The novel 'Horse' is the story of an enslaved man grooming a winning thoroughbred Lexington was a winning thoroughbred in the mid-1800's, and the basis of Geraldine Brooks' new novel, "Horse." Scott Simon talks with her about her story.

Yes, Horse is fiction, but Jarret's presence breathes life into the actual events of Lexington's life. There are many nail-biting moments—times when Jarret's concern for Lexington is paramount as his owners focus on winning races at all costs. And oh, the races!

Horse is a passionately conceived and beautifully written novel and as historical fiction, masterful. The novel revolves around three central storylines, one set in the years prior to the Civil War and follows the fortunes of a preternaturally gifted racehorse, Lexington, and his enslaved groom, Jarrett.

Secretariat was euthanized on Oct. 4, 1989, at the age of 19 because of complications from laminitis. He was buried at Claiborne.