Editor’s Note: This story was originally published May 4, 2023. It has since been updated.
As the 2024 Kentucky Derby prepares for its annual run at Churchill Downs, it’s worth looking back on the best movies about horse racing.
While the world of horse racing might not be as mined for cinematic storytelling as, say, football or basketball, there are still some good movies out there that deal with racing horses and the jockeys who ride them.
Some of these stories are ripped right out of the history books, while others take real-life elements to add weight to fictional stories.
We’ve compiled our five favorite movies that deal with horse racing, and we think they’d make for great viewings around this year’s Kentucky Derby.
5. Secretariat
Disney’s take on the legendary thoroughbred race horse might not be the best movie in the world, but it was a respectable take on Secretariat’s journey to his Triple Crown achievement.
With a cast that features great actors like Diane Lane, John Malkovich and Margo Martindale, you can’t really go wrong for a Kentucky Derby-themed movie like Secretariat.
4. Hidalgo
Viggo Mortensen stars as rider Frank T. Hopkins, who navigates his mustang Hidalgo across Saudi Arabia’s Najd desert region in the treacherous “Ocean of Fire” race.
While the film might be more fiction than fact, it’s still a great experience for those who love a good, adventurous horse-racing movie. Screen vet Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia) also shows up in a supporting role.
3. Lean on Pete
The world of horse racing isn’t always a pleasant one.
Lean on Pete tells a harrowing-yet-compelling story about a young horse’s caretaker named Charley (Charlie Plummer, fantastic) who goes on the run with the titular horse as both are in dire straits.
The film, while at times difficult to watch, effectively uses the atmosphere of horse racing as a plea for empathy in the face of an occasionally uncaring world. This is an unorthodox film for the list, but it’s incredibly powerful in its own right.
2. Jockey
Veteran actor Clifton Collins Jr. turns in a career-best performance in Jockey, which tells the tale of an older jockey who tries to win one last race while teaching a young man who claims to be his son the world of horse racing.
Collins gives a lot of pathos to his struggling jockey, and the filmmaking takes innovative steps in showing its horse races from the perspective of the rider.
This film didn’t get a lot of buzz at its release, but it’s a perfect compliment for Kentucky Derby weekend to see the sport through the eyes of its jockeys.
1. Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit remains the best movie ever made about the world of horse racing.
The Best Picture nominee featured the legendary racing horse’s comeback story and boasted an impressive cast that included Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks and William H. Macy.
It’s an exciting, moving story of triumph that will get any Kentucky Derby fan excited for the race to come.
