A new five-part docu-series that follows the fortunes of one of the world’s leading racehorse trainers, Andrew Balding, and three-time British champion jockey Oisin Murphy, is set to be released this spring.
The series, called Horsepower, covers a nine-month period as the duo prepare for the biggest week of their year at one of the most prestigious events in the global sporting calendar: Royal Ascot.
It combines remarkable human-interest stories with unrivalled behind the scenes access and insight to the sport of horse racing, covering action from iconic UK courses such as Newmarket and Epsom, the home of the Derby, as well as the Breeders’ Cup in the USA and the Saudi Cup in the Middle East.
Horsepower follows the ups and downs of champion jockey Oisin Murphy, as be bids to bounce back from a career-threatening positive test for cocaine, and star trainer Andrew Balding as he strives to fulfil his own ambitions. Also featured are Andrew’s family, notably his wife Anna Lisa, who plays a pivotal role in the business, and his sister, the broadcaster and writer, Clare Balding.
The series also reveals the breadth of people involved with preparing a horse for Royal Ascot, from Andrew’s portfolio of owners that includes The Queen and members of Middle Eastern royal families through to the dedicated grooms and staff looking after the horses, who themselves hail from a range of backgrounds, including the remarkable story of Abdul Musa Adam, a refugee from Sudan.
A jockey’s eye view
The series is a co-production between Lorton Entertainment — producers of Rooney and the award-winning and critically-acclaimed films Diego Maradona, The Australian Dream and Supersonic — and Equine Productions, a company that specialises in producing high-class racing and equestrian content.
Also on board as executive producer and creative lead is BAFTA and EMMY-nominated Stevan Riley, whose credits include Fire in Babylon and Listen to Me, Marlon.
Race sequences in Horsepower are brought to life through the use of ‘JockeyCam’, a camera unique to Equine Productions that provides a jockey’s eye view of a race.
Ups and downs of racing
“Horsepower tells a story that has not been covered in this manner or depth before and in doing so reveals so many fascinating and moving storylines,” said Lorton Entertainment’s CEO Julian Bird.
“It will enthral those with an existing interest in racing and intrigue and delight newcomers to the sport. We believe it will appeal to a range of audiences and has the potential to cross over in the manner that both Drive to Survive and The Last Dance have done.
“We are in advanced talks with several potential streaming partners covering both the UK and abroad, with an announcement about where and when people will be able to watch this show to follow soon.
“Those in the racing community will have read the stories about similar projects in development, which underlines the huge potential in our series. I am delighted that, together with Equine Productions, we greenlit this project back in 2020 and are now ready to air the series.”
In a joint statement from Equine Productions’ Dave James and former PR Director of The Jockey Club John Maxse, they said: “Our thanks to Andrew and Anna Lisa Balding and Oisin Murphy, without them the inside story of the ups and downs they faced along the way would not have been caught on film in the dramatic way it has.
“With their help, along with the expertise of the team Lorton put together, we were able to achieve what we set out to do, namely show why those involved in the sport have good reason to be so passionate about it.”
Main image: champion jockey Oisin Murphy and Sudan refugee Abdul Musa Adam, who both feature in the documentary series
