Blanche Chenery Perrin

Born to Race
St Martin’s Press, New York, 1959, illus Sam Savitt, hb, 178pp,
Scholastic Book Services, pb, 1959, 1965, 1975
Macmillan & Co, London, 1961, illus Sam Savitt

Suzy Taylor is the daughter of a Virginia horse breeder. When Whickery is born, Suzy and
the foal are inseperable as she prepares him for the Kentucky Derby. When she gets to
the raceground, however, she finds she’s barred because of her age, until her friend the
Governor intercedes, and she is able to watch Whickery run an historic race.

Thudding Hooves

St Martin’s Press, New York, 1951, illus Sam Savitt, hb, 190pp.
Macmillan & Co, London, 1962, illus Sam Savitt

Many thanks to Lisa Catz for the photo.

Dirck Stanton is delighted when his father tells him he can use the palomino Sampson as his own, and maybe
act as one of the lead ponies when the racehorses are exercised. Dirck hopes he can become an exercise boy,
but his father thinks he needs to learn to be a better rider and a more patient teacher. He sets to, and teaches
his sisters, but then disaster comes when Sampson is so ill he must be isolated from everybody, even Dirck.

Blanche Chenery Perrin wrote three horse books, and one book for early readers. Hundred Horse Farm is a sequel to Born to Race; Thudding Hooves is a standalone book.

Blanche Chenery Perrin is probably best known as the mother of Noel Perrin, essayist and Professor at Dartmouth College. Both she and her husband, Edwin O Perrin, worked in advertising. Edwin O. Perrin was a copywriter at the J Walter Thompson Agency, and Blanche was the first woman the Agency hired to copywrite.

All her horse books for older readers are set in the world of racing. She was well placed to get source material, as her brother-in-law owned several racehorses, or whom the best known was First Landing, an American Champion Two Year colt, born of a blind mare.

Of her books, Born to Race is very easy to find in the US if you don’t mind a paperback. Hardbacks aren’t impossible, and are reasonably priced, and it’s reasonably easy to find in the UK. The Little Golden Book Horses is also easy, though under its UK title The New Pony it’s a bit pricier. Thudding Hooves is again reasonably easy, though as it didn’t have a paperback printing that I’ve been able to find, is a little more pricey than Born to Race. The UK edition of Thudding Hooves is very hard to find. Hundred Horse Farm is findable, though not in the UK. Search for it under the title though, as most dealers don’t seem to be consistent in how they list the author’s name.

Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for all her help with bibliographical details, summaries and pictures.

Sources:
Wikipedia article on Blanche Chenery Perrin’s son, Noel Perrin
Obituary in the Dartmouth News:

An article by Noel Perrin which mentions his mother:

A review of Born to Race