"The Rocking-Horse Winner" is a short story by D. H. Lawrence. It was first published in July 1926, in Harper's Bazaar and subsequently appeared in the first volume of Lawrence's collected short stories. It was made into a full-length film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring John Howard Davies, Valerie Hobson and John Mills; the film was released in the United Kingdom in 1949 and in 1950 in the United States. It was also made into a TV film in 1977 and a 1997 film directed by Michael Almereyda.
The story describes a young, middle-class Englishwoman who "had no luck". Although outwardly successful, she is haunted by a sense of failure; her husband is a ne'er-do-well, and her work as a commercial artist does not earn as much as she would like. The family's life exceeds its income, and unspoken anxiety about money permeates the household. Her children, a son Paul and his two sisters, sense this anxiety; they even claim they can hear the house whispering "There must be more money".
Paul tells his Uncle Oscar Cresswell about betting on horse races with Bassett, the gardener. He has been placing bets using his pocket money, and he has won and saved 320 pounds. Sometimes he says he is "sure" of a winner for an upcoming race, and the horses he names do in fact win, sometimes at remarkable odds. Uncle Oscar and Bassett both place large bets on the horses Paul names.
After more winnings, Paul and Oscar arrange to give the mother a gift of 5,000 pounds, but the gift only lets her spend more. Disappointed, Paul tries harder than ever to be "lucky". As the Derby approaches, Paul is determined to learn the winner. Concerned about his health, his mother rushes home from a party and discovers his secret. He has been spending hours riding his rocking horse, sometimes all night long, until he "gets there", into a clairvoyant state where he can be sure of the winner's name.
Paul remains ill through the day of the Derby. Informed by Cresswell, Bassett has placed Paul's bet on Malabar, at fourteen to one. When he is informed by Bassett that he now has 80,000 pounds, Paul, excited, tells his mother how "lucky" he is. Paul dies the next night.
Eclipse was an undefeated 18th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse who won 18 races, including 11 King's Plates. He raced before the introduction of the British Classic Races, at a time when four-mile heat racing was the norm. He was considered the greatest racehorse of his time and the expression, "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere" entered the English vernacular as an expression of dominance.
Plum Pie is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 22 September 1966 by Barrie & Jenkins, and in the United States on 1 December 1967 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York. The collection's title is derived from P. G. Wodehouse's nickname, Plum.
Eggs, Beans and Crumpets is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on April 26, 1940 by Herbert Jenkins, London, then with a slightly different content in the United States on May 10, 1940 by Doubleday, Doran, New York.
Let It Ride is a 1989 American comedy film. It was directed by Joe Pytka from a screenplay by Nancy Dowd based on the 1979 novel Good Vibes by Jay Cronley. It stars Richard Dreyfuss, David Johansen, Teri Garr, and Allen Garfield. The story is centered on a normally unsuccessful habitual gambler who experiences a day in which he wins every bet he places, and focuses on the personality contrasts and the perpetually upbeat, hopeful attitudes of losers.
Alysheba was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners.
Lucky Number Slevin is a 2006 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Jason Smilovic. The film stars Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, Ben Kingsley, and Morgan Freeman.
Double Dynamite is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Jane Russell, Groucho Marx, and Frank Sinatra. The film was written by Leo Rosten (story), Melville Shavelson (screenplay), Mannie Manheim, and Harry Crane.
Ronald Launcelot Squire was an English character actor.
The Best Bet is a Singaporean comedy film written and directed by Jack Neo and distributed by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures. The film stars Richard Low, Mark Lee, Christopher Lee, Chen Liping and Joanne Peh.
The Rocking Horse Winner is a 1949 fantasy film about a young boy who can pick winners in horse races with complete accuracy. It is an adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence short story The Rocking-Horse Winner and starred Valerie Hobson, John Howard Davies and Ronald Squire. Producer of the film John Mills also acted in the film.
The Golden Fish is a 1959 French short film directed by Edmond Séchan. It won an Oscar in 1960 for Best Short Subject.
"The Million Pound Bank Note" is a short story by the American author Mark Twain, published in 1893.
The Return of October is a 1948 American sports comedy film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Glenn Ford, Terry Moore and James Gleason. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Caractacus (1859–1878) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1862 Epsom Derby. The 1862 Derby was memorable due to the large field, the winner being ridden by a 16-year-old stable boy and Caractacus' near disqualification for an underweight jockey and a false start. Caractacus was considered a poor choice to win the Derby, which was ultimately his last racing engagement before injury forced his retirement from racing. Caractacus was a breeding stallion in Britain from 1862 until 1873, when he was exported to Russia where he died in 1878. He is not considered to be a successful sire.
Wild Dayrell (1852–1870) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from October 1854 to September 1855 he ran four times and won three races including The Derby. He was an unusual Derby winner, as neither his owner nor his trainer had any previous experience of Thoroughbred racing. Wild Dayrell was retired to stud at the end of his three-year-old season, and had some success as a stallion, siring several good winners.
Frederick (1826–1837) also known as "Frederic", was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from June 1829 to August 1831 he ran five times and won once. His only win came on his racecourse debut, when he recorded an upset victory in the 1829 Derby ridden by his sixty-year-old trainer John Forth. Frederick failed to reproduce his Derby-winning form, finishing no better than third in four subsequent races.
Virago (1851–1869) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career which lasted from November 1853 to July 1855 she ran sixteen times and won eleven races. All but one of her victories came as a three-year-old in 1854, a year in which she dominated British racing, winning major events at distances ranging from one mile to three miles. Her wins included the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Nassau Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks against her own age and sex. More notable were her successes in open competition, including the Goodwood and Doncaster Cups and three of the season's most valuable handicap races. She was regarded by many British experts as one of the greatest racehorses of the 19th century.
Paradox (1882–1890) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from October 1884 until October 1885 he ran eight times and won six races. Despite running only twice in 1884, he proved himself to be one of the best two-year-olds of his generation by winning the Dewhurst Plate. In the following year he won five of his six races including the 2,000 Guineas, the Grand Prix de Paris, the Sussex Stakes and the Champion Stakes. His only defeat came when he was narrowly beaten by Melton in The Derby.
Hot Tip is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey and James Gleason from a screenplay by Hugh Cummings, Olive Cooper, and Louis Stevens, based on William Slavens McNutt's short story, "Leander Clicks", which had been published in the August 1928 edition of Red Book Magazine. Gleason also starred in the film, along with ZaSu Pitts, Margaret Callahan, and Russell Gleason. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures on September 6, 1935.
The 1963 Greyhound Derby took place during June with the final being held on 29 June 1963 at White City Stadium. The winner was Lucky Boy Boy and the owner Stan Barrett received £3,000.
Kevin De Ornellas, "The Rocking-Horse Winner", in Andrew Maunder, ed., The Facts on File Companion to the British Short Story (New York: Facts on File, 2007), pp. 359-60. ISBN 978-0816059904