There used to be horses in that barn.
At least,
that's what my grandfather says.
We're probably the only horse farm
in Lexington, Kentucky,
that doesn't have one horse.
Not one.
It might rain.
Pat said it'd be a good day for me
to come down to the diner.
Yeah, well...
Just be breakfast and lunch,
three days a week.
If you're working at the diner,
she comes home from school to nobody?
Well, Pop lives right next door.
I know you two don't talk much,
but he and Cale get along real well...
...and...
- And what?
You've been promising her for months
you'd take her to work with you.
And I will, Lil. But not today, honey.
I got a big race.
What do I tell her?
Tell her I was late, and I just
didn't have time to wait for her.
- You tell her.
- Honey, I'm going to work.
All right, get in.
I don't want to be late.
There you go.
Fifty-eight and one.
Send Sonya. Don't let her out.
I just want to watch her action.
I like him.
Her.
I like her, too.
Can I get a bucket of multigrain
in stall number three, please?
- Good morning, sir.
- Good morning.
Balon, you remember Cale?
Sure. She doesn't
come around anymore.
Wow, honey, you've gotten so big.
Eddie, let's look at Goliath's Boy.
- That means good morning.
- Morning.
He's got legs like steel.
Take him in.
Whoa. What do you got there?
You got some candy?
Hey, Sonya. There you go, Sonya.
Yeah. That's Sonya. She likes candy.
- Sonya likes Twizzlers.
- Yeah?
Well, who's this?
Got a new jockey?
Manny, this is my daughter Cale.
Manolin Vallarta.
The greatest jockey in the world.
- Fattest jockey in the world.
- Fat?
Chacho, I'm too tall to race.
Look at you, man. Look at these clothes.
This is a barn, not a disco.
He likes the way I dress.
Now, you see your daddy?
You see how he's feeling the legs?
You see that?
We just want to make sure
the horse is sound and healthy.
Your daddy always say you listen
to a horse, he'll tell you how he feels.
OK. Thanks, Mark.
Boy, I'll tell you, I don't know.
The leg feels fine,
but she keeps jumping at that.
She wants to get back in her stall.
- She never does this, ever.
- She going to race today?
Of course she's going to race today.
Hello, Mr. Palmer.
Nice to see you.
Wasn't sure you were coming today.
I don't believe I've ever met...
Prince Tariq Abal.
Well, Sonya is just as pretty
as she is fast.
Sir, I'll meet you at our box
after I talk with my staff.
- What's the story here?
- She's acting funny.
Some heat
in that right front this morning.
I'm not sure she wants to run today.
I don't feel any heat.
What'd the vet say?
The vet and the paddock judge
both passed her as fine, but...
Well, good.
That's all that matters.
Sir, I'm just saying
I don't think she should go today.
Prince Tariq flew his personal 737
8,000 miles for what?
I don't know,
to win the Jansen Handicap, I guess.
To beat his brother Sadir.
Tariq only flies in
to see one of his horses
run against one of his brother's horses.
We're messing with a champion
who's won her first two races.
This'll make three.
She's a star, no doubt about it.
She's a lot more than a star, Everett.
I'm listening to the horse. She's
saying she could do better with rest.
You'd do better by listening to me.
Look, she's a nice horse.
But I've spent millions
on a stable of horses for Prince Tariq
so he can beat his brother.
Now, I know you got big plans,
but just do your job.
OK?
Daily maintenance,
overseeing the workouts, your job.
Picking her races, my job.
Are we good?
- Yeah, we're good.
- Good.
She's morning-line favorite.
Let's go. Tell one of the Mexicans
walk around to settle her.
OK, Mark.
You heard the boss. Let's go.
You own a horse, sweetie?
This is just for owners.
Cale.
Cale.
See her, honey?
Number five, right there.
That's our girl.
Think she'll win?
I got ten dollars
that says she's going to win.
From the Wishman Stables,
here's Rapid Cat.
Dark Fire on one of the outside gates.
Here we go, baby.
And away they go.
Easy. Nice and easy now.
Yeah, she's fourth.
Come on, sweetheart.
Go, Sonya.
Maybe this is your day, honey.
Come on.
Bring it home, baby.
Come on, Sonya.
Hold her down, man.
It's OK. I got it here.
Cannon bone. Look, I'm sorry, Ben,
we got to put her down.
She all right?
Easy, girl. Easy.
Not here. Take her back to her stall,
but not here.
- Come on.
- Atta girl.
Ben, I can't put her down
until you sign this.
No, I want some X-rays taken.
Cale, come here.
Stay out of the way.
What's the point?
She's finished.
I do not believe this.
I told him.
- What? What'd you tell me?
- I warned you she wasn't right.
- You saddled her.
- What? Wait a minute.
It's sad when these things happen.
- Sad?
- Yeah, sad. This is an athlete.
Well, then you just knowingly
killed a $750,000 athlete.
Fellas, we need to make a move here.
- Tell me.
- It's her cannon bone.
You pushed her. She'd have run
in the Breeders' Cup. She was special.
Now she got a broken leg
and it's over. Let it go.
You don't care about anybody, do you?
Horses or people.
I do, Ben. That's why I'm giving
you the opportunity to find a new job.
