List of films about horse racing

The following is a list of films featuring horse racing.

List

Year Title Notes1895 The DerbyOne of cinema's earliest depictions of racing, set at 1895 Epsom Derby.1913 Kissing CupPalmer p.874Silent film about a jockey who manages to escape a gang of kidnappers and make it to Sandown in time to win his race.1917 A Gamble for LoveLow p.182Silent film about a lord who tries to interfere with a lady's horse.1919Desert GoldAustralian film starring the famous racehorse Desert Gold1920 A Dead CertaintyA British film about a rider pressured to fix a race.1921 The Sport of KingsA man (Victor McLaglen) looks out for his young ward and her racehorse.1922 The Kentucky DerbyTrainer goes to great lengths to keep an owner's son far from the Derby.1925 Kentucky PrideDirected by John Ford, a silent film that includes Man o' War.1926The Shamrock HandicapThe Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Shamrock HandicapIrish lass (Janet Gaynor) comes to America with horse Dark Rosaleen for steeplechase race.1931 Sporting Blood.Rid Riddell (Clark Gable) enters his horse Tommy Boy in the Kentucky Derby. SweepstakesA suspended jockey rides his horse Six-Shooter in a race in Tijuana.1932 Men of Chance"Diamond Johnny" Silk is double-crossed by his own wife at a Paris racetrack.1934 Broadway BillMcBride 1992, p. 316.Story of a man's love for his thoroughbred and a woman who helps him achieve his dreams.1935Racing LuckAfter his horse Life Belt fails a drug test, a trainer is suspended.Hot TipLeadpipe looks like a cinch, but a tipster persuades a fellow to bet on a loser instead.1936Thoroughbred'Versatile Ronald Whelan', The Mail (Adelaide), Saturday May 29, 1937 p 12A plot in Australia to kill favored Stormalong before the Melbourne Cup.Educated EvansA wealthy couple ask a Cockney tipster to train their horse.Racing BloodJockey buys lame colt for under $5, turns him into a champion.Three Men on a HorseGreeting-card writer Erwin Trowbridge has a knack for picking racetrack winners.Down the Stretch Banned at home, rider Mickey Rooney moves to England to find success.All In A broke bloke inherits a stable and sets out to win The Derby.Charlie Chan at the Race TrackThe detective deduces it's murder after a trainer is killed by a horse.1937 A Day at the Races"Full synopsis" at TCM.comMarx Brothers in a horse-racing farce. You Can't Buy LuckRichard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p56After his horse wins the Preakness, a gambler is charged with a murder. SaratogaBookie Clark Gable and thoroughbred owner Jean Harlow horse around at Saratoga. Racing LadyFemale trainer's filly Katydid is kidnapped before a big race at Santa Anita. Thoroughbreds Don't CryJudy Garland meets jockey Mickey Rooney in their first film together.Breezing HomePalmer, Scott. British Film Actors' Credits, 1895-1987. McFarland, 1998.A bookie's girlfriend ends up owning Galaxy, entering him in a big California race. Wine, Women and Horses A gambler wins $20,000 on his horse, but it costs him his wife. Off to the RacesJimmy B must win the county fair's big harness race to get his owner out of jail.1938 Kentucky A Civil War family feud continues 75 years later for a Derby horse owner (Loretta Young). Going PlacesSporting goods salesman Dick Powell pretends to be a jockey.StablematesA drunken vet (Wallace Beery) influences a young jockey (Mickey Rooney).Straight, Place and ShowBride Wore Boots, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 13, Iss. 145, (January 1, 1946): 62.The Ritz Brothers get involved with a singer (Ethel Merman) and a horse called Playboy.1939 Trouble BrewingLight-hearted adventure of a racetrack gambler paid off in counterfeit cash.Two ThoroughbredsA boy isn't sure whether to return or raise a stable's valuable missing foal.The Day the Bookies WeptWood p.99Hiccup can't win until Betty Grable discovers the horse runs better on beer. Flying Fifty-FiveBritish film about