List - "Top 10 Horse Racing Movies"

[Romany]

[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;3050097]
Is Seabiscuit not a bit American, or Phar Lap not a bit Australian? Lads, good racing is good racing.

Champions is head and shoulders above the others on the list. Well acted, with one of the leading actors of his generation, John Hurt, as the main actor. The horse footage is second to none, some of the cinematography of the horses on the gallops at Lambourn is gorgeous, and the racing and training scenes are the real deal. Plus, Aldaniti got to play himself in the movie.

Here’s the race that inspired the film. I saw a pub full of grown men choking back tears that day, a very emotional race. BTW, the 2nd placed horse/rider were an inspiring story of their own. Spartan Missile was owned-bred-trained AND ridden by 54 year old John Thorne. He also had bred the dam, Polaris Missile, who herself had ran in the National, ridden by Thorne’s son. Thorne sadly died in a fall several months later.[/QUOTE]

Drvmb1ggl3 - thanks so much for posting the Youtube link to Aldaniti’s Grand National - (although it only shows the first half of the race, still worth watching).

The Grand National is less than a week away!

http://www.aintree.co.uk/pages/grand-national/

[halo]

I adore The Black Stallion to this day, and can put the DVD and watch it anytime…even at my…ehem…age. And Champions…guaranteed to make me cry, even tho Ive seen it dozens and dozens of times. Just the fact that it is the real Aldiniti makes it special. First time I saw it, I was so smitten by the movie; but the ending, and the little blurb at the end just before or after the credits…I forget…makes me bawl every time I read it. Im such a sucker.

Casey’s Shadow, I just loved. Not as perfect as The Black Stallion and Champions, but a great story, with a great cast, and a gorgeous horse.

Phar Lap was terrific, too, as was Seabiscuit. All movies I can watch any time.

[WhiteCamry]

@Romany;3116351

Drvmb1ggl3 - thanks so much for posting the Youtube link to Aldaniti’s Grand National - (although it only shows the first half of the race, still worth watching).

Better look at Drvmb1ggl3’s link again. I just watched the whole race.

[Glimmerglass]

The BloodHorse ‘Talkin Horses’ did a Q&A with the Hennegan Bros. (First Saturday In May) today - it wasn’t spectacular (they seem to be a bit too apt to kid around) but a few things are cited regarding them and the film:

Apr 3, 2008 “John & Brad Hennegan Directors, Producers and Writers”

Excerpt

I had never spent so much time with horses to really see their individual personalities. Jazil was very laid back and almost like a family’s golden retriever. Brother Derek was a mean SOB and would bite you if he had the chance. Barbaro was really inquisitive and he always wanted to run.

[NMK]

The golf scene is priceless in that film. Straight out of Caddyshack with a twist of…not bourbon.

Nancy

[Glimmerglass]

I was looking up another topic and came across this reference to the filly Hallowed Dreams, who currently is tied for the modern-day North American record of 16-victories in a row, and was owned by the man who was the inspiration for Casey’s Shadow: Sports Illustrated 7-24-00 “Hallowed Be Thy Name”

Excerpt:

Last Saturday in the 11th race at tiny Louisiana Downs near Shreveport, the hearts of 7,123 spectators stopped for 1:09[4/5] while a dark bay filly named Hallowed Dreams covered six furlongs. The three-length victory was the undefeated 3-year-old’s 16th straight, tying the modern American record set by Citation in 1950 and equaled 46 years later by Cigar. “Hallowed Dreams and I are true Cajuns,” said Lloyd Romero, her trainer and co-owner. “We’ve brought the record to Louisiana for the Louisiana people.”

Romero is the screwiest of the cast of screwballs surrounding Hallowed Dreams. The bluff, gruff onetime state trooper is best known as the father of jockey Randy Romero, who made his name with the great Personal Ensign. That filly retired in 1988 at 13-0, a distaff standard Hallowed Dreams surpassed on June 3 in a $30,000 handicap at Evangeline Downs.

As stubborn as a talking mule, Lloyd refuses to race Hallowed Dreams in a graded stakes or outside Louisiana. “If horses from other states want to challenge mine, they can come here,” he says. “Last I checked, planes flew in both directions.”

[b]In fact, no Romero nag has left Louisiana since 1975, the year he took his unbeaten quarter horse, Rocket’s Magic, to New Mexico for the Ail-American Futurity. With 16-year-old Randy in the saddle, the 2-1 favorite finished third. Two months later, Rocket’s Magic broke down and had to be destroyed.

The sad tale inspired the 1978 movie Casey’s Shadow, in which the character based on Lloyd was played by that old railbird Walter Matthau[/b], who died on July 1. “Walter probably looked down excitedly on Hallowed Dreams today,” Romero said after her victory on Saturday. “If an angel can pee in his pants, Walter probably did.”

[Dispatcher]

I just received my copy of Champions. Can’t wait to watch it!

[asanders]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;3049075]
How can Dreamer not be on this list??? I am outraged!! Just kidding, that movie made me want to gouge my eyeballs out, I thought racing stripes was more realistic! I remember Casey’s Shadow vaguely, that was a good one.[/QUOTE]

LOL!!

[Glimmerglass]

One of the “also mentioned” films from the original Top 10 was Boots Malone from 1952 staring the late Bill Holden as the jockey agent. It was aired on Turner Network Classic this morning (4-17) and will be again Wednesday, April 30,2008 6:00 PM EST

“Even people who don’t know a mare from a gelding will find the racing lore entertaining,” declared The New Yorker in its review of Boots Malone (1952). The New York Times observed that “the rough assortment of horse trainers, jockeys, agents, touts and granite-faced track employees forms a sharp and amusing caboodle. It is loaded with details of jockey-training and other track techniques, all shot in actual horse parks.”

Those are good notices for a movie that is today essentially forgotten. Boots Malone was, in a sense, “forgotten” even at the time of its release. Producer Milton Holmes sued Columbia Pictures for $1 million for not publicizing and distributing the film according to the contract. He claimed that Columbia spent less than 5% of the customary amount to publicize it, that small houses were used for first-run bookings, and that the studio released the picture too late to qualify for Oscar consideration, even though they had told him it was potential Oscar material.

[Larksmom]

Casey’s Shadow

Casey’s Shadow is schedualed on Sat 7:00am central time. oh! on TCM. I haven’t seen it for twenty years but I know I liked it alot. I am taping as there are no commercials on TCM.

[WhiteCamry]

@Larksmom;3169395

Casey’s Shadow is schedualed on Sat 7:00am central time. oh! on TCM. I haven’t seen it for twenty years but I know I liked it alot. I am taping as there are no commercials on TCM.

Why not just buy a tape or DVD?