In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Luck’s Tough Love: Could David Milch’s Unflinching HBO Assist in Horse Racing’s Revival? | The Norman Lear Center

Mon, 30 Mar 2015 19:26:58 GMT

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re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Slew — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:59:19 GMT

I just watched "Seabiscuit" again. It makes me wonder about some things. It was beautifully filmed in sepia tone, and highlighted the up side, right down to the costuming.

What makes me wonder is why no one made a public outcry as they reenacted the scene where Pollard's exercise ride spooked and dragged Pollard along the ground around the paddock long enough to break his leg in 10 or 11 places. But a horse breaking down in a short scene raises a national outcry? And CGA accomplished the effect?

As far as the characters who crawled out of the seamy underbelly of the racetrack...did you also notice Nick Nolte's character who absolutely loves his horse? And when you hear the story of his horse's sire, Delphi, you will exclaim..."shades of Alydar!" How the filming highlights the horses' eyes, how light plays across their faces, how the steam rises from their backs on a chilly morning. And by gosh...Santa Anita is a star in "Luck", and Gary Stevens does a fine job of playing a broken jockey. And the fact that the trainer, Escalanti is patterned on Julio Canani. Some parts of the show are really down and dirty...so are parts of "Game of Thrones". But if you really listen, you just might hear the music of the horses themselves. (But I do miss hearing Denman calling those races).

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Soldier Course — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:06:32 GMT

I read in a recent letter to The Blood-Horse (print edition) that a potential racing fan will become a devoted racing fan the moment he sees a race unfold in the way he envisioned it. This struck me as an astute observation.

So "Luck" takes this momentum to what level by showing a devastating breakdown in the pilot episode?

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Racingfan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:43 GMT

As a huge racing fan for nearly 40 years I was very disappointed! I don't see this show bringing any new fans to the sport! I agree with those who said if a breakdown must be included it should not have been in the pilot! It portrayed racing in nothing but a negative light in my opinion and I did not care for any of the characters except Nick Nolte. I also found it rather boring. Not sure I will continue watching....

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Needler in Virginia — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:52:17 GMT

Well said, Horsepower. What a lousy way to begin a "love song to racing", and if that was a love song, God help anything Mr Milch hates.............

Cheers and safe trips, anyway!

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Horsepower — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:01:53 GMT

No pasionate fan of racing can be happy with that first episode. I was revved up for weeks to see the first show. What a letdown......breakdown up close, 4 degenarate gamblers......excessive F bombs throughout the show.....a criminal mob type owning a 2 million dollar horse with a hidden ownership front man.....I did not see any positives.....admitedly , most of the above can be a "PORTION" of the business on occasion but what about all of the upside ????? I am all for fair and even illustration of the industry but this left a bad taste in my mouth.....i pray that future episodes will highlight the upside / good stories as strongly as episode one focused on the down sides

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

thomas clark — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:25:51 GMT

An honest portrayal? Really ? Of every thousand starters one has a serious injury. Of those, perhaps a handful in a year sever a limb in the manner presented on "Luck"

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Who — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:51:40 GMT

On a different note, Nick Nolte's face when he sees what he's got on the track ... beautiful image. Hope springs eternal and fragile.

This being HBO, Milch, and Mann, let's not pin our hopes on a lot of simple, happy endings.

I don't think you can do a show about racing without acknowledging the breakdowns and maybe this gets it out of the way early. It's a basic dichotomy of our love for the game - treasure the horses, hate the cost some of them pay. Facing it head on in the premier is honest, and the depiction showed tenderness and the toll it takes on the connections as well.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Brenda S — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:03:04 GMT

I burst into tears as I heard the snap of the leg. I know that it is an honest portrayal of the what can happen (I've unfortunately seen it live) and it was treated with respest and compassion. But, I think he should have waited a few episodes to include it. I believe that it may turn off a few fans of the show...and the sport.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Needler in Virginia — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:56:34 GMT

