While this 1949 film is a fictionalized account of the real-life champion Seabiscuit, featuring child star Shirley Temple, the main draw for horse racing fans is that it includes actual racing footage of the real Seabiscuit and his legendary rival War Admiral.

National Velvet

Winner of two Academy Awards and featuring a pre-teenage Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, this family classic from 1944 tells the tale of a young girl who wins a horse in a raffle and makes plans to run him at the Grand National steeplechase in Liverpool, England.

A Day at the Races

And for those who like a few laughs at the track, you can’t go wrong with this iconic Marx Brothers film from 1937.

Racing Stripes

Speaking of laughs, what makes you think that a zebra named Stripes can’t be a racehorse? In this 2005 family comedy that’s exactly what happens. Starring a teenage Hayden Panettiere (TV’s Nashville) as the girl who believes Stripes can race, this live-action film with computer animation also features a plethora of talent giving voice to the family’s farm animals, including Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, Frankie Muniz, David Spade, Jeff Foxworthy, Joe Pantoliano and more.