The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt

The Black Stallion #10

by Walter Farley

Bonfire, the Black Stallion’s colt who is a champion harness racer, is in training for the biggest race of his career: the Hambletonian. But a routine practice race turns disastrous in a collision of wood, metal, horses, and jockeys. Bonfire escapes unharmed, but is spooked and refuses to race. Alec Ramsey, the owner of the Black, witnesses the crash and is determined to see that Bonfire follow in the winning footsteps of his world-famous sire.

Genres: Horses, Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Childrens, Classics, Middle Grade

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Walter Farley's love for horses began when he was a small boy living in Syracuse, New York, and continued as he grew up in New York City, where his family moved. Young Walter never owned a horse. But unlike most city children, he had little trouble gaining firsthand experience with horses-his uncle was a professional horseman, and Walter spent much of his time at the stables with him.

"He wasn't the most successful trainer of race horses," Mr. Farley recalled, "and in a way I profited by it. He switched from runners to jumpers to show horses to trotters and pacers, then back to runners again. Consequently, I received a good background in different kinds of horse training and the people associated with each."

Walter Farley began to write his first book, THE BLACK STALLION, while he was a student at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, and

finished it while he was an undergraduate at Columbia University. It was published by Random House when he was 26. He used his first advance to go traveling and after that hardly stopped longer than it took him to write another book. He traveled and lived in Mexico, Hawaii, the South Seas, most of the South American countries, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe.

The appearance of THE BLACK STALLION in 1941 was hailed by enthusiastic boys and girls all over the country. An avalanche of mail urged Mr. Farley to write more about Alec Ramsey and the Black. But World War II intervened. Mr. Farley went into the US Army, where he spent the next five years. Most of the time he was assigned to Yank, the army weekly magazine, and he was also trained in the Fourth Armored Division.

After the war Walter Farley resumed the adventures of Alec and the Black with THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS. This was followed by SON OF THE BLACK STALLION. Then Mr. Farley tried his hand at a story about a new boy, Steve Duncan, and a new horse, Flame, in THE ISLAND STALLION. Mr. Farley's readers were just as delighted with this book as his others.

Mr. Farley went on to write many more stories about the two stallions, and about other horses as well. Children of all ages have found Farley titles to enjoy, since many of the later stories were written for Mr. Farley's own children when they were too young to read his Stallion novels. And older readers and adults have been gripped by his fictionalized biography of America's greatest Thoroughbred, Man O'War. Walter Farley's titles reached a grand total of 34. The 21 Black Stallion and Island Stallion stories are still in print and selling steadily. His readers respond with passion, writing him thousands of letters and emails every year. In May 1949, the first Black Stallion Club was founded, in Kentucky. Mr. Farley designed a membership button for it; the button was in constant demand among his readers for years. The Black Stallion books were so popular in the late 1940s and '50s that they York Times annual list of best-selling children's books. Three nationwide Black Stallion contests were held. Walter Farley's books have been published abroad in more than 20 countries, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Israel, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaya, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as in the United States and Canada.

All his life Walter Farley remained a keen spectator of the racing scene, and he enjoyed nothing more than hobnobbing with horse trainers and other professional horsemen. It is thanks to these people that his books are so full of authentic details of raising and training horses. When not busy working or traveling, Mr. Farley liked to ride dressage and high school Lippizaner horses. He also sailed and sometimes raced his 35-foot auxiliary sloop "Circe."

Mr. Farley and his wife Rosemary, had four children: Pam, Alice, Steve, and Tim, whom they raised on a farm in Pennsylvania and in a beach house in Florida. In addit

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old men. This book is mostly about old men. Also horses, of course, and racing. But the heart of it is the old men who know the way things are done, and old men in opposition to one another, and old men trying to help young men despite the young men being kinda jerks. I love Henry Dailey, the irascible old git. The moment when Si takes his teeth out is pure gold. And of course Bonfire is a dream colt. Alec's not perfect here, and he learns some things- though I'm not sure I've ever met a young man so humble and ready to be steered. As always, pulse-pounding race scenes.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is really embarrassing that I read this entire book without realizing the colt was not in a bad mood but was, in fact, being trained for harness racing.

In my defense, I do recall that it was skittish and didn't want to race so probably *was* quite cranky.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai vraiment beaucoup aimé le rythme de ce livre, qui est assez soutenu. Dans l'ensemble il change un peu des autres, et en sachant que la je l'ai déjà beaucoup aimé je suis persuadée que si je l'avais lu quand j'étais petite il aurait fait parti de mes livres préférés