My ONE criteria for watching or reading anything is that I must care for at least one character. I watched the "Luck" pilot last night and must admit I find all the characters loathsome and couldn't give a hairy rat's *** for any of them. No, I'm not naive; no, I'm not a Pollyanna; no, I don't believe in a perfect world, but good grief!! EVERYONE is a conniving, vengeful, corrupt mess? Thanks, I'd rather watch old reruns of "Jockey" where we saw a bit of "reality". This one turned me off long before the breakdown scene, which is heartbreaking as well as horrifying but, sadly, a part of racing. Nope,the characters are unpleasant, not people I would want to know and certainly not ones I care about, so "Luck" will have to roll on without me.

And SLEW!! Good to see you, sorry I've been silent for so long, but you know the circumstances.....

Cheers and safe trips.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

200 lb. Jockey — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:41:58 GMT

I agree that the breakdown scene came way too early in the series, it really turned me off. I'm a part owner and I know the game inside and out, so I was disappointed that Milch started off the show like that. I was at the derby when EightBell's broke down and I can assure you that it really hurt the sport badly. 75,000 women were crying their eye's out and plenty of men were too. I wondered if the sport would ever recover. I picked Big Brown to win, but a lot of joy was sucked out of the experience by the breakdown. My girlfriend wouldn't even cash in her place ticket for Eight Bell's out of guilt. I can't understand why HBO or Milch thought that a breakdown scene in the pilot was a good idea. It had to come up in the show at some time, but the timing was poor and I'm surprised at the almost amateur decision to have it in the pilot. I was so excited about this show, but as a horse person I almost hated it. The fact that it makes punter's look like a bunch of baboon's doesn't help either. All in all, it was pretty absurd. HBO has a great track record (pun intended) of producing the best show's on TV, but Luck is not one of them yet. Any serious horse fan should be offended. This is not a love letter.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

kittybay — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:28:24 GMT

As a horse owner & trainer, I was not impressed with the scene of the horse breaking down. It was way too gory & graphic and our industry does NOT need that kind of publicity. I realize it happens, but we horsemen try extremely hard to avoid it happening and we are devastated when it does. Other than that, I liked the show. But if they put something like this in it again, I'll stop watching.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Slew — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:27:27 GMT

Well, now that I've seen episode 1, I can say only Bravo...or maybe it would be best to say HBO! It was a brilliant start. The breakdown scene was actually minimized and never deserved the criticism. ESPN's movie on Ruffian was much more drastic. The acting was brilliant. My itchy points problem involves minor editing details more than the story line itself. The exercise rider for Nick Nolte was unable to balance herself on the horse in the work out. And just prior to the the breakdown, no matter how many horses #8 passed, that #8 kept ending up behind 9 horses...in about 5 different takes.

As far as my favorite scenes...what else...the close-ups of the horses' faces kept me mesmerized, and still as in love with racing as ever.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

SundaySilenced — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:49:22 GMT

I watched the episode and went on line to watch the bonus of next week. WOW is all I can say. I LOVE the intro music, I love the characters, love the story line. I was so absorbed in the build-up of winning the pick 6 that the break down totally caught me off guard, it was in a word shocking and just as disturbing as the ones I have seen live. But it was real, and the truth as it happens sometimes. I would have done a clipped heels, everyone's ok scene myself, especially for the first episode. But I'm not the director. I'm glad Mitch uses real facts and events that happen in the TB industry. (love the ref. to a certain stallion and farm in #2)I can't wait to see the rest. I'm already hooked!

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Giddyup — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:04:30 GMT

I don't know if this series will be as entertaining as watching that ATO clip of Steve and Lenny getting the jeapardy buzzer every time they tried to pick a race winner, but I hope it brings more fans to the sport.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Stellar Jayne — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:42:33 GMT

Hi Lenny,

Thank you for this interesting article about Milch and Luck. I think he was right to show the 'dark' side (breakdowns - which are horrific and heartbreaking) and bright side of racing - the beautiful athletes and some of the colorful figures who partake in it.

