Ruffian - Die Wunderstute

I had just gotten interested in the Triple Crown races for colts when the famous "Battle of the Sexes" aired, and I do remember what happened to Ruffian. If you are not familiar with the story, I won't give away the ending, but the events in the last few minutes of this movie may be upsetting to some people.

Sam Shepard did an outstanding job as the horse's trainer. Some of his reactions were not what I expected, but since the characters in this movie were supposedly real, perhaps he really did what was depicted. In that case, Frank Whiteley was an amazing man. He cared about his horses and about doing the right thing, but at some point he had to say yes, it's terrible, but life goes on.

Frank Whaley did a very good job as a leading sports reporter. His personality didn't appeal to me personally, but he was quite a character. Vladimir Diaz did well as Jacinto Vasquez, the jockey who rode Ruffian on several occasions, a man depicted as having high moral standards despite all that was happening.

The track announcers were excellent. And most of the leading actors gave good performances.

The horse action was well done. We saw numerous unusual camera angles of the races. Every win by Ruffian was shown in slow motion.

I liked the joke played on the reporters at Ruffian's stall. All this hype was seen as ridiculous by certain characters, as well it should have been. And this was 30 years before Paris Hilton!

Effective use was made of what appeared to be real footage of fans of both Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure as horse racing's answer to Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs approached. And of course extras wore the t-shirts and cheered for their horse. This all drove home the point that this event was kind of silly. Several times it was suggested Ruffian could have just competed against the guys--Rags to Riches did just that the day I saw this--but if that never happened, then it couldn't have been in the movie.

Displayed on the screen was a reminder that some events in the movie were fictional. Included among these was the specific event--shown in slow motion--that may have caused what I'm not giving away. Also shown on screen at the movie's end was the fact that no one really knows WHAT happened.

The only weakness I saw was the fact that Ruffian's early career was rushed. The big event in her life was given so much time that the only way to adequately show her progress would have been to make this a three-hour movie (commercials included) rather than two. Perhaps two and a half would have been enough.

But for the time allotted, this was a fine effort.

The story of the beloved and magnificent Racehorse Philly, Ruffian, is brought to life in this sweet and sentimental portrait. Ruffian's great speed and talents are revealed during her training period, her victories, her Filly Triple Crown Victory and up to her match-up race against Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure. What I like about this Made for Cable Movie is that you don't have to be a Horse Race enthusiast to enjoy it. Although, it does help. Sam Shepard, as Frank Whitely, the experienced and no-nonsense trainer is great in his realistic approach to the character. When noticing a young and speedy Ruffian run on the track for the first time, he demures, "I'm not sure about her for racing." Racing or not, I love that horse, says an assistant." "Never fall in love with a horse", retorts Frank. He's an old school pro who understands how to survive in the business. But evidently, he does fall in love with his gorgeous filly. An outcome he doesn't want to admit.

Frank Whaley, the reporter covering the racing scene at this time, serves as the narrator to the story. They show a sort of lukewarm, but prickly professional relationship. I like the old school macho barbs Whitely banters with his jockey and assistant trainers. They respect each other but refuse to get too friendly. Horse-racing is a tough business that requires nerves of steel.

This era of horse racing also took place when the male/female battle of the sexes was a new media craze. This theme blends in with this story without going overboard. You will also hear the likes of old time champions and jockeys such as Secretariat, Damascus, Dr. Fager, SWAPS, Eddie Arcaro and Willie Shoemaker which is reminiscent of great racing memories for fanatics.

Ruffian is a story of both tragedy and triumph of how one of the world's most beloved pastimes reminds us of why we love the horses and the tradition.

As an avid fan of Thoroughbred horse racing, and someone who followed Ruffian's career including witnessing her final race, I was pleasantly surprised by this made-for-TV film. Earlier in the day, the ABC network broadcast the Belmont Stakes in which viewers saw the unique character befitting many of the long-time sportswriters who cover Thoroughbred racing. Unfortunately for the film, Frank Whaley failed to deliver that persona in the key role of sportswriter Bill Nack. However, Sam Shepard in the starring role of trainer Frank Whiteley gave a most believable performance, capturing the real life trainer's restrained professionalism. While the film's setup for the Sorority Stakes was good, I would like to have seen more background as a lead into each of the races depicted. The writers capably demonstrated how the horse, even against the wishes of its trainer, was secondary to "filling the stands" for the moguls of the racing industry. To his credit, French-Canadian director Yves Simoneau did not overly dramatize the horse's final moments, instead, effectively borrowing the eye/lash closeup created by Krzysztof Kieslowski in his French-language film, "Trois couleurs: Bleu"

I was and never have been an avid horse race watcher,but when I was ten years old,while looking for something to watch on television,I stumbled across a race consisting of two horses,one of which was named Ruffian.I remember the name because of the tragic event that took place and recall very little else about it.I remember Ruffian being badly injured and eventually having to be put down.I remember thinking how sad this was,and over the years,having heard next to nothing about it,have recalled it from time to time over the next thirty or so years.When I saw that a movie was made about her and that tragic day,I had to see it.Details that had been vague to me were brought to light.If the story told here was accurate,this was obviously a much loved,very majestic animal destined for greatness.To think that her life was cut short by some insignificant,over-hyped battle of the sexes mishmash is not only sad,it's infuriating.If anything good has come from that day,it's that challenge races no longer exist,thank goodness.

I realize the horse who played Ruffian probably doesn't look like her and that Claiborne Farms is a very upscale operation. To me, however, the story is about heart, both in humans and horses, and how that binds them together and makes them great. In my opinion, Sam Shepard did a great job as Frank Whitely. I don't know enough about horse racing to pick out all the little factual flaws but to me this is a really inspiring story. The scenes are beautiful. It also captures the feel of the 1970s, at least as I remember them. The scenes where Ruffian broke down are really tragic, and it was also sad to see her in the hospital trying to recover. I liked the supporting cast quite a lot, too. To the limited extent I've been around horses, they seemed like horse people and the kind of folks who really love horses. I would recommend this movie to anyone.