The Secretariat Festival at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds is on Saturday, September 26. Rusty Hendrickson, lead wrangler for the film, has all ready selected four horses for the title role, but left one slot vacant for a horse that may emerge from the festival’s Secretariat Look-Alike Contest. Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, producers of the movie, will be at the festival with a film crew to shoot footage on the making of the film.
Cyclone Larry, a 3-year-old thoroughbred racehorse bred in Newell, SC has been chosen as one of the stars of the upcoming Disney movie, “Secretariat,” based on the life of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Four additional horses have been cast share screen time as Secretariat.
Secretariat was one of the most famous thoroughbred race horses in history, winning the Triple Crown in 1973, besting other horses in the Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Walt Disney Pictures is in pre-production on a film that will tell the story of the legendary Stallion’s life. Actress Diane Lane has been signed to play Penny Chenery, the owner of Meadow Farm and Secretariat.
Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures have announced an open casting call for chestnut horses to play the title role. Horse owners have been invited to submit photographs of their Chestnut Horses to the following email address:
casting@secretariat.com (this is for the Equine Casting ONLY, click here for the actors casting information)
An online casting form is also available here:
http://www.secretariat.com/DisneyCastingCallForm.asp
Or you may also download the form here:
http://www.secretariat.com/disney_casting_form2.pdf
Primary criteria for casting in the Secretariat film will include a horse’s appearance, athletic soundness and overall temperament. Rusty Hendrickson, head wrangler for the Secretariat film, will examine all photographs to determine the prime candidates. (Rusty Hendrickson also managed equine casting and wrangling for the 2005 film Dreamer, starring actress Dakota Fanning and actor Kurt Russell.)
At least two primary equine candidates will be chosen for the Secretariat film. At least four stand-in horses may also be selected. Previous racing experience is not a prerequisite for the Secretariat equine casting call.
All submissions for the Secretariat equine casting call must be received by August 31, 2009. Filming will take place from September 28, 2009 – December 4, 2009 in South Louisiana and Kentucky.
Secretariat Equine Casting Call
c/o Secretariat.com
PO BOX 4865
Louisville KY 40204
casting@secretariat.com
Again, this is for the Equine Casting ONLY, click here for the actors casting information.
