Ruffian movie to be made for ABC (2007)

[Glimmerglass]

Montgomery Advertiser 4-30-06 “Johnson remembers the great filly Ruffian”

For race announcer Dave Johnson, it was the best of times and the worst of times – all in the matter of minutes.

– snip –

Johnson called all but one of Ruffian’s eight stakes races. He was also at the mike on July 6, 1975.

Ruffian broke fast and early on, the race was as thrilling as the fans could hope. Ruffian would take the lead, then here would come Foolish Pleasure.

“In that first quarter-mile, it was the best the sport could offer,” Johnson said.

But in the second quarter-mile, tragedy struck. Ruffian went down in one of the most gruesome scenes ever captured on live national TV.

“It still burns in me, that scene,” Johnson said. "All at once, she breaks down.

“In those two quarter-miles, I had the high and low of my broadcasting career. That day truly was the end of era in horse racing.”

Ruffian later had to be destroyed. The flags at Belmont were lowered to half-mast.

Ruffian has lived on in horse racing lore. She’s still considered by most the greatest U.S. filly of all time. ESPN currently is working on a movie featuring Ruffian and that fateful day at Belmont Park.

Last week, Johnson added his voice to the project, which will star Sam Shepherd as Ruffian’s trainer, Frank Whiteley.

“I’m the only one in the movie who plays himself,” Johnson said. “I guess they figured my voice hadn’t changed that much in 30 years.”

[trakmom]

Many of you are posting a link, but when I open it, I get “This page cannot be found.” Just wondered what it was.

[Glimmerglass]

@trakmom

Many of you are posting a link, but when I open it, I get “This page cannot be found.” Just wondered what it was.

Trakmom, is it a link like the following:

http://chronicleforums.com/images/custom_smilies/cry.gif

If so this was the original url path for the on-screen emoticon (smiles, frowns, crying face, etc) with the “old chronicle forum board”. Since it migrated to a new provider (?) those icons don’t appear but the url for them still remains.

Otherwise, I checked the link paths for most of the articles cited and they are still working fine.

[haligator]

I don’t like it…

Hi All,
I’ll be honest, unless ABC/ESPN has followed Jane Schwartz’s ‘Ruffian: Burning from the Start’ very, very carefully, I don’t think the movie could possibly work. I’m glad they’ve interviewed Dave Johnson and Bill Nack as well as people like Mike Bell, but if they get ‘creative’ with any details it is doomed.

As many of you know, I was there that day. It’s not a day I want to live over. She was a magical horse who should have had wings like Pegasus. Ruffian was larger than life and had a deep effect on all around her as well as the racing public.

I just don’t understand why they have to make this movie now, all these years later. Horse racing has never recovered from that day - and so many other days like it (Go for Wand, Shaker Knit, Mr. Nickerson, Prairie Bayou, Unbridled Elaine <I was there for that one, too>, etc.) - that I can’t understand the lure of replaying this for us (the people who were there and the people who hadn’t even been born yet).

With the amount of positive stories out there to be told, why did they feel the need to do this? Couldn’t they have done a movie about Kathy Kusner, the great show jumping rider and brilliant horsewoman who sued to be able to become a jockey? How about the story of the Fuller family and Mom’s Command winning the New York Triple Crown in 1985? The father was the breeder and trainer, daughter Amy was the jockey, and Mom’s Command was a freak on the track.

I’m getting old and grumpy. I just don’t like this idea. I’ve seen too much over the years. It is hard enough to hang on to the positive feelings in this industry without dealing with TV stations wanting to make a buck off a sad story. I’m not saying Ruffian shouldn’t be honored and remembered, but it should be done in a high class way.

Hallie McEvoy
Racing Dreams, LLC

[Glimmerglass]

@haligator

How about the story of the Fuller family and Mom’s Command winning the New York Triple Crown in 1985? The father was the breeder and trainer, daughter Amy was the jockey, and Mom’s Command was a freak on the track.

The mere fact that shockingly and unexplicably she has not been voted into the Hall of Fame (&^$#% why not!) means that she’s already getting the shaft, let alone being dissed with a movie deal.

Mom’s Command (who now lives in a stall next to Gander up in New Hampshire) won 11 of 16 starts, including five Grade I stakes and swept NYRA’s filly triple crown series. What else could a filly like that, who only ran in stakes races in her entire career from race one, need do to get in the HoF?

Come on she won her maiden, the Flirtation Stakes at Pimlico, by 18 lengths!

