The following is a list of films featuring horse racing .
Title | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Derby [1] | 1895 | One of cinema's earliest depictions of racing, set at 1895 Epsom Derby. |
Kissing Cup [2] | 1913 | Silent film about a jockey who manages to escape a gang of kidnappers and make it to Sandown in time to win his race. |
A Gamble for Love [3] | 1917 | Silent film about a lord who tries to interfere with a lady's horse. |
Desert Gold | 1919 | Australian film starring the famous racehorse Desert Gold |
A Dead Certainty [4] | 1920 | A British film about a rider pressured to fix a race. |
The Sport of Kings [5] | 1921 | A man (Victor McLaglen) looks out for his young ward and her racehorse. |
The Kentucky Derby [6] | 1922 | Trainer goes to great lengths to keep an owner's son far from the Derby. |
Kentucky Pride [7] | 1925 | Directed by John Ford, a silent film that includes Man o' War. |
The Shamrock Handicap [8] [9] | 1926 | Irish lass (Janet Gaynor) comes to America with horse Dark Rosaleen for steeplechase race. |
Sporting Blood [10] | 1931 | Rid Riddell (Clark Gable) enters his horse Tommy Boy in the Kentucky Derby. |
Sweepstakes [11] | 1931 | A suspended jockey rides his horse Six-Shooter in a race in Tijuana. |
Men of Chance [12] [13] | 1932 | "Diamond Johnny" Silk is double-crossed by his own wife at a Paris racetrack. |
Broadway Bill [14] | 1934 | Story of a man's love for his thoroughbred and a woman who helps him achieve his dreams. |
Racing Luck [15] [16] [17] | 1935 | After his horse Life Belt fails a drug test, a trainer is suspended. |
Hot Tip [18] | 1935 | Leadpipe looks like a cinch, but a tipster persuades a fellow to bet on a loser instead. |
Thoroughbred [19] [20] | 1936 | A plot in Australia to kill favored Stormalong before the Melbourne Cup. |
Educated Evans [21] | 1936 | A wealthy couple ask a Cockney tipster to train their horse. |
Racing Blood | 1936 | Jockey buys lame colt for under $5, turns him into a champion. |
Three Men on a Horse [22] | 1936 | Greeting-card writer Erwin Trowbridge has a knack for picking racetrack winners. |
Down the Stretch | 1936 | Banned at home, rider Mickey Rooney moves to England to find success. [23] [24] |
All In [25] | 1936 | A broke bloke inherits a stable and sets out to win The Derby. |
Charlie Chan at the Race Track [26] | 1936 | The detective deduces it's murder after a trainer is killed by a horse. |
A Day at the Races [27] [28] [29] [30] | 1937 | Marx Brothers in a horse-racing farce. |
You Can't Buy Luck [31] | 1937 | After his horse wins the Preakness, a gambler is charged with a murder. |
Saratoga [32] | 1937 | Bookie Clark Gable and thoroughbred owner Jean Harlow horse around at Saratoga. |
Racing Lady [33] | 1937 | Female trainer's filly Katydid is kidnapped before a big race at Santa Anita. |
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry . [34] | 1937 | Judy Garland meets jockey Mickey Rooney in their first film together. |
Breezing Home [35] | 1937 | A bookie's girlfriend ends up owning Galaxy, entering him in a big California race. |
Wine, Women and Horses [36] [37] [38] | 1937 | A gambler wins $20,000 on his horse, but it costs him his wife. |
Off to the Races [39] [40] [41] | 1937 | Jimmy B must win the county fair's big harness race to get his owner out of jail. |
Kentucky [42] | 1938 | A Civil War family feud continues 75 years later for a Derby horse owner (Loretta Young). |
Going Places . [43] [44] | 1938 | Sporting goods salesman Dick Powell pretends to be a jockey. |
Stablemates [45] | 1938 | A drunken vet (Wallace Beery) influences a young jockey (Mickey Rooney). |
Straight, Place and Show [46] | 1938 | The Ritz Brothers get involved with a singer (Ethel Merman) and a horse called Playboy. |
Trouble Brewing | 1939 | Light-hearted adventure of a racetrack gambler paid off in counterfeit cash. |
Two Thoroughbreds [47] [48] [49] | 1939 | A boy isn't sure whether to return or raise a stable's valuable missing foal. |
The Day the Bookies Wept [50] [51] [52] | 1939 | Hiccup can't win until Betty Grable discovers the horse runs better on beer. |
Flying Fifty-Five [53] [54] | 1939 | British film about the life of a jockey. |
Long Shot | 1939 | Certified Check has an outside shot to win a big race at Santa Anita. |
King of the Turf [55] | 1939 | A former trainer turned alcoholic meets a kid who helps him recover. |
The Lady's from Kentucky . [56] [57] [58] | 1939 | A bookie (George Raft) and a lady end up co-owning a horse. |
Seabiscuit (The Lost Documentary) | 1939 | Original documentary about the great racehorse made in 1939 by owner Charles S. Howard. |
Pride of the Blue Grass [59] [60] [61] | 1939 | A young jockey enters a blind colt in a Grand National steeplechase race. |
