Walt Disney Pictures "Secretariat" filming in Louisiana

November 2, 3:43 PMMovie Locations Travel ExaminerDebi Willis

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   Taken October 5, 2009, this photo shows a film crew and extras,
  including horses, in a Churchill Downs paddock filming a portion
  of a Disney movie about Secretariat. (AP Photo/Michael Clevenger)

Monday, November 2, 2009, was “promo day” for extras recruited for Walt Disney Pictures upcoming movie Secretariat.  The film, slated for an October 2010 arrival in theaters, is being directed by Randall Wallace (The Man In The Iron Mask and We Were Soldiers) and stars Diane Lane and John Malkovich. 

Based on the remarkable true story, Secretariat chronicles the journey of the legendary horse that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years.  In the process, he set records that still stand today for two of the three series events (the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes). 

The film will also recount the equally remarkable story of Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery Tweedy (Lane’s character), a Denver housewife who stepped in for her ill father and turned around his struggling Virginia thoroughbred horse farm.  Against all odds, Chenery – assisted by veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich) – succeeded in superlative fashion in this male-dominated sport.

Secretariat began filming in Kentucky in October 2009 (at Churchill Downs in Louisville and at Keeneland in Lexington), and the production has now moved to Louisiana.  Richmar Stables in Opelousas has been transformed into Meadow Farm (the Chenery family farm), and Evangeline Downs will be used to recreate the Triple Crown series infields of Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park.

For the November 2 Promo Day, production assistants instructed extras to come dressed in their “best 70s outfit” and to report to the Evangeline Training Center in Carencro.  The training center is the former site of the Evangeline Downs Racetrack, which relocated to Opelousas, Louisiana in 2005.

If you have never seen Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes performance – or if it has been a while since you watched it – prepare to be impressed by this video…