Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Luck: New HBO series about horse racing = CANCELLED 3/15

Racing
#41

I was hoping this show was going to be much better. DH and I like a good dramatic series and we’re into horses so I think that would make us their target. But we were just not impressed. DH went to bed halfway through! I continued watching in hopes that once they introduced the characters it would pick up but it never did.

I was happy to see decent horsie details overall. Some gaffes but better than most shows. The characters were just so stereotypical though. And the pick six guys who didn’t understand what was going on in the last race? Come on!

I’ll probably give it another try but it has to get better quick to keep my attention.

#42

I have to say, I’m such a sucker for decent horsey eye candy that I will watch most even moderately (lie: even crappy) quality shows. I think for what it is, this show is doing okay so far. Just watched the second episode, which I liked less than the first, but I’m that sort of horse gal that will probably watch this until it is cancelled because it is FAR FAR more realistic and pretty to watch than a lot of horse shows.

I totally agree that the breakdown could have been way farther into the first season once you have some viewers. It was pretty traumatic (sound effects, eek!) and didn’t add a darn thing to the show as a pilot.

Chantal Sutherland was in the pilot episode on the rail (pretty sure it was when they were watching the secretly talented 3 year old race).

The thing that has probably bugged me most so far: the lovely talented chestnut that is supposed to be the next big thing - he is NOT plain headed. They’ve said it about this horse at least twice, and this horse actually has a pretty darn lovely head. I’ve seen way way WAY plainer heads on a lot of fast TBs (Mucho Macho Man comes to mind from last year, first comment out of my mouth at Fair Grounds was about his “mailbox head” - even as a head person, I still picked him to win the Risen Star because of his stalky walk - excited to watch him this year, aaaaanyway…)

I am far from a backstretch gal who knows all the ropes, but I hope this show can at least glamorize the sport enough to give it some good PR. I love horse racing and want it to find its place in the modern world and not go the way of greyhound racing (we also have a retired racing GH - OTGH, ha).

Loooong (as usual) story short, I’m going to stick with this one and see how it goes. Some stereotypes for sure, but that helps people relate, so we’ll see! And I love high priced programming based on horses! Good trend - dogs are awesome, but there are no more majestic creatures on the planet than the horse, and the racing TB specifically.

#43

According to what I read 2 horses on the show have been euthanized. One broke down during a race sequence and a second horse died also. THere is a petition asking that things be made safer for the horses.

#44

Pristine - are you a PETA member perchance? Because they seem to be the only ones raising their usual hoopla over this. Or perhaps you just don’t know anything about horse-racing at all & the specifics about the injuries that can occur on a daily basis?

Sorry, but while it’s extremely sad that these things have happened, I have a difficult time believing that they’re specific to the filming of the series or how the horses were handled, rather than just bad luck. PETA & the media are - as usual - looking for their usual hoopla horn-in. I’m still waiting to read or hear of absolute solid proof from legitimate sources other than PETA that the horses died specifically because of the filming of the show or mishandling. Mysteriously, I can’t seem to find anything at all about that. Just PETA sh*t. How strange.

These days, animals in film have been strongly regulated. Frankly, if there was an iron-clad way to guarantee a horse (or dog, or cat, or whatever) wouldn’t break down in a film, do you not think a multi-million-dollar company wouldn’t pay to guarantee that?

I’m not a huge racing fan, but I do know that in ANY horse sport, these things happen. PETA LOVES this sort of bad luck, because it just gives them what they think is another leg-up to ban horse ownership & riding altogether.

If you’re supporting PETA in this, “Pristine”, hope you don’t own a horse like to ride, because if PETA ends up getting their way, you won’t own one or ride one for very long.

#45

I watched the pilot because we had free HBO during that time. :smiley:

I am a racing fan so I really wanted to like it. But I thought it was pretty boring. Part of the problem was that I had a hard time hearing/understanding what a lot of the characters were saying. Like they were mumbling or talking too fast or maybe the background noise volume was turned up too loud? So I had a hard time following the story because I couldn’t hear a lot of what was said.

#46

Watched the second episode last night…fell asleep about 10 minutes in. Will not go out of my way to catch this show.

#47

I am not a PETA member. I got an email about it from www.care2.com and there was a petition on www.thepetitionsite.com. There is an article on www.thoroughbredtimes.com about the breakdowns. They could just use videos of races that have run rather than filming their own race sequences. I own a stakes winning THoroughbred stallion and I do believe that horse racing can be made safer for horses.

#48

Actually it did serve as a plot device to futher flesh out Gary Stevens character (why he is a drunk), the young jockey’s character as he “watched the light go out” (can he put it out of his mind or turn into another drunk) and it is quite normal to pull the screens out and euth a badly injured horse instead of trying to drag them into the ambulance. nothing particularly unusual there. The handlers will lay them down if they don’t go down shortly after from shock. Nasty business but it happens, even loose in a pasture.

It’s an ENTERTAINMENT show, not a documentary. One that is very stylized and makes you watch and listen to figure out the characters.

I liked it, other then they need to stick a sock in the phony whinny synthesizer…why do they all do that anyway?

Far as the pick 6 gamblers being naive? Well, if they had half a brain they wouldn’t be track rats winning at the track in the afternoon and losing it at the tables that night…and did anybody else notice their idea of a big payout was about 300.00. Curious to see who loses that 2 million pick six payout ticket before they can cash it.

