50 to 1
2014 film by Jim Wilson
50 to 1 is a 2014 American drama film based on the true story of Mine That Bird, an undersized thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race. The film received a limited release on March 21, 2014. It was directed by Jim Wilson, who also co-wrote the script with Faith Conroy, and stars Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane and William Devane. Jockey Calvin Borel, who rode Mine that Bird to his upset Derby win, plays himself in the film.
Plot
A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when their undersized thoroughbred racehorse qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. Based on the inspiring true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world's racing elite. Mine That Bird pulls off a monumental upset (at 50-to-1 odds) by winning the 2009 Kentucky Derby.
Cast
Skeet Ulrich as Chip Woolley
Christian Kane as Mark Allen
William Devane as Leonard "Doc" Blach
Madelyn Deutch as Alex
Todd Lowe as Kelly
Calvin Borel as Himself
Reception
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was slow-moving and the characters lacked interest, and the film "an idea better in theory than in practice". Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post said that as with real-life horse racing, "the exciting part lasts only a minute or two, and then it’s over. The rest of the movie is filler (or maybe foreplay)." Bill Edelstein of Variety commented that the film's attempt to appeal to a faith-based audience seemed "a rather calculated play near the finish".
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The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 2014 film by Jim Wilson. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17508558. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2014 and 2009.
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This entry incorporates text from “50 to 1” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.