Movie (and weekend) review

So I went to see The First Saturday in May. I dragged my husband along too, so that I could get the perspective of a relative outsider. Our final analysis? It was a darn good movie.

Allow me to preface any review by saying I am not a Barbaro fan. Yes, he was a darn good horse. Yes, he won the Derby by an impressive margin. Yes, his win, and even his career ending injury, did a lot to promote the sport. However, I was never a big fan of his before the Derby, and my fandom post-Derby 2006 amounted only to that deep urge within me to someday actually see a Triple Crown winner in the flesh, and not from any real belief that Barbaro, specifically, would provide that experience for me. He represents to me all that I do not support in thoroughbred breeding: a horse that flashed brilliance for a short time, but couldn't stay sound long enough to truly make a name for himself. I was appalled when they re-named the Sir Barton stakes in his honor. Thanks for taking the first horse to prove his grit in the American Triple Crown and replacing him with a horse that couldn't cut it. So, I was a tad worried that this movie might end up being the "All Barbaro Show". To my great pleasure (and surprise) it wasn't. My husband even thought that there wasn't enough Barbaro coverage. I, myself, have to admit that I thought they'd at least show him breaking through the Preakness gate, if not his quick cruise to the rear of the pack after Prado realized there was something wrong in the stretch.

This story was about six horses, and not just the eventual winner. More importantly, it was about the two legged companions to the horses, without which they'd be little more than hay composting machines. I thought the Hennegan brothers did exactly what they set out to do; make a movie about the people behind the horses. I loved their coverage of Lawyer Ron's 61 year old groom. You don't rub horses into your 60's for the money, you do it because you love the animals. In fact, that was a running theme among all the players in the movie, which I thuoght was brought out very well. It's a hard life to work racehorses. It's demanding. There's little reward or thanks. But the reward itself is in the horseflesh, and the ability to be near it every day.

One of the parts that almost brought me to tears was when Achilles of Troy's trainer was watching his 11 year old daughter in a horse show. His grooming of the horse and braiding its mane reminded me of how my own father would help me when I was showing. We have never had a great relationship (all right, let's be frank, I really, really don't like my dad), but one thing we could agree on was horses. It was all the more touching because you knew the dad was trying so hard to get somewhere in life so that he could make things better for his kids, and if you remember anything about Achilles of Troy in 2006, you knew that this was not going to be his year.

All of this being said, the brothers didn't forget that the horses, too, were integral to the cast. From the first close up shot of Barbaro's distinctively snipped muzzle, to Jazil holding a mint between his lips (and clearly confused about just what the hell to do with it), the Hennegans captured the fact that each of the contenders was a character unto themselves.

I listened carefully to a lot of my husband's comments. First, he liked the movie, which he stated was unexpected. Secondly, he felt that what the movie did for him was make him realize just how much each of the horses covered deserved to be in the Derby. He stated that he usually only pays attention to the favorites, or the horses I mention to him in passing (being only an itinerant fan himself). He certainly didn't remember Sharp Humor, but after seeing replays of his gutsy races that spring, realized that all the 20 Derby horses are the cream of the crop, and most certainly earned their shot at greatness. Finally, he really liked that the trainers the Hennegans chose to follow were not all the huge mega-stars of horse racing. When Todd Pletcher makes a cameo appearance towards the middle of the film, he seems almost out of place. Like he's on a pedastal that the heroes of the movie all aspire to.

My final impressions:

1. My belief that Kiaran McLaughlin is the nicest guy in horse racing was re-affirmed
2. I had forgotten how much I adored Lawyer Ron that year, and still do
3. I had forgotten about Jazil's where-the-heck-did-he-come-from Wood finish (after which I leaned over to my husband and whispered, "You know who his little sister is?")
4. Loved hearing my husband laugh at all the appropriate parts
5. I suppose I shall have to pick up a DVD copy...it is for charity

In other news

- Tomcito bombed in the Lexington. So did Atoned and Salute the Sarge. Behindatthebar triumphed, but it looks as though the Derby is not in his plans. Likely Derby entrants to come out of the Lexington: 0.

- I turned on the Lexington Stakes coverage a few minutes late to catch a list of horses with graded earnings and immediately thought, "Wait a minute, where's War Pass? He should be at the top." I hurriedly rewound the show to the beginning of coverage (thank you TiVo, I love you) to hear that War Pass was now off the Derby trail due to injury. Horses getting scratched from the Derby is not an unknown, however, it's rare that such a scratch could potentially change the whole character of the race. Here, with War Pass being one of the expected pace-setters, the outlook of the race has changed dramatically. Now who will Big Brown have to run at? Bob Black Jack? Maybe. Or maybe Big Brown will end up being the pace of the race.

- Two days after making his world premier as a movie star, Brother Derek came back after a 14.5 month layoff to grab second place in a one mile allowance race. The game old veteran appeared tired aftre the race, and I think, unfortunately, it may be time to retire the star to greener pastures.

- I'm glad I wasn't the only one heartened to hear Randy Moss say that the time of excessive whipping should be coming to an end. I almost teared up when I heard Jerry Bailey state that most horses will give you their all without a touch of the whip. I have tried again and again to tell this to people who are violently anti-racing, but until people in America recognize this and set clear rules regarding the use of the whip, I pretty much have no legs to stand on.