I looked around and found no description or news report of any horse breaking down during the actual filming of this show. I did find one of the actors quoted as saying they worked, and not very hard, for 2 minutes and took a 45 minute break so they needed alot of plain bay horses to switch around.

Anyway it has been renewed based on the first 2 weeks ratings. I’ll keep watching, better then alot of the simplistic crap and reality rubbish out there.

#49

I think you owe Pristine an apology.

From Thoroughbred Times:

Two horses broke their legs and had to be euthanized during filming of the critically acclaimed HBO series “Luck,” the New York Observer reports.

The breakdowns forced the American Humane Association to remove its standard “No Animals Were Harmed” statement from the two shows where the fatal breakdowns occurred. A statement that read “The American Humane Association monitored the animal action” ran instead during the credits.

HBO, in a statement to the Observer, said, "After the second accident, production was suspended while the production worked with AHA and racing industry experts to adopt additional protocols specifically for horse racing sequences. The protocols included but were not limited to the hiring of an additional veterinarian and radiography of the legs of all the horses being used by the production. HBO fully adopted all of AHA’s rigorous safety guidelines before production resumed.

#50

None of the links you posted led to articles about breakdowns during filming. One of the links did show an article about people getting bladder infections from eating chicken. :lol:

#51

That’s really unfortunate about the breakdowns. Racing is a tough business, so I hope it was just a fluke and not due to a lack of appropriate care being taken…

As for the breakdown in the show, I’m not saying it’s not a useful plot device, I just didn’t think it was the best time to throw it out there. During a pilot like this, you’re going to have some viewers who have no clue what racing is all about. Once you know the characters better and are more invested, I think it becomes more acceptable to start throwing in tragic emotional moments.

But seriously, did anyone think that chestnut with the “plain head” was actually pretty good looking??? Haha = )

#52

That is terrible about the breakdowns and it sounds like they are going above and beyond by requiring leg x rays. Something the track itself doesn’t require for older horses in actual races-these were working race horses. Sucks but I’m pretty sure a nasty coincidence, not like they were being pushed hard playing a rachorse in a film.

Anyway…still enjoying it, liked the characters in part 2, acting as intended by the writers. The dregs of the gamblers still acting like the dregs even with the payout. The nasty underbelly of offshore gaming interests controlling things through fronts and all. Depending on where you live, putting slots at tracks is a make or break for them staying in business and constantly a political hot potato come election time.

Not to be gruesome but…Nick Nolte’s character has the guilts about not stopping the “murder” of a stud (Alydar anyone?) and he is haunted by the sound of that snap. So the breakdown was where it belonged scriptwise to set that up.

Lets see how it goes as it develops the plot.

#53

And just because someone is upset/nothappy/sad about two horses breaking legs and being put down due to filming a tv show does not automatically make them members of PETA.

#54

[QUOTE=findeight;6132707]
Not to be gruesome but…Nick Nolte’s character has the guilts about not stopping the “murder” of a stud (Alydar anyone?) and he is haunted by the sound of that snap. So the breakdown was where it belonged scriptwise to set that up.

Lets see how it goes as it develops the plot.[/QUOTE]

I mentioned that to hubby, who knows little about racing.

anyone catch the horse that was working out and was on the right (outside, not left) lead through the corner? I thought they did right lead for the straights and left lead for the corners?

#55

I do remember the “trainer” mumbling something to the horse about “how they killed your daddy”…and yes, left lead around turns, right lead down the lane and backside.

#56

[QUOTE=HoosierHorseNut;6133367]
I mentioned that to hubby, who knows little about racing.

anyone catch the horse that was working out and was on the right (outside, not left) lead through the corner? I thought they did right lead for the straights and left lead for the corners?[/QUOTE]

They are, but it doesn’t always mean they change. Some are automatic, some just refuse to do so. And some riders don’t care if they are on the correct lead or not, either out of laziness or they believe the horse either doesn’t need to, or they feel making a big effort to get the horse to switch will throw them off and do more harm than good.

#57

I am not a racing knowledgeable person, but weren’t there some famous horses who did amazingly on the wrong lead? I feel that there was at least one, but I am not certain of my info.

About the euthed horses. Are they using racers or just TB’s for the series? I wonder about the level of conditioning for these horses if they had two go down in 7 episodes, but at the same time they might just have had really crappy luck.

I watched the first show and just didn’t enjoy it, sadly as I wanted to like it.

#58

[QUOTE=AlexS;6136313]
I am not a racing knowledgeable person, but weren’t there some famous horses who did amazingly on the wrong lead? I feel that there was at least one, but I am not certain of my info.

About the euthed horses. Are they using racers or just TB’s for the series? I wonder about the level of conditioning for these horses if they had two go down in 7 episodes, but at the same time they might just have had really crappy luck.

I watched the first show and just didn’t enjoy it, sadly as I wanted to like it.[/QUOTE]

Alydar is one.

I feel the same way- I really want to like the show, but just can’t seem to get into it. I’ll keep watching.

#59

Article on Bloodhorse.com says the breakdowns were about a year apart. Hardly a wretched record with “used” racehorses.

#60

Anyone still watching? I decided I couldn’t afford HBO just for this one show, but would be interested in a summary of last night’s episode. If the sound quality is poor, I would unfortunately be out of luck since years of wearing headphones for work has taken its toll.

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse