Secretariat Page #5

Synopsis: Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery -- with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin -- manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years.
Director(s): Randall Wallace
Production: Walt Disney Pictures
  3 wins & 6 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.2
Metacritic:
61
Rotten Tomatoes:
63%
PG
Year:
2010
123 min
$59,699,513
Website
3,625 Views


[All cheer]

Fantastic.

Ronnie.

- Arnold Palmers for everyone!

- [Penny] Oh, big spender.

- Congratulations.

- Mmm!

- Great riding, Ronnie.

- Good job.

- Look at this.

- [Man] Hey, Ronnie.

- Good job, man.

- Thank you, man.

To the greatest horse I ever rode.

And to its owner, who took on

the old boys and won.

But now that you've

gotten their attention,

you're going to have to take them on

in earnest next year.

- The races are longer.

- Much longer.

- The horses are faster.

- Much faster.

And every owner, every trainer,

every jockey out there

is going to be trying to bring us down.

- I'll be ready.

- Salut.

[Penny] Horse of the Year!

We have to celebrate.

Is this the article that's going to be

running across the country?

Did you hear?

It's your daddy, honey.

He's had a stroke.

Let's just go.

I don't think there's much left unsaid

between us, Daddy.

I always knew where you stood.

And I'm grateful... so grateful,

for the way you showed me

what it was to stand up

in the world and...

...live the way you believe.

The big red colt

won Horse of the Year, Daddy.

I think he can go all the way.

And if he does...

I hope...

I hope you could see it.

[Sobs]

[Door opening]

Jack, what are you doing here?

How did you get here so fast?

I'm so sorry about your father.

I was already on my way.

Already? Are the children all right?

They're fine. I left Denver

before I heard the news.

Hollis had asked me

to study the tax issues

that would arise

upon your father's death.

Issues that now

find us totally unprepared.

So you've asked my husband

to become your ally in this?

It's family business.

And, last time I checked, Jack and your

children were still part of this family.

Hollis, you're my brother

and I love you,

but if you presume to judge

my fitness as a wife or mother

I will count you a stranger

for the rest of my life.

Penny, Hollis is only

trying to talk sense.

We need to regain some perspective.

- Regain?

- Penny, it's just...

Let's not talk about this right now.

No. No, no, no.

She needs to hear this.

She needs to hear what?

At the current value of his estate,

the inheritance tax will be

at least six million dollars.

And neither of us

has a fraction of that money.

So we sell the mares and the yearlings.

I had an appraisal done, and that won't

get us half ofwhat we need.

But there is another option.

I'm not selling him.

Due to his outstanding

two-year-old season,

if he were sold today, Secretariat would

bring a price of seven million dollars.

But if he were to lose

just one of the Triple Crown races

that value would drop to three million

with no way to recover it.

So we sell Secretariat.

- You try and sell him and...

- [Hollis] We're out of time.

Lfwe don't play this right,

it could amount to nothing.

Our father came from nothing.

And his legacy to me isn't money.

It's the will to win! If you can.

And live with it if you can't.

If I have to challenge you

in court on this, I will.

Miss Ham? Would you come in here

a moment, please?

[Penny] Thank you, Miss Ham.

Would you tell Jack and Hollis about

the document that Daddy left for you.

Five years ago Mr. Chenery had me

witness him signing a provision that,

while both of you are beneficiaries,

dispersal of the farm

would be left to Hollis.

Decisions regarding the horses

would be left to Penny.

We could argue he already had dementia.

He was of sound mind when he signed it.

I'd swear to it... in court.

Thank you, Miss Ham.

[Hollis] Great.

I teach economics at Harvard,

and I don't know a way

to conjure up six million dollars

before you race him again.

What makes you think you can?

I'll find a way.

And if I can't, I'll live with it.

Why? Why do you need to live with it?

Make me, the whole family,

live with it for a past that is gone!

Our father was a great man,

but we can't bring him back.

This isn't about going back.

This is about life being ahead of you

and you run at it.

Because you never know how far

you can go unless you run.

That's great.

But if you stumble and fall,

you don'tjust make us fools,

you make us beggars.

[Door opens]

When your horse people call the house,

they don't ask for Mrs. Tweedy,

they ask for Miss Chenery.

- Is that who you've become?

- Jack...

...Miss Chenery and Mrs. Tweedy

have always been the same person.

I'm wondering how it is that Mr. Tweedy

could take sides against me.

[Door closes]

Trying to muscle me into something.

Can't do that.

- Good evening, Eddie.

- Hi, ma'am.

How are you, Big Red?

- How's it going?

- [Eddie] Ma'am...

I reckon you heard about

Bull Hancock, ma'am?

No.

Well...

After your daddy's funeral, they say

he went home and just fell dead.

[Sighs] Oh.

I don't know

about the ways of God, ma'am,

but... I know your daddy

and Mr. Bull lifted each other up.

The way you lift me up

and the way you lift up Red.

Everything living lives from its heart,

and I wish I can give you something

to lift yours up.

Well, thank you, Eddie. You just did.

What does he see?

When he looks at me,

I feel like he looks right into me.

He sees what matters to him, ma'am.

What's immediate.

The clouds and stuff,

they don't mean nothing to a horse.

Lights, sounds, flashes... Intentions!

That's what a horse notices.

Especially one as smart as Big Red here.

And they can tell when the horse

next to them or behind them

wants to be first to the food.

Or the mare.

Or the finish line.

That's what matters to them.

Ain't that right?

It's never been done.

But that doesn't mean it won't work.

We offer 32 shareholders

exclusive breeding rights.

We call it "a select opportunity."

Father would've loved that phrase.

How much per?

A hundred and ninety?

Mm-hmm.

That's more than anybody's ever paid

for a breeding share. Lot more.

That's what makes it exciting, Seth.

Horseracing's all about excitement.

He's been a great colt, but he's

completely untried as a three-year-old.

And the sons of Bold Ruler, they're long

on speed, but short on stamina.

Yeah, and his mother was old when she

had him and Ogden Phipps knew all that

when he could have chosen my colt.

But he didn't.

And now I've got Secretariat.

And he's got a horse

named Missed Opportunity.

Daddy used to always say

that rich people are rich

because they're smart with their money.

And they're going to insist

on a performance clause.

No son of Bold Ruler has ever won

a single Triple Crown race.

That's a mile-and-a-half distance

that Secretariat's never

come close to running.

You're going to lose the farm

and the horse, everything.

[Horse whinnies]

[Seth] This is a big deal. I have

never done anything like this before.

Nobody has.

- You mind if I ask why you called me?

- Well...

Your father, he really helped me and...

...and work is good for grief.

I'm in.

Howard Keck on line one,

Bunker Hunt on line two.

Ladies and gentlemen,

start your engines!

[Clears throat]

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes

Mike Rich

Michael A. "Mike" Rich (born 1959) is an American screenwriter best known for his writing on sports-related films. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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