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130 S U M M E R 2 014 U N TAC K E D I n 2009, a small, plain brown geld- ing from Roswell, N.M., won the Kentucky Derby, coming from more than 20 lengths back as a 50- to-1 pick and paying $103.20 on a $2 bet. Mine at Bird's odyssey to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs was a journey rich in themes Americans cherish: money, class, speed, the western frontier and the triumph of the underdog. So naturally, it's become a movie. Co-writer, director and producer Jim Wilson and his collaborator Faith Conroy have deftly accomplished the task of build- ing suspense and keeping their film, 50 to 1, moving at a brisk gallop, even when viewers already know that Mine at Bird will win. e movie opens with a bar room brawl in a rural New Mexico dive. It's here that future horse trainer Chip Woolley (Skeet Ulrich) comes to the rescue of future rich race horse owner Mark Allen (Christian Kane). Very few stories that begin this way end with the characters guzzling mint juleps together in the shadow of iconic twin spires on the first Saturday in May, but Mine at Bird's life story is one that proves truth can be stranger than fiction. After an obligatory "we survived the bar fight" bonding session, Allen immedi- ately roars off to Alaska to strike it rich in the oil industry, while Woolley stays local and struggles to eke out a living. Ten years trot by. As his feed, vet and farrier bills pile up, Woolley learns his old rescue project from the bar has returned to the area and now owns a stable of high-class horses. Natu- rally, the two men strike up a partnership. Meanwhile, up in Canada, Mine at Bird (played in the movie by Sunday Rest) has been winning stakes races to the tune of $138,705. e plot breezes on when rich boy Allen partners with New Mexico equine veterinarian Leonard "Doc" Blach (William Devane) to buy "Bird" (who originally sold for a measly $9,500 as a yearling) for $400,000. Under Woolley's training, Bird can't seem to win a single race, but Allen's loyalty remains steadfast. is movie perfectly captures the way horses can unite the most unlikely individu- als around a common passion. Doc is seen as a devoted family man with a stable ca- reer and doting family, while we see Allen continually partying and, in one great scene, unable to even remember his current girl- friend's name. Woolley, meanwhile, is the perpetually down-on-his-luck protagonist; he may have won that first bar fight, but not much has gone his way since. When the call comes in that Bird has inexplicably qualified for the Derby (despite his in- ability to win a race since the previous autumn), the three unlikely amigos, in- fused with the spirit of the West, oil money and good tequila, decide to go for it. But first, Woolley must en- dure yet another blow from fate, breaking his leg in multiple places in a motor- cycle accident. Crutches at his side, he insists on per- sonally hauling Bird across the country in his humble trailer to their Derby destiny. e trip east is an example of a plot point where the writers took creative liber- ties. On the real trip, Woolley was accom- panied by Charlie Figueroa, Bird's groom and exercise rider, but in the film, Charlie has morphed into Alex, a young, snake- tattooed female groom and rider. e road trip sees plenty of arguments between Alex (Madelyn Deutch) and Woolley, but they eventually bond over a compromise of diet preferences. But be forewarned, this is not a chick flick—it's all about the horse. From the moment Team Bird sets foot on the Kentucky Bluegrass, it's painfully FILM REVIEW 50 To 1: A Movie For Horse Lovers And Optimists e latest oroughbred racing drama to hit the big screen proves well worth the price of admission. B Y M A R S H A H AY E S

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