New Docuseries drops on Netflix, “Race for the Crown”
Whether it was 60 Minutes, the FX Network, HBO or some other programs, the television media has bludgeoned the horse racing game in recent years. The great parts of this game barely get mentioned while the programs concentrate on the ugly aspects, namely breakdowns and drugs. So it was reasonable to be worried that more of the same was on its way when Netflix announced it was producing a racing documentary called 'Race For The Crown.'
But this show, which includes six episodes, isn't like that at all. No spills or breakdowns are shown and the disgraced duo of Jason Servis and the Jorge “The Juiceman” Navarro are never mentioned. The idea, instead, is to portray racing in a positive light by telling the stories of some of its most compelling and colorful figures.
Race For the Crown is not for the type of people who read the Thoroughbred Daily News. We already know the Preakness is run two weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby, that the GI Kentucky Oaks is the sport's most prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies, that Wayne Lukas is a legend and that 2024 was a magical year for trainer Kenny McPeek. Don't expect to learn anything that you didn't already know.
But that's because horse racing insiders are not the intended audience. It is for people who don't know much about racing, but are intrigued by the sport and, with the Kentucky Derby approaching, want to learn more. It is much like the 2019 Netflix documentary “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” which has gone a long way toward making Formula 1 one of the most popular sports in the world. Can Race For The Crown do for horse racing what the Netflix series did for Formula 1? Maybe not to the same extent, but if enough people watch the show, it can only help the sport grow. In the position horse racing is in, you can't ask for more than that. Netflix has 200 million-plus subscribers.
Episode 1 covers the lead-up to the 2023 Breeders' Cup, and the focus is on Frankie Dettori, who wins the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf aboard Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Dettori, who came out of retirement and decided to resume his career in the U.S., is one of the main characters in the program. He may be 53, but he has discovered that the flame still burns within, and he wants to keep riding. “I'd rather die on the back of a horse than die of boredom,” he says.
The beginning of the show also introduces us to Michael Iavarone and his wife Jules. They made the show not because Iavarone won the 2008 Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness with Big Brown or because he has any top horses in training. No, it's because he has the temerity to go out in public dressed in garish jump suits straight from Elvis's closet, and wearing sunglasses that are three sizes too big for his face. You can't turn away from Iavarone for the same reasons why you can't turn away from a wreck on the highway.
Episodes 2 and 3 cover the road to the Kentucky Derby. It is here where we learn of the Twitter feud between high-profile owners Mike Repole and John Stewart and are introduced to Kenny McPeek and Brian Hernandez, Jr.
From there we move on to the Derby in Episode 4, followed by the GI Preakness and the GI Belmont.
The cameras have wisely been following McPeek, Mystik Dan (Goldencents) and Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) from well before they emerged on the scene at Churchill Downs. We first get to know them when they were at Oaklawn Park preparing for the Derby and Oaks. Someone was very smart–or very lucky?–to focus on and follow a longshot like Mystik Dan and a trainer who had never won the Derby in McPeek.
The story of the Preakness is of course then 88-year-old Wayne Lukas, who wins the race with Seize the Grey(Arrogate). But a lot of time is also spent on Katie Davis, who has a mount in the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. An effervescent new mom, she is one of the stars of the show. Likeable and upbeat, she never gets down even though getting mounts can be a struggle. She gets emotional when telling the story of her first agent, who told her she didn't have what it takes to be a successful jockey.
The final episode is about the Belmont, trainer Danny Gargan and ultra-enthusiastic owner and retired MLB star Jayson Werth. They win the race with Dornoch (Good Magic) and you can tell that Werth is just as thrilled by this victory as any he enjoyed on the baseball field. He calls racing “the most underrated sport.”
That's just the type of thing that can help sell the sport. For industry professionals, serious gamblers or devoted and longtime fans, 'Race For The Crown' might come off as the video version of 'Horse Racing for Dummies.' That's not to say it shouldn't be watched, not when those who work in and love the sport have been longing for just this sort of positive take on our game.