Dick Francis: Blood Sport (TV 1989)

Cleveland teams with an insurance investigator in the search for a stolen $6 million dollar horse in the Canadian Rockies.

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writers:

Andrew Payne (screenplay), Dick Francis (novel)

Stars:

Ian McShane, Heath Lamberts, Lloyd Bochner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McShane	...	David Cleveland
Heath Lamberts	...	Walt Prensala
Lloyd Bochner	...	James Culham Offen
Kenneth Welsh	...	Harry Teller
Patrick Macnee	...	Geoffrey Keeble
Carolyn Dunn	...	Lynne Teller
Jennifer Dale	...	Eunice Teller
Timothy Webber	...	Matt Clive
Laurie Paton	...	Yola Clive
Cameron Graham	...	Peter Teller
Barbara Franklin	...	Eva
R.D. Reid	...	Hagstrom
Louis Tripp	...	Hagstrom Boy
Lawrence King-Phillips	...	Mike
Tom Heaton	...	Wrangler

Storyline

Jockey Club investigator David Cleveland journeys to Canada to apprehend a notorious horse doper and while there is coaxed by his supervisor to help rich horse breeder Harry Teller. Teller has been trying to find Chrysallis, his $6 million dollar stud bay stallion, mistakenly kidnapped by hijackers and presumed dead. Although Cleveland initially resists the case, an attempt on Teller's life convinces him the horse is still alive. Cleveland is intrigued further by Teller's hard-drinking, lonely and curvaceous second wife as well as his nubile blond daughter, both of whom are attracted to him. He teams with an overweight insurance investigator to track down the animal as clues take them to dude ranch in the Canadian Rockies.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | insurance investigator | stallion | dude ranch | tapped phone | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Details

Country:

Ireland Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Sport

Filming Locations:

Ontario Jockey Club, Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Axel Springer/Multimedia Productions, Comedia Entertainment Inc., Dick Francis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

James Culham Offen: When it comes to horses, Mr. Cleveland, there's no such thing as a certainty - on or off the track.

User Reviews

Not true to the novel

As a fan of the Dick Francis novels, I was pleased to see that the film version of one of them was to be shown on Cable TV. Unfortunately, the locations had been changed and although the story was vaguely recognisable, the excitement and suspense of the novel was completely missing. Even Ian McShane, who I like as the character Lovejoy, was not at his best and the rest of the cast were unknown to me. A very disappointing experience.