The ongoing Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, Ky., is the premier event each year in the Thoroughbred world for those in search of future superstar racehorses. It’s a 12-day-long event from Sept. 8-20 with roughly 4,700 horses cataloged and it offers owners many opportunities to test their skill at identifying next-gen standouts while backing those opinions up with dump trucks filled with dollars.

One of the most influential equine novels is Walter Farley’s 1941 classic “The Black Stallion,” which transports readers into the story of young Alec Ramsey and his adventures with a magnificent black Arabian stallion. It took readers from being shipwrecked to horse racing. In 1953, Marjorie Burger of the New York Times stated, “The Black Stallion is about the most famous fictional horse of the century.”