Races to Remember

Races to Remember (1956)

*** (out of 4)

Nice entry in the Sportscope series takes a look at several famous horse races from 1948 through 1955. The big highlight here are clips from the 1948 Kentucky Derby, which was the first footage from this that I had seen and this is coming from someone who has lived their entire life in KY. I'm sure horse buffs will get a real kick out of this short, which contains some great footage of these classic races but even better to know is that the picture quality is top-notch for such a lower-budget short like this. It's also worth noting that the cinematography is top-notch during all the races as we get some great visuals as well as some nice slow motion work.

This RKO Sportscope short offers clips from various horse races over the decade previous to this film's release.

I'm not a great fan of horse racing, but it's worth remembering that at the start of the 20th century, the world's largest spectator sport was horse racing, and the post war period had a number of horses that remain well known, like Native Dancer and jockeys like Willie Shoemaker. Fans and historians of the sport will enjoy seeing these clips.

As I said, I'm not a fan, and while it's pleasant to look at these beasts in motion, I recall that when racing was the sport of kings and the king of sports, the Circus was at the same time the largest branch of the entertainment industry, and that's gone in this country.

A ten minute glimpse at some famous moments from races of the past, as chosen by RKO Sportscope and narrated by Harry Wismer.

If you're a racing fan, names like Assault, Stymie, Natchez, Citation, Coaltown, Native Dancer and others will be familiar to you and their breathtaking last minute wins or loses are a part of racing history.

Footage of seven or eight races are shown, focusing mainly on the last minute across the finish achievements of the above-named horses and mention of jockeys like Eddie Arcaro come into play.

Strictly for horse racing fans, which I'm not. Would have looked a lot better in color since the B&W footage is on the bleak and blurry side.