HBO Tries Their “Luck” at Santa Anita

By Matthew Burch

Santa Anita Park’s storied history will add yet another chapter thanks to “Luck,” the new series from HBO, acclaimed writer/producer David Milch and Oscar nominated director Michael Mann. “Luck,” described as a provocative look at the worlds of horseracing and gambling told through a diverse group of characters surrounding a racetrack, stars Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman as a man in his late 60s just released from four years in prison who’s autodidactic, intelligent, and deeply involved in the racing world’s underbelly.
The matching of HBO and Santa Anita should come as no surprise to those familiar with California’s oldest track; in fact, Santa Anita, which recently celebrated its 75th birthday, is no stranger to Hollywood. Most famously, the Marx Brothers chose Santa Anita to shoot the racetrack sequences for their classic “A Day at the Races.” Over the years, many other stars, including Bing Crosby, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Alex Trebek, and MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer have owned horses that have raced at the track. More recently, the Academy Award-nominated “Seabiscuit” filmed here to glorious results.
What made “Luck” and Santa Anita even more of a slam dunk was show creator David Milch’s involvement. Milch, also creator of the much mourned, dearly departed “Deadwood,” is no stranger to the track, both as a Breeders’ Cup-winning horse owner and a good customer at the wagering windows. “Luck” is the culmination of years of work for Milch, who’s said that a show centering on Santa Anita is a topic he’s wanted to tackle since he became a writer.

This came as music to the ears of Pete Siberell, Santa Anita’s Director of Community and Special Events. He calls the script “…a brilliant piece of writing that really delves into the intricacies of the business from wagering to horse training.” The production, currently on day 11 of a 24-day shoot, has gone smoothly despite Mr. Siberell’s initial trepidation of staging a production of this magnitude during live racing. So far, so good: there have been no complaints from the track’s faithful denizens.

If anything, they’ve enjoyed the chance to rub elbows with Hollywood royalty. “We had to displace and/or inconvenience some people when we did some box seat scenes the first week of shooting, ” says Mr. Siberell, “but most people understand the work that we have to do and it gives them something else to watch in between races!
Those turning out to the track not only get to see Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Milch in action, but also Nick Nolte, the Oscar-nominated actor famous for his film roles in “Tropic Thunder,” “Cape Fear” and “48 Hours.” Adding even more prestige is Michael Mann, the decorated director of “Ali,” “The Insider” and “Heat, ” who will executive produce the project and direct the pilot. Mann has said that Milch’s script is one of the two best ever handed to him (the other was Eric Roth’s script for “The Good Shepherd).
HBO is very high on the pilot and a pickup to series appears to be a mere formality, especially considering the enormous talent, not to mention money, involved. Santa Anita will likely continue to be a primary location and the track has already agreed to let HBO shoot here for at least the first few seasons. The network, after suffering through some lean years following the exodus of cultural touchstones “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City,” has begun to rebound thanks to the breakout hit “True Blood.” A string of hotly-anticipated new shows seem ready to lift the network to the critical and commercial heights enjoyed during the heyday of Tony Soprano and Carrie Bradshaw. This week, “The Wire” mastermind David Simon’s post-Katrina drama “Treme” was picked up for a 2nd season after its pilot episode scored in the ratings and with critics. It’s becoming an embarrassment of riches for the network as a new Martin Scorsese drama is on the horizon as well as projects from Todd Haynes, David Fincher and Jonathan Demme.
Even if “Luck” proves unfortunate and fails to get the greenlight to series, expect Santa Anita to keep ticking along. Its 75th anniversary season comes to a close on Sunday, with the San Juan Capistrano being run for the 71st time. The recent season has seen attendance drop ten percent, which is consistent with tracks nationwide. Mr. Siberell, for one, doesn’t worry about the drop foreseeing a potential resurgence in horseracing with “Luck” on their side, “I think “Luck” can create some new racing fans coming to Santa Anita, much like the show “Jockeys” on Animal Planet did. If nothing else, it will educate the non-racing fans about our fascinating business and sport… We hope the overall story and themes reflect David’s profound respect and love of the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing so that we all will be proud of our association with the pilot and series.”

Photos by Terry Miller

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