HBO series no savior, but ‘Luck’ worth a look

The horse racing industry long has held the mistaken belief that a horse or an event magically will turn around the business. For example, having the great Zenyatta race was a good thing, but now she’s retired making babies.

Various horse racing movies such as “Seabiscuit” and “Secretariat” have been popular. They are good for the short term, but they come and go.

The next “silver bullet” is a new HBO horse racing drama series titled “Luck” that will premiere Jan. 29. The racing scenes were shot at Santa Anita Park, and the visuals are extraordinary.

For those who think “Luck” will make turnstiles spin at racetracks, don’t hold your breath. That’s not a slap at “Luck,” but it’s the reality of what it can do long term for racing.

I’ve watched the first four of nine episodes from the first season of “Luck,” and I hope there are a lot more seasons because the show is exceptional.

I’m not a TV critic, but I know what I like. “Luck” is more like “The Sopranos” or “Breaking Bad” than a Disney fairy tale like “Secretariat.”

It begins with show creator David Milch, a longtime horse owner in Southern California. Milch has had Hollywood success with gritty shows such as “NYPD Blue” and “Deadwood” in which the characters are fully exposed, warts and all.

People with impeccable horse racing resumes, including Milch, Jay Hovdey of Daily Racing Form and John Perrotta, wrote many “Luck” episodes. The writing ultimately will determine the show’s success.

For those of us in horse racing, the sport is portrayed honestly to a fault. The interesting characters played by an all-star cast will attract viewers who do not know horse racing.

Dustin Hoffman was signed to play the lead character, Chester “Ace” Bernstein, so you knew the bar was set high for “Luck.” Other leads include Nick Nolte as trainer Walter Smith, Dennis Farina as Gus Economou, Bernstein’s driver, muscle and confidante, and John Ortiz as trainer Turo Escalante. The Ortiz character loosely is based on real-life trainer Julio Canani, and he is a scene stealer.

Horse racing probably will play a secondary role to viewers who figure to be drawn to the characters who all have a flawed, dark side. Quite frankly, the subplots were slow to develop, but I attribute that to the need to cultivate the depth of the characters first.

Horse racing fans might complain that “Luck” doesn’t promote the sport. Well, that’s not the show’s purpose. What horse racing provides is a multilevel platform for interesting characters that hopefully will keep viewers coming back.

■ QUALIFIERS — Even if you haven’t qualified for the National Handicapping Championship on Jan. 27 and 28 at Treasure Island or the Horseplayer World Series from Feb. 23 to 25 at The Orleans, you can next week. On Wednesday, the Last Chance qualifier will be held at Treasure Island for the 2012 NHC. The entry fee is $500.

Then on Thursday, The Orleans Winter Gallop qualifier will be held for the HWS. The entry fee is $100.

On Sunday, the Treasure Island Shootout will be the first qualifier for the 2013 NHC. The entry fee is $200.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.