Secretariat

Diane Lane, Dylan Walsh, John Malkovich, Scott Glenn

Trivia question: What sport has been the focus of more films than any other?

Horse racing, and it makes sense when you think about it. In the early days of Hollywood, three major sports dominated the public’s imagination – baseball, boxing and horse racing. Baseball was America’s sport, something immigrants and children took great pride in understanding and playing. It made them part of the culture. Yet, with early clumsy, slow moving camera equipment made diamond epics difficult to capture. The speed, action and grace of the sport often became lost in order to get the set shots. Finding dozens of actor who looked realistic swinging a bat, scooping up a single shot to the hole, or firing a fastball down the center of the plate was often trying. Boxing and horse racing stories were much easier. Understanding the nuances of the rules of these contests was almost of no importance in spinning these tales. Even speaking English did not interfere with enjoyment of the action sequences. Cameras and sound equipment could be placed in set locations and did not have to be moved. With hundreds of horse wranglers under studio contract and dozens of race tracks within driving distance, southern California was the perfect place to capture thoroughbred action. Special effect artists could produce passable close ups of important actors pretending to be jockeys. Plus, movie stars, who might look too old or foolish in cleats or with boxing gloves on, could walk around in the latest fashions. Add to it, horses are absolutely beautiful on film. Muscles rippling, powerful engines on four fragile legs, there is a romance, and grace when it comes to these beasts.

While the right has constantly pressed the notion of Jewish, I mean liberal, Hollywood. Tinseltown has a long tradition of telling populist, Frank Capra, Horatio Alger “from rags to riches” stories, the little guy, through pluck and vigor, beating the elite with all their advantages. If the protagonist which the audience identifies with can somehow succeed, it makes the audience feel good about their own lives. Yet, the sport of kings, horse racing, is the sport of kings for a reason. Not only is it expensive, but generations of breeding have isolated bloodline and traits that are desirable on the track. In other words, a person has to pay a king’s ransom for a good piece of horse flesh. Hundreds of thousands of dollars can go into just breeding costs. A great pony can go for more than house a person lives in, in many cases more than the entire block. Then the best trainers and jockeys can cost more than an arm and a leg to hire. In many ways, feel good horse racing stories are as realistic as a Single-A team beating the New York Yankees. Still, the studios go back to that well again and again.

There are common themes in these films - an undersized horse, a Muppet-like child who has a special relationship with the animal, an injury that is almost life threatening, an avalanche of bills that cannot be paid, gamblers and criminal element, an earthy grandfather-like character who imparts his wisdom with a flask in his boot, an evil mustache twirling baddie who wants to take over the family farm, and the big race that brings the family together. Some of these stories like The Lemon Drop Kid, Little Miss Marker, The Champ, Racing Blood, and Black Beauty have been remade. Of the over 150 racing themed movies I have seen, the best of this genre includes Seabiscuit, Phar Lap, Dreamer, National Velvet, Casey’s Shadow, Boots Malone, Champions, Saratoga, Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing, and the classic Marx brothers’ comedy A Day At The Races.

I mention all this because the only thing surprising is just how long it has taken to get the story of Secretariat and his owner, Penny Chenery, to the big screen. It has been thirty-seven years since the big chestnut stallion won horse racing’s Triple Crown (The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes), establishing records in the Derby and Belmont that still stand today. Penny (Diane Lane) was a mother and housewife who suddenly found herself in charge of her father’s Virginia thoroughbred operation after he suddenly died. In an era where women were still expected to be second-class citizens, facing a huge inheritance tax bill, and not being active in the day-to-day operations, she was under extreme pressure to sell the farm. One of the themes of this column, is life is often a coin flip. Luck or fate can turn your life into a comedy or a tragedy in a moment and Penny’s life and fortunes literarily came down to a coin flip. It was in the offices of Claiborne Farms between her father and Ogden Phipps of Wheatley Stables. Phillips and Chenery were looking to get the best foal from Bold Ruler, who had finished third in the 1957 Kentucky Derby. Bold Ruler’s stud fee was the highest in the nation because he had all the attributes breeders wanted in a stallion. The proposal was simple. Phipps would forego the fee. In exchange, Chenery would send two mares to be bred each of the next two seasons. The winner of a coin flip would get their choice of foals. The second and third selections went to the loser. In 1968, Chenery sent two mares, Hasty Matelda and Somethingroyal, to be studded. A colt and a filly were sired. The next year, Chenery sent Somethingroyal again and a different filly named Cicada. Here is where fate stepped in, only Somethingroyal conceived right away. That fall Phipps won the coin flip and selected the bird in hand, the colt out of Somethingroyal and let Cheney take Hasty Matelda’s colt and the unborn foal. That March 30, Secretariat was born.

The big horse’s career did not start out with a victory. The two year old finished fourth at Aqueduct, but then reeled off five straight wins and would have added a sixth but was disqualified for interfering with another horse named Stop the Music. He then returned to the winner’s circle and looked so impressive that he won the Eclipse Award and the American Horse of the Year honors. From there it was fame, fortune and a Triple Crown coming his way. While he never showed the winning mentality that marked his early career as a four-year-old and most of his colts never showed the championship caliber of their father, Secretariat, along with Man O’War and Citation, is remembered as the greatest race horse ever. ESPN rated him the 35^th greatest athlete of the 20^th Century and was even awarded with a postage stamp. All because of a flip of a coin.

And Penny? Not only was she able to save her father’s farm, she became the first female member of the elite Jockey Club and was named the President of The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. She is often referred to as “first lady of horse racing.” All because of a coin flip.

In an industry where youth and beauty, especially for women, is seemingly the only thing that matters, Diane Lane, at 45, is still a movie star. While other actresses her age are exiting stage left, she continues to improve and really dominates the film. This is her Oscar vehicle. While I do not know if she will win it, I hope she will get the recognition she deserves, but life is a coin flip sometimes.

Verdict: Above Average Sports Movie