The movie was a charade. They portrayed The Meadow as somehow 'broke' the very year after Riva had won 2yo champion, and even wiki still repeats this bs.
The Meadow was extended into young bloodstock but not 'broke', given RR was already worth, well, he syndicated for $5M and Big Red only went for $6M, after '73, but Bull had already let it be known Claiborne was buying RR in the real-time chronology when Disney alleged The Meadows were 'broke'.
The movie also would have been better served to portray the adulterous affair between Miss Penny and Lucien Laurin. LOL at Malkovich climbing on top of Diane Lane.
I loved the negative review that revealed Disney's 'interference' to force the "Oh Happy Day" horse bath scene to Disney-fy the horseshit, Iger -- not a bad guy -- loved it so much he insisted that it become the movie's theme.
I didn’t mean I thought the movie was good history. Just pretty good for the subject matter of racing. We don’t get many at all, ever, even when racing was hugely popular (Ilove old movies too).
Just the fact they left Riva out of it tells you how wrong it would be!
But it was pretty good fun. Except that ridiculous hippie crap.