A Thoroughbred - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Farley is a comedian and also the owner of a valuable race horse which he plans to enter in a steeplechase against a couple of other horses belonging to acquaintances of his. He is also in love, but as people are not inclined to take a ...See moreFarley is a comedian and also the owner of a valuable race horse which he plans to enter in a steeplechase against a couple of other horses belonging to acquaintances of his. He is also in love, but as people are not inclined to take a comedian seriously, the young lady considers his affections of the heart rather a joke. His principal rival in her affections is the owner of the fastest one of the horses matched against his. This man offers Farley a pretty large bet on the outcome of the race and Farley not being a betting man, is disposed to decline the offer, but when he finds that the girl has put her money on his horse, he is shamed into making a wager much larger than his means ought to warrant, even though he is pretty sure that his horse can win. A few days later while at practice on the field, the rival discovers that Farley's horse is decidedly dangerous to his chances of winning and he instructs his groom to bribe the stable man and gives his a little bottle of so-called "dope," which will put Farley's horse out of the running. Farley's jockey, the only one who can ride his horse, is suspicious and watches the stable man and catches him as he is about to administer the "dope" to the horse. In a fight which ensues the jockey's arm is put out of commission and Farley is thus left with a horse, but no jockey capable of riding him. Not being much of a man of action, the comedian decides that he will simply pay his bet and as the girl has rather laughed at him, retires from both contests. Then he suddenly realizes that her money is in danger, too, and something in her eyes makes him feel that she does not believe him really a man. This stings the real personality within him into action, and to the surprise of all he announces that he will ride his own horse in the race. He does so and the race scene show how his horse lags behind as they jump the hurdles on after another until toward the end, when he suddenly comes to the front, takes the last hurdle just a fraction ahead of his rival's horse and in the stretch beats him by half a length. Something in the way Farley has handled this matter makes the girl feel that there is a real man there, inside of the comedian, and she is not backward in letting him understand that his old suit has assumed another aspect. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less