The Cup (2011)

The 2002 Melbourne Cup horse race, brotherly love and the triumph of the human spirit. A true story.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers:

Eric O'Keefe (screenplay), Simon Wincer (screenplay)

Stars:

Bryan Martin, Stephen Curry, Jodi Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Martin	...	MC Jockey's Presentation
Stephen Curry	...	Damien Oliver
Jodi Gordon	...	Trish Oliver
Daniel MacPherson	...	Jason Oliver
Alice Parkinson	...	Jenny
Shaun Micallef	...	Lee Freedman (as Shaun Micaleff)
Martin Sacks	...	Neil Pinner
Colleen Hewett	...	Pat Oliver
Andrew Curry	...	Ray Oliver
Meredith Penman	...	Young Pat Oliver
Brendan Gleeson	...	Dermot Weld
Kate Bell	...	Claire
Tom Burlinson	...	Dave Phillips
Nick Simpson-Deeks	...	Pat Smullen
Lewis Fitz-Gerald	...	Sir Michael Smurfit

Storyline

Born into a legendary racing family, jockeys Damien Oliver and his brother, Jason, followed in their father's footsteps. Ray Oliver died tragically in a racing accident when the boys were young. But racing was in their blood, and Damien in particular inherited his father's gifts. His eye was on the greatest championship of them all, the prestigious Melbourne Cup. After years of training, he was ready. Damien would ride the powerful but temperamental Media Puzzle, under the watch of the great Irish trainer Dermot Weld. Some were not so sure about Media Puzzle's chances, but Weld was confident that the great jockey and spirited horse would make an unbeatable combination. As racing day approached, horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, fans and the media from around the globe descended on Melbourne. Weld's fiercest rival, Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown prince of Dubai, sent his best horses, anxious for a Melbourne Cup win. The news channels were filled with talk and speculation about Damien and ...

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Plot Keywords:

horse | horse race | grief | death of brother | racing accident | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Andrew Curry (playing Ray Oliver) brother of Stephen Curry (playing Damien Oliver) plays his on screen father

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Goofs

During the 2002 AFL season, North Melbourne did not play West Coast in a match in Melbourne. During that season the two teams met twice with the matches being played in Perth and Canberra.

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Quotes

RTE Reporter: How about Australia? Is Vinnie good enough to take them on in the Melbourne Cup?
Dermot Weld: Ah, I wouldn't say that. I'd say he's good enough to win it.

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Connections

Featured in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Celebrities, Part 2 (2021)

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Soundtracks

Time Of My Life
Written by J. Washbourn
Administered by Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd
Performed by Toploader
Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Pty Ltd

User Reviews

The Cup

Excellent Film, Recommended for Horse Racing Fans as is based on true events, Gets you en-thrilled with the action, Hopefully there will be other films done Similar to this on some of the UK's main Races such as the Grand National, Epsom Derby, Cheltenham Gold Cup etc.

Simiarilities to this film are Secretriat, which is nowhere near as realistic as The Cup, I thought Brendon Gleeson Did a excellent job playing the trainer Dermot Weld. To improve this film the only thing I think they could of done to improve it is have the Jockey's played by themselves.

As mentioned at the start though, a brilliant film to watch for all horse racing lovers, whether thats owners, trainers, jockey's or backers.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

13 October 2011 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Cup

Filming Locations:

The Curragh Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

AUD15,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,660,645

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Victoria, Horizon Films, Ingenious Broadcasting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color