I'm glad to hear that unlike other things you criticize, you actually bothered to read Nack's book.......oh I'm sorry....." a portion " of Nack's book.

As I noted, I found it rather self-serving. I simply had no interest in continuing.

That's fine. I don't finish every book I start as well. However, I don't vilify everyone involved from a position of weakness. Referring to as accomplished an author as Bill Nack as accepting " blood money " for being involved in this project seems more than unfair to me.

Do you know Mr. Nack in some way?

I do not buy into the thought that the Ruffian movie, and the two movies out about Barbaro, should rather be "hands off" subjects, simply because terrible tragedy was involved.

Don't speak of it, and it doesn't exist? That's the ultimate betrayal to the horses involved, no? To any horse that gets injured in this sport.

Barbaro drew thousands of casual fans into participation, at the very least via showcasing how veterinary medicine can and does care for these elite athletes. That shocked and educated alot of people who had no idea (including some quite familiar with racing).

To additionally humanize the participants surrounding the lives of these great animals, and thus opening up the heart of racing to those outside it, can only help the sport.

well, that's a hell of a way to look at it.

this movie from what i understand was far along in production before barbaro suffered his injury. a sad coincidence, but i hope not one that anyone rejoiced in, regardless of the money aspect.

No, but I've been a long-time fan of his work and was looking forward to reading his biography of Ruffian. However, I found it to read more like his own autobiography. He may well be a fascinating person, but I just not interested in reading about him.

This discussion is useless. People will think what they think.

Now, the important question I want answered is, why on earth did Padma Lakshmi marry Salman Rushdie!!

They've been together forever.

Rushdie used to be a great writer. " Midnight's Children " is a great book.....and " The Moor's Last Sigh " is very good as well.

yeah, well, still.

i know why she married him, but it's still an injustice, i tell you!

It was down to Salman or DrugS.

Only you and I know she made the wrong choice

Because of his great first name?

For fans of this great sport, and for people involved in the industry -- the Ruffian story is part of history. However, it's also part of history for people outside the sport/industry, and yes, in part due to the tragedy. Coming on the heels of Barbaro, this film may get people looking to view the history they saw, heard, etc., back when it was occuring and from whatever perspective the film comes from.

I don't think Ruffian, Barbaro or any of the tragedies are "hands-off" or anything of the like. Tragedy is history. It can spark interest, bring back bad memories, and/or many other things as well.

Eric

Unlike Barbaro's situation that spawned some positives in fundraising, etc., there was nothing beneficial for the industry as a result of Ruffian's demise and many scribes have pointed to her breakdown as the industry's darkest day. Nevertheless, I don't suggest that her story shouldn't be told and there have been a number of well-done documentaries that showcased her extraordinary career. This movie, though, is not only unnecessary but also factually incorrect and inaccurately presented if one is to believe quotes attributed to her trainer, Frank Whiteley, in the legal documents and various interviews. Whiteley is on record as stating that he has no problem with the movie if the facts were properly presented. This man was not interested in personal financial gain, as is evidenced by the fact that one of his terms not agreed upon in negotiations to sell his story was that a portion be donated to thoroughbred charities. I'll go out on a limb here, but my money says that Nack requested no such clause when negotiating his compensation.

We get the point dude, you're his lawyer. Now move on cause no one cares.

Barbaro (and others) now recover from anesthesia in a pool, rather than within the typical padded recovery room.

There's one.

Another cheap shot at Nack.

The internet is working well for you.

ruffians death didn't add anything, that's true. BUT treatment and handling of injuries have taken great strides, the vets learned a lot from her care, and others like her.

as for nack, you seem to have an issue with him--perhaps that explains your feelings about the movie...

Ruffian's tragic death was in fact the impetus to the remarkable surgery and after care that horses are receiving today. It's hard to even read a veterinary article on breaks without Ruffians name being mentioned, and in fact the Equine Hospital that serves the Southern California racetracks has a beautiful painting of Ruffian in the waiting room, with a tribute to her and an article listing all the advances since that day. Ruffian was the first race horse I absolutely loved and though I can vividly remember the heartbreak of her ordeal, she was far too great to not have a movie or story, there are so many race fans even on this board who knew nothing of her accomplishments. It's long overdue in my opinion, I just hope they do her memory justice.

I have so many mixed feelings regarding this thread.

I want to know more about Ruffian now (although I do remember reading about the match race at the time), so I ordered Jane Schwartz's book on Amazon. So maybe that's a positive about the movie. I'm also planning to read William Nack's book on Secretariat, which was highly praised. I'm not so sure about his book on Ruffian. It's only about 100 pages, and seems to be more a book of his thoughts relating to Ruffian, rather than being about the filly. If it had been a book "based on the movie," as I feared it was, I would have given it a definite pass.

The bad reviews, as well as the lawsuits, are troubling. I won't watch the movie, but I will tape it, for possible later viewing. I still can't forget seeing Go For Wand's breakdown in the Breeders' Cup. A dramatized breakdown, no matter how tastefully done, is not something I really want to watch. Please, whoever watches the movie, write a review for DerbyTrail. I trust the opinions of the people here more than movie/television critics.