List - "Top 10 Horse Racing Movies"

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=pinkdiamondracing;3049573]
As a cast member of Dreamer, may I plead the case for it by saying, the focus of the movie was not the horse racing, it was about the family, and how racing both drovfe the family apart, and ultimately racing brought the family back together. And yes-- I know Laurie-- as a person also within the racing industry I thought a lot of the horse racing parts were Hokey. They tried to make the racing scenes as authentic as we could, and I know the paddock scene at the Breeder’s cup wasn’t realisitc–because we don’t hang the overgirths around the horse’s necks, but we had so many horses on that shoot, it was the only way I could ensure the right horse had on the right size overgirth.[/QUOTE]

I try really hard to cut horsey movies a little slack as I know I am more familiar with the subject than their general audience. The list of things “wrong” with Dreamer was so long I would type my fingers off listing them all. And I don’t mean the mare being a gelding part, I understand that, geldings are more predictable to work with. I just don’t understand why it had to be so ridiculous though. Mariah’s Storm was a pretty good story in and of herself. If you want to do a movie about her, then do it about her. Leave out the hanging in a sling three feet off the ground, and the blood test to show she is infertile, and the sheiks paying the entry fees and an exercise rider as a jockey, spotting the field a quarter mile lead while your exercise rider puts his foot back in the iron with his hand…oh wait, I said I wouldn’t make a list!

[Acertainsmile]

We were at Keeneland when they were filming part of Dreamer… it was very interesting to say the least… the movie however, was a huge dissapointment.

I also try to give these racing movies a break… I barely made it through Ruffian… I dont think anyone has mentioned that film on this thread either…hmmm.

I would love to see a well done film about Man O War… I remember hearing something about a movie being done, but have yet to hear anything further…

Anyone know?

[TwoArabs]

I love all those movies but what still can bring tears to my eyes is the you tube 73 belmont where Secretariat takes the triple crown. when the announcer says he is runnibg like a tremendous machibe I lose it.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;3050192]
I would love to see a well done film about Man O War… I remember hearing something about a movie being done, but have yet to hear anything further.[/QUOTE]

I haven’t seen anything about that myself. The recent book on Man O’War was an exhaustive detailed record on him and didn’t lend itself, as per say, as the basis of a screenplay. One of the rubs is that his owner wasn’t overly likeable or even really colorful.

Now Willis Sharp Kilmer, owner of notables Exterminator and Sun Beau, would make for an exceptionally interesting character in a movie about Old Bones. The problem there is that Seabiscuit somewhat set the formula for that type of tale: unexpected results from a horse, large fan base, heavy media coverage, successful owner in business who built up a stable, etc.

Least we forget inhind sight: Exterminator and MOW both were very popular when then ran - some folks rewrite history to suggest the masses came to Spa to see just MOW which wasn’t the case.

I digress - William Nack (who didn’t fare well with his Ruffian book or his tie-in with the ESPN Films movie of the same) did say he was working on a Secretariat movie that had been optioned out to a production company. Who knows if it will get a green light. I’d rather another big feature movie like Seabiscuit (with a $50M budget) then a highly compromised cable tv movie.

A Funny Cide movie was pitched, a deal inked, and was to have gone into production for TNT (Turner Films) but was shelved after he dropped a could of races and time moved on.

[JER]

A glaring omission from the list: The Belles of St. Trinian’s.

A hilarious riot of a movie.

Schoolgirls kidnap a racehorse and plot a betting scandal. These girls are scheming, brawling, anarchic, unredeemed hellions. It doesn’t get better than this.

Scottish actor Alastair Sim plays the headmistress’s brother. He also plays the headmistress herself, in very dubious drag.

[Slewdledo]

“Kentucky” should have made it, if only for the cameos and performances of the famous horses that portrayed the movie horses. :winkgrin:

“Dreamer” was great. When I saw it in the theater, most of the crowd was actually cheering during the race. Watched it one night with our (Hispanic) farm manager who loved it and showed it to his daughter who also loved it. Good movie.

[La_Gringa]

I thought Dreamer was a cute film. I don’t get too picky about horse movies, I know there are going to be flaws sometimes with the horse reality of it.

The storyline was cute, and Dakota Fanning was great in it. She’s a good little actess.

[DLee]

One of the best parts of Dreamer to me was location and the cinematography. :yes: It came out when we were in the planning stage of moving here.

