By Andrew Beyer, Published: January 26
<article> The HBO series “Luck” begins on a day at Santa Anita with a huge Pick Six jackpot, and there couldn’t be a more vivid illustration of the horse racing world’s dichotomy. Santa Anita is as beautiful as any track on earth; every shot of its majestic mountain backdrop and its elegant paddock, populated by high-class thoroughbreds, evokes the grandeur of the sport. But a when a Pick Six is beckoning, the racetrack community is feverishly obsessed by the wager, with gamblers scheming to get information, raise a bankroll and obtain any edge that could lead them to a life-altering score.
A group of hardened horseplayers gathers at trackside, oblivious to the grandeur of Santa Anita, and one of them, Renzo, announces that he has $255 for his investment after cashing his disability check. Jerry arrives with a proposed Pick Six play written out on a napkin but confesses that he’s blown his whole bankroll in a poker game. He’ll need to see a loan shark. Marcus — disgusted, because he’s heard this all before — spits out: “The napkin is Jerry’s whole contribution. Sick degenerate!”
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<article> This is not your typical Hollywood depiction of horse racing’s beauty, though “Luck,” which debuts Sunday at 9 p.m., is a collaboration of two Hollywood heavyweights, director Michael Mann (“Miami Vice,” “The Insider”) and creator-writer David Milch (“Hill Street Blues,” “Deadwood.”) While Mann oversaw the camerawork that yielded striking depictions of horses and racing action, Milch brought to life the hard-edged aspects of the sport. He had been preparing for this assignment for most of his 66 years.
Milch remembers that he was about 6 years old when his father introduced him to horse racing with a trip to Saratoga. He has been hooked ever since, but what hooked him was not the sport’s beauty but “the degenerate side of the game.” He said, “Dad was related to all kind of bookmakers and nefarious types, and all of that appealed to me.”
Milch is a gambler and admits he has gone though some degenerate phases of his own. He has experienced some great triumphs — he cashed a $161,659 Pick Six at Hollywood Park by keying a horse he owned, and he owned two winners of Breeders’ Cup events, Gilded Time in 1992 and Val Royal in 2001. He knows the racing world thoroughly and recognizes it as a perfect setting for a drama.
“There’s no human type that’s not represented at the racetrack,” he said.
Milch creates characters with subtlety. In “Deadwood,” his incomparable drama about the Old West, the good guys invariably had a dark side; the strong characters harbored doubts and anxieties. They revealed their nature gradually, over the course of many episodes, and were never cliched or one-dimensional. In “Luck,” people familiar with the racetrack will immediately recognize the realism in the depiction of the trainers, the vets, the jockeys, their agents and especially the gamblers. There are no stereotypes here.
Non-racetrackers, however, may find themselves initially confused, because “Luck” thrusts them into the midst of an unfamiliar subculture without trying to clarify the action. When the gamblers are concocting their Pick Six play and discussing why they are singling (i.e., standing alone with) an improbable horse who hasn’t raced in two years, no character offers a primer on Pick Six mechanics for the edification of the audience. That’s Milch’s style. “To do otherwise would be to dumb down the characters,” he said. Though viewers may not understand everything — and are not expected to — Milch hopes they will be drawn into “Luck” by the compelling characters and their intersecting story lines.
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<article> The HBO series “Luck” begins on a day at Santa Anita with a huge Pick Six jackpot, and there couldn’t be a more vivid illustration of the horse racing world’s dichotomy. Santa Anita is as beautiful as any track on earth; every shot of its majestic mountain backdrop and its elegant paddock, populated by high-class thoroughbreds, evokes the grandeur of the sport. But a when a Pick Six is beckoning, the racetrack community is feverishly obsessed by the wager, with gamblers scheming to get information, raise a bankroll and obtain any edge that could lead them to a life-altering score.
A group of hardened horseplayers gathers at trackside, oblivious to the grandeur of Santa Anita, and one of them, Renzo, announces that he has $255 for his investment after cashing his disability check. Jerry arrives with a proposed Pick Six play written out on a napkin but confesses that he’s blown his whole bankroll in a poker game. He’ll need to see a loan shark. Marcus — disgusted, because he’s heard this all before — spits out: “The napkin is Jerry’s whole contribution. Sick degenerate!”
