Movie Date

“Do you give the horse his strength

or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?

Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror

with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely,

rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.

He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;

he does not shy away from the sword.”

Job 39:19

The movie begins with a narration from the book of Job, introducing us to the realm of the breath taking power given to a horse. It is the story about Secretariat, the greatest race horse of all time, setting records in the early 70's, that still stand today.

Now, I’m not into horse racing, but this is just an amazing story about perseverance. It is about believing in a dream and taking ownership of it in order to accomplish what no one thought possible.

Interesting family dynamics, gorgeous ranch scenes and races filmed so close to the horse that you can feel it's strong, rhythmic breathing, all combine to make it real before your eyes. Personally, I love the never ending array of the cute outfits worn by the Mrs. Chenery (Diane Lane). One of my favorite characters is the groom, (Eddie Sweat) who listens to uplifting gospel music while tending to the horse and comes up with some great lines to make you laugh.

The story, like any true story, is not without its hard decisions and consequences, but it ends with a victory that I can only describe as majestic. It gives us just a glimpse into the celebration awaiting us one day, when we finish our race, to hear the words, “Well done!”