My favorite will always be Phar Lap, although I never watch the end anymore. The slow motion shots of the workout where he figures out running always gives me goosebumps.

As far as not sticking to a story based on another story, the latest Flicka comes to mind… omg. Why even bother to name it Flicka?:rolleyes:

[riverbell93]

“Champions” is also available on Netflix, which is how I just watched it. What is it with horse movies that 99% of them have these long, goony stretches where a horse gallops in slow-mo to bad music? At least most of these are low-budget, but the very high-profile mess “Seabiscuit” did the same thing. Bleh. Anyone see the bizarre old faux-documentary about Seabiscuit that his owner did? I loved the scene where a guy aproaches a barn, supposedly in KY, where the baby Seabiscuit has just been born, and it’s extremely clear that said barn is in California.

For related movies - The Heist. It’s a caper movie from 1989 that centers on a racetrack. It starred Pierce Brosnan and was pretty good.

And to broaden it out to TV - does anyone watch that show Wildfire on ABC Family? I’ve seen promos for it, but it looks unbearable.

[WhiteCamry]

@Glimmerglass;3048980

Like any list the author’s selections can be debated, however there is at least one film I’ve never seen on this list: 1956’s “The Killing” and 1978’s “Casey’s Shadow”

(as spied by Equidaily.com)

Bill Christine (LA Times) “Top 10 horse-racing movies of all-time”

Bill Christine repeats the oft-remarked bit about King Charles, who played The Pie, being either a son or grandson of Man O’War.

Does anyone have info on King Charles’ exact pedigree?

[SleepyFox]

Thanks for posting the list - there are several I need to check out. I know I saw Champions, but I don’t remember it - must try to find it.

I’ve always liked Casey’s Shadow. I thought Walter Matheau (sp?) did an excellent job and they really captured the bet-the-grocery-money attitude well. On the other hand, Dreamer - which I have to admit was better than I thought, but I had LOW expectations - drove me nuts with the typical Hollywood portrayal of “poor horse people” - the old, but in-perfect-condition truck and trailer, the gorgeous home and barn with just slightly peeling paint, etc. Gag! I find dished piled in the bathtub a la Casey’s Shadow a lot more believable! (Does that mean I need to start running with a higher class of horse people?):lol:

Kytzeke, that’s very cool about the church and other memories!

Pinkdiamond, also very cool about working on Dreamer!

We have such an interesting group of people on here.

[WhiteCamry]

Other honorable mentions:[I][B]

Saratoga [/B][/I]- Clark Gable and Jean Harlow in her last movie. She’s a daughter of a breeder who’s engaged to some rich dork because the farm’s fallen on hard times. Needless to say, she falls in love with a roguish but lovable bookie.[I][B]

Broadway Melody of 1938[/B][/I] - Judy Garland sings in yet another one of her “Hey, gang! Let’s put on a show” movies from the '30s. Could also be called “Everything and the Horse,” which should be a title if it isn’t already. 6-foot-3 Buddy Ebsen plays a steeplechase jockey trying to win money to keep the horse and put on a show.[B][I]

Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry[/I][/B] - Judy sings again. Mickey Rooney rides the horse. Sophie Tucker doesn’t.[I][B]

Hidalgo[/B][/I] - One for the endurance set. You know how it was greenlighted - Seabiscuit meets Lawrence of Arabia. Should have been more interesting. Wouldn’t turn it off if I surfed into it, though.[B][I]

Racing Stripes[/I][/B] - Zebra colt wants to race. Children’s fare, one-dimensional, hokey but what the hell?[B][I]

Black Beauty[/I][/B] - Not a racing movie but hello? It’s Black Beauty!

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=WhiteCamry;3051239]
Bill Christine repeats the oft-remarked bit about King Charles, who played The Pie, being either a son or grandson of Man O’War.[/QUOTE]

“Hollywood Horses”

Elizabeth Taylor may have been a budding beauty in 1944, but all eyes were on a black thoroughbred, named King Charles, in the MGM flick National Velvet. Taylor was 11 years old when she made the film, which also starred Mickey Rooney. But the real headline grabber was the lead horse in the movie, called The Pie, played by King Charles.

