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Thoroughbred Legends #23
Assault: Thoroughbred Legends
The story of the Texas-bred horse who became a racing star in 1946, the year of his Triple Crown win. Injured as a baby, Assault walked with a limp for the rest of his life, but when he ran he was pure speed and grace.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 8, 2017
The intro was a little boring, but I understand what the author was trying to get across--Texas is dangerous and rugged, blah blah blah. I just didn't enjoy that at all.
The rest of the book was great! Assault's connections were actually interesting people, and this particular author gave just enough detail without going overboard into 'oh my gosh, when are you going to talk about the horse??' territory.
The horse himself was amazing. I've always thought that Assault didn't really get as much respect as he deserved--so he wasn't a Secretariat or a Man o' War, who cares? Who knows how much courage it took to run on that deformed hoof? Who could say how much pain it caused on any given day? And who knows what kind of horse he might have been if he hadn't stepped on that stake as a baby? He very well could have been an invincible superstar if not for that, because that injury affected him for the rest of his life.
Even when he lost, it was still brave of him to try at all. He could have refused to run at all, so even his worst efforts are at least worthy of sympathy.
Just like with Cigar, it's very sad he was sterile, as I'm sure his babies would have been fierce competitors.
The rest of the book was great! Assault's connections were actually interesting people, and this particular author gave just enough detail without going overboard into 'oh my gosh, when are you going to talk about the horse??' territory.
The horse himself was amazing. I've always thought that Assault didn't really get as much respect as he deserved--so he wasn't a Secretariat or a Man o' War, who cares? Who knows how much courage it took to run on that deformed hoof? Who could say how much pain it caused on any given day? And who knows what kind of horse he might have been if he hadn't stepped on that stake as a baby? He very well could have been an invincible superstar if not for that, because that injury affected him for the rest of his life.
Even when he lost, it was still brave of him to try at all. He could have refused to run at all, so even his worst efforts are at least worthy of sympathy.
Just like with Cigar, it's very sad he was sterile, as I'm sure his babies would have been fierce competitors.
July 31, 2025
So far this might actually be my favorite book from this series... It contains a lot of information about horses (including stuff I didn't know) and it wasn't sad in any way (because some of them are you know). But if you never heard of Assault, he was the Horse of the Year in 1946 and the Triple Crown winner too. He had a huge disability that almost had him put down when he was just a colt - somehow he had stepped on a spike that had been hidden in the grass and the sharp item had gone right through his hoof! Yet in spite of that awful injury, he somehow went on to be a champion race horse.
This is book #23 in the series and the tiny text at the top of the cover reads "The Clubfooted Comet". He wasn't actually clubfooted but he had to wear a special shoe his whole life because that foot was very fragile.
So I enjoyed this one for several reasons. One, it told me what Assault was actually like. He apparently was smaller than most race horses but he had lots of muscle. And he had a strong personality too, especially once he realized he was important. And he liked to win, gave it his all. Unless pain got him.
And there was so many other new terms in here that I didn't know: stifle, coronary band, pinfiring, osselet. Then there was the Jamaica track which I had never heard of... (Apparently it's apartment buildings these days)... I mainly read these to learn more about horses. And race horses, unfortunately, often have these medical issues.
But this story starts way before Assault was even born. It goes way back. And near the beginning it stated that Kleberg II has somehow eradicated the ticks on his huge track of land. Well, how did he do that??? Ticks are a major problem these days! A lot of people could benefit from such knowledge but the book doesn't mention how it was done.
All of the races, training and information is in here. There are also many black and white photos too in the center of the book, the glossy type. It tells how he climbed up to be a winner and then slid back down as medical issues took over.
There is a little humor in here too, like how this one fancy place promised to name a lounge after the winner. But then Assault won. And they didn't want to name the drinking place that name! And much later in the book, in a totally different race, there was another horse called Bug Juice. Now imagine if that horse had won! Would you name your expensive lounge "Bug Juice"??
The end wasn't sad (unlike the previous book I read).
This is book #23 in the series and the tiny text at the top of the cover reads "The Clubfooted Comet". He wasn't actually clubfooted but he had to wear a special shoe his whole life because that foot was very fragile.
So I enjoyed this one for several reasons. One, it told me what Assault was actually like. He apparently was smaller than most race horses but he had lots of muscle. And he had a strong personality too, especially once he realized he was important. And he liked to win, gave it his all. Unless pain got him.
And there was so many other new terms in here that I didn't know: stifle, coronary band, pinfiring, osselet. Then there was the Jamaica track which I had never heard of... (Apparently it's apartment buildings these days)... I mainly read these to learn more about horses. And race horses, unfortunately, often have these medical issues.
But this story starts way before Assault was even born. It goes way back. And near the beginning it stated that Kleberg II has somehow eradicated the ticks on his huge track of land. Well, how did he do that??? Ticks are a major problem these days! A lot of people could benefit from such knowledge but the book doesn't mention how it was done.