- You firing me?
- That's right.
Take your Mexicans with you.
They're men, Palmer.
They got names.
You owe me money.
You'll get your check
first of the month.
You pay me now.
9,000 for the last three months.
Here's six.
Six. Take it or leave it.
I'll leave it. We agreed on nine.
- Wait for a check.
- I'm not waiting.
Please put that horse down!
Dan. Dan, wait.
I'll take the 6,000 and the horse.
$6,000 and a dead horse
and I never hear from you again?
- That's right.
- Take your money.
Sedate her, Dan.
Put her down heavy for the night.
It'll cost you 400
to dispose of her body.
Hook up a trailer.
You got a hard head,
just like your old man.
Go out to the truck.
Living in that horse farm
with no horses.
Manny, take her out to the truck.
Delusional. It's a disease with you
Cranes. Get out before it rubs off.
Manny. Go get the old man.
Tell him it's an emergency.
Balon, need the heavy winch and the tow
and easy sling to get her in this stall.
- OK, where's that?
- It's in the back stall there.
Oh, OK, I got it.
Where have you been?
God, I've been so worried. Honey.
- What's going on?
- I had a horse go down.
Oh, my God.
- Anything else, boss?
- Give Balon a hand, will you?
What can you geniuses be calling
an emergency at night in the rain?
This about a horse?
Good night.
I never ask you for anything.
I haven't heard from you in months.
That's why your business is so great.
I got a filly in there with
a broken cannon bone, Pop.
Thoroughbred?
Racer?
Put her down.
You had a horse
with a shattered cannon bone once.
You harnessed it up, the leg healed
and that horse was fine.
That was a long time ago.
You were just a little boy, Benjamin.
But I remember it. It worked.
He was an old lead pony.
Healed just enough to walk around
for a few more years
before I finally put him down.
Which is what you'd do
if you had any sense at all.
Let's get her in the stall.
- Cale.
- I need to help them.
Cale, I'm spending the night with her.
You go on inside with Mom.
- All right.
- Right up there.
Get up on higher.
Let's hook it up. Come on.
Was it a hard fall?
Hard enough. She didn't get bumped
or anything. She just went down.
That's the one from the track.
And my X-rays confirm it.
It's a spiral fracture
of the cannon bone.
But it is nondisplaced.
She'll never race again?
No, honey.
But she might walk again.
There's a chance.
It's up to her.
Try and keep her calm.
Stable rest.
That cast I put on her should hold.
We'll go really easy on her.
- Let's stay close on this.
- You got it.
All right,
let's pull all the harness stuff.
The straps, pulley in the tack room.
Ben, when Mr. Palmer fired you,
us yesterday, well...
We all don't have no jobs.
I'm sorry, guys. I forgot. Here.
There's 1,000 each.
What's wrong?
Well, we train racehorses, right?
She's not going
to race no more, so...
Why we hanging around to help you
get a broken racehorse to walk?
You know who this horse
was sired by?
Dreamcatcher.
You know who that was?
Pop, who was Dreamcatcher?
Won the Dubai World Cup in '96.
Won seven of 11 graded stakes
and over $3,000,000.
We get her healed enough
to breed her to a decent stud,
sell that yearling for,
I don't know, maybe...
If it's a colt with good confirmation,
maybe 300.
$300,000.
You two be interested
in a piece of $300,000?
Yeah.
How about it, Pop?
OK. Looks good to me.
Well done.
Take it up.
Got it?
Good girl.
Good Sonya.
Easy. Easy, girl.
Easy, girl.
Come on, girl.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
OK, that's good. That's good.
She's great.
She's OK.
- You all right?
- Fine.
You OK? She kick you?
Come on. It's OK, honey.
- How is she?
- She's OK.
What were you doing?
She's not a pet, Cale.
She's what I do for work now, so
you'll have to leave her be, all right?
I'm sorry.
- You sure you're all right?
- Fine.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
You make all that money
and eat as much pie as you want?
Yeah, I can't find a better job.
Manny's taking me
to watch him ride a racehorse.
Then I'm mucking out Sonya's stall.
I'm thinking about painting it.
Nice to have a horse, huh?
Especially after Dad said
"There will never be another horse
in this farm as long as I live."
Did Pop tell you that?
Don't you listen to everything Pop says.
There's two sides to every story.
Pop said Dad's the best horseman.
Says he has a gift.
Well, that's true.
We all know that's true.
- Hey.
- Hello.
Whoa, Zephyr. Whoa, boy.
Thanks, Mike.
- What'd you think about that?
- That was fast.
Nice boots.
Thank you. I exercise a couple
of horses for a few owners.
- Pretty cool, huh?
- Yeah.
You ever ride in races?
Couple of times I did.
- But no more.
- Why?
I have bad dreams.
Three years ago
I got my first real race.
I ran fifth.
What was the name of the horse?
Downtown Swing.
- It was amazing.
- Did you ever ride him again?
Yeah. In our second race,
I was flying into that first turn.
And then I looked under my arm
to see if I was clear on the rail.
When I looked back up,
there was a horse swerving into me.
My left foot came out of the iron,
I fell to the ground
and I got run over by three horses.
Broke both shoulders, sternum,
four ribs, punctured a lung.
