LOG LINE:

True story of how the sport of horse racing came to be in the early 1800’s. The first jockeys were black slaves who raced for their rich masters. Stakes got so high that some slave jockeys were offered their freedoms if they won.

The first 15 out of 19 Kentucky Derby winners were African American slave jockeys.

SYNOPSIS:

The script centers on the true story of a young Southern white boy (DUNCAN KENNER) of a Louisiana plantation owner and his best friend, a young African American slave hand (SIMON) owned by his father.

After his father’s death, DUNCAN (now a young man) discovers he now owns his child hood friend, SIMON. To pay off his family’s debts, the two friends are forced to race American icon Andrew Jackson (soon to be U.S. President) for fame and glory.

The underdog victory sends the two off into the world of high stakes horse racing just as the Civil War grips the nation; culminating at the first Kentucky Derby.