[Kensie Linton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters are Alec Ramsay and Bonfire. Bonfire is a blood bay colt. Alec is a tall thin jockey that is driving Bonfire throughout the book because of what happened to Tom Messenger, Bonfire's original jockey and trainer. Most of this book takes place in Goshen, NY. The beginning of this book takes place at Roosevelt Raceway. The problem begins when Tom and Alec are doing their morning workout, when all of a sudden Bonfire swerves and throws Tom onto the track. Alec tried so hard to avoid hitting Tom. Alec and his horse went over Tom's legs and fractured his upper thigh. Tom then was rushed to the hospital and had to have surgery. They were about to fly Bonfire back to Coronet, but then Henry showed up and wanted to help the colt. So then Henry had to call Jimmy to get his permission to train the colt. Finally, Jimmy gave them permission. After a few days they drove Bonfire over to Goshen, NY. Then they started building up Bonfire's stamina for the Hambletonian race just a week ahead of him. When it came to the day of the race, Bonfire was ready to go. When it came to the point when they had to get in their post positions, Bonfire was placed in the 6th post position. A good spot out of the 18 horse field. In the first heat Bonfire lost and got placed in the 17th post position. They were bummed, but they were going to try hard to get out in front of the field. At the end of the third heat Bonfire and Bear Cat had to stay on the track. The track officials had to see the finishing photo to see who had won the race. Bonfire and Alec had won! Bonfire had won by a nose! They still had to run a 3rd heat and win to win the Hambletonian. In the 3rd heat they were placed in the 1st pole position because that is where they finished in the heat before. The race for the 3rd heat had started! This was the last heat of the Hambletonian! They had to win. They were in the middle of the race, Bonfire about to make his move, when all of the sudden Princess Guy swerved over and cut Bonfire off. But, that wasn't about to stop Alec and Bonfire. Alec and Bonfire were making their move! All they had to do now was get in front. They only had one horse to go! Bonfire passed the horse in front of him and made his finish for the wire! Bonfire ran all the way home! They had won the Hambletonian! The money that they had won would pay off Jimmy and Toms hospital bills. Henry and Alec's work there was done. They left Jimmy, Tom, and George alone with their colt and went back home.

I really liked this book because it had a lot of problems with it and the excitement that I really like. The book was really entertaining, and that is also what I like about it. For those people that like horses and drama then you should recommend reading this book. It is very awesome!

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt...I enjoyed seeing Bonfire, Jimmy Creech, George and Tom again, but I knew before opening the thing that if Henry and Alec showed up, there would be conflict. Just as I dreaded, there was. Apparently, Henry and Alec can do absolutely no wrong. I was okay with them being right about a few things, but why did they have to take over the whole show? And why did there have to be in-fighting? I would have enjoyed it a lot more if all of them had just worked together to help Bonfire and Tom get over their accident and face their fears. As it was, I just felt like Farley brought in Henry and Alec so he could prove (to himself or the audience, it isn't clear which) that they are the best no matter what the circumstances.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the more enjoyable books in the series, although the Black does not appear. I liked Alec as a character better than Bonfire's boy, so I liked that Alec took over Bonfire's training and handling. I also appreciated some of the clashes of horse care in walking hot horses (or not) after I worked for a Standardbred racing stable for a horrible six-seven months. Unlike Alec, I couldn't make any changes to better the horses' lives. Although this is a great fantasy, there are many real-world problems with the book -- for example, Bonfire would never have been registered as a Standardbred because the Black is his sire. It's also outdated as harness racing has changed so much since this was first published. Not many races are run in heats any more -- or even run in the daytime.

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved everything Black Stallion when I was a kid, but I read the books in Swedish so it's not always easy to know what they were in English. I particularly enjoyed this book - which I have read multiple times - when I a few years later became involved in the "trotting" world. For about ten years of my life I lived and breathed for everything "horse". Eventually I decided that I was better cut out for a desk job and went to college to get a business degree. Working with horses as a professional usually means gruelling and unpredictably long hours with little earnings. The hours I work tend still to be long, but I am duly compensated.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great adventure with Henry Daily and Alec Ramsay - this time they stray into harness racing to help an old friend and a son of The Black. The racing scenes are exciting and Alec has retained his big heart even with all he's been through in his relatively short life. This book fits in well with the series as a whole, and hasn't lost any of its magic through the years since it was released. It only loses one star from me for some of the conflict between characters which feels a little heavy handed.

[Sandra Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read so many of Walter Farley's Black Stallion books as a child and I can't remember any of them not being wonderful. I don't remember the details of this particular book and now, seeing the title, I got a little thrill. I read these in the 1970's and 1980's and they didn't seem dated or vintage even though many had been written years earlier. In fact, as an adult, I was surprised to find out the setting was much earlier than I had thought. Oh, to be able to read these again as a youngster and re-experience all the adventure and mystery of Alex and the Black and feel that same thrill.

[VeeDawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was young. When I finished it I remember showing it to my Dad and saying how good it was, raving on and on about it. So that evening Dad started reading it and stayed up late into the night, until he had finished it. (Which was a big deal because he had to get up very early to milk cows.) I was so thrilled that he had read and enjoyed the book I recommended. I should really give it 5 stars just for the memories!