You never raced again.
You know, at night,
when I fall asleep,
I dream I'm in a big race
on a very fast horse.
And I look to my left foot, it slips
out of the iron and I begin to fall.
But before I hit the ground,
I wake up.
But you still exercise racehorses.
Yeah.
Just...
It's just me and the horse
alone on the track...
...free.
No one to bother us.
It's much better that way.
I'm sorry about your nightmares, Manny.
It's OK.
It's God's way of telling me
no more racing.
Good night.
From Mom.
I'm good. Just put it down there.
Cale?
Will you grab that roll of wire
underneath the fence?
You can just hang on to it there.
Pop said this farm
used to be beautiful.
This farm was beautiful.
Two hundred acres.
One of the nicest in Versailles.
- See all that over there?
- Yeah.
Well, that was ours.
Pop's owned some
really nice race mares.
Big, beautiful female horses.
Waveland, Blue Jezebel
and Miss Moffett.
That's right.
Pop said he built those stalls
and filled them with horses.
Yeah, he made a good living
selling yearlings.
But you wanted to keep
the yearlings and race them, right?
Well, it got kind of hard
watching horses born on this farm
go on to win big races
for somebody else.
You got Pop to keep some yearlings
so you could train, race them.
You dont just keep them, Cale,
they're not free.
I'm going to brush down Sonya.
- Cale Crane.
- Yes, ma'am?
- Are you working on your assignment?
- Yes, ma'am.
What's your story about?
It's about a king and his castle...
...and a magic horse.
Easy.
Bye.
She can stand on it. Not for long
but she can stand on it.
I'll run more tests but I don't see any
reason she can't breed. She looks good.
You helped her, Cale.
She's going to have a baby. Yeah.
I'll see you Friday.
Well, I'm going to call in a favor.
Go, Cale.
Go.
So where you going?
Going to go see an old friend.
About a stud for Sonya?
Yeah. About a stud.
You want to come?
Yeah. I'll come.
Fusaichi Pegasus.
He won the Kentucky Derby.
Do you see him?
That's Fusaichi.
Giant's Causeway.
Johannesburg.
He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
You learn all that from Pop, too?
He's a beautiful horse.
Hey, Bill.
It's good to see you.
- Good to see you.
- This is my daughter Cale.
- Nice to meet you, Cale.
- Nice to meet you, too.
Ben, you call me two months ago
saying you got a race mare
needs to be covered,
then I don't hear from you.
It's been a long road with that filly,
but she's ready now.
So you still going to be able
to help me out?
Right over here.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, are you
ready for the world's greatest stud?
Come on, Todd. Bring him on out.
That's not...
- What is that?
- This here's Thunder Pants.
Honey, Thunder Pants
is a teaser pony.
He's going to help Sonya get ready to go
into the breeding shed with a stallion.
Thanks, Bill.
Hey, Cale, want to meet
the stallion I picked for you?
Cale, meet Grand Slam.
Grand Slam?
Unbelievable.
So, what do you think?
Well, I think it's Grand Slam.
Everyone at Ashford has a lot
of respect for your family.
I explained your situation and they
want to do you the favor of a lifetime.
I don't know what to say.
Say you'll have your filly here
first week in May.
That week's the only shot you get.
He's booked till next year.
And you got to send me half of
the 15,000 by the end of the week.
That's 15,000...
Well, Grand Slam's
normal stud fee's 200,000.
We're waiving that. The 15 doesn't
even cover our cost in insurance.
No, Bill, it's an amazing offer.
I just didn't...
I'm wondering, though, if maybe
I couldn't give you a share in the foal,
maybe to cover all the expenses,
whatever they are.
We just don't do that.
Not in a case like this.
Are you saying you want to call it off?
No, Bill, I just...
Bill, I don't have the money.
I'm sorry, Ben.
I didn't fully know your situation.
Bill, listen,
I really appreciate the try.
I'm going to call. All right? Thanks.
Let's go, honey.
I've never seen
Grand Slam up close.
He's got muscles everywhere.
What'd he say?
- He's a horse.
- I know. What'd he say?
"I am a great champion."
"When I ran, the ground shook.
The sky opened and mere mortals parted."
"The way to victory. And I met
my owner in the winner's circle."
"Where he put a blanket of flowers
on my back."
You remembered that.
Sport of kings, you know that?
They call horse racing
the sport of kings.
So when you taking me to the races?
I don't go anymore.
Haven't been in years.
So I can take the Racing Form
and The Blood-Horse, right?
Your dad doesn't want me
teaching you about horses.
So I should leave them?
You should stuff them
under your shirt.
OK.
- Cale, in the cabinet above the sink...
- Yeah.
...is there a coffee can?
- Bring it to your dad, would you?
- Sure.
- Good night.
- Good night.
- Pop wanted me to give this to you.
- Thanks, hon.
- I'm eating my dessert in the barn.
- All righty.
- What the hell is this?
- Coffee can.
- You expect me to use it?
- Only flavor I got.
You're unbelievable.
There's almost $20,000 there.
You watched me sell this farm off
bit by bit till there was nothing left.
Why are you doing this?
Damned if I know.
Breed the horse, Ben.
