Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Starred Review Neri's graphic biography recounts the work of Gail Ruffu, a talented horse trainer with unorthodox techniques and a deep and abiding affection for her charges. She makes a deal with lawyer Bud Clayton to share ownership of a horse named Urgent Envoy, whom she agrees to prepare for the races. But the deal sours quickly, and fearing for Urgent Envoy's welfare, Gail recovers the horse from where he's being illegally held and hides him away. Thus begins a harrowing, years-long journey through a fixed system that heads Gail off at every pass and has no concern for her animal nor any other it's charged to protect. Her determination is matched only by Bud's rage that "some powerless woman was getting the best of him," and Gail is deprived of career and home until their case eventually makes it all the way to the California Supreme Court. Neri streamlines personal events of Ruffu's life, highlighting the central social-justice drama to full, agonizing effect. Wilkin abets by balancing realism with gently rounded and slightly exaggerated features that foreground the emotional stakes. The graphic-novel world isn't full of true stories about nearly 60-year-old women of color who refuse to back down from wealthy white men exploiting (and further corrupting) a corrupt system. Grand Theft Horse feels all the more timely and urgent because of it.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Neri's comics-format "second-hand memoir" is about his cousin Gail Ruffu, a former horse trainer who horse-napped thoroughbred Urgent Envoy to rescue him from racing on a fractured leg. Neri details events preceding the fateful Christmas Eve evening and the legal battles that followed. Expressive, dynamic brown-and-white ink panels bring immediacy to the emotional and financial turmoil Ruffu endured. The intense, candid story underscores the risks and rewards of uncompromised activism.

Kirkus Reviews

Gail Ruffu, a woman of Creole descent, grew up with a love of horses and later took a stand against their abuse.This biography focuses on Gail, an Air Force brat raised in various parts of the U.S. and, later, Europe, where she received a formal education in horse riding and training. She eventually returned to America and became a respected trainer in the world of thoroughbred racing. Known for her unconventional methods, Gail became part owner and trainer of the racehorse Urgent Envoy. After it became clear that Urgent Envoy was injured and would become another casualty of a profit-driven industry that often turned a blind eye to cruel practices, Gail took matters into her own hands. Spiriting Urgent Envoy away to a secret location one Christmas Eve, she began living as an outlaw and eventually suffered legal consequences for her humanitarian choice. The pen-and-ink illustrations vividly capture the drama of this riveting tale that will provoke readers to ponder the ethics of our treatment of animals who suffer for human entertainment as well as the actions of a woman who broke the law to stand up for her principles and the horse she loved.Amid the strife and sadness there are moments of joy and passion, and the message of standing up for your convictions makes this a necessary tale. (Nonfiction graphic novel. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In what the author-s introduction calls a -secondhand memoir- about his cousin, G. Neri (Tru & Nelle) details Gail Ruffu-s lifelong love of horses and career as a racehorse trainer. When Ruffu buys her own horse, Urgent Envoy, the partnership turns sour as her co-owner demands to cut corners around the horse-s training and care. To protect Urgent Envoy from likely death, Ruffu rescues the animal on Christmas Eve, whisking him away to a secret location. She faces alienation, years of legal battles, and limited employment opportunities as her former partner makes her life miserable with investigations and surveillance. The narrative focuses primarily on Ruffu-s connection to Urgent Envoy but intersperses early encounters with horses. Using thick outlines, grainy backgrounds, and unflattering depictions, artwork by Wilkin (But I Can-t) evokes Will Eisner-s drawings and articulates the story-s descent into a dark world around racehorses and animal care. Neri-s storytelling captures the everyday dedication and sacrifice behind Ruffu-s tale and manages to feel both potent and unpretentious. Ages 12-up. Agent: Edward Necarsulmer IV, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 7 Up-Neri's graphic novel biography of his cousin Gail Ruffu mixes true crime and legal drama with horse racing and animal activism. When "horse whisperer" Ruffu met Urgent Envoy, she felt a deep connection. Teaming up with Bud Clayton and his horse racing syndicate, she invested in the horse as a co-owner and trainer. On Christmas Eve the next year, in 2004, Ruffu stole Urgent Envoy to keep him from racing to death after he developed a hairline shin fracture. But the others didn't see it that way. As they pressed charges and denied Ruffu's side of the story, Ruffu risked everythingher career, her horse racing license, potential jail timefor justice. This gripping seven-part exposé lifts the veil on corruption in the horse racing industry and introduces one of the sport's pioneers. As the narrative jumps through time and travels between locations (mostly Texas and California), readers learn more about Ruffu, including her "Air Force brat" upbringing and Creole heritage. Wilkin's boldly outlined pen-and-ink art is all angles and scratchy lines, expertly conveying emotions and action sequences. Appended photographs of the subjects enrich the work, as does a call-to-action afterword from Ruffu. VERDICT Superb. Ruffu's tenacity and the book's satisfying conclusion will appeal to fans of John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell's "March" trilogy. Alec Chunn, Eugene Public Library, OR