On the first Tuesday of November each year, the Melbourne Cup is run. In 2002, this $4 million dollar race was won by Media Puzzle, a gelding trained by Irish trainer Dermot Weld and ridden by Australian Jockey Damien Oliver. Although the end result is already known, this film provides great viewing of an incredible time in Australian racing history.
Overcoming the Odds
A movie based around real life events, the Cup starts with Damien being presented with the Scobie Breasly medal, an annual jockey award, by his older brother Jason. Jason is also a jockey, but recognises the incredible talent his younger brother has for riding race horses.
At a time when Oliver feels there’s not much on offer with regards to Australian horses to ride in the Melbourne Cup, he accepts the invitation to ride one of Dermot Weld’s mounts in the 2 mile race. Against the advice and wishes of close friends and informed horse men, Damien stands by his decision.
A Heartfelt Film with a Familiar Cast
The Cup showcases many familiar Australian faces, with the likes of Stephen Curry (the Castle, Wog Boy) as Damien Oliver, Shaun Micallef (The Micallef Program) as Lee Freedman and Daniel McPherson as Jason Oliver. Other commonplace names on Australian screens include Bill Hunter, Roger Corser and Tom Burlinson who played Tommy Woodcock in the movie Phar Lap.
The characters portrayed are genuine and likeable. The joys and pains that are found throughout the year with the death of Damien’s brother in a horse racing accident, destructive fires in Bali that hit Australians hard and the dedication of the Cup win to Damien’s brother Jason, were well played out and authentic.
Genuine Racing Footage and an Insight into the Thoroughbred Racing Game
Throughout the movie real footage of races are played from both Australia and Ireland. With the build up to the race comes a focus on the Godolphin Stables, Dermot Weld’s racing stables and Bart Cummings.
Viewers are able to witness the realities of what top racing stables look like, how big racing is for many countries, and the amount of money that is poured into keeping a racehorse fit and transporting them around the world after big purses of prize money. Early morning track work is featured as well as the long days and hard work that makes up the racing game.
The Cup is a great look at the racing industry and what it entails. Genuine footage helps to keep the horse related scenes authentic, with only a couple of scenes that could have been more realistic. For those that enjoyed horse racing films such as Dreamer and Seabiscuit, this movie should be checked out.
Source
- The Cup Movie, accessed 23/11/2011
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
