|
On DVD or VHS: A Lost Classic that tells the story of the California racing and breeding indusry - above picture is of the legendary SWAPS
Thirty years of California's finest moments in racing and breeding history are explored in this very rare and obscure film.
See the profound impact that the entertainment industry had on the development of racing in California: Bing Crosby along with Pat O'Brien were instrumental in opening Del Mar Track in 1937 and other famous movie personalities lent a hand in establishing Hollywood Park in 1938. The greatest impression on racing in those years were made by Louis B. Mayer (head of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studio), Cecil B. DeMille and Harry Warner (Warner Brothers) who helped found some of California's most prestigious breeding dynasties.
See rare footage of cowboy actor, Rex Ellsworth, at his farm with his successful sire, KHALED, by European champion, HYPERION, that he purchased from the Aga Khan. Ellsworth raced KHALED's most successful son, SWAPS - see race footage from his career plus Ellsworth privately working SWAPS back to health in 1956 at his farm after a fractured cannon bone ended his racing days.
Other famous sires shown at stud include: DETERMINE, DECIDELY, GUMMO, INDIAN HEMP, PRETENSE, TV LARK, TELL and some of their famous offspring shown in racing footage and also standing: FLEET NASRULLAH, ANCIENT TITLE, FLYING PASTER and TV LARK in the Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park in 1961 plus archival footage of TV LARK being included in the 1958 Del Mar yearling Sale and also thesale which featured TYPECAST.
The influence of Western breeding is extended throughout the Thoroughbred world as the following champions all have California-bred connections: DAHLIA, KELSO, JOHN HENRY, NATIVE DIVER and SPECTACULAR BID. As the years come and go, horses such as these should continue to hold their own in the racetracks and breeding farms of the world.
Thanks for looking. Winning bidder pays $6 shipping and handling.
|