Thoroughbred (series)
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Thoroughbred is an ongoing series of young-adult novels that revolves around Kentucky Thoroughbred racing and equestrianism. The series was started in 1991 by Joanna Campbell, and currently numbers 72 books, in addition to several "super editions" and a spin-off series, Ashleigh. The series focuses on a group of core characters, primarily Ashleigh Griffen, her husband Mike Reese, and her daughter Christina, as well as Christina's friends. The series originally followed the adventures of Ashleigh as she was growing up; when Ashleigh reached adulthood, the focus of the books then shifted to a teenaged Christina and her cousin Melanie.
The books, which are intended for a primarily pre-teen, female audience, explore the characters' adventures in horse racing, eventing, and steeplechase. Christina and Melanie, the two main characters, are both jockeys, and many of the books deal with their challenges on and off the track: while their life with their horses comprises the main storyline, school, boyfriends, and family life often provide subplots. The Reese family farm, Whitebrook, is the setting for most of the series.
Thoroughbred is published by HarperEntertainment, an imprint of HarperCollins. A total of twelve different authors have contributed to the series over the fifteen years of its existence. There are currently over two million Thoroughbred books in print[citation needed].
Contents |
[edit] Series overview
[edit] The early years
For the first five books, starting with A Horse Named Wonder, Thoroughbred centers on a young Ashleigh Griffen and her life at Townsend Acres, a large Thoroughbred farm where her father worked as a breeding manager. With the help of her friend Jilly and trainer Charlie Burke, Ashleigh raised a sickly foal named Wonder into a successful racehorse. The early books established the deep rivalry between Ashleigh and the Townsend family, portrayed as aristocratic snobs, which lasts well into the series.
[edit] The middle years
Books six through twelve focus on Samantha McLean, Ashleigh's protégé, and her work with both Wonder's Pride, the son of Wonder, and Sierra, a promising steeplechaser. At this point, Ashleigh has married Mike Reese, and Whitebrook Farm is first introduced as the Reese's own breeding and training facility.
In books twelve through twenty-three, the focus shifts to Cindy Blake, Samantha's adopted sister.
[edit] The later years
Starting around book twenty-four, The Horse of Her Dreams, Christina Reese, Ashleigh's daughter, becomes the main protagonist. Christina and her cousin, Melanie, remain the two major characters for the rest of the series. Christina, originally set on a career in eventing and dressage, follows Melanie's lead and becomes the jockey of Wonder's last foal, Wonder's Star. The later books also introduce the character of Parker Townsend, Christina's love interest, who bridges the gap between the Townsend and Reese families.
By the end of 2006, the series was officially ended. The end of the series was much-protested despite the seeming decline in quality of plots and writing; the series had won many fans. Part of the reason was because the series, cut of at #72, left many open ends and, due to the fact the authors were not informed soon enough, introduced a new character, Allie Avery, whom nobody got to know due to the termination of the series.
The THOROUGHBRED series left behind a legacy of dreams, strong (for the most part) horse-loving characters, and memorable horses. It turned away from the well-worn plots of other series by not focusing on girls in the setting of a riding academy (except for an eventually terminated stint about eventing in the later books), but on the exciting and fast-paced world of the racetrack. Thousands of young girls fell in love with the likes of Ashleigh's Wonder, Wonder's Pride, and Perfect Image and cheered on the gallant jockeys, trainers, and grooms who dared to dream.
[edit] List of major characters
- Ashleigh Griffen (She never changed her maiden name for professional reasons), the jockey of Wonder in the Breeder's Cup Classic, a trainer at Whitebrook Farm, and eventually the owner of Whitebrook Farm. She marries Mike Reese in Thoroughbred No. 9, Pride's Challenge, and has a daughter, Christina.
- Clay Townsend, the owner of Whitebrook Farm when the series opened. He was much more kind to Ashleigh and the other characters than his son or daughter-in-law, although he turned a blind eye when it came to his son.
- Charlie Burke, a crusty old trainer with a soft spot for young people, who helped Ashleigh nurse Wonder back to health, train, and race her. He was also instrumental in getting Ashleigh's jockey career started.
