Just saw the movie tonight and it was worth the wait. I love horses and horse racing, they have definitely gotten into my blood since I was a boy. Their beauty, their speed and their heart and courage. Mine That Bird was like a blue collar worker in the midst of horses that were high profile aristocrats. Didn't have the beauty but he had everything else. And that's what counted in the end.
I've read a number of mean-spirited put-downs of the horse and of the film by viewers (or just detractors) who think he wasn't worth making a movie about. They don't seem to understand why people would celebrate a horse who ran his heart out every time and accomplished amazing things even though his win/loss record doesn't seem to indicate greatness. True, he didn't win another race after the Derby, but they fail to recognize that he ran 2nd in the Preakness and 3rd in the Belmont, finishing in the money in all three Triple Crown races. It takes an extraordinary athlete to achieve that over 5 grueling weeks of racing. How many horse owners and trainers can make that claim? Every racehorse peaks at some point and then begins to lose its speed and stamina over time. MTB is no different from any other racehorse in that regard. He just peaked higher than many other horses ever will, so the decline naturally seemed greater.
The movie makers did a great job of giving us the back story of MTB and his owners and trainer. It was hard to know how much of the account was doctored up or exaggerated to sell it better, but they got the essentials right and made us care about the main characters and the horse. My only criticism would be of the way they portrayed Bob Baffert as pompous and arrogant. My impression of him based on interviews and on comments he's made is that he's as competitive as they come, but more generous of spirit than many of the others as well, certainly not the dismissive person the movie made him out to be.
I was actually not a MTB fan at the time of the Triple Crown races. Rachel Alexandra was/is my favorite and I definitely cheered for her and celebrated her win over MTB in the Preakness. But over time I did learn to appreciate what he did over the course of his career and I now have a soft spot in my heart for him as well. To the film makers I say 'thanks' for making a movie that left me in tears at the end. To those who think the movie was a waste of time and money, greatness doesn't mean you always finish first. It's also measured by what's in your heart.
I've read a number of mean-spirited put-downs of the horse and of the film by viewers (or just detractors) who think he wasn't worth making a movie about. They don't seem to understand why people would celebrate a horse who ran his heart out every time and accomplished amazing things even though his win/loss record doesn't seem to indicate greatness. True, he didn't win another race after the Derby, but they fail to recognize that he ran 2nd in the Preakness and 3rd in the Belmont, finishing in the money in all three Triple Crown races. It takes an extraordinary athlete to achieve that over 5 grueling weeks of racing. How many horse owners and trainers can make that claim? Every racehorse peaks at some point and then begins to lose its speed and stamina over time. MTB is no different from any other racehorse in that regard. He just peaked higher than many other horses ever will, so the decline naturally seemed greater.
The movie makers did a great job of giving us the back story of MTB and his owners and trainer. It was hard to know how much of the account was doctored up or exaggerated to sell it better, but they got the essentials right and made us care about the main characters and the horse. My only criticism would be of the way they portrayed Bob Baffert as pompous and arrogant. My impression of him based on interviews and on comments he's made is that he's as competitive as they come, but more generous of spirit than many of the others as well, certainly not the dismissive person the movie made him out to be.
I was actually not a MTB fan at the time of the Triple Crown races. Rachel Alexandra was/is my favorite and I definitely cheered for her and celebrated her win over MTB in the Preakness. But over time I did learn to appreciate what he did over the course of his career and I now have a soft spot in my heart for him as well. To the film makers I say 'thanks' for making a movie that left me in tears at the end. To those who think the movie was a waste of time and money, greatness doesn't mean you always finish first. It's also measured by what's in your heart.
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