the life of a jockey. Long ShotCertified Check has an outside shot to win a big race at Santa Anita. King of the Turf<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110913163943/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80366/King-of-the-Turf/ King of the Turf'''] at TCMDB</ref> |A former trainer turned alcoholic meets a kid who helps him recover. |- | The Lady's from Kentucky"SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Selznick Picks Billie Burke for Role of Mrs. Carleton in 'The Young in Heart' ALMA LLOYD GETS PART ' Invisible Enemy,' With Alan Marshall, Tala Birell, Opens Today at Criterion Of Local Origin" New York Times April 29, 1938: 17. |A bookie (George Raft) and a lady end up co-owning a horse. |- | Seabiscuit (The Lost Documentary)|Original documentary about the great racehorse made in 1939 by owner Charles S. Howard. |- |Pride of the Blue Grass|A young jockey enters a blind colt in a Grand National steeplechase race. |- id="1940" | rowspan="3" |1940 | Maryland|A young man decides to ride in a Maryland race over his mother's objections. |- | He Married His Wife|Joel McCrea has big problems with his horse Ajax and his ex-wife. |- |Sporting Blood|Robert Young risks everything on a race in Virginia. |- | rowspan="2" |1941 | Ride, Kelly, Ride|Injured jockey Corn Cob Kelly decides to ride after learning a race is fixed. |- | Golden Hoofs|A girl (Jane Withers) enters her trotter Yankee Doodle in the "Hiatoga Stakes." |- |1943 | It Ain't HayFurmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. |Abbott and Costello mistakenly steal the race horse Tea Biscuit. |- | rowspan="4" |1944 | National VelvetVariety film review; December 6, 1944, page 14.Harrison's Reports film review; December 9, 1944, page 199. |A young Elizabeth Taylor bonds with the steeplechase horse she loves. |- | Home in Indiana|A former sulky driver (Walter Brennan) gives his nephew lessons in harness racing. |- | The Hundred Pound Window|Clerk (Richard Attenborough) at a big-wager window ends up owing a big debt. |- | Thoroughbreds|An ex-Cavalry sergeant trains his old mount to win a steeplechase race. |- | rowspan="2" |1945 | She Went to the Races|Ava Gardner in a rom-com about scientists betting on horse races. |- | Salty O'Rourke|A crooked jockey tries to double-cross a racetrack gambler (Alan Ladd). |- |1946 | The Bride Wore Boots|Barbara Stanwyck enters her horse Albert in a Virginia steeplechase race. |- | rowspan="3" |1947 | That's My Man| Everything's riding on Don Ameche's colt Gallant Man, including his marriage. |- | My Brother Talks to Horses|Lewie Penrose's brother (Peter Lawford) has everything riding on the Preakness. |- | The Homestretch|Maureen O'Hara's horse ends up entered in a big race against her husband's. |- | rowspan="5" |1948 | Green Grass of Wyoming|The past owners of Flicka and Thunderhead take their trotter Crown Jewel to a race in Ohio. |- |Heart of VirginiaMartin p.76 |The jockey of Virginia's Pride quits after accidentally causing a death on the track. |- | The Return of October|Horse trainer Uncle Willie is reincarnated as a Derby horse called October. |- | Racing LuckReview of film at Variety |Two women enter horses in a race, wagering that whoever wins will own both. |- |The Winner's Circle|A young girl is heartbroken when she's forced to sell her colt, Teacher's Pet. |- | rowspan="3" |1949 | The Great Dan Patch|Based on true story of the famous turn-of-the-century trotter. |- | The Story of Seabiscuit|A partly fictionalized account of Seabiscuit's success, starring Shirley Temple. |- | The Rocking Horse Winner|British tale about a boy with a knack for picking racetrack winners. |- id="1950" | rowspan="4" |1950 | County FairMarshall p.339Langman & Ebner p.178 |Rory Calhoun thwarts crooks trying to fix a race. |- | Riding High|Bing Crosby in a racetrack tale directed by Frank Capra. |- | Under My Skin|A jockey (John Garfield) races in Europe, is pursued by a mobster. |- |Blue Grass of KentuckyMarshall p.367 |A horse called Blue Grass wins the Derby, but his bloodline causes a controversy. |- | rowspan="5" |1951 | The Galloping Major |Exploits of gamblers at an England race course. |- |Crazy Over HorsesHayes, David and Brent Walker (1984). The Films of The Bowery Boys. