If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to enter the King’s Sports with a handful of cash and rose dreams in King’s Sports, Netflix’s new docusary, “Ranking for the Crown” will drop you into the saddle. The show will continue with jockeys, trainers and billionaire owners throughout the 2024 Triple Crown season.
It’s not just a private jet or a parade of champagne toast…though there are plenty. Viewers will showcase racing life forms like jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and trainer Kenny McPeak.
The series begins with Michael Iavalon, the smooth, night-time sunglasses type who won the Kentucky Derby in Big Brown in 2008. A behind-the-scenes chat with fellow Derby-winning owner Ramilo Lectrepo reveals the missing connections. The two were unable to sign a contract at the 2023 Derby Championship Mage.
As that sour note lasts, Iavarone will purchase Restrepo’s hopeful Victory Avenue for 2024. The “seven-figure trade” ultimately went nowhere when the horse failed to create the start gate for the Kentucky Derby.
High-stakes dreams and high-end lifestyles dominate the early episodes. A star-studded cast featuring legendary Italian jockey Frankie Detri, outspoken billionaire Mile Ple Pole, World Series champion Jason Worth and horse racing rookie John Stewart.
Dettori’s ARC focuses on his decision to base the US full time, hoping to ride the Derby. He won a Society Man.th With the first gem of the 2024 Triple Crown. Meanwhile, Repre plays the loud, rooted villain that you are secretly rooted in. “Queens’ Mike” has plenty of room, but the show offers a glimpse of the emotional roller coaster rides by its owners, trainers and jockeys each week.
Then there’s Stewart. Stewart went from Wall Street to the winner’s circle. He seems to be as passionate about the horsepower of the garage like a truck. His Lamborghini lifestyle screams “money isn’t the subject,” but his love for racing seems legal.
Werth’s storyline offers one of the series’ most emotional payouts. The camera captured the pain in his face when his derby horse, Dornoch, was not broken from the gate, eliminating a chance in the victory. But five weeks later, the table changed. From the Turf Terrace in Saratoga, America’s best racing cameras celebrated in Philadelphia like a 2008 World Series audience when Dornock returned home in the Belmont Stakes. ABR provided Netflix producers with raw emotion clips and other videos to enhance their docusary.
But perhaps the most relevant person on the show is jockey Katie Davis. A working mom and fierce competitor, Davis opens up about the struggle to return to the post-natal race, the loneliness of being the only woman in the jockey colony, and the loneliness of being told it was time to escape from her agents. Instead, she digs, closes her mind and gains fan favorite status at New York’s tracks, especially Saratoga.
“Race for the Crown” is not inoperable with pedigree or betting tickets. Instead, it is the high octane appearance of people behind the horse. This series has a lot of big personality, bigger bank accounts and plenty of heartbreak to keep things honest. It’s gorgeous, rough and reminds me of how difficult it is to get into the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby.