2004 - “Mom’s Command returns to Runnymede”

[AHorseSomeDay]

I bought the book years ago as something to read on the airplane on the way to vacation. Ruffian was before my time and I didn’t know what happened to her at the end. Of course I got to the end of the book and cried. It’s such a sad story. I don’t think I could watch the movie. I haven’t read the book since then because it’s too sad.

[SweatySaddlepad]

I remember her race well I was ten and horse crazy, she was the first racehorse I fell in love with, what amazing heart, not sure how I would feel about a movie other than if done well many non-horsey folks could see what an amazing animal she was…Then there was Go For Wand, what a heartbreak and her footage was just another amazing filly gone. They are replaying Jockey on HBO and they show extensive footage on her breakdown, I just can’t watch it:(.

When I bought my first horse, 3 year old filly off the track and looked at her pedigree, imagine my delight to find her related to Ruffian on both sides, Unbreakable and Nasrullah, I knew it had to be!

[Glimmerglass]

ESPN aired a 4 minute promo/“behind the scenes” promo for this movie during their Kentucky Oaks coverage today.

It looks like it will be well done with high production value (more akin to Seabiscuit) and with actors you’ll recognize. The crew admitted that it took four geldings to play Ruffian (they wanted more but time was limited) and they opted not to use mares as a stand in due to temperment issues with filming. Geldings are in ‘Hollywood’ more cooperative for the repetitive film work.

From the scenes with close ups on ‘Ruffian’ racing “she” doesn’t look as sleek and beautiful as the black mare Ruffian was. However, if people get hung up on that fact, well look at it like this - she couldn’t be duplicated so why try.

I think people who are on the fence about this movie will actually enjoy it and come around to appreciate the fact that Ruffian means so much as to make a mainstream movie about her impressive life - no so much her untimely death.

[BarnBum]

I have only seen a few documenteries on Rufiian, and I’ve looked her up on google. I’m interested to see this movie because I think this filly is absolutley wonderful, and that is probably an understatement. The only thing I don’t want to see is the ending of the final race, and even though I wasn’t there that day, and wasn’t even born yet, it will make me bawl to see such a wonderful horse in pain like that, still trying with more heart than she had to win. I don’t know what happened, and I really don’t want to visualize what she looked like in the final stretch, but at least she is in much greener pastures now. Although I do have to say, wouldn’t it have been awsome if she became a mommy, and foaled many sons/daughters with her bloodlines?

[purplnurpl]

I know the outcome of Phar Lap and it will always be one of my fav movies…even though I only have the courage to watch it every few years.

as for Black Beauty, I start crying with the full moon moves across the TV screen at the very beginning.

I am sure the opening credits of Ruffian will have me in a pool of tears.

I can’t wait to watch her story. : )

[QHJockee]

I worked on Ruffian as an outrider and horse handler. Yes, geldings were used, everything from a 14.3 QH to a 17 h Selle Francais. The sleekness isn’t there because they are all painted black. I had one of the few mares used in the racing scenes. She was the best behaved one out there. Whoever thinks mares are bad didn’t have to pull up runaway geldings!

I think they are trying to portray the story in a good way. We all know what the outcome of “Titanic” was and it was the highest grossing movie of all time. This is not the first movie to focus on a horse that breaks a leg. However, what set Dreamer and Seabiscuit aside was the fact they were able to overcome the injury and race again. From what I hear, it could be done better, but keep in mind this is TV and not Hollywood (i.e. No budget).

I wish I would have seen the ESPN promo - my husband was filmed riding a horse specifically for that behind the scenes show. For those of you who can remember a year from now, during the Match Race scene, I play RUffian’s outrider. They had me in these oversize clothes to hide my “womenly features” (as they called them), boots too big, and my hair tucked up and wired inside the hunt cap. It was a miserable day with unruly horses (mostly mine) and I was swealtering inside that wool coat, however, I am hoping it will be rewarded with some on-air time!

[ivy62]

I remember all to well the horrible day in 1975. Going to bed thinking she would live, not to race but at least live only to find out her end in the am. I was heartbroken! What a waste! Her breeding lent itself to this demise. Look at her father, Reviewer, retired due to leg injury and I believe her dam Shenanigans also had issues, should have been a red flag when she had a hairline fracture!
I recently was at Claiborne farms and it is strange that most people do not even know who she was! But when I stood outside Reviewer’s stall and quietly talked to the gentleman giving the tour, I told him that I saw the best racehorse ever come out of this farm… ( yes, I think she was better then Secretariat) he asked who I thought that was. When I explained it was Ruffian he gave me a thumbs up and shook my hand. People need to remember but I do not think I could watch it all over again! As said before there are so many good stories out there why tell this one…just read the book it is better to cry with a box of tissues handy…

[AllWeatherGal]

Hell, I can’t even read this THREAD w/out breaking down … nope, I don’t want to see a movie about Ruffian, my favorite “pro” horse of all time, tho I do see how her courage and beauty would seem like the stuff of an inspirational story.