Picking up that filly was the gutsiest
thing I've seen you do in years.
I took the biggest swing I could
and I struck out.
- And you gave up.
- I'm broke, Pop.
- What do you expect me to do?
- I expect you to take the money,
trust your instincts
and breed the horse.
- You told me to put her down.
- But you didn't.
- You're a horseman.
- Don't blow smoke...
Will you spend your life
shoveling horse squat for sheiks?
Or will you get back in the game?
I know what's going on here
with you and Cale.
It's in her blood, Ben.
Cale's a beautiful kid.
Stop filling her head
with horse stories.
Horse stories are all I got.
Keep them to yourself.
I'll pay you back when the foal sells.
Any chance you'll keep the foal?
Race him or her?
No, we're going to sell the foal
but still have Sonador.
Sonador?
Yeah. It's her full name. Sonador.
Sonador.
I think it's Spanish.
Spanish for "dreamer."
Good night, Dreamer.
- OK, I got it.
- I'm going to Pop's.
Lil, how many days they give you
down at the diner?
I got Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
But I could take more.
Palmer called around. Shut me out
everywhere. I can't find any work.
I'll have to take down the sign.
The real estate sign?
It's all been sold. Only land we got
left to sell, we're sitting on.
Here's the first letter of foreclosure.
- Morning.
- Hello, Cale.
- Hey, Doc.
- Balon. Manny.
Sonya will make us
some money, huh?
This horse will make
a special baby, huh?
- Is Ben around?
- I'm right here.
All right. Just got off the phone
with Bill. We're back on.
Going to breed her to Grand Slam.
Ben, I've completed my tests
and I've got some bad news for you.
What?
She's infertile.
She won't have a baby now?
No, honey,
she's never going to have babies.
I'm sorry, guys.
I'm sorry, Sonya.
It's OK.
It's almost dawn.
You've been up all night.
What was I thinking, Lil?
Trying to breed that horse?
Cale loves that horse.
That's good, because that little filly
just ruined us.
That little filly is the best thing
that's ever happened around here.
Come on, Lil.
Since she's been in that barn,
we have a family.
For the first time in years.
I'll work seven days a week at the diner
if it means you'll spend time with Cale.
Can't you just see how much
she wants to be with you?
And I know that your dad
disappointed you,
but that does not mean
that you have to disappoint her.
- It's nothing to do with my father.
- It's everything to do with him.
You're wrong. The truth is if Cale
hadn't been with me that night
I'd have left that horse on the track
and let them put her down.
And I'd still have my job.
Cale...
Cale?
Come on, Cale.
Honey, can I come in?
Let's just give her some time.
Cale? Come on, honey.
Open the door.
Please?
She'll come downstairs
when she's ready.
We're going to run away.
We're going to run far away.
There you go.
We're going for a little walk.
Cale...
Stop, Sonya!
Sonya, stop!
Hang on, Cale.
Cale!
Dad, she won't stop!
I can't make her stop!
Cale, hang on!
Please...
Cale!
Jump.
Jump!
I got you. I got you. I got you.
You all right? You OK?
I got you, sweetie. I got you.
- Is she OK?
- She's all right. I got her.
It's all right, baby. It's OK.
Are you OK, honey?
- Huh?
- Yes, I'm OK.
Hey, Ben?
- How's Cale doing?
- She's all right.
- She OK?
- Yeah. She's fine.
OK. Could we talk to you
for a minute, boss?
How's Sonya?
She was running back and forth
along the fence and...
- We were following her in the truck...
- Did she break down? How bad is she?
Well, in the truck it said that she's
about a quarter mile. And, well, she...
She was getting faster and faster.
Yeah. She's looking pretty strong, sir.
What are you?
You saying she should race?
You can load her up, Joe.
Mariah's Storm broke her leg
the same way as Sonya.
Same fracture, same location.
Who's Mariah's Storm?
She was a great racehorse.
Made a big comeback, too.
Beat Serena's Song
in the graded stakes.
When I saw Sonya's X-rays
I thought I ought to show them to you.
- That bone is healed.
- That leg's good.
Now, getting her back into racing shape,
that's up to you. Good luck.
Thanks a lot, Doc.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Well, she's not favoring that leg.
How's she look?
She looks big.
- Big as in strong?
- No, big as in fat.
That's mean. That's mean.
You shouldn't say that.
Must've been eating too many Popsicles.
- What?
- What?
You didn't know
I knew about that, did you?
- 37 and two.
- 37 two.
Thirty-six.
What do you think?
Well, in five weeks,
best she's done is three furlongs
in 37 seconds.
Not fast enough to win much, is it?
Maybe a cheap claimer
at Bluegrass Downs.
She was a graded stakes horse.
Now she's a claimer.
It might be a good idea
to run her in one.
See if she perks up in a real race.
I been thinking about that.
You don't think anybody
would claim her, do you?
Would you buy a horse
that broke its leg?
You know, she might win.
Could be easy money.
And away they go.
Came away to a beautiful start.
And Super 35
from the extreme outside.
Coming from behind is Sonador.
Major Easy down along the inside,
is the one showing the best speed.
Her leg looks pretty good.
They make their way around the first
turn and head onto the backstretch.
- Come on, Sonya.
