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A very realistic film about Kentucky thoroughbred raising and racing that includes a large number of black characters including featured players. John Larkin is great as is the direction in general. Madge Evans is truly beautiful. The plot ending is ingenious. It's a keeper if you've taped it off of TCM. A piece of cinema history, I think.

The first part of this movie, about the birth and rearing of "Tommy Boy", is pretty good, if a tad sentimental. Ernest Torrence does his usual excellent job. In the second half, Tommy Boy leaves the farm and falls in with bad companions, and the whole thing degenerates into into bad soap opera. The camerawork is erratic: the shots in the field were apparently shot MOS and look pretty good, but the second half becomes stage bound.

This is the first movie I have seen about horses that understands horses. It also understands, better than most, the ties that grow between the people that work with horses and their charges. The stable hands and breeder roles are developed. Indeed, the stable hands are all black and (for the time) are shown with a range of emotions, humanity, and (shockingly) as having families.

Furthermore the horses are represented as having community among themselves, communicating among themselves, and even caring about the fates of other horses. Add to this the remarkable and touching scenes between the stable hands (notably John Larkin and Eugene Jackson)and the horses throughout the film. The breeder is also notably tender hearted.

The starring roles and plot are well handled. Gable appears late in the film, but commands attention. The female lead is played with backbone and heart. The plot moves swiftly, but not at the expense of creating empathy with the situations at hand. I look forward to exploring further films directed by Charles Brabin.

I recently caught this film on TCM during their celebration of Clark Gable as "Star of the Month" and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Good behind the scenes racing story, with the added attraction of a very young Clark Gable in his first top-billed role. Yes, the story is sentimental, but exceedingly well done, with excellent performances by all. But the best surprise of all is the treatment of the African American characters in the film. Considering the time period, all of the African Americans are treated as intelligent, thinking HUMAN beings, not as shuffling minstrel show caricatures. Why isn't this film better known? Catch it when you have the chance. Highly recommended!

In the very first film in which he received top billing, Clark Gable plays a gambler, no better than he ought to be, who by a variety of circumstances gets ownership along with Madge Evans of his late boss's prize thoroughbred. Lew Cody who played the boss departed this life abruptly and Gable and Evans are left with Kentucky Derby contender Tommy Boy.

In fact the horse is the star of the film with Tommy Boy being born in a thunderstorm where his mother is trapped in mud on Ernest Torrance's farm. Next to the horse the Scotch born Torrance who conveys a real love of the breed and sport is the most memorable in the film. Gable doesn't even appear until the film is half way over.

Some black players got a lot of work from this film and the usual racial stereotyping abounds. Still these people who are grooms, stable boys, exercise riders, etc. are the backbone of the racing industry and they're there also for love of the sport and atmosphere thereof.

The inevitable which is expected actually happens, the goal of everyone who is involved in thoroughbred racing. But the trip in Sporting Blood is a nice one as Tommy Boy foils the machinations of many greedy humans. You have to see how he does it..