The First Saturday in May

Every year since 1875, the first Saturday in May is the time for the Kentucky Derby, a race of three year old thoroughbred horses over a mile and a quarter track that has been called the most exciting two minutes in all of sports. 40,000 thoroughbreds are born each year. Of these 23,000 will race and of those, only 20 will make it to the Derby. For owners, trainers, grooms, and jockeys it is the World Series, The Indy 500, and the Super Bowl combined into one. For two years, brothers John and Brad Hennegan followed the daily activities of those horses and their trainers that they thought had a chance to make it to Churchill Downs, shooting over 500 hours of film on a minimal budget in diverse locations such as New York, Florida, California, Arkansas, Dubai, and Kentucky. The result is The First Saturday in May, a buoyant and energizing film experience that may just be the best documentary of the year.

First Saturday is primarily a film about horses but is also about families and especially children who provide some of the most entertaining moments of the film. The Hennegans show the ups and downs of the path to the "run for the roses" and the emotional investment of the trainers and their families preparing their horses for the ride of their life. Trainers include Dale Romans who grew up only a few miles from Churchill Downs, Dan Hendricks, trainer of Brother Derek, who is paralyzed from the waist down, Kiaran McLaughlin, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, Michael Matz, trainer of Barbaro who won an Olympic medal as an equestrian, and others. Another human interest story is that of 61 year old groom Chuck Chambers who has worked tirelessly all of his life for this opportunity.

In order to qualify for the Derby, horses have to compete in stakes races scattered throughout the country and only the top twenty three-year olds in earnings will qualify. The film follows six horses: Barbaro, Achilles of Troy, Brother Derek, Lawyer Ron, Jazil, and Sharp Humor through their months of preparation and shows us races - lots of races in which survival in the Derby competition is at stake. These include the Wood Memorial, the Santa Anita Derby, The Gotham Stakes, and many others, one more heart pounding than the other. For some there is triumph and for others tragedy as one horse on the verge of qualifying, breaks down during a race and is pulled from further competition.

The most emotionally compelling moments in the film are those showing the rise and fall of the horse Barbaro from his astonishing 6 ½-length win in the 2006 Kentucky Derby to his breakdown in Pimlico and his subsequent fight for survival. The sequences are shown with admiration and respect for the suffering of the horse and the breakdown is hidden from the camera. The film does not touch issues such as gambling, and race fixing told in Hollywood films until they have become a cliché.

The Hennegan Brothers, whose father was a racing official at Belmont Park and who have had a lifelong interest in the sport, wanted to show the positive aspects of racing, the excitement it generates, and the lives of the real people involved. Of course all roads lead to Louisville and the thrilling 2006 Derby run is one of the highlights. The film ends on an upbeat note informing us of the subsequent successes of the individuals shown in the film and the birth of Barbaro's brother Nicanor, a potential Kentucky Derby participant in 2009. The First Saturday in May may not be the most publicized documentary of the year but, like Hoop Dreams did in 1994, once it finds its audience, it will be a swift ride to the winner's circle.

This is an AWESOME film! I was lucky enough to see it twice before - once at Delaware Park and then at SilverDOCS - and I'm going again. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer.... The Hennegans, aside from being great guys, are incredible film-makers.

Even if you're not an avid race fan, you will still get a lot out of this film. The Kentucky Derby is an internationally known sporting contest (the Queen even attended last year, for goodness sakes). No other movie shows the in-depth behind the scenes preparations that take place in getting a horse to the Derby. What also makes the movie so poignant is that it features some great scenes with ill-fated Derby winner, Barbaro. He was a true champion. The Hennegans handle his injury in the Preakness and his death with great sympathy, but they don't let it overtake the entire movie.

Go see this film if its playing near you, and if not make sure to get the DVD when its available!

absolutely fabulous film. I am an avid horse racing fan, so I was bound and determined to see this movie the day it opened. I was not disappointed! You can really tell the makers love horses and racing, and that love comes through loud and clear. The people, from the horses to the jockeys, trainers and grooms are well developed and captivating. You find yourself rooting for EVERYONE to win, even though you know what's coming. The horses are captured in a way that horse people (and non horse people!) can appreciate- shows their charming personalities and sometimes rogue behavior.

and then there's Barbaro.

I tried to tell myself I wasn't going to cry, but it was impossible. I know the story well, but it still pulls my heart strings to see the story unfold again. I believe this was a perfect tribute to this amazing animal, a horse that touched the hearts of so many people. It makes me happy to know that Barbaro has been immortalized in this wonderful movie.

Fabulous film that is more about people than horses. Tells a moving realty show of courage, skill and tenacity. Trainers overcome personal adversity (paralyses and M.S.),their wives bask in the excitement of the race-world (one is a jockey, another a fashion model), and the children can't resist cutting school to witness the race (one places a bet for the teacher, the other drops out to work full time at the stable). The by-line story of the rise and fall of famed horse Barbaro from the track is told with grace, respect and admiration. And the filmmakers' travel on-site to the tracks (including Dubai)coupled with the musical score add the spice and variety that make this film a sure winner.

"You have to do it with confidence." Michael Matz, Barbaro trainer

Out of the gate, the documentary First Saturday in May is a winner, whose neophyte directors, brothers Brad and John Hennegan, capture mostly the glamour of the kingly sport before and at Churchill Downs once a year. Although the editing is choppy, the camera angles uninspired, and the lighting weak—no doubt due to the fact that I saw it from projected DVD before prints were cast—it gently carries a romantic aura of the race to qualify and the big race.

This is the famous 2006 race with the incomparable, tragic winner, Barbaro. That the brothers had enough sense to spotlight this undefeated, favored thoroughbred is much in their favor; that the doc must end in the horse's eventual put down from a Preakness Stakes leg injury is a dramatic counterpoint to the upbeat scenario that went before it, a gift so to speak from the Fates to a film that could have been judged sugarcoated without the dark ending.

Prior to the big race the doc traces several stables and their trainers as they prepare to qualify for it or for the race itself. Notably from good ol' slow Kentucky boy Dale Romans looking for his first win to chatty New York assistant trainer Frank Amonte, whose kids take after him in accent and attitude but not in casual expletives from their dad every time he has a setback.

The usual goofballs are present on the day of the derby such as the rube with the spinning horses on top of his beanie and the chubby preadolescent kid who pulls a wad of money from his pocket while mom proudly exclaims, "Horses and poker, that's his thing right now." The doc doesn't need fancy photography to catch the regal nature of this all American event (notwithstanding an owner sheikh from Dubai). It's a winner.