FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SIDELINES APRIL 2014 47
but two or three shots, so when we did the editing it looks great.
It was definitely tougher finding a horse than the actors.”
Jim added that Sunday Rest became a star in his own right.
“He does a lot in the movie, and he learned a lot of tricks very
quickly. He’s my movie star. After the movie, Bill took him back to
Washington because he said he had to have the horse.”
Jim licensed the racing footage from Churchill Downs of Mine
That Bird’s stunning victory, which he used in the movie, but
during the filming at Churchill Downs Calvin also rode Sunday
Rest. Jim was thrilled with how the young horse handled the
action, but he wasn’t the only one. “Calvin was so excited about
Sunday Rest that he kept saying, ‘If we get this horse ready he
might be really good as a racehorse,’” Jim said, laughing.
While Sunday Rest is enjoying life with the horse trainer in
Washington, the real Mine That Bird continues to live out his
fairy-tale life. B
orn May 10, 2006, Mine That Bird began racing
in 2008 in Canada, winning four of his first six starts. His career
slumped after Mark Allen purchased him in the fall of 2008, going
winless until his monumental upset at the 2009 Kentucky Derby.
Mine That Bird continued his run for the Triple Crown that
year, finishing second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the
Belmont Stakes. He amassed $2,228,637 in earnings throughout
his career but never won another race in nine starts after his
win at the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird retired from racing
in November 2010 and is living happily at Mark’s Double Eagle
Ranch in Roswell, New Mexico.
His favorite pastime is eating
peppermints.
About the Movie
50 to 1 will gallop into theaters March 21, starring Skeet Ulrich,
Christian Kane, William Devane, Madelyn Deutch, Todd Lowe
and jockey Calvin Borel. Odds are you may want to take tissues
to the theater, even if you know how the story ends. For more
information, visit 50to1themovie.com.
