St Leger gets the movie treatment
The racecourse have formed a partnership with major movie company Buena Vista International (UK), part of the Disney Corporation, and the season’s final British Classic will be known as the Seabiscuit St Leger Stakes.
The extended 14-furlong race on September 13 will be the highlight of the four-day Seabiscuit St Leger Festival.
The movie-makers are using the oldest British Classic as a means to promote the film Seabiscuit, which recently opened to acclaim in the US and is due to open in the UK on November 14.
The film tells the true story of how the racehorse Seabiscuit gave hope to all Americans during the depression years of the 1930s.
It features Hollywood stars Jeff Bridges, Oscar winner Chris Cooper and Spiderman star Tobey Maguire, as well as leading American jockey Gary Stevens, whose wife is from Doncaster. The film is a box-office hit and has been mentioned as a possible for next year’s Oscars.
Foaled in 1933, Seabiscuit was handled by virtually mute trainer Tom Smith and despite a whole host of training problems, went on to be crowned America’s Horse of the Year in 1938.
The horse’s story was first told in the bestselling book ‘Seabiscuit: An American Legend’ by Laura Hillenbrand, winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 2001.