Thank goodness he put together an accomplished cast who can command the viewership.

Unfortunately, I am unable to view the HBO series, as I don't subscribe to cable currently due to tight finances. I can only hope reruns will be shown on one of the broadcast stations - abc, nbc, cbs, or appear on dvds at a reasonable price.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Slew — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:23:31 GMT

NJinHB: I have to say, to this day, it's difficult to erase my mind of Go For Wand getting up and still trying to run after she broke down. As gruesome a scene as it was,(and it was no movie) it always serves to remind me of the brave hearts our champions really have...and how much more focused and strong and better they are than I am myself.

And, like it or not, gambling is a big part of keeping the tracks running, and gambling will always have its seamier side. Doesn't Vegas exist because of a gangster named Bugsy?

As far as decent racing movies...try "Phar Lap"...on VHS...or even the 1931 Clark Gable intro in "Sporting Blood".

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Slew — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:13:05 GMT

By the way, with respect to the criticsm of the scene involving a horse breaking down, I have to say...If you follow the sport closely, you unfortunately see it often enough. If you watch horse racing only occassionally, you saw Barbaro and Eight Bells break down. It's one of the most heart-breaking aspects of the sport, but it really wouldn't be an honest portrayal of the sport unless it was included. I have to say Bravo to Milch for being able to present a difficult scene with integrity with true compassion.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Shulman

Slew — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:02:01 GMT

A devotee of New Orleans, I was sorely tempted to follow HBO's series, "Treme"...but I'm cheap and didn't. (Though I eventually did buy the DVD set.)

A little more than 3 months to the Kentucky Derby and HBO introduces "Luck". HRTV promotes it. The reviews are all raves. The trailers are stunning. It's life at the track, warts and all. "Hill Street Blues" was one of my favorite shows, and a groundbreaker, as was Wambaugh's "Police Story" back then.

But now...you want to tell me about the horses and sport I love. I surrender. I ordered HBO today, because it's not a series I want to miss. Thank you David Milch. Something is finally on TV that just might be worth its weight. (besides "Southland"). I'm looking forward to what promises to be an enterprising glimpse into a world I love.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

Steel Dragon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:51:21 GMT

Lenny, please do your readers a favor and reprint or post a link to the unforgettable profile you did on Milch many years ago. Best thing I ever read in Blood Horse. Shocking and brutal - I thought it was courageous of the magazine to even print it. Thanks for the warning about the breakdown scene. I might have to skip it now. Bad enough seeing 'em live through the binocs. Anyway, has the racetrack ever been accurately depicted on film? Not to my knowledge...

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

bellesforever — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:59:04 GMT

Finally a movie for real racing fans..maybe because it is more real than a Disney film it will put the cool back into racing!

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

Sarah Toga — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:02:17 GMT

Lenny, Thanks for this great article. I wonder if Milch will create any storylines about retired thoroughbreds, about what happens to these noble creatures after their last race. That would be something! Owner Paul Saylor has just issued a $50,000 matching gift challenge for donations to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. www.bloodhorse.com/.../saylor-issues-challenge-to-benefit-trf TRF needs support -- maybe some other owners can issue their own matching gift challenge?

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

thomas clark — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:08:31 GMT

Have been a big fan but it must be that new story lines and charachters will be introduced because the first episode portrays the game in a terrible light with shady gangsters and dangling broken legs dominating the landscape.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

NJinHB — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:58:53 GMT

I don't know,I still think showing a breakdown up close behind the tarp was a mistake. Made me wince and I'm a lifelong racing fan. What would a "curious about racing"sports fan think of it? We need them to show up at the track!Just wish he would have done it further along in the series if he insisted on including it.

re: In "Luck" - by Lenny Schulman

fightonfig — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:36:52 GMT

Probably get a little better ratings than the preview, with all

the promo ads. Don't think Dave

approached a network. A life long

fan/player, I don't have cable so

won't watch. But seems like the

life of dick dutrow jr, somewhat !

Only diff one owner, one trainer !