- Come on, Sonador!
Every step. Come on.
Running in fourth is Sonador.
And Sonador's now
on the move on the outside.
Then we have back in fifth,
All For Nothing.
Come on, baby.
Come on, Mike,
change your lead now.
They make their way around the far turn.
- Go!
- Come on, girl.
On the inside comes
Obvious Favorite.
Come on, Sonya,
only three furlongs to go now.
She's coming up!
Major Easy and Obvious Favorite...
Show her the stick now.
Get her out of there.
Come on, girl!
Major Easy and Obvious Favorite
come to the wire together.
Come on, Sonya.
Major Easy and Obvious Favorite...
- Third!
- Third.
That's great.
Minute 13 seconds.
Little slow but it's the beginning.
If Mike wouldn't have been boxed in,
I think she would've won, sir.
Third place. So, what'd she get?
$1,100.
- Sonador. Ben Crane?
- Yeah.
Claimed.
- What? You got to be kidding me.
- Claimed?
- Wait a second. Hang on.
- You said she wouldn't get claimed.
- Cale, listen to me.
- What was the tag?
How much did you get for her?
15,000.
You just sold Sonador.
I don't believe this.
Cale...
I wasn't trying to sell Sonya.
Out of 100 horses
that could have been claimed,
you know how many got claimed?
Two.
Do you understand
that you got to claim the horse
before the race is even run?
I figured there's no way
anybody'd take a chance
on a filly that'd already
broken her leg.
I guess there was some chance.
She's gone.
She was a good horse, Cale.
I'm going to miss her, too.
Please don't treat me
like a little kid.
You were trying to get
some of your money back.
I get it. It's business.
That's right, it is.
But I wasn't trying to sell Sonya, OK?
You lied to me.
You said I'd always have Sonador.
You stood right there and said it.
You raced her and she got claimed.
Well, everything doesn't end up
the way you want it to.
She wasn't for sale.
Every racehorse everywhere
in the world, right now, is for sale.
Get that.
She wasnt just some racehorse.
She was our horse.
I told Pat I would work
the dinner shift tonight.
You said you'd go
to Cale's school for Parents' Night.
Eight o'clock. I got it.
All right.
Have a good time.
"My shirt was wet
and it smelled like French toast."
"So even though I threw up, I was happy
my dad took me to the firehouse."
"The end."
Thank you, Miss Richardson.
Thank you.
- Ben Crane.
- Yes, ma'am.
I'd love you to read Cale's story.
It's very inventive.
It's right there in the blue folder.
Come on up.
"Once upon a time
there was a noble king."
"He lived in a beautiful castle
overlooking green fields."
"An evil storm cast darkness
over his castle."
"And before he knew it,
dark knights had begun
to take away his kingdom
one piece at a time."
"But our king was a warrior and he knew
that if he could find his magic horse,
he could restore the kingdom
to greatness."
"He was not like most kings.
He was quiet and kind."
"Everyone loved the king,
which he may not have known."
"He searched and searched and finally
rescued his horse from a raging river."
"But by the time
he'd freed his horse,
his kingdom was gone
and he had given up."
"But the horse knew better than he."
"The horse took him over mountain ranges
and across raging rivers."
"When it finally looked like they would
die, the horse asked him to trust him."
"The king didn't know if the horse
had really spoken to him
or he just hadn't had anything to eat
in a few days."
"Not soon after, the horse attempted
to climb a mountain so steep
the king was sure
it would be their deaths."
"But the horse reached the top."
"And at the top,
they found his kingdom restored."
"All those who loved him
greeted the king with pie and coffee."
"By Cale Crane."
- Can we keep these?
- Yes.
I read your story tonight at school.
The stupid one about the king?
Yeah, the stupid king.
I made mistakes, Cale.
I'm sorry.
So you like the stupid king?
Yeah, I like the stupid king.
I love the stupid king.
He loves you, too.
Ben, there's some guy here
to see you.
Cale.
I got Pop a new goat.
Want to pull him out of the trailer?
Thanks a lot.
Sonya! Sonya!
You came home!
I'm so glad you're back.
How'd you get her back?
It wasnt just me.
Pops helped out. Too.
I did?
We're both out of coffee for a while.
All right,
I got all the paperwork here.
Cale, we put 51 percent
of Sonador in your name.
So from here on out,
you make all the decisions.
Don't worry, you'll have 39 percent.
Balon, you and Manny
can split the other ten, huh?
What are you saying, Ben?
Well, I'm saying as soon
as she signs this paper,
the new owner of Sonador
is Cale Crane.
Welcome to the race business.
Congratulations.
You work for her now.
OK, boss...
- Me?
...what's it going to be?
- Come on.
- Let's go, seorita. Come on.
Should I warm her up and then push her
a little for three furlongs? Maybe four?
You want us to blow her out, right?
Then we can start to build her up.
Yeah. Let's just blow her out.
Appreciate it, Bob.
If anything comes up,
you let me know, huh? All right. 'Night.
Hey...
- You're up kind of late.
- Been reading all of Sonya's records.
She won over 200,000
in graded company.
Oh, yeah, I know.
Qualifies her for a lot of stakes races.
I looked through the conditions book.
