colt's trainer, are threatened. To add to his rollercoaster
of troubles, he faces fraud charges since his father
illegally registered the colt, and he is being stalked by a
psychotic ex-girlfriend.
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