Kingof the Wind (1) March

Book 1, King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

This story was a winner of the Newberry Award.  The Sultan of Arabia from Morocco gave six Arab Stallions to the French King.  He wanted to help the king improve his racing stock.

It really is a story about Agba who is a boy,  a cat, and a young stallion.  More things happened to these three, than should happen to anyone in a lifetime.

The colt was born with two Arabian omens birthed into his coat.  The scary omen was the wheat ear.  The other omen, the white spot on the back of the off hind heel, "on the off hind heel there was a white spot no bigger than an almond the emblem of swiftness," he saw it.

The reason the French king did not reap the glory of this gift and why the stallion ended up in Godalphin, a place in England, is extraordinary.

The Goldolphin stallion died at the age of 29 and Agba said, "to him goes the title Father of the Turf." His grandson Eclipse won 11 plates at the Newmarket races.  All thoroughbreds traces lines to the Godolphin Arab.