Well, I'm sure
you'll figure something out.
I want you to help me.
I want you to help me train her.
I see.
Well, you'd be getting a trainer.
What is it I'd be getting?
Ten percent.
- 20.
- 15.
- Done.
- Sign here.
Straight across. Not too tight.
That's it. There you go.
Come on, girl. Come on.
Get up. Let's go.
She look good?
- All right, here we go.
- Hello.
I want to thank everyone for coming.
I've scouted all of Sonador's
possible races
and picked one I know she can win.
Really?
And when is this race?
Saturday, October 29th.
Gotten the best jockey.
His name is Manolin Vallarta.
Well, I'm Manolin Vallarta.
Great idea.
You once told me you were the greatest
jockey in the world and I believe you.
Thank you, Cale.
Thank you, but I can't. I'm not ready.
I'm...
Fat and I got to slim down.
Right, Manny?
October 29th is the same day
as the Breeders' Cup Championship,
isn't it?
Biggest day in racing.
Breeders' Cup is eight races
worth 14 million dollars?
I don't think you want to run in a race
on the same day as the Breeders' Cup.
You're right. We shouldn't run in a race
the same day as the Breeders' Cup.
That's why we're going to run
in the Breeders' Cup.
That's ambitious.
You cant just show up
with your horse at the Breeders' Cup
and say "I'm here.
I want to run in the Classic."
- It doesn't work that way.
- Be nice if it did.
Do you know
what the selection process is?
Fourteen horses.
First seven are graded stakes wins,
points, I don't know.
Last seven are...
No. No, I don't, really.
The last seven they base on
performance during the year.
But they can make a judgment call.
I'm going to take a shot.
It's a long shot
but why not Sonador?
Why not us?
- Why not Sonador?
- That's right.
We going to the Breeders' Cup.
Did you really not know
how the last horses were chosen?
No, I didn't. Why would I?
I never been there.
But if Sonya does get in, there'll be
huge fees for a race like that.
So, you know, this is a pipe dream.
Remember dreams, Ben?
Well, this one's Cale's.
Help her live it.
I want to, Lil. I do.
I'm just saying, it isn't going
to happen. That's all, honey.
So what? So what?
Just let it take her as far as it can.
All right.
Five furlongs in 1.01 and change.
That's better, but...
She was breezing, Dad. Don't worry.
They're good. They look good.
Hey, guys.
You guys got my favorite.
Balon, where's mine?
Yummy.
This is an orange?
It looks like a painted golf ball.
Manny, run her
closer to the rail, will you?
The donuts aren't that good.
- Oh no!
- Give me another jelly.
Back up.
Are we lucky?
Good girl. Yes. Come on.
Come on, Sonya.
Cale?
I'm up. I'm up.
But, my horse Rapid Cat, is the son of
Storm Cat, the best sire in the world.
He deserves to run
in the Breeders' Cup.
Mr. Sadir Abal,
Rapid Cat is 18th on the point list.
We've got 14 spots.
There's not much hope
for Rapid Cat. Next.
Is Mr. Cale Crane here?
I'm Cale Crane.
Why don't you stand up?
Miss Cale Crane.
Your horse Sonador has 20 points
and that puts her 16th on the list.
Though I see that last year
she had 42 points.
Yes, sir. She'd have that many points
this year, but she was injured.
She was injured? Well, do you have
a vet's report says she's sound?
Right here, sir.
Thank you.
Now, you know there are
14 horses that get to run.
And your horse got a shot.
But to enter this horse in this race,
there'll be a fee of $40,000.
Did you bring a check?
I mailed it.
Today.
Let's say that the panel determines
that Sonador belongs in this race.
Now, there's another
80,000 dollars in fees
that's going to be due
on October 26th.
You prepared for that?
She'll mail it to you.
Yes, sir, I am.
Final selection
will be at 11am tomorrow.
- We got a deal?
- You got a deal. Congratulations.
My knight in shining armor's
come to rescue me?
Bye. I'm going to take off.
I'll see you tomorrow.
See you later.
Is Cale with Pop?
Yeah, they're going over
race strategies.
- She going to get in?
- Selection's in the morning.
How did Cale do
in front of the committee?
Truth? It was rough.
She got kicked around pretty good.
- Why are you smiling?
- Because she kicked right back.
Yeah, she reminds me of somebody.
You were right, Lil.
It was great just letting her try.
So you're saying that I'm smart?
I'm saying you're smart and beautiful.
You think she has a chance
of getting in.
There's a chance.
And the entry fees
are $120,000. OK?
Did you hear me?
Why are you smiling?
I feel like I'm on a date.
Cale?
Time for bed, honey.
Well, that works a little better
than a bucket now, doesn't it?
Yes.
So how much will you bet
on Sonador to win the Classic?
Don't you think she can win?
You got to think she can win.
What's the harm in that?
- Say "I think she can win."
- I think she can win.
Good.
She needs to hear you say that.
I would like to see you
run against those boys.
May I have your attention, please?
I am proud to announce the field
for the 22nd running
of the Breeders' Cup Classic.
We start in alphabetical order.
A.P. Flyer.
Argus.
Bicycleman.
Bijoco.
Chief Balaz.
Full Of Flight.
