The second son of the Black goes to an old friend of Henry Daley (though I'm surprised Alec accepted that). Jimmy Creech is a harness racing driver in Pennsylvania and he pins all his hopes on the colt Bonfire born from his mare Volo Queen. Also in the picture is young Tom Messenger who is learning about the world of racing from Jimmy, and his groom/van driver/old friend George. When Jimmy lands in the hospital with a bad ulcer, Tom and George take Bonfire to the races. ( )

In this addition to The Black Stallion series of books, we are given a glimpse of a dissimilar world from what we've viewed previously, a descriptive look at horse training within a different type of sport.

Jimmy and George are old timers on the county fair circuit, trying to keep working, and winning, in a changing world of harness racing. In this tale the two look toward the future, putting their hope in not only a son of The Black Stallion, but with a young man who has a natural talent for working with horses.

A very good story of people in the harness racing arena, without the usual over-the-top characters that are often utilized in boy-horse stories. The author's growth as a writer is evident here. Definitely recommended, even if you've never read any of the other books in the series. ( )

The annoying thing about reading this book at home is that every time my DH walked by he said, "What are you reading about a blood clot for?" Annoying husbandly dyslexia aside, this was one I hardly remembered at all, though I know I've read it a number of times. Bonfire, out of Volo Queen by The Black, is the star of this book, but the real standout is Bonfire's owner, Jimmy Creech. You couldn't ask for a better study of Borderline Personality Disorder, complicated by Really Vague Ulcer Diagnosis. The machinations that our hero, young
Tom, and his elderly sidekick George, go through to keep Jimmy in nurses and good humor, are mind-boggling. The horse-racing, to me at this late date, was entirely secondary. ( )

Young Tom Messenger has been taking care of Bonfire, the second son of the famous Black Stallion, since Bonfire’s birth. Tom has earned the trust of Jimmy Creech, the veteran driver who owns Bonfire. And Tom is eager to work with the young colt, building his strength and endurance. But suddenly Jimmy’s health takes a bad turn, and Tom must pick up Bonfire reins himself. The horse is a natural, but Tom doesn’t know the first thing about harness racing. And he’d better learn fast. Walter Farley provides the rider with a crash course in the sport of harness racing. The excitement of the track jumps to life in this remarkable tale of a horse’s early years, from his birth and training to his first race and right across the finish line. -by Hannah

I read all of the Black Stallion books when I was a child and I loved them. I still have the book. ( )