A longshot movie about a longshot horse makes its Florida debut Friday at the Old Mill Playhouse at Lake Sumter Landing.
The movie tells the story of “50 to 1” Kentucky Derby underdog Mine That Bird.
“50 to 1″ recounts the tale of Mine That Bird, trainer Chip Woolley, and owners Mark Allen and Leonard “Doc” Blach, who end up on the journey of a lifetime when their crooked-footed gelding qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. Fish out of water in the land of Kentucky’s blue bloods, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world’s racing elite.
The filmmakers are underdogs, too. The movie does not have the backing of a major studio.
“I had been waiting for a great racehorse story for a very long time,” said Jim Wilson, Oscar-winning producer of Dances with Wolves. Wilson, who produced, directed and co-wrote 50 to 1, says he had read numerous horse racing scripts throughout the years but never found what he was looking for. “But when I watched what unfolded at the 2009 Kentucky Derby, I was stunned. I’ve always been a fan of true underdog stories, and after meeting the owners, trainer and finally Bird himself, I was hooked. This story had all the cinematic elements you could ask for. It’s been a real adventure and one I am proud to share with the world.”
Skeet Ulrich (known for his TV role as Jake Green on CBS’s “Jericho”) tried out for the part of Chip Woolley by filming himself in his garage on a set he built.
“I build furniture so it wasn’t such a stretch,” he said last week in a telephone interview with Villages-News from his home in California.
He said he felt immediately drawn to the part from the moment he saw the script.
The movie also stars Christian Kane, William DeVane, Madelyn Deutch, Todd Lowe and Calvin Borel, the real-life jockey who rode Mine That Bird across the finish line.
For Wilson, a racing enthusiast and horse owner for 25 years, it was critical for the film to be authentic. It was shot in 40 locations across New Mexico, Kentucky and California, including the actual racetracks where Mine That Bird ran during his U.S. racing career. “We shot for two weeks at Churchill Downs and were able to use the real barn and stall where Mine That Bird stayed,” Wilson says. “Chip Woolley even gave Skeet the shirt he wore at the Derby to wear in the movie.”
Mine That Bird was born May 10, 2006, and began racing in 2008 in Canada, winning four of his first six starts.
His career slumped after he was purchased by Mark Allen in the fall of 2008, going winless until his monumental upset at the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-to-1 odds. Mine That Bird continued his run for the Triple Crown that year, finishing second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. He amassed $2,228,637 in earnings throughout his career but never won another race in nine starts after his win at the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird was retired from racing in November 2010 and currently lives with his owners at Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell, New Mexico.
50 to 1 (PG13)
Old Mill Playhouse
10:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 9:10 p.m.
Based on the inspiring true story of Mine That Bird, a crooked-footed racehorse that qualifies for the Kentucky Derby, a misfit group of New Mexico cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world’s racing elite.