Maryland [62] | 1940 | A young man decides to ride in a Maryland race over his mother's objections. |
He Married His Wife [63] | 1940 | Joel McCrea has big problems with his horse Ajax and his ex-wife. |
Sporting Blood [64] | 1940 | Robert Young risks everything on a race in Virginia. |
Ride, Kelly, Ride [65] [66] [67] | 1941 | Injured jockey Corn Cob Kelly decides to ride after learning a race is fixed. |
Golden Hoofs [68] [69] [70] | 1941 | A girl (Jane Withers) enters her trotter Yankee Doodle in the "Hiatoga Stakes." |
It Ain't Hay [71] | 1943 | Abbott and Costello mistakenly steal the race horse Tea Biscuit. |
National Velvet [72] [73] | 1944 | A young Elizabeth Taylor bonds with the steeplechase horse she loves. |
Home in Indiana [74] [75] | 1944 | A former sulky driver (Walter Brennan) gives his nephew lessons in harness racing. |
The Hundred Pound Window [76] | 1944 | Clerk (Richard Attenborough) at a big-wager window ends up owing a big debt. |
Thoroughbreds [77] [78] [79] | 1944 | An ex-Cavalry sergeant trains his old mount to win a steeplechase race. |
She Went to the Races [80] [81] | 1945 | Ava Gardner in a rom-com about scientists betting on horse races. |
Salty O'Rourke [82] [83] | 1945 | A crooked jockey tries to double-cross a racetrack gambler (Alan Ladd). |
The Bride Wore Boots [84] | 1946 | Barbara Stanwyck enters her horse Albert in a Virginia steeplechase race. |
That's My Man [85] [86] [87] | 1947 | Everything's riding on Don Ameche's colt Gallant Man, including his marriage. |
My Brother Talks to Horses [88] | 1947 | Lewie Penrose's brother (Peter Lawford) has everything riding on the Preakness. |
The Homestretch [89] [90] | 1947 | Maureen O'Hara's horse ends up entered in a big race against her husband's. |
Green Grass of Wyoming [91] [92] : 288 | 1948 | The past owners of Flicka and Thunderhead take their trotter Crown Jewel to a race in Ohio. |
Heart of Virginia [93] | 1948 | The jockey of Virginia's Pride quits after accidentally causing a death on the track. |
The Return of October [94] | 1948 | Horse trainer Uncle Willie is reincarnated as a Derby horse called October. |
Racing Luck [95] | 1948 | Two women enter horses in a race, wagering that whoever wins will own both. |
The Winner's Circle [96] [97] [98] | 1948 | A young girl is heartbroken when she's forced to sell her colt, Teacher's Pet. |
The Great Dan Patch [99] | 1949 | Based on true story of the famous turn-of-the-century trotter. |
The Story of Seabiscuit [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] | 1949 | A partly fictionalized account of Seabiscuit's success, starring Shirley Temple. |
The Rocking Horse Winner [105] | 1949 | British tale about a boy with a knack for picking racetrack winners. |
County Fair . [106] [107] | 1950 | Rory Calhoun thwarts crooks trying to fix a race. |
Riding High " [108] | 1950 | Bing Crosby in a racetrack tale directed by Frank Capra. |
Under My Skin | 1950 | A jockey (John Garfield) races in Europe, is pursued by a mobster. |
Blue Grass of Kentucky [109] | 1950 | A horse called Blue Grass wins the Derby, but his bloodline causes a controversy. |
The Galloping Major [110] | 1951 | Exploits of gamblers at an England race course. |
Crazy Over Horses [111] | 1951 | The Bowery Boys run their filly My Girl against the mob's horse Tarzana. |
Pride of Maryland [112] [113] [114] | 1951 | After being barred, trainer-rider Frankie Longworth redeems himself just in time. |
Francis Goes to the Races [115] [116] | 1951 | Donald O'Connor and his talking mule get mixed up in a crooked horse race. |
Two-Dollar Bettor [117] | 1951 | A novice gets in way over his head wagering on races. |
Boots Malone [118] [119] | 1952 | A sports agent (William Holden) takes a jockey under his wing. |
Derby Day [120] | 1952 | A day at Epsom Downs for the running of the Darby. |
A Girl in Every Port [121] [122] | 1952 | Two sailors (Groucho Marx and William Bendix) are conned into buying a lame race-horse. |
Born to the Saddle [123] | 1953 | Outlaws try to keep Blue Chip from winning a big quarterhorse race. |
Fast Company [10] [124] | 1953 | Gay Fleet's owner (Polly Bergen) falls for a fellow who fixes horse races. |
Money from Home [118] | 1953 | Martin and Lewis end up in a Maryland horse race. |
Pride of the Blue Grass [125] | 1954 | Gypsy Prince and attractive owner interest a trainer (Lloyd Bridges). |
The Fighting Chance [126] [127] [128] | 1955 | A scheming woman (Julie London) causes friction between a trainer and jockey. |
The Phantom Horse | 1955 | Japanese movie loosely based on Tokino Minoru's racing career |
Glory [129] | 1956 | Margaret O'Brien wants to run her filly in the Kentucky Derby. |
Just My Luck [130] | 1957 | Fable of a British bloke whose one-pound wager at the track could win him sixteen thousand. |
