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A Telluride Superstar of a Different Breed
Seabiscuit

Telluride added a new member to its list of local celebrities: Fighting Ferrari, the “actor” who played Seabiscuit in the highly acclaimed movie of the same name.

Like Francis the Mule, Mister Ed and other starlight equines, Fighting Ferrari, a five-year-old gelding, has trotted through the annals of Hollywood and wound up cooling his hooves—well, sort of—at a high-end horse ranch near Telluride.
Seabiscuit, the movie, which garnered seven Academy Award nominations, focuses upon an underdog racehorse that made an inspiring comeback after an injury. Set in the 1930s, the true story became an uplifting focal point for a nation caught in an economic depression and facing the prospect of another world war.

Making Seabiscuit required celebrated film producers and part-time Telluride residents, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, to direct one of the most unique casting searches of their illustrious careers.

In searching for the right actors, the husband-and-wife team sent a horse wrangler to various racetracks across the country. In the end, the wrangler fingered 10 horses, all resembling the original Seabiscuit (though black shoe polish was used on some to recreate Seabiscuit’s trademark black socks). Each was a great visual candidate, but no one horse possessed all the characteristics of a versatile actor.

“We knew we wouldn’t find one horse that would do everything,” said Marshall. Instead, 10 horses were used, matching particular animals to scenes that fit their temperament. All received specialized, individual training depending on what the camera needed. One horse was used in scenes showing Seabiscuit asleep; another was used in scenes showing Seabiscuit cantering. Thanks to his cool head, the ironically named Fighting Ferrari was used for close-up scenes at the track and at the winner’s circle, where flashbulbs and the chaotic buzz of admirers would have spooked most horses.

“Racehorses are high strung and skittish and that’s why he is unusual,” said Marshall. “Fighting Ferrari is a cool and amazingly gentle horse. He is definitely a gem.”

In addition to the 10 horses that collectively played Seabiscuit, the movie company paid approximately $500,000 for some 60 other horses used to film the thunderous, eyeball-to-eyeball racing scenes. Ironically, because the takes were short, the racehorses “only had to look good, they didn’t have to be fast,” said Marshall.

After the film was shot, the horses were sold. But because they had been retrained to do countless takes of short, speedy bursts, they could never return to the track. Instead, many were sold as riding or polo horses. As for Fighting Ferrari, his easy-going manner made a lasting impression. The head wrangler proposed Marshall and Kennedy buy him because in two or three years, their children could ride him.

“The head wrangler came to us and said, ‘if you are thinking of having a horse, Fighting Ferrari is the best one for the kids,’” recounted Marshall.

Marshall and Kennedy bought Fighting Ferrari from the movie company and thus began the racehorse’s third career: resident celebrity at a Telluride horse ranch.

OFF TO A NEW HOME
Marshall and Kennedy own property next to the Skyline Guest Ranch, a swath of land tucked high in the San Juan Mountains, just a few miles from Telluride. Skyline owners, Dave and Cindy Farney, are friends with the couple and jumped at the suggestion of Fighting Ferrari spending his summers at the ranch. “We thought what better place for Seabiscuit to retire than this gorgeous ranch,” said Marshall.

After Fighting Ferrari was used in a promotional tour for the film, he was brought to Skyline from California in a horse trailer. The ranch, residing at approximately 9,600 feet above sea level, is flanked by meadows and aspen groves and set against a backdrop of 14,000-foot peaks. Like many city slickers who visit the alpine getaway, Fighting Ferrari underwent a period of adjustment to his new “rustic” life.

“He came out and was a little wary at first. We were told it took him two days to cross a stream,” said Marshall.

When at Skyline, Fighting Ferrari spends time each morning in the barn area. He waits patiently for a chance to take a ranch guest on a ride and practices posing for the moments when admiring fans approach with cameras ready. At night, Fighting Ferrari eats, then gets let out of the barn area to relax and perhaps contemplate, under the stars, his next career move. (Because thoroughbreds don’t carry weight well, Fighting Ferrari spends the winter months at a warmer ranch near Grand Junction.)

Though far from a film set, the glitz of his celebrity has followed. Last September, during a Telluride Film Festival brunch at Skyline, Marshall said Fighting Ferrari was “the photo op of the day.” While he hasn’t let fame go to his head, being the center of attention doesn’t seem to bother the movie star in the slightest.

“When you point a camera at him, he seems to perk up, much more so than other horses,” said Cindy Farney.
Ranch guests who are experienced horseback riders, can take Fighting Ferrari out for a jaunt, but anyone can come up for a snapshot, provided they call in advance. As for autographs, he’s still working on perfecting his signature.ts