There’s nothing that the British public likes more than backing an underdog – and watching people (and animals) overcome adversity to defy the odds. Whether it’s the Jamaican bobsleigh team who made it to the Olympics, Leicester City lifting the Premier League title in 2016, Boris Becker becoming Wimbledon Champion or Greece becoming the footballing champions of Europe in 2004, these stories all create a real sense of joy. Indeed, some of them are even made into movies, so extraordinary is their tale.
One such underdog movie is ‘Dream Horse’, a movie starring Toni Collette, which is based on Welsh Grand National winner Dream Alliance. Here, we take a look at the true story behind that remarkable win.
Wales Goes to Hollywood
If you look at today’s horse races, you’ll find the favorites – and those who are not expected to win. Although there are times when the underdog comes up trumps, it’s not often, and this story is one of the most remarkable of all… and starts off in the beautiful Welsh Valleys.
The lady who nurtured her unlikely racehorse on her plot of land in the Welsh Valleys and later famously clinched victory in the Welsh Grand National has always been utterly amazed by the fact that her story has been adapted into a Hollywood film – and a popular one at that.,
Jan Vokes, portrayed by Australian actress Toni Collette, takes the spotlight in the movie Dream Horse. The film tells us the incredible story of Dream Alliance, the racehorse owned by a group of friends – who all contributed £10 a week, who ultimately triumphed in the 2009 Welsh Grand National. Vokes, who worked as a barmaid in their local, thought up the idea of breeding a racehorse after overhearing a tax adviser talking about his ownership of a racehorse. This inspired her to look into it, buy a mare and raise it as a racehorse on an allotment in Cefn Fforest, near Blackwood in South Wales.
A Bargain Price
Jan Vokes’ husband, Brian Vokes, was the one who discovered her mare Rewball – initially priced at £1000. However, because of a barbed-wire injury, which left the horse’s legs scarred and the fact that the horse had a notoriously difficult temperament and had never won a race, they secured the horse for £300, with Jan adding a £50 tip for luck. Ultimately, they paid a total of £350 for the horse.
An Absolute Beginner
Jan Vokes’ prior breeding experience primarily involved whippets and racing pigeons. Before purchasing the mare for £350, she had no experience with horses. She and her husband eventually bred Rewbell to Bien Bien, a retired American thoroughbred racehorse, for a fee of £3000 – and the result was Dream Alliance, so named because 22 of the local townspeople all chipped $10 per week to support the horse’s training. It was calculated that £15,000 per year would cover the training costs, and he proposed that 30 people each contribute £10 per week. To cover the shortfall, Jan Vokes got an extra job at a supermarket.
A Dream Trainer
This money was well spent. Dream Alliance was trained by the respected racehorse trainer Philip Hobbs. The training began when the horse was three years old, after the syndicate had managed to raise enough money.
However, the road was not a smooth one. Dream Alliance suffered a torn tendon in a preparatory race for the 2008 Grand National at the Aintree Festival – and it looked bad. To save the horse from euthanasia, Howard Davies proposed a new stem cell treatment, which successfully allowed the tendon to heal. Money from Dream Alliance’s prior winnings covered the surgery and the 15 months of rehabilitation that followed. It wasn’t until July 2009 that the racehorse could resume training.
A Dream Win
It was that same year that Dream Alliance won the 2009 Welsh National by three-quarters of a length – which resulted in a prize of £57,000 for the group of 22 people who were contributing £10 a week for his training.
The story of Dream Alliance was about faith, trust, community and overcoming the biggest odds to show that anything really is possible – a real Hollywood ending!