[Arwen Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like books that keep you guessing, the you clearly need to read this! I loved this one, even though the Black does not show up. I recommend this book highly.

Summary:

Alec Ramsay wishes to see Bonfire, his beloved Black's second foal, harness race. But during the race, he collides with another harness racer, and, luckily, he is not hurt. But his fear of the sport is almost enough to end his career. Tom Messenger asks Alec for help, but while they are working on Bonfire, Tom breaks his leg and he can not drive Bonfire. Jimmy Creech signs Alec up for the job. Can Alec and Bonfire work together and win desperate Jimmy Creech the Hambletonian?

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, far more than I was expecting, but the title was dumb. It was niche and incredibly easy to misunderstand if unfamiliar with the sport at large or the specifics of the novel. It should have been renamed.

This book focuses on Farley's strengths, which are horse-racing and the characters Alec and Henry. His other characters are generally unlikable - I couldn't stand Jimmy Creech, either in his first appearance in the series, or when he was even worse in this book.

I recommend to fans of Farley's first two books in the series, and those looking for a fun children's book about horse-racing.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Loving horses means loving any kind of horse, regardless of type or breed or the use to which he is put."

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a book about horse racing (well, okay, all the time), but rarely are their books about harness racing, something I only vaguely new of before the first Bonfire book. It's a very interesting sport - not as exciting as thoroughbred racing to me, personally, but I don't know that much about it. This book was a great introduction into a different kind of horse racing that is not widely broadcast, unless you are apart of that world

Very interesting.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonfire is one of the Blacks' sons and was trained to be a trotting horse. When Alec visits Bonfire, he witnesses a terrible accident during a race that leaves the horse traumatized. Alec tries to help Bonfire's jockey and trainer, but when Bonfire's jockey is injured in a training accident, Alec takes the reins of Bonfire himself.

I'm a big fan of Walter Farley's books, and even though this book is only about the Black's son, I really enjoyed reading it. Bonfire is a wonderful horse, and I enjoyed reading about his training and his journey to becoming a champion.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonfire makes a return in this book. Training for a major race, he is involved in a terrible accident. While he is uninjured, the accident has traumatized him and he no longer wishes to race. Alec and Tom work to get him back to himself and prepared for the race. This is a tremendous series, truly.

[Cathy Inboden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book from a great author.

I love all the stories of the Black Stallion. I always dream about being a jockey. But it never happened. So while I read these books, I imagine that I'm on the horse.

[Susanna Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved every book in this series....my best friend Laura and I couldn't read them fast enough

[Katie Winkler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned about harness racing by reading this book

[Jeanne Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

To horse lovers the black stallion books are classics can not go wrong with them

[J]

SKW to BHW

[Cheryl L.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread some 30 years later. Still good. Seventy years old, still hold up.

[S Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good today as it was when I was a young girl who dreamed of horses

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost rated this four stars, but the racing scenes were not nearly as exciting as they could be. Honestly, this book was at its best when characters were just talking to each other.

[Naelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨ Oui pourquoi pas. Je ne peux pas dire que j’ai adoré mais c’était sympa. Après sérieusement qui prête son cheval de course a un presque inconnu pendant 1 mois sérieux 🙄

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex enters the world of harness racing when Black's colt out of a trotter looses his driver.
This book didn't have much Black in it, but it was still really, really good! Walter Farley is timeless and Alec Ramsey is my favorite.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt
The Island Stallion Races
The Black Stallion's Courage
The Black Stallion Mystery
The Horse-Tamer (all by Walter Farley)

I stepped away from my re-read of this series as I just knew the two books listed first were coming up. Even as a child I never cared for the books without Alec and the Black. These two (Sulky Colt and Island Stallion Races) were even worse than I remembered. I wonder if The Island Stallion Races is what turned me off of sci-fi. The Black Stallion's Courage was one of my faves in the series and I still liked it a lot, even if I found some of it pretty implausible. I actually enjoyed The Black Stallion Mystery a bit more this time around. The Horse-Tamer isn't really part of the series but is about the Black's trainer Henry Dailey as a boy. Kind of bland, really.

[Missie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, but here I am reviewing only the cover of this Yearling edition. What gait is the horse doing? He is supposed to be trotting, but the way his legs are drawn he appears to be doing some sort of variation on a counter- or cross-canter. He is also incredibly fat for a three-year-old racehorse. Why can't publishers read the books and research the subject matter a little before commissioning a cover illustration? Or reproduce the cover illustration on the original edition, which is a lovely head shot of Bonfire, the blood bay colt of the story.

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read in the Black Stallion series. It got me hooked and I read almost all of the books in the series. I remember I read it in 6th grade for one of those reading programs (like Reading Is Fundamental or something like that).

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through this series as a child. Of course, "The Black Stallion" was my favorite, and I read it a few times, but I waited eagerly for any of the books to return to my branch of the library so I could snap them up.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters, and their world and hope I get the chance to read the story again and/or to read more within the series.

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.