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Dream story of allotment racehorse to hit the big screen this spring


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  • The true story of a racehorse bred on an allotment who united a community is to hit cinemas this spring.

    Dream Horse, the Warner Bros production of Dream Alliance’s life stars Toni Collette (Muriel’s Wedding, The Sixth Sense), Damian Lewis (Homeland, Band Of Brothers), Owen Teale (Game Of Thrones), Joanna Page (Gavin And Stacey, Love Actually) and Karl Johnson (Wittgenstein, Hot Fuzz) among others.

    The trailer was shared online yesterday (19 February) and the film will be released in UK cinemas on 17 April.

    Sharp-eyed viewers may also have spotted H&H making another film cameo, as breeder Janet Vokes flicks through the racing pages in her local supermarket.

    Dream Horse is a classic story of triumph against adversity, and a tale of how a woman strives to make her dream a reality in a place where hope is thin on the ground,” states the official notes.

    “Jan Vokes, a cleaner and bartender, recruits her initially reluctant husband Brian and local accountant Howard Davies to help her bring together a syndicate of local people to breed a foal — which they name Dream Alliance.

    “On the racetrack, he proves himself to be more than a match for the multi-million-pound racehorses he comes up against – a true working-class champion, taking on the establishment at their own game.

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    “But much more than this, Dream begins to alter the lives of everyone in the syndicate, not least Jan’s. He is everything to her: friend, confidant and an escape from a life of always putting other people’s needs first.”

    This is not the first time the Philip Hobbs-trained 2009 Welsh National winner’s story has made the silver screen.

    Film4’s documentary Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance was released in 2015 and won an award at Sundance Film Festival.

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