All of the races, training and information is in here. There are also many black and white photos too in the center of the book, the glossy type. It tells how he climbed up to be a winner and then slid back down as medical issues took over.
There is a little humor in here too, like how this one fancy place promised to name a lounge after the winner. But then Assault won. And they didn't want to name the drinking place that name! And much later in the book, in a totally different race, there was another horse called Bug Juice. Now imagine if that horse had won! Would you name your expensive lounge "Bug Juice"??
The end wasn't sad (unlike the previous book I read).
June 14, 2020
If there was ever a racehorse that deserved the Laura Hildebrandt Seabiscuit treatment, it was Assault. Here was a small foal born of a mare that shouldn't be alive, crippled in a freak accident and yet would become the 1946 Triple Crown champion. He was a cute little horse that ran on three legs and a heart (but apparently not in pain.)
This is not that book. This is a very short version of that book, wherever it may be (if it was ever written.) This is a well-researched, lively true tale by someone who actually had the good fortune to meet Assault in his old age. However, it suffers from being so short. Still, it's the best of the Thoroughbred Legends series that I've read so far.
There are some details that are touched upon but not gone into. For example, Assault was technically sterile but did have a few live sperm. The author mentions that Assault failed to get any thoroughbred mare pregnant but did get a few Quarter Horse mares pregnant. She did not mention if any of the mares managed to drop a live foal. From the lack of news, I'm assuming that's a "no" but, still, it would have been nice to clarify. (EDIT: Google tells me that he did mange to sire not one but TWO foals registered with the American Quarter Horse Association.)
I tried to find a photo of Assault in his retirement but could not find one, but I did find this strange photo of him and his owners and jockey after he won the Kentucky Derby. It shows how small (and exhausted) he was. I couldn't get the image to load here, so all I can do is give you a link:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedi...
This is not that book. This is a very short version of that book, wherever it may be (if it was ever written.) This is a well-researched, lively true tale by someone who actually had the good fortune to meet Assault in his old age. However, it suffers from being so short. Still, it's the best of the Thoroughbred Legends series that I've read so far.
There are some details that are touched upon but not gone into. For example, Assault was technically sterile but did have a few live sperm. The author mentions that Assault failed to get any thoroughbred mare pregnant but did get a few Quarter Horse mares pregnant. She did not mention if any of the mares managed to drop a live foal. From the lack of news, I'm assuming that's a "no" but, still, it would have been nice to clarify. (EDIT: Google tells me that he did mange to sire not one but TWO foals registered with the American Quarter Horse Association.)
I tried to find a photo of Assault in his retirement but could not find one, but I did find this strange photo of him and his owners and jockey after he won the Kentucky Derby. It shows how small (and exhausted) he was. I couldn't get the image to load here, so all I can do is give you a link:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedi...
May 19, 2020
As I work my way through the Thoroughbred Legends series (one left!), I found this one broke the mold, in a good way. Most of these stories are very formulaic, telling the history of the breeder, owner, trainer, and main jockey, and following the horse through its training, races, and breeding, with a heavy dollop of ancestry and progeny name-dropping. When you combine all those elements in what are generally short books, you don’t get very deep into any kind of compelling story. Add on the fact that most of these champion racehorses are owned by old-money families from East of the Mississippi and you find many of these stories feel similar. This one, though, was different. Assault was a horse against the odds. He was small, and damaged one foot when young, enough that he had to run in special shoes throughout his racing life. He was bred by a major Texas rancher, quite unlike most other breeders and owners in this series. And Assault was a bust as a stallion, so the progeny section was quite short. Of all the horses in this series, Assault was likely the one with the fewest races run as the favorite. He was certainly a winning underdog and a great subject for a racing biography. Given this wonderful material to work with, the author weaves a story that holds interest all the way through. Well done.
March 18, 2020
A brief but entertaining bio of the physically challenged little horse who overcame near destruction and became a triple crown winner. I returned to it because his two year old year was disrupted by a total ban on racing owing to the final push in WWII. Now, with tracks closing over the virus, or running before empty stands, and the Kentucky Derby postponed, there several pages dealing with those perilous times 75 years ago. We survived! Assault thrived! Owing to fertility problems he was raced much. Perhaps that's why he is lower down in the pantheon of the triple crown. But you cannot take that accomplishment away from him, and he packed weight in many races. Should never be forgotten in that era of Whirlaway and Count Fleet, Armed and Citation.
May 22, 2018
Another well told story in the Legends series. Assault was Texas born on the King Ranch. The ranch is better known for size, cattle and Quarter Horses. However they also owned an impressive Thoroughbred string of winners. Assault was the major winner. He won the Triple Crown in 1946. Hurt young he still competed with a damaged hind foot. These tales also cover the history of the time, the people and the of course the horses and their blood lines The play by play of some of the major races make for exciting reading.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews