Scott Sander had an idea for a rom-com movie floating around in his head, but wasn't quite sure what the setting should be. Then it hit him. Why not horse racing, and specifically the breeding industry? That's the story behind the story when it comes to the movie Sander is working on, “Breeders.”
“I thought I had what was a really good idea for a big, fun romantic comedy,” said Sander, who was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the Thoroughbred Daily News Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. “I knew what the idea was, and then I knew that I needed to set it in some beautiful, esoteric world that people don't normally get to see. So I came up with an idea, that I'm going to set it in the world of Thoroughbred horse breeding, not horse racing per se, but down in Lexington. There are so many beautiful farms there, which I had never been to. Then I realized, I don't know anything about horses.”
But he met the right people in Lexington and got a crash education. Among others, Keeneland, Coolmore and Three Chimneys have been assisting him. Without giving away the plot, Sander said, “'Breeders' will be a comedy about traditional marriage set in the beautiful world of Thoroughbred horse breeding.”
Sander realizes the sport has been hit with a lot of negative publicity in recent years and said his movie will shine a positive light on the breeding industry.
“I absolutely believe people in the industry will like this,” he said. “I met one of the owners of one of the most venerable farms down there and when I met her originally, she said, 'don't you make fun of us?' Yes, it is a rom com and it's fun, but it's also an absolute celebration of the breeding world. I told her I turned it into language that I thought would work for her. This movie is going to do for Lexington what 'Sideways' did for the Southern California wine country.”
The timetable for release of the movie is uncertain. Sander and his team went to work on the Thursday before the GI Kentucky Derby and got a lot done there. They hope to shoot some more in the fall, but will take the winter off because Sander wants to show the farms at their best, which is not possible when it's cold and there is snow on the ground. Asked for an estimate of when the movie will hit the theaters, Sanders said he'd hope that it will be out in 18 months.
In our breeding spotlight section we took a look at the WinStar stallion Tom's d'Etat.
The podcast also included the “News You Can Use” segment, which is sponsored by Darley. It featured TDN European Sales Editor Brian Sheerin, who talked about the major stories at this year's Royal Ascot meeting.
Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar, Darley, XBTV.com and the KTOB, the team of Randy Moss and Bill Finley took a look at the 2-year-old picture, which included several impressive debut winners during the week. They also took a look at the situation in Northern California now that Golden Gate Fields has closed and the news from HISA that breakdowns during the first quarter of the year were down by 38%.
To watch the video podcast, click here. To listen to the audio podcast, click here.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
