Most Memorable Characters In Horse Racing Movies

Phar Lap

Horse racing is one of the sports with the richest tradition that dates back hundreds of years. With such long history of professional horse racing, there are plenty of incredible stories that managed to survive over the years thanks to books and movies.

Many of us found our passion for the so-called Sport of Kings through movies inspired by this incredible sport. A long-running tradition that is centered around the world’s most extreme athletes, promises great stories that can be best told through movies.

Fortunately, the list of horse racing movies is big and there are a lot of beautifully made films that can fulfill your horse racing passion. Most movies, capture the journey of great racehorses that once existed or are fictional just to spread a message to the viewers.

In today’s article, we will highlight some of the must-watch horse movies and the most memorable characters that brought the films to life.

Seabiscuit

If you are a horse racing enthusiast, chances are that you already know about the story of Seabiscuit. However, even if you heard this inspiring story, it is still worth it to watch the movie since it is one of the best movies, not just in the horse-racing genre that is ever made with a 7.3 rating on IMDb.

This is an American true story about three troubled men that managed to build a champion horse against all odds. One of the reasons why this movie achieved great success has a lot to do with the incredible cast that managed to bring the characters from the story alive.

Tobey Maguire plays Red Pollard the jockey of this incredible horse, alongside Jeff Bridges playing Charles S. Howard and Elizabeth Banks playing as Marcela.

The movie tells the story of the unexpected success of a small Thoroughbred horse that managed to win a record amount of prize money up to 192 and became a symbol of hope during the Great Depression.

Charles S. Howard is searching for a racehorse and hires Tom Smith played by Chris Cooper who discovers Seabiscuit. Chris manages to build the Tom Smith role to the next level as the horse trainer who believes in his abilities even though the horse doesn’t show much potential.

You can visit edge.twinspires.com to learn more about Seabiscuit horse and how accurate is the story to its real-life counterpart.

Secretariat

If we open the record books of horse racing then we’ll see that the Secretariat still dominates the charts with record laps on some of the biggest races like the Kentucky Derby. Secretariat is a true story movie about a Thoroughbred racehorse that managed to win the Triple Crown in 1973 with a huge lead over his competitors.

With Walt Disney Pictures in the production, this is one of the biggest horse racing movies ever made, that showcases historical characters that led to the success of the Secretariat.

Penny Chenery played by Diane Lane is in the main spot in this movie by being the owner of this incredible racehorse. Penny hires a French-Canadian trainer Lucien Laurin as a trainer and his jockey Ron Turcotte that managed to enter the history books. Penny isn’t a very experienced horse owner that is taking over the family’s Thoroughbred breeding farm after her mother’s death.

The movie Secretariat introduced us to many memorable characters, which brought the story of this horse racing legend to life.

Phar Lap

It seems like all horse racing movies are about champions that managed to achieve incredible results in professional horse racing competitions. Here we have another film about a legendary racehorse called Phar Lap that managed to win 32 out of 35 races making it one of the most successful racehorses up to date.

The storyline in this movie follows the path of the Australian racehorse who managed to become a legend with the help of a stableboy called Tommy. Tom Burlinson is the actor that was awarded the main role of playing Tommy, and he managed to bring the character to life making him one of the most memorable characters in horse racing movies.

Dreamer

If you are in the mood for a charming and easy-going American sports drama, then Dreamer is the perfect movie for you. This movie is inspired by true events and it features the healing journey of a racehorse with a broken leg.

The most iconic character of this movie is Ben and his daughter Cale, played by Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning. Ben warns the owner of Sonador, that he is running with a risk of injury due to unusual warmth in her legs, but the owner still decides to race her anyway.

After the horse suffers from a broken leg injury it is transported to Ben’s tiny farm to heal, when he and his daughter do everything in their power to help her. Even after suffering from such a horrific injury, Sonador still manages to win the prestigious Breeder’s Cup Classic.