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Jarret, a young enslaved groom, whose father was Harry Lewis who'd bought his own freedom, was destined to great things. When a bay foal was born in 1850 Kentucky, with Jarret beside the mare for the birth, he named the foal Darley. Darley and Jarret were closely bonded from the start, with Jarret working with him and beside him in the Warfield barn and when he reached the right age, his race wins were immediate. Richard Ten Broeck bought both Darley and Jarret, renaming the horse Lexington and the greatest horse in America's history was ready.

The artist, Thomas Scott, made his name by painting Lexington, first as a young foal, then as he matured into his racing beauty. When the Civil War began and Scott enlisted, his reconnection with Jarret and Lexington was unexpected and dangerous.

Washington DC in 2019 saw Jess, an Australian scientist working on the bones of a horse - Lexington - studying history, while a young Nigerian-American art historian, Theo, picked up a tattered painting from a pile of junk at a kerb-side, and once it was cleaned up, discovered a valuable work of Lexington, done by Thomas Scott in the 1850s.

The lives of Jarret and those who surrounded him collided with the lives of Jess and Theo from one century to another. The story of how it all happened was deeply researched by Aussie author Geraldine Brooks and resulted in the book, Horse, a magnificent tale based on the true story of a record breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who went on to become America's greatest stud sire. The racism, slavery, emancipation, and rivalry flowed through this remarkable book, which I recommend highly.

With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.