I realize the horse who played Ruffian probably doesn't look like her and that Claiborne Farms is a very upscale operation. To me, however, the story is about heart, both in humans and horses, and how that binds them together and makes them great. In my opinion, Sam Shepard did a great job as Frank Whitely. I don't know enough about horse racing to pick out all the little factual flaws but to me this is a really inspiring story. The scenes are beautiful. It also captures the feel of the 1970s, at least as I remember them. The scenes where Ruffian broke down are really tragic, and it was also sad to see her in the hospital trying to recover. I liked the supporting cast quite a lot, too. To the limited extent I've been around horses, they seemed like horse people and the kind of folks who really love horses. I would recommend this movie to anyone.