Goliath's Boy.
Grand Duke.
Icondoit.
In The Rooms.
Note's Weasel.
On The Hops.
And our last two runners are:
Point Twice...
...and...
...Sonador.
Yes!
Way to go!
No. No.
I gave it away.
You gave it away.
You don't even know the joke.
I can't believe I just did that.
Well, I had to see for myself.
It's amazing.
Well, it's good to see the Cranes
all in one spot.
Pop Crane.
The famous Pop Crane.
Evening, fellas.
How can we help you?
Well, you have to ask yourselves
how much it's worth to you
to have this broken filly
finish 14th in a field of 14.
How much you want
to embarrass yourselves.
Because we all know that this horse
has got no business in that race.
Ben, I feel bad about
what happened between us.
No, look, honestly, I do.
And I'd like to make it right.
I'll give you...
...20,000 in cash for her.
- 20 grand?
- Yeah.
Let's see. Manny,
that's $1,000 for you.
$1,000 for you, Balon.
A whole 1,000 for me?
I guess I could get me
a couple of steak dinners now.
Maybe some wine,
maybe some tube socks.
$1,000 for me, too?
I could buy me a thousand pair
of dollar underwears.
Wait, my share's
about eight grand.
I've only got 20 invested.
Where do I sign?
$40,000.
All right?
I brought my guys and a trailer with me.
So your luck is changing.
I know what you paid for that horse.
- Are we done here?
- Not my horse, Everett.
Well, what do you say, honey?
I'm not selling her.
OK, I found my other pocket.
All right?
And you listen to me.
This is your last chance.
I have a certified check for $100,000.
And if you take this offer
I'll give your dad his job back.
I can't believe it.
The Cranes have finally won one.
Dad?
If it was me...
...Id tell him to take his money
and his empty trailer
and get the hell off our farm.
But...
...that's just me.
You're running Goliath's Boy
in the Classic?
That's right. He is the favorite.
And when he wins the Cup,
it'll be my fifth horse of the year.
Do you think Goliath's Boy remembers
what Sonya's butt looks like?
Why?
Because it's all it will be
seeing of her on race day.
That's a good one, kid.
That's funny, ain't it? That's funny.
Suit yourself.
Dad.
Any luck?
I can't find a sponsor for this race.
Nobody wants to take a chance on her.
Called everybody I can think of.
You ever seen a kid
so happy with a horse?
Yeah. I have.
Pick it up.
Come on. Pick it up.
Good girl.
There's other races, darling,
that don't cost so much to enter.
I've lost 15 pounds in three weeks.
You should stop training.
We don't have the money to run.
Going down to the Breeders' Cup to tell
them we're dropping out of the race.
I had a dream last night, Cale.
I was on a horse.
A fast horse. That horse and me...
We're flying like angels.
How'd it end?
I woke up and my hunger was gone.
It was God telling me to race again.
Thank you, Cale.
May God bless you.
Nobody ever thought we'd get in.
No, they didn't. But you did it.
Cale. Pop. Come on.
Get in the truck.
Come on, let's go.
- Great idea, Dad.
- He said he'd talk to us.
- What are you going to say?
- I'm not. You are.
I'm here to see Prince Sadir.
The prince is expecting you.
Please join him.
Prince Sadir, I'm Cale Crane.
- I remember you.
- This is my dad and my granddad.
- Morning.
- Appreciate you taking my call.
120,000?
40,000 for the nomination fee
and 80,000 for the entrance fee.
Prince Tariq is sure he's going to win.
Goliath's Boy is a big, big horse.
Goliath's Boy is a bully.
He's a bluffer and her horse knows it.
Cale, you look me in the eye
and you tell me
you think your horse has a chance
of beating my brother's horse.
My horse will beat every horse
that shows up.
Yeah, we're in!
We are in the Breeder's Cup!
I can't believe it!
"You are a great champion."
"When you ran, the ground shook,
the sky opened
and mere mortals parted."
"Parted the way to victory, where
you'll meet me in the winner's circle
and I'll put a blanket
of flowers on your back."
Run hard tomorrow.
Run hard for my dad.
He deserves a good run.
Pop?
Just a minute.
- What?
- In 21 Breeders' Cup Classics,
you know how many fillies
have ever won it?
None. Only four fillies ever ran.
She's not even ready.
Palmer's right.
This is going to be an embarrassment.
What am I doing here, Pop?
You're taking your kid and your horse
to the Breeders' Cup tomorrow.
Because that's the dream
of every real horseman.
It's the dream of every father.
Dream damn few ever get to see.
Damn few, trust me on that one.
Listen, Lilly and Cale
are driving down in the morning
and Lilly doesn't really know
where to go so...
I want you to come to the race.
Pop, as your son,
I'm asking you to come.
Be with me and Cale.
OK.
OK. Good.
Good.
OK, Sonya. Here you go, mama.
You are done. You are ready, mama.
OK, Manolin, looking good.
Good job. Good job.
Good job, sweetie.
Good job. Good job.
- You got her?
- Yeah, I got her.
You look muy bella.
Well, thank you, Balon.
I was talking to her.
Here you go, Manny.
Here's the original silks
of the Crane Race Farm.