[Serah]

This thread has given me chills from start to finish. When I was little my mom had a black TB mare that was a Ruffian twin. I was always obsessed with Ruffian, I can’t even remember how it started actually. But for a long time, I was convinced that our mare really WAS Ruffian. She had a career ending injury in the same leg that took Ruffian’s life. I tried to convince my mom that Ruffian never died…she just got retired and sold and no one knew and we really owned her. Sweet I guess, I was just a kid. But I as well have mixed feelings on the movie, but I would like to see her name recieve as much respect and honor as possible. Maybe an ESPN movie would enlighten some more non horsey people about how amazing these animals are. I agree I would rather see her story on the big screen tho.

[Glimmerglass]

@QHJockee

I worked on Ruffian as an outrider and horse handler. Yes, geldings were used, everything from a 14.3 QH to a 17 h Selle Francais.

Very cool! I’m encouraged that you - having working on the set - think they are trying to portray this story in a very positive way. The clips and comments I saw from the actors reaffirms that and they were very commited to this story as being not one of sadness but of awe for what she was.

[AllWeatherGal]

Well … I saw United 93 and knew how that story ended, too … and yes, am encouraged by the integrity of QHJ …

I remember those years of all the man v woman competitions … what a waste of potential collaboration in people.

[QHJockee]

THey tried to be muy authentic. The monetary bills used even were 1975 circulation! I get asked about my work on the set all the time. It was thrilling to be part of such a production - the fact it may or may not be contraversial seems to intrigue everyday folks asking about the movie.

From what I’ve heard, had there been more money, obviously this is not a big-screen production, it could have been a lot better. THey seem to focus a lot of the scenery and background. Obviously they were not authentic enough though, as the real Camden track has no rail!!!

[Sandy_M]

No, thank youl.

I saw the little “featurette” on this, and my immediate reaction was, I loved “Seabiscuit” because you knew the over-all outcome was upbeat - the little guy winning, overcoming adversity, etc.

Do I really want to watch a movie where I KNOW the outcome is a dead horse?? No.

And yes, they are using geldings. “More reliable”, doncha know?

[Glimmerglass]

CBS/DRF 4-25-06

ESPN wraps up filming of Ruffian

A crew from ESPN’s Original Entertainment division spent four days at Belmont Park this week wrapping up the filming of “Ruffian,” a movie depicting the career of the multiple champion filly who fatally broke down in a 1975 match race against that year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure.

The film, which features actor Sam Sheppard as Ruffian’s trainer, Frank Whiteley Jr., will debut June 4, 2007 on ABC and air the next night on ESPN. The air date is to coincide with next year’s Belmont Stakes, scheduled for June 9. ABC televises the Belmont.

Ron Semiao, senior vice president of ESPN’s Original Entertainment division, came up with the idea for a movie on Ruffian because, he said, “it is a good story that will move an audience. We as a network are very much involved in the sport of horse racing, and we felt this was a good movie to do, a good story that will resonate with an audience.”

Ruffian won the first 10 starts of her career and was crowned champion 2-year-old filly of 1974 and champion 3-year-old filly of 1975. The match race with Foolish Pleasure brought a crowd of 50,764 to Belmont and was covered live on national television.

“There was an aura about her that hasn’t been equaled since,” said Yves Simoneau, who directed the film.

The bulk of the racing scenes were shot at Louisiana Downs because, Semiao said, “we needed a location that somewhat resembled what the climate was when the story took place.”

The scenes being filmed Thursday at Belmont were of Ruffian’s first workout as a 2-year-old after she arrived from Camden, S.C. The funeral for Ruffian, who is buried in the infield at Belmont, was also shot.

Actor Frank Whaley portrays Eclipse Award-winning sportswriter Bill Nack, who chronicled Ruffian’s career for Newsday and served as a consultant on this film.

“They’ve done everything conceivable to make the setting and scenery as accurate as possible,” said Nack. “They even used $100 bills that were vintage 1975.”

[SweatySaddlepad]

Well THANK GOD they are using vintage $100 bills :rolleyes: bet we get to see HER sheath too :lol:. I hope it is a well done film, however if all they have to say about a film that is suppose to be about a HORSE is scenery and vintage bills, I have my doubts! Especially Ruffian, she is larger than life and I hope the film shows what an amazing girl she was, I do like Sam Shepard.