‘I can’t believe how rare it is to have a female heroine who is not a victim’
BBC presenter Claire Balding on her latest children’s book, her favourite childhood book – and why she would find it tough to write for adults
CLARE BALDING'S second book for children is based on the true story of Shergar, the retired racehorse, who was kidnapped in 1983.
The tale of what happens to Noble Warrior after he wins the Epsom Derby is thankfully not quite as distressing – or inconclusive – as what happened to poor Shergar, but the impact is just as powerful.
‘It was based on my real reaction to that when I was 12,’ says Clare, now 46, whose dad was a racehorse trainer.
‘When he won the Derby, I was 10 and it was the first Derby I really remember watching. Dad had a runner and his horse was second to Shergar, who won by 10 lengths – it was extraordinary. So he was a real pin-up racehorse. And for this to happen, I kind of felt like I knew him.’
u The Racehorse Who Disappeared by Clare Balding, illustrated by Tony Ross, is available now, published in hardback by Puffin Books, priced £10.99.