I'm taking this good-looking thing to
the owners' box and show off that hat.
- Have a great race, Manny.
- Thank you, Mrs. Crane.
Sure wish we had
another couple of weeks.
She's ready to run.
You saved her life.
She's just returning the favor.
She's here to run for you.
Mr. Palmer. So, what do you expect
from Goliath's Boy today?
What do I expect
from Goliath's Boy?
I expect that Goliath's Boy's
going to have some fun today.
There's Ben Crane and Sonador.
80-1 shot.
Hey, Ben.
How about we get a picture here
with Sonador and Goliath's Boy.
Just a little photo opportunity.
No.
- Get him away!
- Control your horse!
Sonya! No, no, no!
Get him away!
Easy, easy, easy!
It's all right. I got him.
- Will you control your horse?
- I got him.
Easy, boy. It's OK.
- Grab a hold of her.
- Easy.
Going to be OK.
I don't believe it.
I'm feeling heat in that leg.
I don't know if it's me or...
What do you want to do?
What do you want to do, boss?
- What do you want to do?
- Bring her in here.
Dad...
What are the chances
she's cut on the same leg
we've healed for over 6 months?
This is beyond bad luck.
Are you afraid?
Are you afraid that we're going
to come in dead last?
- I'm sorry, sir.
- Bring her in here.
- Sir, it's Sonya.
- Just bring her in here.
She won't come in!
Manny. Manny. Hang on.
- She doesn't want to move.
- Hold on. Come here.
She tried to kick me
when I tried to bring her in.
Come here, girl. Come on, now.
Hold on. Come here, girl.
Easy now.
What do you want?
Easy.
What's she telling you?
I don't know.
Something about...
...the ground shaking.
Sky parting.
She wants to run.
Let's go.
Balon, take Cale to our seats.
Good luck.
Come on, girl.
I got a special package here.
This is going to be great.
- I'm very excited, ain't you?
- Hello.
This is just for owners.
I know. That'd be us.
That would be us. Yeah.
- Thank you very much.
- Good luck.
Here we go.
Are we down this way?
This way, yeah. That's it.
- Do you know anyone here? I don't.
- No, I don't.
Horses coming out onto the track
for the Grade 1
$4,000,000 Breeders' Cup Classic:
The biggest race in North America.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Eighth race.
20 to win on the seven.
Seven? That's Sonador.
That horse is 80-1.
You know what?
You're right.
$257 on Sonador to win.
You like that?
Good luck.
A reminder
of two jockey changes here.
Number 11, Grand Duke
will now be ridden by Alan Reid.
Well, you ready?
Pop.
257 to win?
You're crazy.
That's for you.
Here's the moment
we've been waiting for.
They're ready to load into the gate
for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
And here's Goliath's Boy.
Is he full of himself this afternoon.
Goliath's Boy is good
and he knows he's good.
Very aggressive this afternoon.
Goliath's Boy looks like he's going
to run a huge race.
He's loaded in the gate now,
joined by Bijoco and Note's Weasel.
Icondoit and Point Twice coming up.
Now, here's the filly, Sonador.
Only the fifth filly
to even run in this race.
Sonador joined now by Bicycleman.
And here's young Manny Vallarta,
the rider of Sonador.
Certainly never been in a race this big
in his entire career.
Grand Duke and Full Of Flight
are going in. Almost all set now.
Chief Balaz to come to the outside gate
and they'll all be set for a start.
They're all set.
And away they go.
Broke in a perfect line.
In The Rooms on the inside.
The favorite, Goliath's Boy, comes away
beautifully and joins the leaders.
Note's Weasel is right there.
Bijoco in the middle of the pack.
Icondoit towards the outside.
Then it's Point Twice and Bicycleman,
setting a very fast pace early on.
A.P. Flyer behind that.
On the Hops as they go wide.
Then back to Grand Duke
and Full Of Flight.
Sonador is second last at the back.
In The Rooms on the inside
but the favorite, Goliath's Boy,
right there with them.
Hold on, Manny!
It looks like the rider's foot
has come out the irons on Sonador.
Get back up.
Make her settle.
- She's last.
- There's a lot of race left.
First quarter, 22 and one.
Go, Sonya!
Go, Sonya!
Sonador's passing a horse
with each and every stride
as they come to the top of the lane.
In The Room's the leader.
The filly Sonador
moving into the picture.
- This big long shot, Sonador...
- Come on, Sonya.
And Sonador could be a danger
to the favorite, Goliath's Boy.
And Goliath's Boy goes on for home.
Come on, Sonya. Take him out.
The filly Sonador is up
alongside of Goliath's Boy.
They come down to the wire,
Goliath's Boy and Sonador.
And it's Sonador!
Unbelievable. The filly Sonador
has come from last.
And look at this, the odds 80-1.
The biggest stunning upset...
Oh, baby, I had a dream.
It was a dream and I didn't know
the end of it till today!
Yeah!
Thanks, Pop. Thanks for everything.
Thank you.
257 at 80-1?
That's $20,000. I'm back.
"You are a great champion."
"When you ran, the ground shook,
the sky opened
and mere mortals parted."
"Parted the way to victory where
you'll meet me in the winner's circle
where I'll put a blanket
of flowers on your back."