On a cold mid-November night in southern Florida, two horses are born at the same time, but they have different destinies. One horse is jet black, strong, and virile; named Black Prince, he grows to be the pride of Farm Jadeville. The other horse born that night is weak, scraggly, and odd-looking. The breeder orders that the foal be thrown into the creek behind the barn, where the alligators can have a feast. Mannie, the son of a worker on the farm, and Jade Aliva, the granddaughter of the farm's owner, rescue the odd, puny horse. They and their friends care for it, train it, and name it Babe Loop. The horse thrives under the children's care, and one day it surprises everyone by breaking into a run when the United States national anthem is played. Keeping this unusual talent a secret, the children and trainer John C. Goodeeds prepare Babe Loop to enter the prestigious National Classic of the Roses, a race which carries a purse of $75,000. Does Babe Loop, the misfit horse, have the tenacity and talent to overcome the popular Black Prince?