- Samantha Mclean, Ashleigh's close friend, the jockey of Sierra. She marries Tor Nelson. Later in the series, she runs an eventing school, Whisperwood, which is attended by Christina and Parker.
- Brad and Lavinia Townsend, the aristocratic owners of Townsend Acres, where Ashleigh once lived. They are the parents of Parker.
- Cindy Blake, or Cindy McLean, Samantha's adopted sister. She was a jockey until she tore her rotator cuff in an accident.
- Christina Reese, Ashleigh's daughter, the jockey of Wonder's Star. Her boyfriend is Parker Townsend.
- Melanie Graham, Christina's cousin, also a jockey.
- Parker Townsend, Christina's boyfriend, the son of Brad and Lavinia. He competes in three-day-eventing.
- Allie Avery, the daughter of Jilly Gordon and Craig Avery. Cindy and Ben al-Rihani adopt her after her parents died.
[edit] Authors
Joanna Campbell created the first fourteen Thoroughbred books, as well as the first two books in the spin-off series, Ashleigh. After Campbell stopped writing, long-time editor Karen Bently took over, writing books fifteen through twenty-three. Currently, there is a rotating "panel" of contributing authors: Allison Estes, Alice Leonhardt, Dale Blackwell Gasque, Lois Symanski, Mary Newhall Anderson, Karle Dickerson, and Jennifer Chu. Thoroughbred #36, Without Wonder, was written under the pen name "Brook James" by an unknown author.
[edit] Special editions and spin-offs
[edit] The "super editions"
There have been four "super edition" Thoroughbred books. The events described in the super editions often take place during an interval between two of the regular books; for instance, Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle is supposedly set between books eighteen and nineteen of the regular series. The four super editions are:
- Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle, which deals with the events surrounding the birth of Christina.
- Ashleigh's Diary, which chronicles the events prior to Ashleigh's moving to Townsend Acres in A Horse Called Wonder
- Ashleigh's Hope, which precedes the events of the Ashleigh series
- Samantha's Journey, which follows Samantha's early life before she becomes acquainted with Ashleigh
The super editions, especially Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle, sometimes present problems of continuancy in the regular series. For example, it is stated in Ashleigh's Christmas Miracle that the Townsends' baby is named Ross, while throughout the rest of the books, the Townsends' only son is named Parker; the name Ross never occurs again. (It has been suggested that Ross merely being a character in Ashleigh's dream, he was merely a projection of what might happen and who might show up in Christina's life and not a canon character).
[edit] Ashleigh
The spin-off series, Ashleigh, is set in a "time bubble" just prior to Ashleigh's moving to Townsend Acres after a virus destroys her family's stock of broodmares. The main setting for the series is the Griffen family farm, Edgardale. The books follow the adventures an eleven-year-old Ashleigh and her best friend, Mona Gardener.
This spin-off presents annoying inconsistencies. There are two notable ones. In #2 Wonder's Promise (canon series), Ashleigh states she's never attended a live horse race before; however, in the 'Ashleigh' series (and Ashleigh's Diary, the Super Edition), she attends several races. This leads to the other error\inconsistency. In #7, Derby Day, ('Ashleigh' series), it is said that Rhoda Kat is the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. However, in the canon series, Jilly Gordon clearly is.
[edit] Wonder's Legacy
Wonder's Legacy is a trilogy within the regular series itself, comprising books thirty-six through thirty-eight. The trilogy deals with the aftermath of the death of Wonder, Ashleigh's favorite racehorse, as well as Christina's decision to shift her focus from eventing to racing in order to become the jockey of Wonder's last colt, Wonder's Star. This has led to mixed criticism as some wanted Christina, whose preference for eventing was so clear that she often felt like an outsider, to stick with racing. Others were pleased, but most agreed it was a too-sudden turnaround.
[edit] External links
- Joanna Campbell's official website
- Whitebrook Farm, a Thoroughbred fansite
- Dream, the series fanlisting