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press. |The Bowery Boys run their filly My Girl against the mob's horse Tarzana. |- |Pride of Maryland|After being barred, trainer-rider Frankie Longworth redeems himself just in time. |- |Francis Goes to the Races"LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD: Bette Davis in Joyous Mood Over Work on New Picture" Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune March 13, 1950: b14."'FRANCIS' STORIES ARE BOUGHT BY U.-I.: Studio Acquires All Rights to David Stern's Future Yarns About the Army Mule" by THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. New York Times May 17, 1950: 35. |Donald O'Connor and his talking mule get mixed up in a crooked horse race. |- | Two-Dollar Bettor|A novice gets in way over his head wagering on races. |- | rowspan="3" |1952 | Boots MaloneHarper & Porter p.156 |A sports agent (William Holden) takes a jockey under his wing. |- |Derby DayVincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p498 |A day at Epsom Downs for the running of the Darby. |- |A Girl in Every Port|Two sailors (Groucho Marx and William Bendix) are conned into buying a lame race-horse. |- | rowspan="3" |1953 |Born to the Saddle|Outlaws try to keep Blue Chip from winning a big quarterhorse race. |- |Fast CompanyGlenn Lovell, Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges, University of Wisconsin Press, 2008 p77 |Gay Fleet's owner (Polly Bergen) falls for a fellow who fixes horse races. |- |Money from Home|Martin and Lewis end up in a Maryland horse race. |- |1954 |Pride of the Blue GrassMarshall p.347 |Gypsy Prince and attractive owner interest a trainer (Lloyd Bridges). |- | rowspan="2" |1955 |The Fighting Chance|A scheming woman (Julie London) causes friction between a trainer and jockey. |- |The Phantom Horse|Japanese movie loosely based on Tokino Minoru's racing career |- |1956 | Glory|Margaret O'Brien wants to run her filly in the Kentucky Derby. |- | rowspan="2" |1957 | Just My Luck|Fable of a British bloke whose one-pound wager at the track could win him sixteen thousand. |- | April Love|In Kentucky, a wayward youth (Pat Boone) trains a sulky racehorse. |- id="1970" |1975 | Bite the Bullet|Cowboys compete in a 700-mile race. Co-starring Gene Hackman and James Coburn. |- |1976 |Febbre da cavallo|Italian movie following a trio of gamblers who always bet the wrong horses. |- | rowspan="3" |1978 | International Velvet|Tatum O'Neal in an updated version of the 1944 classic. |- |Casey's Shadow |An aging New Mexico trainer (Walter Matthau) has a lot riding on a two-year-old colt. |- |Run for the Roses|Vera Miles as the owner of a long-shot Derby contender. |- |1979 | The Black Stallion|A boy and a horse are rescued from a desert isle, then become masked rider and "mystery horse" in a race. |- id="1980" |1981 | On the Right Track|A homeless child (Gary Coleman) has an uncanny knack for choosing winners. |- | rowspan="3" | 1983 | Champions| Based on the story of the winners of the 1981 Grand National—Aldaniti, who came back from chronic leg injuries, and jockey Bob Champion, a testicular cancer survivor. Starring John Hurt. |- | Phar Lap|Australian film based on a true story of doomed Depression-era racehorse. |- | The Black Stallion Returns|In sequel to 1979 story, a boy travels to Morocco to try to get his horse back. |- |1985 | Sylvester|Wild horse is turned into competitive jumper by young woman (Melissa Gilbert). |- |1988 | Hot to Trot|Bobcat Goldthwait and a talking horse. |- |1989 | Let It Ride|A down-and-out racetrack gambler (Richard Dreyfuss) has the wildest day of his life. |- id="1990" |1990