Why all the fuss over the lead horse? Well, King Charles was the grandson of racing legend Man O’ War, and many bought tickets just to see him in the film. Taylor and King Charles became very close during the filming, and the movie’s producer, Pandro S. Berman, gave the horse to the young child star after the film was completed. That was King Charles’ only movie appearance.

If anyone can track down this out of print book Elizabeth Taylor: “Nibbles and Me” (1946) - written by her when she was 14 - is talks about King Charles.

Recounted here are such stories as the happiest birthday of her life, when she was given King Charles, the horse who was called The Pi in National Velvet, because only Elizabeth could ride him.

National Velvet memories

His real name was King Charles a seven year old thoroughbred - a red sorrel with a white stripe on his face and white socks in all for feet. The Rivera Country Club in West Los Angeles, California was where King Charles and Elizabeth first met. This horse was owned by a society woman and trained as a show hunter and jumper. The owner offered King Charles for Elizabeth to ride and she grew fond of the horse and eventually became the equine star of the National Velvet movie. King Charles is the grandson of Man O War .

[Glimmerglass]

As you can see from my prior posting on King Charles and National Velvet at least two of the websites are in conflict on what KC looked like let alone who his grand-sire was

Bill Christine responded to a few people asking about omitting “Let It Ride”

“Let It Ride” was on my also-eligible list. It’s based on a novel by Jay Cronley, who writes a horse-racing column on the Internet. I loved the line in a bar where Richard Dreyfuss is hitting on Jennifer Tilly and finds out that she’s, I think, only 17. “Seventeen?” Dreyfuss says. “I’ve got a dog older than that.”

Back stories on “Let It Ride”: Nancy Dowd, the screenwriter (she also wrote “Slap Shot”) had her name removed from the credits. Also, Jay Cronley, who wrote the novel that led to the film, told me that the funniest scene ended up on the cutting-room floor. The movie was to start with Dreyfuss, trying for the cure, speaking to a Gamblers’ Anonymous meeting, when robbers come in and rob everybody. Dreyfuss, figuring there’s no moral to this, heads back to the track. Cronley, whose book was centered around Oaklawn Park, not Hialeah, said the scene was hilarious, but the film ran long and something had to go. Maybe next time “Ride” will crash the list.

“Boots Malone” (1952) was on my also-eligible list. It’s usually not listed in William Holden’s oeuve, but he’s seldom been better. Also for a horse movie to focus on a jockey agent makes it a picture ahead of its time.

[WhiteCamry]

Glory - Filmed on location at Calumet Farm. Includes the actual 1955 KD footage - Swaps over Nashua.

[horselips]

Let’s see… when I was a child I remember a b&w movie titled Wall Of Noise. I think with Tyrone Power.

And a couple other very old ones, Pride Of The BlueGrass,
and The Return Of October.

Not saying they were all that great, but that’s all there was

[MIsMyName]

Shergar, The Derby Stallion

Shergar - 1999

Shergar is based on the true story of a champion race horse, abducted by IRA terrorists, then rescued by an orphaned boy.

also …

The Derby Stallion (with Zach Efron)

[WhiteCamry]

Before I left for work this morning on TCM I caught the first 30 minutes of Keep 'Em Rolling, from 1934. It was the usual boy-and-his-horse schtick except that the boy was Walter Huston as a grizzled WW1 soldier who lost and won back his stripes every week or so, and the horse was an artillery horse named Rodney. It had a hokey scene bit where the major orders the combat-injured Rodney shot instead of saved but our plucky hero stands up to him, saying what a hero Rodney is for pulling that howitzer through the shelling all by his lonesome. It also had an interesting early scene with Huston exercising Rodney just like you’d see at any other farm.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=MIsMyName;3054893]
Shergar - 1999

Shergar is based on the true story of a champion race horse, abducted by IRA terrorists, then rescued by an orphaned boy.[/QUOTE]

Egads - let’s not mention that is the context of the top 10 [best] list or else we’re apt to see Jeff Bridges turkey of a movie - Simpatico.

[sporthorsefilly]

In addition to “Kentucky,”
what about “Maryland”
and the “Homestretch.”

By the way both Kentucky and Maryland were produced by Gene Markey…who eventually became Mr. Calumet Farms!

As a child, I watched Cornell Wilde and Maureen O’Hara in the Homestretch so many times, I think I could recite the lines! the ending is adorable they go back to the breeding farm in Maryland and live happily ever after…guess that part sunk in really well