April Love [131] | 1957 | In Kentucky, a wayward youth (Pat Boone) trains a sulky racehorse. |
Bite the Bullet [132] | 1975 | Cowboys compete in a 700-mile race. Co-starring Gene Hackman and James Coburn. |
Febbre da cavallo | 1976 | Italian movie following a trio of gamblers who always bet the wrong horses. |
International Velvet [133] | 1978 | Tatum O'Neal in an updated version of the 1944 classic. |
Casey's Shadow . [134] [135] [136] | 1978 | An aging New Mexico trainer (Walter Matthau) has a lot riding on a two-year-old colt. |
Run for the Roses [137] | 1978 | Vera Miles as the owner of a long-shot Derby contender. |
The Black Stallion [138] | 1979 | A boy and a horse are rescued from a desert isle, then become masked rider and "mystery horse" in a race. |
On the Right Track | 1981 | A homeless child (Gary Coleman) has an uncanny knack for choosing winners. |
Champions | 1983 | 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 | 1983 | Australian film based on a true story of doomed Depression-era racehorse. |
The Black Stallion Returns | 1983 | In sequel to 1979 story, a boy travels to Morocco to try to get his horse back. |
Sylvester | 1985 | Wild horse is turned into competitive jumper by young woman (Melissa Gilbert). |
Hot to Trot | 1988 | Bobcat Goldthwait and a talking horse. |
Let It Ride | 1989 | A down-and-out racetrack gambler (Richard Dreyfuss) has the wildest day of his life. |
Kaaranama | 1990 | Bollywood film about a horse trainer (Vinod Khanna) whose star horse poses a threat to millionaire punter (Amrish Puri) while also falling in love with his daughter (Kimi Katkar) |
Eden Valley | 1994 | Story of a British harness-racing community. |
Shergar | 1999 | True story of a champion Irish racehorse that mysteriously disappears. |
Ready to Run | 2000 | Disney Channel family film on a 14-year-old girl who is an aspiring jockey. |
On the Nose | 2001 | Dan Aykroyd wants a lucky charm that helps gambler Robbie Coltrane pick winners. |
Febbre da cavallo - La mandrakata | 2002 | Sequel to Febbre da cavallo Mandrake and his new friends continue lose money betting on horses. |
Seabiscuit | 2003 | Based on a true story, with Jeff Bridges as the great horse's owner and Tobey Maguire as his jockey. Nominated for 7 Academy Awards. |
Hidalgo | 2004 | Based on true story of a 19th-century Arabian distance race, starring Viggo Mortensen. |
The Derby Stallion | 2005 | A 15 year old convinces is father to allow him to train for the Derby Cup. |
Dreamer | 2005 | Family film with Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning owning an injured thoroughbred. |
Racing Stripes | 2005 | A zebra tries to win a race against horses in Kentucky. |
Lump of Sugar | 2006 | Korean film starring Im Soo-jung as a girl who wants to follow in her late mother's footsteps and become a jockey against the wishes of her father while forming a bond with an orphaned colt. |
Ruffian | 2007 | Made for TV; based on a true story of tragic ending of undefeated filly. |
Race | 2008 | Bollywood story. |
Secretariat | 2010 | Based on a true story, with Diane Lane as the Triple Crown winner's owner. |
Shannon's Rainbow | 2011 | A teen girl finds a race horse, plus a mother she never knew. |
Charismatic | 2011 | Made for TV in ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Charismatic and jockey Chris Antley in 1999 Triple Crown races. |
The Cup | 2011 | Australian film about Damien Oliver, the jockey who rode Media Puzzle to victory in the 2002 Melbourne Cup. |
50 to 1 | 2014 | Based on the story of Mine That Bird, the 50-1 shot that won the 2009 Kentucky Derby. |
Lean On Pete | 2017 | A 15-year-old boy befriends an aging racehorse named Lean On Pete. When he finds out that he can no longer race is going to be sent to slaughter they search for a new home. |
Bizim İçin Şampiyon (Champion) | 2018 | Turkish film about jockey Halis Karataş and Triple Crown winner Bold Pilot as they inspire hope in Turkey during the 1990s. |
Kiwi | 2018 | Made for TV: based on a true story about Kiwi a NZ$1000 purchase who won the 1983 Melbourne Cup |
Ride Like a Girl | 2019 | Australian film about Michelle Payne, the jockey who rode Prince of Penzance to victory in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. |
Dream Horse | 2021 | Welsh film about Dream Alliance, who won the Welsh Grand National in 2009. |
Jockey | 2021 | American film about an aging jockey named Jackson Silva whose health begins to deteriorate after decades of riding. |
Tempête | 2022 | French Canadian film told over the course of 17 years following a girl named Zoe who dreamed of being a jockey but is paralysed after a traumatic horse accident. |
Kill the Jockey | 2024 | Argentine film about a star jockey who accidentally kills a prized racehorse and is now on the run from the mob. |