</article>
<article> This is not your typical Hollywood depiction of horse racing’s beauty, though “Luck,” which debuts Sunday at 9 p.m., is a collaboration of two Hollywood heavyweights, director Michael Mann (“Miami Vice,” “The Insider”) and creator-writer David Milch (“Hill Street Blues,” “Deadwood.”) While Mann oversaw the camerawork that yielded striking depictions of horses and racing action, Milch brought to life the hard-edged aspects of the sport. He had been preparing for this assignment for most of his 66 years.
Milch remembers that he was about 6 years old when his father introduced him to horse racing with a trip to Saratoga. He has been hooked ever since, but what hooked him was not the sport’s beauty but “the degenerate side of the game.” He said, “Dad was related to all kind of bookmakers and nefarious types, and all of that appealed to me.”
Milch is a gambler and admits he has gone though some degenerate phases of his own. He has experienced some great triumphs — he cashed a $161,659 Pick Six at Hollywood Park by keying a horse he owned, and he owned two winners of Breeders’ Cup events, Gilded Time in 1992 and Val Royal in 2001. He knows the racing world thoroughly and recognizes it as a perfect setting for a drama.
“There’s no human type that’s not represented at the racetrack,” he said.
Milch creates characters with subtlety. In “Deadwood,” his incomparable drama about the Old West, the good guys invariably had a dark side; the strong characters harbored doubts and anxieties. They revealed their nature gradually, over the course of many episodes, and were never cliched or one-dimensional. In “Luck,” people familiar with the racetrack will immediately recognize the realism in the depiction of the trainers, the vets, the jockeys, their agents and especially the gamblers. There are no stereotypes here.
Non-racetrackers, however, may find themselves initially confused, because “Luck” thrusts them into the midst of an unfamiliar subculture without trying to clarify the action. When the gamblers are concocting their Pick Six play and discussing why they are singling (i.e., standing alone with) an improbable horse who hasn’t raced in two years, no character offers a primer on Pick Six mechanics for the edification of the audience. That’s Milch’s style. “To do otherwise would be to dumb down the characters,” he said. Though viewers may not understand everything — and are not expected to — Milch hopes they will be drawn into “Luck” by the compelling characters and their intersecting story lines.
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I won't spell the Beans.... But saw it back when they had the Full Preview of the First Show back in Dec. when Boardwalk Empire ended the season.
Being a Horse guy all my life. It was Pretty Solid ! The Gamblers, Trainers, Jockey's
Etc.
Was a little pissed that Sunday's was the Repeat... thought maybe they would show a New Episode after the Repeat.
Being a Horse guy all my life. It was Pretty Solid ! The Gamblers, Trainers, Jockey's
Etc.
Was a little pissed that Sunday's was the Repeat... thought maybe they would show a New Episode after the Repeat.
Gyno, the first episode hit pretty close to home for me with the small group of Pick 6 players in the show. I used to be in a similar small group of players from the track who got together and tried to handicap the Pick 6 everytime the pool started to get big. Didn't you tell me the other day that Santa Anita was your track? If so, this show ought to be right up your alley.
I live very close to Santa Anita and yes its right up my alley.. There were some obvious flaws that pissed me off but all in all I'm optimistic about the show and think it will end up being a good show.. Any show about horse racing I will watch and support, horse racing needs any help it can get..
Watched it in its entirety last night and just saw the last 10 minutes again. Caught a really bad continuity error in the pick 6 payouts. It initially shows the #2 paying $335,000 and later while the race is in progress the board has the #2 paying $2.6 million. They also say the chalk (#4) is paying $48,000. I don't believe that's possible with a $26.00 winner that was actually longer odds in the pick 6 (since the trainer bet him strong in the win pool). If there were any other prices along the way, no chance.
I believe that's Chantal Sutherland that's one of the two women who were watching the last race on the rail (friend of the girl who's Nick Nolte's workout rider).
I believe that's Chantal Sutherland that's one of the two women who were watching the last race on the rail (friend of the girl who's Nick Nolte's workout rider).
